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Measuring temperature is an essential part of nursing care. It has been widely accepted as an indication of a neonates wellbeing. It can give an early indication of sepsis, which can be fatal in the neonate. A comparative descriptive design will be used in preterm and term neonates from 24 to 40 weeks gestation. Three groups will be used<28 weeks,<36 weeks and >36 weeks. The sample will include any neonate admitted to the unit. Non-probability convenience sampling will be used. the study will compare the BD digital thermometer with two trial devices, the Genius 2 infrared tympanic thermometer and the SureTemp Plus 690 electronic thermometer. Each neonate on the trial will have thier temperature taken at the allocated 'care time', firstly using the tympanic thermometer then taking the axilla temperature using the electronic and digital thermometers.

To investigate whether the short term use of plasctic occlusive wrapping on premature neonates, immediately after delivery, is an effective method in preventing hypothermia during resuscitation in the delivery room and operating theatre. These babies are at higher risk of hypothermia, which can significantly increase both morbidity and mortality.

This study looks at the effectiveness of the drug octreotide in palliative care management of bowel obstruction caused by cancer in people with advanced cancer. Who is it for? You can join this study if you have widespread and advanced cancer and you have a related bowel obstruction which requires hospital admission or a change in care if you are already in hospital, but surgical removal is not currently considered appropriate. Trial details Participants will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive a continuous infusion of the drugs octreotide and ranitidine under the skin (subcutaneous) in addition to intravenous doses of dexamethasone and intravenous or subcutaneous fluids for 72 hours. The other group (control) will receive fluids under the skin only. Bowel obstruction is a common medical problem in people with advanced cancer. Current treatment options include combinations of surgery (where this is possible), nil by mouth, a feeding tube placed into the stomach, pain relief, and medications that reduce secretions. None of these options has been tested in a study that is large enough to determine which works best. Octreotide can inhibit the release of hormones that cause secretions into the gut that may make the pain of bowel obstruction worse. Inhibiting these secretions with Octreotide may help relieve pain and improve the quality of life.

Study examining how effective a psychological therapy called acceptance and commitment therapy is for people with persisting symptoms of severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Background People living in rural Australia are more likely to die in hospital following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI i.e. “heart attack”) than people in major cities (Moon & Phillips 2007). This disparity is partly due to lower uptake of National Heart Foundation (NHF) guidelines for the administration of thrombolytic drugs. One-third of eligible patients in rural areas do not receive this life-saving intervention (Kinsman et al. 2007). Clinical pathways are structured, locally developed multidisciplinary care plans for specific clinical problems that take into account local resources and availability of doctors. They are an important tool for linking evidence to practice and can enhance adherence to guidelines for use of thrombolytic drugs (Campbell et al.1998). Given that outcomes after AMI in rural settings are poor and that clinical pathways can improve outcomes this study trialled an evidence-based clinical pathway implementation process and its impact on AMI treatment in rural hospitals. Participants Six Victorian rural hospitals participated. Pairs of hospitals were matched according to the anticipated number of eligible patients and randomly allocated to either the intervention (n=3) or control (n=3) sites. Method The intervention sites participated in a 6 month implementation process. The 5 step evidence-based intervention involved: (1) Engaging clinicians, (2) Clinical pathway development, (3) Reminders, (4) Education, and (5) Audit and feedback. The control group received hard copies of the relevant NHF guidelines. Medical records of all patients diagnosed with AMI attending the 6 hospitals during the study period were identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes. The records were then audited using a standardised data protocol (approximate total of 600 records across 6 sites). Data included type of AMI, gender, and age. The audit also checked whether criteria for use of a thrombolytic drug were met, and if so, whether one was administered and the time in minutes from presentation to administration. Results The implementation of the clinical pathway had no impact on process measures. Conclusion Interventions to narrow the evidence-practice gap for the management of chest pain in rural settings require further evaluation if the gap in outcomes between rural and urban settings is to be reduced.

The intervention trial is completed and is being analysed. The primary purpose of the study was to compare the effect of drinking red wine or de-alcoholised red wine on blood pressure and fatty acid metabolites involved in blood pressure regulation. This study specifically tests the effect of the alcohol in red wine compared with the polyphenols in red wine.

Delirium is a common medical problem characterized by changes in medical function. It occurs in older patients with severe illness. Studies suggest that hospital staff do not always identify that a patients has delirium and so identification and treatment of causes as well as appropriate nursing management may be delayed. This project has been funded by Queensland Health. In this project, all patients aged over 65 years will be assessed for the presence of delirium and their risk of developing delirium. Patients wiith established delirium or an intermediate -high risk assessment will be admitted directly from the Emergency Department to the intervention ward. The intervention ward will be modified to provide an appropriate sensory environment. Patients will then undergo comprehensive medical, nursing and allied health assessment with regard to modifiable risk factors. Treatment will be conducted according to Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Delirium in Older People. Nursing assistants, volunteers and carers will form a valuable part of the intervention. Outcomes of care with this method will be compared to the usual medical, nursing and multidisciplinary care currently provided on the other medical wards.