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Background: Asthma and pregnancy are both sources of anxiety for women. Although there has been a focus on physiological management of asthma and pregnancy, there has been little research on the impact that personalised support can have on asthma care during pregnancy. This systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature set out to answer the question 'What are women's experiences of asthma care, its management and education, during pregnancy?'Methods: This systematic review was carried out using accepted methodology from the York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Electronic database searches were conducted using PsycInfo, CINAHL, MedLine, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library, using the combination search terms: 'Asthma' AND 'Pregnancy' AND 'Care' AND ('Education OR Information OR Experience'). Hand searching of journals and searches for grey literature were also undertaken. Independent quality appraisal by the three authors took place using the criteria detailed by Kmet et al. (Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields, 2004).Results: All papers scoring in excess of 60% were deemed to be of adequate quality for inclusion, of which there were five: two qualitative designs and three quantitative designs. The designs were too methodologically heterogeneous to permit statistical meta-analysis so narrative review and synthesis was undertaken. Despite an embryonic evidence bases, it is reasonable to conclude that personalised care has beneficial outcomes for pregnant asthmatic women.Conclusions: Larger randomised controlled trials investigating personalised care are required to build an evidence base which can establish the efficacy of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal budgets provide people with more choice and control over how their needs are met and, allied to new thinking concerning individualisation of mental health care, are increasingly a feature of international governmental responses to long-term care. This study was based in an English National Health Service Health and Social Care Trust covering a large predominantly rural area. We aimed to develop self-directed support and understand more fully service-user and carer involvement in the process, using an action research design. Data collection took place between 2007 and 2011, and the project ran in three sequential spirals collecting qualitative data. Findings showed users and carers, and trust recovery coordinators acknowledged the need for cultural change, personal budgets’ effect on outcomes, and service-users’ capacity to manage these responsibilities. We conclude that moving to personal budgets can be empowering for mental health services users, but is problematic and may present challenges to service-users with fluctuating mental health. Recruiting service-users and carers to participate in research illuminates their otherwise-hidden perspectives, and our use of service-users as coresearchers is a process that others might want to emulate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Attrition in nurse education is a worldwide issue. Clinical placements form a major part of nurse education and have an important role in students’ perceptions of nursing. Student nurses cite unsatisfactory placement experiences as a reason for leaving nursing education. Objective: To conduct a systematic review to establish nursing students’ placement-related reasons for leaving their programme. Data sources: Major health literature databases were searched, including studies from 1995 to 2011. Review methods: This review considered quantitative and qualitative research investigating student nurse attrition, with an emphasis on placement-related issues. After a systematic selection process, included studies were quality assessed by three researchers. Results: Eighteen studies were included in the review. The studies investigated personal reasons for leaving, demographic and other factors, and students’ attributes. As for all student attrition, there was no single reason (related to placements) why students chose to leave, however, being a young or a male student were major factors, along with being exposed to unpleasant placement experiences, the attitudes of placement staff, and lack of support. Perceptions of the nursing profession and practice assessments were also factors in placement-related attrition. Conclusions: There is a need for more high quality reporting in the area of attrition in student nursing, whether this is due to placement issues or other reasons. Prior work experience in healthcare settings is important in enabling students to complete their programmes and recruitment and retention strategies should consider this. When students are recruited with limited or no healthcare experience, targeting retention strategies and support on these students may be useful. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the results of a study on the role of Placement Development Teams in encouraging interprofessional education with healthcare students in Great Britain. According to the authors, non-medical health care students revealed the importance of interprofessional support and learning. They add that students displayed mixed perceptions on how much they valued support from staff and students from other professions. They indicate factors required to make interprofessional effective.

To explore the experience of student support prior to the implementation of a new structure for supporting students and mentors in practice placements (Placement Development Teams) for health care professionals. This study reports findings relating to acute sector adult nursing students and staff. Clinical practice is essential in pre-registration health care professional education programmes. The English Model National Partnership Agreement for health care education gives a new impetus to Strategic Health Authorities, Higher Education Institutions and National Health Service Trusts to evaluate and redesign their strategies for student support. This study was phase one of a large longitudinal qualitative evaluation of Placement Development Teams' introduction. The design for this phase was cross-sectional. Data were collected using telephone interviews with key educational stakeholders in trusts and Strategic Health Authorities and focus groups with third-year adult nursing students working in six acute sector trusts. Five themes emerged from the nursing students' focus group data. These were (1) Supportive and unsupportive behaviour of staff. (2) Mentor allocation. (3) Placement allocation. (4) Benefits of students to the placement area. (5) Perceived control over the learning experience. Four themes emerged from data analysis of the staff telephone interview data. These were (1) Vision of support services. (2) Proactive versus reactive support. (3) Barriers to achieving proactive support. (4) Bridging the gap between education and the trusts. Supporting students in practice is multifaceted and interpersonal and structural factors are important. This study illustrates how student support activity can be redesigned to meet the needs of the Model National Partnership Agreement. Good mentoring is particularly important for student support. Where there are high student numbers in placement, this can adversely affect students' placement learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a study evaluating the implementation of Collaborative Learning in Practice models at a university School of Nursing and Midwifery with practice partners across the South West of England. We conducted four focus group interviews with 40 students with experience of Collaborative Learning in Practice placements, and two focus groups with eight clinical practice staff with responsibility for implementing and supporting such models in their areas. Data were transcribed and analysed using the Framework Method. Key themes were 'Real time' Practice of Collaborative Learning Implementation, Collaborative Learning as Preparation for Registrant Practice, and the Student/Mentor Relationship. We conclude that Collaborative Learning in Practice utilising models of coaching and peer support, offers benefits to students who are exposed to the reality of nursing practice from the beginning of their placement experiences, enabling them greater responsibility and peer support than under normal mentoring arrangements. Furthermore, there are benefits to the registrants because the burdens of supervising students are spread more widely. This is timely given the review of Nursing and Midwifery Council standards for programmes and student support and the need to increase placement capacity as a response to global nursing shortages. • Collaborative Learning in Practice can increase placement capacity for students. • Collaborative Learning in Practice offers benefits to students learning. • These include greater responsibility for patient care, better preparation for registrant practice and peer support. • Coaching can replace mentoring and should reduce their burden in relation to student support. • This matches new UK Nursing and Midwifery Council standards for programmes and student support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]