Practice nursing: saving the Cinderella service

Heather Randle discusses why nurses working in general practice feel undervalued and invisible despite working harder than ever during the pandemic

Insulin for diabetes: 100 years of therapy

This month is the 100th anniversary of insulin use in humans. Peter Jennings and Martha Stewart provide an overview of how this advancement improved care for people living with diabetes January 2022 marks 100 years since insulin was first successfully used to treat diabetes in humans. Everyone with type 1 diabetes – except those who have received pancreas or islet-cell transplants – and more than half of people with type 2 diabetes use insulin to manage their diabetes. Instead of being seen as a death sentence, type 1 diabetes is now seen as a long-term condition that can be self-managed for people with access to insulin and glucose monitoring technology. However, many people living with diabetes around the world are still unable to access affordable insulin, technologies and the support needed to self-manage their diabetes.

New guidance for ME and CFS to improve understanding of these largely misunderstood conditions

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published new guidelines on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Sarah Jane Palmer looks at the key changes made

Lack of political recognition for nurses working in general practice

Crystal Oldman highlights the heroic efforts of general practice nurses in delivering the vaccination programme

Prescribing errors in general practice

Prescribing errors are relatively common in general practice. Jennifer McCutcheon provides an overview of common prescribing errors and how they can be prevented Nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals are increasingly becoming prescribers and many of them work autonomously in general practice. Prescribing professionals have a duty to understand what a prescribing error is, common examples of errors in practice, how they are prevented and how they can be investigated and reported should they occur.

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

George Winter provides an overview of recently published articles that are of interest to practice nurses. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more detail, a full reference is provided.

Assessment and examination of the respiratory system

Respiratory complaints are seen regularly in general practice. Eleanor Squires looks at the importance of advanced practitioners carrying out a systematic assessment and examination of a patient with respiratory symptoms The aim of this article is to explore the importance of carrying out a systematic assessment and examination of a patient with respiratory complaints. History taking using recommended acronyms will be discussed, along with a focus on the most common presentations. Finally, it will discuss a systematic examination of the patient.