Interprofessional relations

Objective: To explore the causes of preventable drug-related admissions (PDRAs) to hospital.

Design: Qualitative case studies using semi-structured interviews and medical record review; data analysed using a framework derived from Reason’s model of organisational accidents and cascade analysis.

Reports about the impact of caring vary widely, but a consistent finding is that the role is influenced (for better or worse) by how formal services respond to, and work with informal carers and of course the cared for person. We aimed to explore the connection between informal and formal cares and identify how a positive connection or interface might be developed and maintained. We undertook a qualitative descriptive study with focus groups and individual interviews with informal carers, formal care service providers and representatives from carer advocacy groups.

Nausea and vomiting represent a significant problem in patients with advanced cancer which not only affects their quality of life but also the lives of informal carers. The application of nursing assessment tools, underpinned by a thorough knowledge regarding the physiology and aetiology of nausea and vomiting in this group of patients enables nurses to plan and provide effective interventions, in collaboration with other members of the multi-disciplinary team. This article describes the physiological basis of nausea and vomiting.