Caring for people in pain

Caring for people in pain

Reviews Book Reviews Caring for people in pain Bryn D. Davis Routledge 2000 ISBN 0 415 18891 1 £15.99 PB Professionals who care for people in pain wo...

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Reviews

Book Reviews Caring for people in pain Bryn D. Davis Routledge 2000 ISBN 0 415 18891 1 £15.99 PB Professionals who care for people in pain would find the subject matter in the book of great value. Patients attending A&E have historically had a poor assessment of their pain needs and suffered delayed administration of appropriate analgesia. With a multi-cultural society, and the lack of the extended family, the caring professional needs a broad understanding of the different types of pain and factors which influence them. It is refreshing to read about the different types of pain intervention including hypnosis, acupuncture, music, imagery and relaxation discussed along side those of a pharmacological nature. The discussion on pain assessment/tools enables the A&E nurse to understand the need for a rapid assessment at triage. I do however feel that the different theories of pain were particularly difficult to understand and might not be best suited to pre-registered students and the book’s subject matter in this chapter would be of more value to post graduates. The author has succeeded in promoting a deeper understanding of the challenges of pain management and the different types of assessment, intervention and evaluation of patients in pain. Andrea Hansell RGN, SCM Dip. N. (London), BSc (Hons.), Sister, Emergency Department, Southampton General Hospital, UK doi: 10.1054/ aaen.2001.0229, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on

Self-assessment colour review of paediatric nursing & child health Judith Hunter, Veronica D. Feeg & Marion E. Broome. Manson publications 2000 ISBN 1 874545 97 9 £9.95 Patients attend A&E departments with a wide variety of complaints and it would be difficult to predict what the next patient through the door will present with. Using a wide variety of subjects, with each case appearing in random order and by asking questions on each subject, this publication addresses two aims: to both educate and test the emergency nurse’s knowledge of Paediatric nursing from primary health care, health education through to critical care.

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The authors use cases and conditions from both the UK & USA and each is accompanied by excellent photographs, diagrams or illustrations. All nurses working in A&E departments will find this book interesting to read and to test each other’s knowledge, but the questions asked are very specific. Therefore, I think the nurse would need to have either a qualification in paediatric nursing or be working in an area specialising in treating children to gain any real benefit from this publication. As an RSCN working in A&E I personally found the book enjoyable to read and a good test of knowledge. Ciaran Conlon, RGN, RSCN, H Dip A&E Nursing, Dublin doi: 10.1054/ aaen.2001.0230, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on

The Nurse Practitioner – Real World Research in A&E Brian Dolan Whurr Publishers Ltd 2000 ISBN 1 86156 141 5 £10.95 PB Dolan has managed to write about a research project in a way that holds your interest all the way through the book. The description of the research project is clear, concise and very helpful to those of us who work in the A&E field and for some who may be conducting research in A & E. The tools and the methodologies are practical and usable in a busy A&E Department. The literature review is extensive and not only gives information relevant to the study but also gives a very good historical review which holds the interest of the reader. The structured interviews carried out with the patients and the sample questionnaires are very helpful and could be adapted as a quality/audit tool not only for Nurse Practitioners but for all aspects of A&E practice. Overall this innovative book and the pilot study it describes can be used as a template for other studies including a large national study. Reading it takes the mystery out of research and gives a down to earth description of how it should be done. Una Marren Bell, Deputy Director of Nursing, Mater Misercordie Hospital, Dublin, Ireland doi: 10.1054/ aaen.2001.0226, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on

© 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd