Oxford Handbook of Clinical Skills in Adult Nursing

Book excerpt: 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 good nursing 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.