Taking Action
Quarterly
e-Newsletter -
Spring 2009
With our compliments....
In this bumper Spring edition we take on a more international flavour.
Better Breathing in Bangladesh is a project which aims to improve the care provided by GPs as well as help them to obtain basic equipment to set up respiratory clinics across the country.
In Denmark, a new partnership launches with the Danish Centre of Quality Improvement offering nurses far greater access to high quality education in long term conditions by expanding the number and range of courses on offer, translating materials into Danish and obtaining accreditation from Denmark’s University College South.
We’re bridging the gap for CVD risk. The Vascular Checks Programme starts in April and all PCT’s are expected to be actively addressing it. To help we've developed some templates which describe the required knowledge and skills and they can be downloaded free of charge via this newsletter.
Another round of funding for health professionals to freely access and undertake study with us has been secured through external funding sources. Funding is available on a first come first served basis, so don’t delay. Find out more via the links listed below.
Check out ‘Signpost to Web News’ - where we present some of our findings from current research studies we have undertaken and you can now download our Course Information Guides for quick and easy reference to course content and learning outcomes – which includes our full range of locally delivered training courses.
Did you know we now have a range of free e-Newsletters relevant to your needs?…and it’s so easy to register. Take a look at the end of this e-News for further details on how to keep abreast of Student/Alumni and Commissioner news.
To discuss any of the above, or to share your ideas to improve eNews or our website, contact us:
Email Taking Action
Vicki Golding
On behalf of the Communications Team
Education for Health
Taking action, educating people and transforming lives worldwide
Summary
Taking Action
- Putting Patients First - Tracy Hall; Community Matron & joint clinical champion for COPD receives Queen’s Nurse Award
- Announcement of new projects
- How to act ‘FAST’ - for early recognition of stroke
- REAL website - Interactive new case studies now available for respiratory education & learning + FREE lifetime subscription
- Warwick PCT & Education for Health are Improving Health – first announcement of ground breaking new module
- Understanding the importance of Palliative Care in the community
Educating People
- Further opportunities for health professionals to access funding & sponsorship
- Clinical Snippets:
- Updated! Asthma Update Short Course – in line with BTS/ARIA Guidelines
- Bridging the Gap – CVD Risk
- Education as a lever for service improvement; skills development in blood gas testing
- WebWatch Series 5:
- British Hypertension Society – a great resource for non-medical prescribers
- Blood Pressure Association – Great for HCPs and patients alike!
- Department of Health - a warren of resources
Transforming Lives Worldwide
- Locally delivered learning in Denmark – offering greater access to high quality education in long term conditions
- Better Breathing Bangladesh – to provide health professional education to improve quality of patient care
- People are dying for lack of knowledge – why we have joined HIFA2015 (Health Information for All by 2015)
- GARD – The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Disease – why we are a member and how you can help
- Signpost to Web News – To help you keep abreast of developments and access new content on our website:
- Revised Course Programme; upcoming education & training dates enrolling now
- Research Studies Update; findings recently presented from our research studies
- Resources - Simply Asthma Pocket Book - now updated to reflect latest 2008 Guidelines
- Upcoming News; our very latest news releases
- Course Information Guides – now includes locally delivered training courses - for quick & easy reference
- How to make your case for Education & Training – Allergy Diploma and Degree module Toolkits now available to download
- Did you know? You can receive a range of free e-Newsletters relevant to your needs…and it’s so easy to register
Taking Action
Putting Patients First - Tracy Hall; Community Matron & joint clinical champion for COPD receives Queen’s Nurse Award
Tracy is a full time Community Matron and joint clinical champion for COPD in Stoke-on-Trent, working with individuals to help manage their long term conditions. She’s passionate about district nursing, is currently in the 2nd year of her MSc in Respiratory Medicine and has just heard that she will receive the Queen’s Nurse Title this May! Tracy says “I am completely overwhelmed to be recognised by the QNI as it is the ultimate award in the nursing profession. I firmly believe in putting my patients first…”
Read the full story at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#tracy_hall
To find out more about the Queen’s Nurse Awards: http://www.qni.org.uk/awards/index.html
Announcement of new projects:
How to act ‘FAST’ - for early recognition of stroke
Early recognition of stroke saves lives and minimises long term effects of this potentially devastating condition - the clear message given via the FAST campaign currently showing on TV. The Department of Health’s Vascular Checks Programme starting on 1st April will focus on predicting and preventing premature death and illness to those at high risk of CVD.
