{"title":"Diabetes and hypertension.","authors":"Linda Nazarko","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2024.0168","DOIUrl":"10.12968/bjcn.2024.0168","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over 4 million people in the UK are living with diabetes; the majority have type 2 diabetes and over two-thirds also have hypertension. Diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction and premature death, and they also elevate mortality rates. This article uses a case history approach to illustrate the difficulty and methods for managing diabetes and hypertension in a reluctant patient. Drawing on practical clinical experience, it underscores the complex barriers to effective patient engagement and sustained adherence. The article also explores evidence-based strategies that can improve outcomes despite patient resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"232-238"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Medications used in dementia: their management and the role of the community nurse.","authors":"Karen Harrison Dening","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dementia care embraces biological, psychological, spiritual and social components, commonly referred to as a biopsychosocial model. From a biological standpoint, dementia is caused by different diseases, each resulting in damage to nerve cells and transmitter pathways. Most people with dementia reside in a community setting, such as care homes or in their own homes, whether living alone or with family carers and supporters. This article considers the place of medications of the biopsychosocial model and discusses common medications used for: (i) for cognitive symptoms; (ii) non-cognitive symptoms; (iii) other medical conditions that occur alongside dementia. Nurses are in a prime position to support safe and effective care in medications management. The article also examines the implications and effects of polypharmacy on people with dementia, as well as some of the challenges involved in administration, such as covert administration of medicines, polypharmacy and a person's non-adherence.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"240-247"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144062713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assertiveness: the impact on personal autonomy, compassion, team working and care delivery in community nursing.","authors":"Julie Green","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0064","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"212-214"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144019871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Code and the community nurse: prioritising people.","authors":"Michelle McBride","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 'prioritising people' section of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's code is relevant to nurses working in all settings and ensures that the needs of the patients in their care are adequately met. For those working in community teams, therapeutic relationships can be fostered more effectively in the patient's familiar surroundings. However, there are often challenges in achieving this target. The author addresses the nuances of maintaining professional boundaries while caring for patients in their homes and the additional factors that need to be considered when delivering effective care with dignity and compassion.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"215-216"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving oral health outcomes through community nursing.","authors":"Sarah Jane Palmer","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article highlights the crucial role of community nurses in promoting and maintaining oral health in patients, which is integral to their overall wellbeing. Oral health is directly linked to various systemic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory infections, and poor oral hygiene can exacerbate these risks. Community nurses are ideally positioned to identify early signs of oral health issues, educate individuals on proper oral care and refer patients to dental professionals when needed, especially for vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those with disabilities. The global burden of oral diseases, such as tooth decay and gum disease, is increased by modifiable risk factors, limited access to care and socioeconomic inequalities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, older adults face barriers to accessing dental care, including physical accessibility and negative perceptions of the dental profession. The study further addresses common oral health issues, such as dry mouth and ulcers, in terminally ill patients who require specialised care and symptom management. Community nurses play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges through education, early intervention and collaboration with other healthcare providers, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"228-231"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144001812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From passion to compassion: understanding the foundations of empathetic practice.","authors":"Dion Smyth","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0073","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"207-208"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144001304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How district nursing can influence the Nursing and Midwifery Council's review of practice learning.","authors":"Julie Bliss, Alex McMahon","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>District nurses have a key role in healthcare delivery for local communities. Recruitment, retention, education and training are key to ensuring a competent professional district nursing workforce. The importance of ensuring that district nurses are actively engaged in supporting pre-registration nursing programmes to showcase district nursing as a career and support workforce development must not be underestimated. The Nursing and Midwifery Council is currently undertaking a review of pre-registration nursing and midwifery practice learning. The review is being co-produced with key stakeholders, students, service users, practice learning partners and universities, to answer five key lines of enquiry which have been identified form the discovery work presented to the council in January 2025. This article provides an overview of the work and encourages people to join the community of interest to support the review.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"223-225"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The danger of microplastics.","authors":"Alison While","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0010","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"204-205"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144036964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aysha Mendes provides a synopsis and brief review of a selection of recently published research articles.","authors":"Aysha Mendes","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2025.0075","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 5","pages":"209-210"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fitness to practise in community nursing.","authors":"Michelle McBride","doi":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0044","DOIUrl":"10.12968/bjcn.2025.0044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) plays a key role in regulating the nursing profession, with one of the primary methods being the 'fitness to practise' process. Although the percentage of nurses who undergo this process is very small, the NMC has a responsibility to protect, promote and maintain public health, safety and wellbeing, while ensuring public confidence in the nursing services provided. This article analyses a community-oriented fitness to practise case, exploring its progression and considering the impact on the registrant from both practical and psychological perspectives. Additionally, it examines the support systems available to nurses undergoing investigations and the importance of reflective practice in maintaining professional standards.</p>","PeriodicalId":35731,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Community Nursing","volume":"30 4","pages":"164-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}