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The New Politics of the NHS
156
NurseEducationToday
Nursing PhotoBooks (5 books in the series reviewed) Assessing Patients I S B N 0-87434-808-0
tion of enemas easier) and aids to interpreting the findings. A brief description of the contents of each book may be useful:
Providing Respiratory Care
Assessing Patients: covers all aspects o f phys-
I S B N 0-87434-810-2
ical assessment, from eyes to sensorimotor function o f the extremities. I know that I have never been as thorough as the nurses in this book, and there is an enormous amount I did not know. For example, I really did not k n o w h o w to insert a finger into the inguinal canal, m u c h less k n o w what to expect to feel and what it might mean. Having said that, I have never worked in an area where that would have been appropriate, but it is still interesting.
Providing Cardiovascular Care I S B N 0-87434-809-9
Giving Medication I S B N 0-87434-812-9
Managing I.V. Therapy I S B N 0-87434-811-0
Elizabeth Weinsten (Ed) Springhouse Corporation, 1996 150-200pages in each book. Each book contains 350-400 photographs Price :£14.95 each. As a very !aew student nurse, I remember group sessions in the library not doing what we were supposed to be doing, but instead poring over the most gruesome or explicit photographs we could find. O n receiving these 5 books in this new series, my immediate reactions felt similar to those student days. Further examination was more thorough - there is a series of exquisitely detailed, step-by-step photographs with simple explanatory text for j u s t about every procedure a nurse could be involved in within the topic areas. Whilst I shall make reference to the books individually, there are some generic comments to be made about the series as a whole. In all, I am impressed[ There is no doubt that the nurse's role is expanding. W h e r e v e r we stand on the politics o f this, whatever contrasting arguments may be made for or against it, the scope o f our practice is increasing. In addition, nurse education has possibly m o v e d away from an emphasis on nursing tasks, preferring such procedures to be taught in the clinical area. Qualified nurses moving to different specialties are in the same boat - learning on the job. I believe these books are an invaluable tool in helping nurses, and indeed doctors, develop confidence, competence and an underlying rationale for their practice. I wish they had been available before..Some o f the procedures described in these books are (at the moment) not within the everyday practice of most British nurses, but even so, they provide a fascinating insight into procedures we either assist with, watch, or should be doing. The photographs are extremely explicit, and where it is useful, the underlying anatomy has been superimposed in clear line drawings. Simple, but a very effective means o f relating theory to practice. There are also troubleshooting guides, clinical tips (e.g. making the inset-
Providing Respiratory Care: most nurses may perform some o f the 29 techniques described in this book on a daily basis and this book will certainly help evaluate practice. There are 4 main sections: assessing respiration; monitoring respiratory status; caring for ventilated patients; and caring for critically ill patients. Techniques range from taking arterial samples to tracheostomy care.
Providing Cardiovascular Care: a comprehensive account of procedures encountered within the realms of cardiovascular care, from setting up transducers to inserting pulmonary artery catheters. Basics in interpreting haemodynamic waveforms and E C G tracings are also offered and there is an excellent description of auscultating heart sounds.
Giving Medications: do not be deceived into thinking this is the one book that might be the least useful - it made absorbing reading. Every route ever conceived for giving a drug is explicitly covered, from oral to ophthalmic. There is sound advice on which drugs should not be crushed or dissolved, which certainly made me reevaluate some of the things I have put down nasogastric tubes in the past. N e w developments made interesting reading too. Managing I V Therapy: contains an overview of peripheral and central venous therapy, with basic set-ups and equipment (all recognizable by a British nurse). There are then 14 topics on essentials o f managing IVs, from finding a vein to managing transfusion reactions. Essential reading, particularly as this is one area where nurses are having more and more input. T h e editor claims that the clinical procedures described are research-based and written with the consultation o f medical and nursing authorities. I see no reason to doubt that. It is also pointed out that these cannot be considered universal recommendations, and must be considered in the light of the patient's condition. At such
reasonable prices though, I would certainly recommend these books to all nurses w h o are keen to learn more about the practice o f their chosen profession.
Julie Taylor PathwayLeaderCriticalCare North YorkshireCollegeofHealthStudies
Health and Social Policy in Twentieth Century Britain HelenJones Longman, 1994 ISBN 0-582-00459-4, 200pages Price :£9.99
The New Politics of the NHS Rudolf Klein Longman [SBN 0-582-23882-X, 257pages Price :£12.99
Health Policy and the NHS Judith AIIsop Longman, 1995 ISBN 0-582-04279-8, 354pages Price :£14.99 Nurse educators are faced with a wide variety of textbooks for students and indeed for their o w n use in teaching and research. This review considers three recent texts to assess their suitability for teaching and the ways in which they contribute to a general understanding o f practice and theory in health services. All three of these books have a policy focus, but reveal that conceptions of what is health policy vary greatly. Jones' account o f health in the 20th century uses a social history perspective to explore policy in the context o f social changes. Such a chronological approach has many advantages for it can bring together our understanding of 20th century history (often relayed through the media) with our knowledge of our o w n professional origins. This book avoids an altogether traditional approach to historical developments by paying particular attention to three factors: class, ethnicity and gender. Such themes are currently contentious, but Jones explores the historical impact of all three throughout the 20th century in Britain. For example, she relates women's domestic work firmly to health in Edwardian Britain w h e n official health services were largely restricted to male employees. Jones holds that the 1920s have been generally ignored in health policy analysis. She argues that several important campaigns started in this period (e.g. for birth control) and that although the period was
NurseEducationToday
Nursing PhotoBooks (5 books in the series reviewed) Assessing Patients I S B N 0-87434-808-0
tion of enemas easier) and aids to interpreting the findings. A brief description of the contents of each book may be useful:
Providing Respiratory Care
Assessing Patients: covers all aspects o f phys-
I S B N 0-87434-810-2
ical assessment, from eyes to sensorimotor function o f the extremities. I know that I have never been as thorough as the nurses in this book, and there is an enormous amount I did not know. For example, I really did not k n o w h o w to insert a finger into the inguinal canal, m u c h less k n o w what to expect to feel and what it might mean. Having said that, I have never worked in an area where that would have been appropriate, but it is still interesting.