Learn more at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#fast1
REAL website - Interactive new case studies now available for respiratory education & learning + FREE lifetime subscription
Respiratory Education and Learning (REAL) is our innovative electronic educational resource for improving health professional management of respiratory disease at: http://real.eguidelines.co.uk
We’ve updated the site to include 3 new patient-led, interactive case studies, a short inhaler device survey, ‘What’s New’ in the BTS/SIGN guideline and asthma and COPD in the QoF. To access the REAL site you need to be a subscriber to eGuidelines so we’ve arranged free life time subscription for all of our students, alumni and colleagues.
Register Free for eGuidelines then use your password to access the REAL site: http://www.eguidelines.co.uk/user/register/index_newsys.php?assocID=efh
Warwick PCT & Education for Health are Improving Health – first announcement of ground breaking new module
Warwick PCT’s timing couldn’t have been better. Lord Darzi’s Final Stage Report, High Quality Care for All stresses an important and urgent shift in the health sectors approach to healthcare delivery from treating disease to managing health. Warwick PCT are showcasing their flexible and innovative approach to this by using workforce education as a lever for service improvement. Working in partnership with Education for Health to develop Improving Health - a brand new 4 month, 15 credit diploma module is launching this Summer with multidisciplinary teams from Warwick PCT but will be available nationally as part of our expanding locally delivered learning portfolio at the end of 2009.
To register your name on a waiting list for the first course to be held in Warwick contact:
Laura Edwards on +44 (0)1926 838969
To plan delivery of Improving Health in your locality contact:
Nina Rawstrone on +44 (0)1926 836836
For an overview of Improving Public Health Module visit: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/education_training/diploma_level/improving_health.asp
Understanding the importance of Palliative Care in the community
Extending the breadth and reach of primary care palliative services is essential if we are to improve quality, access and equity of healthcare services in the community. Palliative care services have traditionally been developed for cancer patients, however many of these skills and services are also applicable to patients dying from heart failure, COPD and other chronic conditions and in addition to this many health professionals struggle to deal with non malignant end of life issues. A new course launching in June 2009 now offers important opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding to start to extend palliative care at an earlier stage to people with COPD and cardiac failure as well as cancer and musculoskeletal disorders.
For further information and training on how to improve palliative care in the community contact: Laura Edwards on +44 (0)1926 838969
For an overview of Non Cancer Palliative Care Short Course visit:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/education_training/palliative_care.asp
Educating People
Further opportunities for health professionals to access funding & sponsorship
We are delighted to announce we have secured another round of funding for health professionals to freely access and undertake further study with us for our short course, accredited diploma and degree modules through external funding sources for which we have set up agreements with.
To access free funding & sponsorship – available on a first come first served basis visit:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/funding_sponsorship/funding_spons.asp
Clinical Snippets:
Updated! Asthma Update Short Course – in line with BTS/ARIA Guidelines
We have updated this short course in order to reflect changes made in May 2008 to the British Thoracic Society Guidelines for Asthma Management and the ARIA guidelines. This one day course is for healthcare professionals who have studied the Asthma Diploma with us before May 2008 and want to consolidate their prior knowledge and gain an overview of the updated BTS guidelines.
If you would like to discuss this updated course further or book your place please contact: Nicki Overton on +44 (0)1926 838969
Or go to Asthma Update Short Course overview: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/education_training/diploma_level/asthma_update.asp
Bridging the Gap – CVD Risk
This short article launches a new occasional series written by our clinical leadership team. Their aim is to help you explore and identify potential knowledge and skills gaps between what you know now about diagnosis, management or treatment of a particular disease, and what you need to know in order to provide highest quality care. The Vascular Checks Programme starts this month and all PCT’s are expected to be actively addressing it. To help we've developed some templates which describe the required knowledge and skills and they can be downloaded free of charge.
