Editorial

Vicki Evans/ Linda Nichols

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-119

Support My Spine ASAP. A Rural Tele-health care model for patients being managed with a Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthotic (TLSO).

Ryan Gallagher/ Jane Morison/ Michelle Giles/ Judith Henderson/ Sarah Zehnder

Question: Does a Telehealth model of care facilitating treatment in rural hospitals for patients requiring a TLSO eliminate the need for transfer to a tertiary referral hospital? Design: Quantitative pre and post intervention design. Participants: Physiotherapists, nursing and medical staff at rural hospital pilot sites. Intervention: Pre and post intervention data collection provided patient demographics, and length of stay data around model of care implementation. Pre intervention staff survey(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-120

Neuroscience Nursing in Indonesia: Striving for Recognition through Education and Regional Collaboration.

Linda Nichols/ Enny Mulyatsih

As a speciality practice area, neuroscience nursing is internationally recognised. In 2014 the Australasian Neuroscience Nurses Association celebrated its 40th anniversary. For Indonesian neuroscience nurses, 2014 marked the inaguration of the Indonesian Neuroscience Nurses Association. The following paper provides an overview of health care in Indonesia and development of neuroscience nursing as a specialty through educational and regional collaboration. Postgraduate educational opportunities a(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-121

Top of the Charts: Detecting neurological deterioration more efficiently through improved documentation.

Rhiannon Carey/ Christine Holland

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a practical tool, accepted and utilised worldwide, to assess a patient’s conscious level. Despite the introduction of other tools, the Glasgow Coma Scale still remains the most reliable and effective method of detecting neurological deterioration. Detecting neurological change in an individual requires skilled observation and must rely on the ability of the clinician to carry out an accurate and reliable assessment. A large limitation of the Glasgow Coma Scale is that o(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-122

The EPIC (Excellent Practice in Communication) Project. Neurosurgical Nursing Clinical Handover Improvement Practices among acute inpatients: a Best Practice Implementation Project.

Kylie M. Wright

The nursing handover normally occurs at the beginning of a nurse’s shift and is considered essential for continuity of care. Nursing handover has the potential to communicate accurate information about a patient’s condition, treatment and anticipated needs but also has the potential to be ineffective or even harmful if information is incomplete or omitted. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has recognised clinical handover as a National Standard, thus reinfor(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-123

The Life and Trials of a Pseudomeningocoele.

Larissa Engel/ Maira Manch

This case study introduces Ms Z. It discusses her story and the nursing care of her journey with a diagnosis of a pseudomeningocele. This case study was developed using direct interviews with the patient, discussions with the patient’s surgeon, research articles, viewing scans, photos and using the patient’s clinical notes. The patient’s journey with the pseudomeningocele spans over a 20 year period with many up’s and downs throughout, resulting with what is hoped to be a better quality of life.(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-124

A Neurological Integrated Care Pathway

Kathleen McCoy/ Harriet Chan

Objective: To assess the feasibility of service integration for neurological care. Design: Observation study Participants: A total of 104 admissions for 92 neurological patients treated in a major region hospital and suitable for discharge home were eligible for participation. Intervention: A neurological integrated care pathway (NICP) was trialled at a major regional hospital between July 2012 and June 2013. Objective data included patients, gender, age, diagnosis, length of hospital stay, refe(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-125