Providing Cardiovascular Care I S B N 0-87434-809-9
Giving Medication I S B N 0-87434-812-9
Managing I.V. Therapy I S B N 0-87434-811-0
Elizabeth Weinsten (Ed) Springhouse Corporation, 1996 150-200pages in each book. Each book contains 350-400 photographs Price :£14.95 each. As a very !aew student nurse, I remember group sessions in the library not doing what we were supposed to be doing, but instead poring over the most gruesome or explicit photographs we could find. O n receiving these 5 books in this new series, my immediate reactions felt similar to those student days. Further examination was more thorough - there is a series of exquisitely detailed, step-by-step photographs with simple explanatory text for j u s t about every procedure a nurse could be involved in within the topic areas. Whilst I shall make reference to the books individually, there are some generic comments to be made about the series as a whole. In all, I am impressed[ There is no doubt that the nurse's role is expanding. W h e r e v e r we stand on the politics o f this, whatever contrasting arguments may be made for or against it, the scope o f our practice is increasing. In addition, nurse education has possibly m o v e d away from an emphasis on nursing tasks, preferring such procedures to be taught in the clinical area. Qualified nurses moving to different specialties are in the same boat - learning on the job. I believe these books are an invaluable tool in helping nurses, and indeed doctors, develop confidence, competence and an underlying rationale for their practice. I wish they had been available before..Some o f the procedures described in these books are (at the moment) not within the everyday practice of most British nurses, but even so, they provide a fascinating insight into procedures we either assist with, watch, or should be doing. The photographs are extremely explicit, and where it is useful, the underlying anatomy has been superimposed in clear line drawings. Simple, but a very effective means o f relating theory to practice. There are also troubleshooting guides, clinical tips (e.g. making the inset-
Providing Respiratory Care: most nurses may perform some o f the 29 techniques described in this book on a daily basis and this book will certainly help evaluate practice. There are 4 main sections: assessing respiration; monitoring respiratory status; caring for ventilated patients; and caring for critically ill patients. Techniques range from taking arterial samples to tracheostomy care.
Providing Cardiovascular Care: a comprehensive account of procedures encountered within the realms of cardiovascular care, from setting up transducers to inserting pulmonary artery catheters. Basics in interpreting haemodynamic waveforms and E C G tracings are also offered and there is an excellent description of auscultating heart sounds.
Giving Medications: do not be deceived into thinking this is the one book that might be the least useful - it made absorbing reading. Every route ever conceived for giving a drug is explicitly covered, from oral to ophthalmic. There is sound advice on which drugs should not be crushed or dissolved, which certainly made me reevaluate some of the things I have put down nasogastric tubes in the past. N e w developments made interesting reading too. Managing I V Therapy: contains an overview of peripheral and central venous therapy, with basic set-ups and equipment (all recognizable by a British nurse). There are then 14 topics on essentials o f managing IVs, from finding a vein to managing transfusion reactions. Essential reading, particularly as this is one area where nurses are having more and more input. T h e editor claims that the clinical procedures described are research-based and written with the consultation o f medical and nursing authorities. I see no reason to doubt that. It is also pointed out that these cannot be considered universal recommendations, and must be considered in the light of the patient's condition. At such
reasonable prices though, I would certainly recommend these books to all nurses w h o are keen to learn more about the practice o f their chosen profession.
Julie Taylor PathwayLeaderCriticalCare North YorkshireCollegeofHealthStudies
Health and Social Policy in Twentieth Century Britain HelenJones Longman, 1994 ISBN 0-582-00459-4, 200pages Price :£9.99
The New Politics of the NHS Rudolf Klein Longman [SBN 0-582-23882-X, 257pages Price :£12.99
Health Policy and the NHS Judith AIIsop Longman, 1995 ISBN 0-582-04279-8, 354pages Price :£14.99 Nurse educators are faced with a wide variety of textbooks for students and indeed for their o w n use in teaching and research. This review considers three recent texts to assess their suitability for teaching and the ways in which they contribute to a general understanding o f practice and theory in health services. All three of these books have a policy focus, but reveal that conceptions of what is health policy vary greatly. Jones' account o f health in the 20th century uses a social history perspective to explore policy in the context o f social changes. Such a chronological approach has many advantages for it can bring together our understanding of 20th century history (often relayed through the media) with our knowledge of our o w n professional origins. This book avoids an altogether traditional approach to historical developments by paying particular attention to three factors: class, ethnicity and gender. Such themes are currently contentious, but Jones explores the historical impact of all three throughout the 20th century in Britain. For example, she relates women's domestic work firmly to health in Edwardian Britain w h e n official health services were largely restricted to male employees. Jones holds that the 1920s have been generally ignored in health policy analysis. She argues that several important campaigns started in this period (e.g. for birth control) and that although the period was