Summary
Increasingly nurses are developing and extending their clinical skills into areas that were once considered only for doctors. With the rise of post-registration clinical skills courses, advanced practitioners, and the new medical assistant roles, it is anticipated that future professional practice will involve more emphasis on clinical skills for nurses.The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Skills in Adult Nursing provides a practical, easily accessible, concise and evidence-based guide to all the essential elements of clinical skills for nursing practice in one portable format. The first section deals with the principles underlying patient assessment, and professional issues relating to clinical skills in order to help practitioners perform procedures safely and competently. This is followed by chapters on generic skills such as communication,hygiene and comfort, infection control, intravenous access, and care of the theatre patient. There are separate sections on drug administration and emergency and high dependency care. The book then takes a systems-based approach to the care of patients covering the key concepts which underpin all goodnursing practice, including the social and psychological aspects of nursing. Information is included on how to relate the principles of clinical skills to different groups such as the elderly and the mentally ill, which will have relevance to practitioners whether in a hospital or community setting.A unique and comprehensive guide to clinical skills in nursing, the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Skills in Adult Nursing will help nurses and other health care workers to perform clinical skills safely and competently.
Jacqueline Randle, PhD, MSc, BA, PGDip, RNJacqueline is an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK. She works primarily with adult branch nursing students undertaking a pre-registration Masters of Nursing Science course but also works across other pre and post-registration courses. She teaches and assesses clinical skills and her clinical speciality is infection prevention and control. She publishes widely in the area of nursing.Martyn Bradbury, RGN, BSc, MSc. Cert Ed.Following qualification in 1980, Martyn completed an Intensive Care and Cardiac Care course at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton. Later, he became a Charge Nurse in acute medicine and then Clinical Supervisor for ITU/CCU and medicine at East Surrey Hospital, Redhill. Martyn was awarded a BSc in Nursing Studies from Brighton Polytechnic in 1987 and MSc in Health Care from Exeter University in 1995. Having worked as a Senior Lecturer since 199l, Martyn is now employed as ClinicalSkills Network Lead within the School of Nursing & Community Studies at Plymouth University. In addition, he is an editorial board member and referee for the British Journal of Nursing. Professional interests include high dependency care and general medicine with a particular interest in cardiac care,pathophysiology and clinical skills teaching.Frank Coffey, MB DCH, Dip Sports Med, MMedSci, MRCPI, FRCSEd, FFAEM.Since 1999 Frank has worked as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham. He is also Course Director of the MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice at the University of Nottingham. His main clinical and research interests include: medical education, Nurse Practitioner service development and training, inter-professional and team training, simulated patients and emergency medicine. He has extensive experience in Advanced Clinical Assessment and OSCEs (medicine andnursing).
