A nurse-led 'first fitter' clinic in a paediatric emergency department: an experience

Collaborative strategic initiative between a university and hospital network group: Advanced nurse/midwife practice forum

BACKGROUND

The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, one of a few nursing and midwifery faculties worldwide, was established in 1974 by Ms Mary Frances Crowley, for postgraduate nursing education, and is situated within the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The RCSI operates through a network group of university hospitals: Beaumont, Connolly, Drogheda, Cavan, Monaghan and the Rotunda. Combined these hospitals have 120 registered and candidate ANP/AMPs and caters for general, psychiatric, children and maternity patients/clients. The drive to establish the forum between the faculty and the six Dublin hospitals was to build capacity among advanced nurse practitioners and advanced midwife practitioners (ANP/AMPs) who are seen as intelligent consumers of evidence-based research and safe practice. The SCAPE report identified research as the single domain that was underdeveloped within the ANP role, in the study exploring the role of ANPs and CNSs. Latterly, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland highlighted research as a vital component of the ANP/AMP role in its standards for advanced nurse and midwife practice. The faculty acted collaboratively to introduce an ANP/AMP forum to support advanced practitioners working in the university hospital group in their education and professional development, support the expansion of their knowledge base through practice-based enquiry and research and act as a conduit for interactions between ANPs/AMPs by keeping them up to date with practice and research.

METHODS

The Initiation phase was undertaken through a survey of needs; Implementation phase by extensive literature review and research-based newsletters sent to individuals by the forum coordinator; and the Evaluation phase through focus groups.

Recognition and nursing management of reflex anoxic seizures in children

Reflex anoxic seizures (RAS) present with a transient loss of consciousness and are triggered by an unexpected stimuli. These are paroxysmal, short-lived episodes of pronounced bradycardia or transient asystole; the episodes are self-limiting, lasting between 15 seconds and 1 minute. RAS are an important differential diagnosis of transient loss of consciousness but they are commonly misdiagnosed as epileptic events. An accurate and focused history is key to the diagnosis. They are mostly managed by performing an ECG to rule out other causes of arrhythmia, with subsequent explanation of the condition and reassurance given to parents. Nurses play an important role in eliciting the history and providing support to parents following the diagnosis. This article addresses the epidemiology and pathophysiology of RAS, with suggestions for management. An illustrative case study is included to highlight some of the challenges that health professionals working in different clinical set-ups are likely to come across while managing a child with RAS.