To find out more and download the templates go to:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#cvd_risk
Education as a lever for service improvement; skills development in blood gas testing
When Axis Shield approached us with an idea for training which would ensure that COPD patients received better treatment when they presented for blood gas tests, we welcomed the opportunity. Our trainers are now leading a series of bespoke workshops which are designed to ensure that health professionals operating i-STAT devices have the skills to obtain an effective arterialised blood sample from a patient’s ear lobe. This training develops important skills for the management of COPD patients to ensure they have a good experience of blood gas testing at a primary care level. This is critical with getting oxygen therapy into the community where respiratory patients need it most.
Learn more at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#bloodgas
Or to talk about how we can help you use education as a lever for service improvement contact: Nina Rawstrone on +44 (0)1926 836836
WebWatch - Series 5:
We recommend the following useful websites as part of our continuing WebWatch series. If you have found any useful websites that you think we should feature in future, just Email Taking Action
British Hypertension Society – a great resource for non-medical prescribers
The BHS website is essential for checking out if your blood pressure equipment is validated and also for keeping up to date with latest news and guidance. They put on some great clinical update meetings that are open to nurses and pharmacists as well as doctors.
Access the BHS website at: www.bhsoc.org
Blood Pressure Association – Great for HCPs and patients alike!
For HCPs it provides guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, with regularly update news. For patients it provides blood pressure basics on how to lower their blood pressure with a guide on high, low and normal blood pressure readings.
Go to the Blood Pressure Association website at: www.bpassoc.org.uk
Department of Health - a warren of resources
On the DH site you can keep up to date with policy publications, programmes and press releases. If you are looking at a particular area such as Vascular Checks which is very relevant at the moment, (see article in e-news ‘Bridging the Gap – CVD Risk’), you can use the search engine to locate every document on the site relating to that area – then you know you will be up to date. As well as publications you can find presentations given by members of the DH that you can use in your own work locally if relevant. Find out more at: www.dh.gov.uk
Keep up to date with the complete WebWatch series at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/resources/resources.asp#external1
Transforming Lives Worldwide
Locally delivered learning in Denmark – offering greater access to high quality education in long term conditions
A new project is being led by respiratory nurse specialist Birthe Hellquist who first studied with us in 1993 before going on to become one of our most highly evaluated trainers in Denmark. Birthe was able to commission respiratory education to improve respiratory care in her locality and her vision was always to find a way to develop a clinical career pathway for nurses in Denmark where it can be hard to maintain a nursing career. It’s a vision which comes closer to becoming a reality in April when this new partnership launches between Education for Health and the Danish Centre of Quality Improvement. It will offer Danish nurses far greater access to high quality education by expanding the number and range of courses on offer, translating many materials into Danish and getting them accredited by Denmark’s University College South.
Read the full Danish locally delivered learning story at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#denmark
Introducing the locally delivered learning team in the UK:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/ldt.asp#team
Better Breathing Bangladesh – to provide health professional education to improve quality of patient care
Better Breathing Bangladesh is a project aimed at using health professional education to improve the quality of care provided to patients with long term conditions. The project launches on World Asthma Day and aims to improve the care provided by GPs in Bangladesh as well as help them to obtain basic equipment to set up respiratory clinics across the country. Better Breathing Bangladesh is also the result of the extraordinary actions of one astonishing GP from Bangladesh.
Learn more about the development of Better Breathing Bangladesh at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#bangladesh
People are dying for lack of knowledge – why we have joined HIFA2015 (Health Information for All by 2015)
Tens of thousands of people die every day, often for the simple reason that the parent, carer or health worker lacks the information and knowledge they need to save them. Health Information for All (HIFA 2015) is a campaign and knowledge network whose vision is that every person worldwide will have access to an informed healthcare provider by 2015. We have recently joined HIFA2015 in order to contribute our growing experience of working collaboratively with overseas governments, healthcare organisations and key clinicians in countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Saudi, Syria, Denmark and Bermuda.
