The Nurse's Clinical Skills Pocketbook

Catherine Delves-Yates is an experienced nurse and a Lecturer at the School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK.  She started her nursing career as a student at the Nightingale School of Nursing, London and has worked clinically in adult and paediatric critical care in the UK and has taught and nursed in America, Africa and Nepal.  Her passion is to ensure all nurses have the knowledge, skills and professionalism to deliver effective compassionate care to each of their patients.  Catherine is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Buea and the Higher Institute of Applied Medical Sciences, Cameroon and an international advisor to the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal.  Currently she is researching whether nursing students’ views of health and illness alter during their pre-registration nursing programme.Fiona Everett is currently a Nurse Lecturer within pre-registration and master’s level nursing programmes with teaching, co-ordination and research supervision responsibilities. Fiona has a wide range of clinical experience including adult nursing, midwifery, district nursing and research project management within primary care.She has particular interests in clinical skills, dementia care and developing contemporary, support mechanisms in nurse education. She has published in these areas in nursing journals and has disseminated her work at national and international conferences.She is also an editor and author for SAGE publications in relation to the Essentials of Nursing Practice and Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses: Step by Step.Fiona is the co-creator of “Class in a Bag’, which is a portable educational resource that enables the delivery of health promotion in a diverse range of environments to suit individual needs. (Winner of Scotland’s Dementia Awards, 2016, Best Educational Initiative)        Wendy Wright is an Adult Nursing lecturer in the pre-registration and the master′s level nursing programmes and is currently the BSc Adult Nursing Programme Lead.  Wendy has a wide range of acute clinical experience including infectious diseases, stroke and elderly assessment and rehabilitation.  Wendy has responsibilities interests including clinical skills education for student nurses, dementia, the frail older Adult and the student experience. With a particular interest in the development of Class in A Bag (CIAB) which has developed from the initial research of Dementia through the eyes of a child.  She has published in these areas in nursing journals and has presented at national and international conferences. She is also an editor and author for SAGE publications in relation to Essentials of Nursing Practice and Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses.Wendy is the co-creator of "Class in a bag", which is a portable educational resource that enables the delivery of health promotion in a diverse range of environments to suit individual needs. (Winner of Scotland′s Dementia Awards, 2016, Best Educational Initiative)

• Common Abbreviations - Wendy Wright and Fiona EverettUseful Prefixes and Suffixes - Wendy Wright and Fiona EverettInfection and Prevention Control - Rose GallagherHand-washingUsing hand sanitiserWhen to remove your gloves and whyClinical Measurement - Caroline Dobson and Trevor SimpsonFundamental steps for all clinical measurementsRespirationsPulse/heart rateManual blood pressureMeasuring body temperaturePain Assessment - Ann KettyleUndertaking a pain assessmentAseptic Technique and Specimen Collection - Rose GallagherPrinciples of asepsisCommon steps for the collection of all types of specimenTaking a wound swabCollecting a faeces specimenCollecting a urine specimenCollecting a sputum sampleTaking a throat swabSkin Integrity - Alexandra CarlinPrinciples of wound careRemoval of clips/suturesSafe Movement of People - Michelle O’Reilly and David BestMovement guidelinesEmergency Care - Sara MorganHead tilt chin liftJaw thrustUsing an oropharyngeal airwayRecovery positionPaediatric life supportDislodging an obstruction to the airwayMedicines Administration - Carol Hall, updated by Christina RoulstonAdministering medication (oral or topical route)Administering a subcutaneous injectionAdministering an intramuscular injectionRecording administration and outcomeAssisting People with their Nutritional Need - Kate Goodhand and Jane EwenNutrition-related skillsWeighing a patientAssisting a patient to eat and drinkPassing a nasogastric tubeMaintaining a nasogastric tubeRemoving a nasogastric tubeCaring for a PEG (pertcutaneous endoscopic gastronomy)Stoma carePeripheral vascular cannula careAssisting People with their Elimination Needs - Mairead Collie, David J. Hunter and Valerie FoleyCommon steps for all elimination-related skillsAssessing bowel functionAssisting a patient to use a bedpan, urinal or commodePerforming catheter careEmptying a patient’s catheter bagUrinalysisAssisting Patients with their Hygiene Needs - Catherine Delves-YatesCommon steps for all hygiene proceduresBathing a person in bedAssisting a patient with a wash (out of bed)ShavingTeeth-cleaningTrimming nailsWashing a patient’s hair in bedCare after Death - Maria ParryCare after deathAppendix 1: Commonly Used Medication and Side Effects - Wendy Wright and Fiona EverettAppendix 2: Normal Laboratory Values - Wendy Wright and Fiona EverettAppendix 3: Hand-washing techniqueReferences