Kevin Gormley

Altruism: a framework for caring and providing care

The word altruism is derived from the Latin alteri huic meaning to this other and literally means to express a regard for others as a principle for action. Fung (1988) [JAMA, Vol. 260, No. 17, p. 2509] describes altruism as caring for no obvious reward other than the belief that someone else will benefit or avoid harm. Altruism represents an amalgamation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors which either permit or coerce individuals to take responsibility for or care for another and to sacrifice things dearly held. Traditionally the caring professions have been characterised by a self professed altruism, that is, a selfless service on behalf of or for others (Thompson et al., 1994, Nursing Ethics, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh). This paper examines the theoretical basis of altruistic care, drawing on significant contribution from the literature before proceeding to explore the pivotal role altruism plays in nursing practice and the current arrangements for health care provision within the United Kingdom.

How critical care nurses' roles and education affect organ donation

Organ and tissue dysfunction and failure cause high mortality rates around the world. Tissue and organs transplantation is an established, cost-effective, life-saving treatment for patients with organ failure. However, there is a large gap between the need for and the supply of donor organs. Acute and critical care nurses have a central role in the organ donation process, from identifying and assessing potential donors and supporting their families to involvement in logistics. Nurses with an in-depth knowledge of donation understand its clinical and technical aspects as well as the moral and legal considerations. Nurses have a major role to play in tackling organ and tissue shortages. Such a role cannot be adequately performed if nurses are not fully educated about donation and transplant. Such education could be incorporated into mandatory training and completed by all nurses.

Service-user involvement in nurse education: partnership or tokenism?

Following on from the Keogh Report, the need for a framework of service-user involvement exists not just in the health service, but also in higher education. There are wide variances globally in the levels of service-user interaction and involvement in healthcare education. Health policy internationally has indicated a move towards developing partnerships with service users, but to date this remains elusive, with the majority of user involvement consultative in approach. This article aims to discuss the health policy background and the current approaches taken in the involvement of service users in healthcare education.

Leadership and emotional intelligence in nursing and midwifery education and practice: a discussion paper

AIM A discussion of the concepts of leadership and emotional intelligence in nursing and midwifery education and practice. BACKGROUND The need for emotionally intelligent leadership in the health professions is acknowledged internationally throughout the nursing and midwifery literature. The concepts of emotional intelligence and emotional-social intelligence have emerged as important factors for effective leadership in the healthcare professions and require further exploration and discussion. This paper will explore these concepts and discuss their importance in the healthcare setting with reference to current practices in the UK, Ireland and internationally. DESIGN Discussion paper. DATA SOURCES A search of published evidence from 1990-2015 using key words (as outlined below) was undertaken from which relevant sources were selected to build an informed discussion. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING/MIDWIFERY Fostering emotionally intelligent leadership in nursing and midwifery supports the provision of high quality and compassionate care. Globally, leadership has important implications for all stakeholders in the healthcare professions with responsibility for maintaining high standards of care. This includes all grades of nurses and midwives, students entering the professions, managerial staff, academics and policy makers. CONCLUSION This paper discusses the conceptual models of leadership and emotional intelligence and demonstrates an important link between the two. Further robust studies are required for ongoing evaluation of the different models of emotional intelligence and their link with effective leadership behaviour in the healthcare field internationally. This is of particular significance for professional undergraduate education to promote ongoing compassionate, safe and high quality standards of care.

Falls prevention and support: Translating research, integrating services and promoting the contribution of service users for quality and innovative programmes of care

Falls are a significant threat to the safety, health and independence of older citizens. Despite the substantial evidence that is available around effective falls prevention programmes and interventions, their translation into falls reduction programmes and policies has yet to be fully realised. While hip fracture rates are decreasing, the number and incidence of fall-related hospital admissions among older people continue to rise. Given the demographic trends that highlight increasing numbers of older people in the UK, which is broadly reflected internationally, there is a financial and social imperative to minimise the rate of falls and associated injuries. Falling is closely aligned to growing older (Slips, Trips and Falls Update: From Acute and Community Hospitals and Mental Health Units in England and Wales, Department of Health, HMSO, London, 2010). According to the World Health Organization, around 30% of older people aged over 65 and 50% of those over 80 will fall each year (Falls Fact Sheet Number 344, WHO, Geneva, 2010). Falls happen as a result of many reasons and can have harmful consequences, including loss of mobility and independence, confidence and in many cases even death (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 15, 2009, 146; Slips, Trips and Falls Update: From Acute and Community Hospitals and Mental Health Units in England and Wales, Department of Health, HMSO, London, 2010; Falling Standards, Broken Promises: Report of the National Audit of Falls and Bone Health in Older People 2010, Health Care Quality Improvement Partnership, London, 2011). What is neither fair nor correct is the common belief by old and young alike that falls are just another inconvenience to put up with. The available evidence justifiably supports the view that well-organised services, based upon national standards and expert guidance, can prevent future falls among older people and reduce death and disability from fractures. This paper will draw from the UK, as an exemplar for policy and practice, to discuss the strategic direction of falls prevention programmes for older people and the partnerships that need to exist between researchers, service providers and users of services to translate evidence to the clinical setting. Second, it will propose some mechanisms for disseminating evidence to healthcare professionals and other stakeholders, to improve the quality and capacity of the clinical workforce.

Practice Write-Ups an Assessment Instrument that Contributes to Bridging the Differences between Theory and Practice for Student Nurses' through the Development of Core Skills

Nurse education currently faces two major challenges. The first involves deciding the best way to increase the skill level of practitioners and the second involves determining how this can be achieved within a culture of lifetime learning. Each of these challenges needs to be confronted as early as possible and preferably at undergraduate level. Practice write-ups (PWUs) enable students to demonstrate competence in a range of core nursing skills. Although PWUs are essentially an assessment instrument, they are underlined by an educational commitment to encourage students to be reflective in their practice. In doing so students should be able to question existing strategies for implementing care and decide whether care is appropriate and contributing to the well-being of the patient.