We will keep you up to date with the latest on HIFA2015 via our news page at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#hifa1
You can also join HIFA2015 yourself at: http://www.hifa2015.org
The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Disease (GARD) – why we are a member and how you can help
GARD is a global voluntary alliance of 41 national and international organizations who are focused on reducing the global disease burden of chronic respiratory diseases by integrating and strengthening surveillance, prevention and treatment efforts. GARD is chaired and coordinated by WHO. Being a member of GARD means we can help to spread valuable learning and experience in relation to the role of education as an important contributor to high quality patient care.
For more information about GARD go to: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp#GARD
To show your support by signing up on “A world where all people breather freely” go to: http://www.who.int/gard/GARD_sign_up/en/index.html
Sign Post to Web News
To help you keep abreast of developments and access new content on our website, just follow the links:
Revised Course Programme; upcoming education & training dates enrolling now
The Course Programme contains the dates and locations of all courses which are enrolling now. It also acts as a check list of courses which can be delivered in your local area.
For further details and to download the Course Programme: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/courseprog.asp
Research Studies Update; findings recently presented from the following research studies:
Frequency of pulse palpation by practice nurses
This study investigated how often practice nurses palpate the pulse alongside using an electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) to measure blood pressure. We found that approximately three quarters of practice nurses are potentially missing opportunities to identify AF by palpating the pulse every time they measured blood pressure using an ES. It is key that future training informs health professionals that pulse palpation is an important initial screening tool for AF, and should be included in all relevant consultations.
View the study poster at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/_documents/pulse_palpation_poster.pdf
What influences your asthma inhaler device selection?
We recently published a study looking at the factors that influence inhaler device selection in practice nurses. Nurses, especially those with accredited asthma training, are increasingly working autonomously in asthma management providing diagnosis and follow up care. Consequently they have a professional responsibility to base their practice on best available evidence although there is in fact little evidence to underpin device selection. Findings revealed that trained asthma nurses do consider some aspects of device selection, however, some areas are not always addressed which may mean that the most appropriate device is not always selected.
Full key findings from this study can be viewed at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/research/research.asp#inhaler1
Validation of the Mini & Standardised PAQLQ
This study assessed the validity of two new versions of the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, (the mini and standardised versions). These new versions will hopefully encourage increased use within clinical practice. The results showed that the Mini PAQLQ and the PAQLQ(S) are valid, reliable and responsive to clinical change.
View the abstract at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/_documents/PAQLQ_2008.pdf
To learn more about the range of research studies being undertaken please visit:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/research/research.asp#Research3
Resources Update: Simply Asthma Pocket Book
This popular book has now been updated to reflect the latest 2008 British Guideline on the Management of Asthma issued jointly by the BTS & SIGN. Cost just £5.25 (inc P&P).
Find out more and place your order at:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/resources/resources.asp#resources3
Upcoming News – for our very latest news releases go to:
http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/press_releases_news.asp
Course Information Guides – now includes locally delivered training courses - for quick & easy reference:
We have created a new range of course information guides for all short courses, diploma & degree modules providing quick & easy reference to course content and learning outcomes which can either be downloaded or printed off. We have recently updated this area with all our locally delivered training courses.
Download the complete range of course guides at: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/teasersheets.asp
How to make your case for Education & Training – Allergy Diploma & Degree module Toolkits now available to download:
Our highly successful toolkits have been updated to offer nurses a simple, effective way to produce business cases to successfully secure funds for continuing professional development. Updated proposals for Allergy Diploma and Degree Modules have now been added to our range.
For more information and to download FREE Toolkits: http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/businesscase.asp
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You currently receive Taking Action which is our main newsletter and resource for all healthcare professionals, but you can also subscribe to:
Student News
Researched and produced twice a year exclusively for our past and current students, this newsletter will keep you up to date with the latest opportunities for funding and sponsorship of our courses, modules and programmes. It’ll keep you abreast of all news and educational developments, and alert you to opportunities and international charitable initiatives. When you become a student with us, you will automatically receive this regular news update.
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Commissioner News
Really valuable if you are thinking about commissioning courses for your workforce. Produced three times per year, Commissioner News is packed full of information about new courses for up skilling your teams, as well as news on resources, funding opportunities and our charitable projects.
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