Is seeing a specialist nurse associated with positive experiences of care? The role and value of specialist nurses in prostate cancer careSpecialist nurses may play an important role in helping to improve the experiences of patients with prostate cancer, however there is concern that the specialist nurse role is under threat in the UK due to financial pressures in the NHS. This study explored the role and value of specialist nurses in prostate cancer care via a survey and patient interviews.
Family meetings in palliative care: Multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines Background: Support for family carers is a core function of palliative care. Family meetings are commonly recommended as a useful way for health care professionals to convey information, discuss goals of care and plan care strategies with patients and family carers. Yet it seems there is insufficient research to demonstrate the utlility of family meetings or the best way to conduct them. This study sought to develop multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines for conducting family meetings in the specialist palliative care setting based on available evidence and consensus based expert opinion.
Consultant medical trainers, modernising medical careers (MMC) and the European time directive (EWTD): tensions and challenges in a changing medical education contextBackground:
We analysed the learning and professional development narratives of Hospital
Methods:
discussed in the context of Consultant Trainers' personal biographies, organisational culture and
medical education practices. We conducted life story interviews with 20 Hospital Consultants in
six NHS Trusts in Wales in 2005.Qualitative study. Learning and continuing professional development (CPD), were
Results:
have changed the nature of medical education. Loss of continuity of care, reduced clinical exposure
of medical trainees and loss of the popular apprenticeship model were seen as detrimental for the
quality of medical training and patient care. Consultant Trainers' perceptions of medical education
were embedded in a traditional medical education culture, which expected long hours' availability,
personal sacrifices and learning without formal educational support and supervision. Over-reliance
on apprenticeship in combination with lack of organisational support for Consultant Trainers' new
responsibilities, resulting from the introduction of MMC, and lack of interest in pursuing training in
teaching, supervision and assessment represent potentially significant barriers to progress.Consultant Trainers felt that new working patterns resulting from the EWTD and MMC
Conclusion:
MMC within the context of EWTD. Postgraduate Deaneries, NHS Trusts and the new body; NHS:
Medical Education England should deal with the deficiencies of MMC and challenges of ETWD and
aspire to excellence. Further research is needed to investigate the views and educational practices
of Consultant Medical Trainers and medical trainees.This study identifies issues with significant implications for the implementation of
Consultants training junior staff ('Consultant Trainers') in order to identify impediments to
successful postgraduate medical training in the UK, in the context of Modernising Medical Careers
(MMC) and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).