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Enabling patients, service users and carers to participate in the education of students in the healthcare sector is widely espoused, both in the literature and by professional regulatory bodies. This article focuses on one aspect of this: the issue of patient involvement in the assessment of nursing students in the practice setting. The challenges and complexities that may arise are explored, and recommendations are made for further work in this area.

The effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relief has been challenged. This article evaluates systematic review findings and demonstrates that studies using appropriate TENS technique and dosage are more likely to demonstrate clinical efficacy. Therefore, it seems reasonable to continue to use TENS as a pain management intervention.

There is growing evidence to suggest that men are at increased risk of premature death from a broad range of health conditions. With the government's mandate to reduce premature death, it is necessary to have an understanding of the health challenges faced by men. This article provides an overview of mortality data for men and women aged 15-64, with a focus on those aged 15-54, in England and Wales during 2011. Mortality data are viewed in relation to the main reasons for premature death in the male population. Initiatives aimed at addressing the health and social care needs of men are identified to raise awareness of the importance of targeting this population to reduce premature mortality.

Supervising student practitioners remains an important part of the work of registered nurses, midwives and specialist community practitioners. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced sign-off mentors in 2006. Sign-off mentors are required to make decisions about whether a final placement student has achieved the required standards of proficiency for entry to the NMC register. Existing, experienced mentors who wish to become sign-off mentors must be supervised signing off final placement students on NMC-approved courses on at least three occasions by a practitioner with existing sign-off mentor status. This article describes a collaborative citywide approach to the preparation and support of sign-off mentors in Leeds.

There is increasing recognition that health professionals should engage in continuing professional development and lifelong learning. In addition, planned changes to pre-registration nurse education mean that many registered nurses are considering, or will consider, further academic study. This article aims to demystify academic terminology and provide practical guidance on preparing for and accessing higher education.

This article proposes that cognitive behavioural therapy--as recommended by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (2002)--can be used to form part of a risk management strategy for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. This may be a more effective and acceptable intervention because of its collaborative nature. The article includes case studies from practice to illustrate strategies that can be used.

Aim: To evaluate the quality assurance model for nursing education in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first nine months after the inception in 2002 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)., Method: A specially designed questionnaire was administered to representatives of higher education institutions where nurse education took place and representatives of the NMC in all four countries of the UK., Results: Quality assurance activity had taken place across the UK, mostly in the shape of validation events. Quality assurance events proceeded largely as expected by higher education and NMC representatives. There was a statistically significant trend towards greater preparedness and knowledge for validation and satisfaction with the new quality assurance procedures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compared with England., Conclusion: At the time of this study the new quality assurance procedures were less than 12 months old and there may have been resistance to change in England where the changes were greatest.

Epilepsy is a global condition, affecting at least 50 million people (Reynolds 2001). Judith Lanfear provides an overview of the classification, treatment and management of epilepsy, as well as examining the social impact of living with this condition.

The identification of problems and how they are dealt with is affected by the individual perspectives of all parties involved. Mike Lowry discusses how groups of nurses often have difficulty accepting that problems exist and suggests ways they might go about identifying and dealing with them.