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Holding and swaddling newborn infants during heel lance procedures reduces pain

For newborn infants, being held and swaddled is a simple and effective way to reduce pain during routine blood sampling, reports a study in the November/December issue of MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

12 Nov 2010

Overseas nurses not feeling personally or professionally valued by UK nursing establishment

Many overseas nurses have negative experiences of living and working in the UK, particularly when it comes to feeling personally valued and professionally respected, according to the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

14 Oct 2010

Bathing better than pethidine as pain relief during labor: Survey

According to a large survey of new mothers, a bath or a shower relieves pain in childbirth more effectively than anaesthetic gas or pethidine. The survey also found that breathing techniques, massage, hot packs and hypnotherapy were more effective than pethidine, a strong analgesic given by injection, and nitrous oxide, that is an anaesthetic gas. The survey has renewed the debate of drug overuse during child birth that could potentially harm babies.

10 Oct 2010

Home birth with midwife as safe as hospital birth for women with low-risk pregnancies

The latest research in birth and maternal care will be presented next week at the Canadian Association of Midwives' 10th Annual General Meeting, which focuses primarily on place of birth. The conference takes place October 6, 7 and 8 in Edmonton, Alberta.

5 Oct 2010

Prescription only baby formula proposal

It has been known and recommended for some time now that breast milk is the best food for a new born. However for mothers who cannot breast feed, this has been a serious issue related to guilt and anguish. The controversy took a new turn as a Melbourne doctor of midwifery called for infant formula to be made available only by prescription. RMIT University expert Dr Jennifer James wants infant formula banned from supermarket shelves.

23 Sep 2010

Study finds alternative birthing room reduces Caesarian section surgery

Giving birth in an alternative setting within a hospital like a bed-free birthing room or one designed to be "homelike" is just as safe for healthy women as laboring in a traditional hospital bed and women who use these rooms are nearly twice as likely to be satisfied with their birth experiences, according to an updated Cochrane review.

8 Sep 2010

Children and young people want greater involvement in healthcare consultations

The involvement of children and young people in consultations about aspects of their health or illness is often limited, with their role in diagnosis and decision-making on treatment options secondary to that of parents or carers. However, research shows that most children and young people want greater involvement, that this can both improve their understanding of their illness and positively influence healthcare outcomes.

27 Aug 2010

Healthcare professionals need to develop empathic skills: Tischler's book on mental health

Doctors and other healthcare professionals should use the arts and humanities to develop their empathic skills and improve mental healthcare practice, according to a new book.Mental Health, Psychiatry and the Arts, edited by Dr Victoria Tischler in the Division of Psychiatry at The University of Nottingham, argues that visual art, poetry writing, novels and music can be used in the education of medical and nursing students and other mental health professionals to improve their understanding of the patient experience.

12 Aug 2010

Healthcare professionals should use arts, humanities to improve mental healthcare practice: New book

Doctors and other healthcare professionals should use the arts and humanities to develop their empathic skills and improve mental healthcare practice, according to a new book.

11 Aug 2010

South Australia budget cuts would mean loss of 4,000 health jobs

A savings target of $450 million has been proposed by the Sustainable Budget Commission says the South Australia Health Department CEO Tony Sherbon. As a result of this a State parliamentary inquiry has been told that up to 4,000 South Australian health jobs could be lost. This Commission was employed for effective cost cutting measures.

9 Aug 2010

Elsevier makes available key articles in support of World Breastfeeding Week 2010

In support of World Breastfeeding Week 2010, Elsevier - the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services - is pleased to open access to selected articles related to breastfeeding from the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, Midwifery and the Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Midwives and pediatric nurse practitioners play a central role in supporting and advocating for breastfeeding.

3 Aug 2010

Social, psychological factors rather than biological changes influence women's sexual behaviour during menopause

New research from the University of Sheffield has found that social and psychological factors have the biggest influence upon women's sexual behaviour during the menopause, rather than biological changes such as declining hormone levels.

7 Jul 2010

Health professionals can learn from smoking cessation campaigns on how to tackle maternal obesity

Health professionals worried about the increasing number of obese pregnant women could learn lessons from successful smoking cessation campaigns, according to a study into how maternity services could be developed to effectively tackle maternal obesity.

4 Jun 2010

Country's first nurses to finish new nurse-midwifery program receive DNP degrees

The first nurses in the country to finish a rigorous new nurse-midwifery program will receive their degrees today (May 14) from Dallas-based Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing.

15 May 2010

Opinions: Malaria bed net concerns; Catholic Church's humanitarian work; Abortion, global health; Foreign aid reform; Canada's G8 initiative

"To date, millions of dollars from international agencies, NGOs and USAID have been spent to get treated nets into the hands of impoverished, sub-Saharan Africans [to prevent malaria]. ... But, as even the staunchest advocate will admit, the treated nets were not designed with the cultural preferences of the rural African villager in mind," Sonia Shah, author of upcoming book about malaria, writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece.

4 May 2010

First UK conference to address benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities

The first UK conference to address the benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities will be hosted by the University of Hertfordshire next week.

29 Apr 2010

Valedictory Symposium to celebrate Professor David Taylor's contribution to Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Medical experts from across the UK are gathering at the University of Leicester on Friday 23rd April in a Valedictory Symposium to celebrate the work of Professor David Taylor.

19 Apr 2010

NIH panel recommends delivery options for women: VBAC or cesarean

An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health confronted a troubling fact that pregnant women currently have limited access to clinicians and facilities able and willing to offer a trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery because of so-called VBAC bans.

11 Mar 2010

Johns Hopkins Nursing Center provides E-nursing resources for Haitian nurses and midwives

In the aftermath of Haiti's devastating earthquake, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center has been actively assisting Haitian nurses and midwives from afar, gathering nursing education materials and making them available electronically.

3 Feb 2010

New methods to help elderly dementia patients regain their eating skills

A pioneering international study involving academics from the University of Sheffield has shown for the first time that it is possible to improve the eating skills and nutritional status of older people with dementia.

29 Jan 2010