This study critically examines the way in which the concept of caring is presented in the nursing literature through conceptual analytic approaches. A critical reflection on the potential consequences of representing a concept of caring as vague and ambiguous, yet central to ontology and epistemology in professional nursing is presented drawing on comparisons between the conceptual analyses of caring, and of structuralist perspectives of language, and how this potentially limits scholarship in this area. A search of the literature revealed nine conceptual papers. These papers highlight the self-referential characteristics of the concept of caring, and of analytical methods in general. It is proposed that this is the result of a systematic adherence to a rigid, structuralist view of language, whereby stable relationships between words and their meanings are assumed. An alternative perspective is offered by viewing caring as a discursive practice rather than a fixed conceptual entity, calling into question the role that the concept plays in nursing practice. A poststructuralist perspective requires caring to be perceived as a discourse of nursing that is fluid and contingent, rather than a central and guiding concept, opening up a new orientation for nursing scholarship in caring research.

This drug focus article will examine the class of drugs that selectively block the calcium channels of the plasma membrane of the myocardium, smooth muscle cells and specialized cells of the cardiac conduction system. By controlling the influx of calcium a number of important therapeutic benefits can be achieved in the management of angina, hyper tension and hear t rate control. This article will examine the action of these drugs and will explain some of the important indications and adverse effects associated with them. From this, the reader will gain an important understanding of how these drugs are used in clinical practice.

This paper reviews the current practice and guidelines in the pharmacological management of supraventricular tachycardia, in particular atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT). The discussion draws on guidelines from the Resuscitation Council UK and European Cardiological Society. Adenosine is a viable alternative to electrical cardioversion in circumstances where a rapid conversion of the arrhythmia is required.

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