Objectives: To investigate the knowledge of, and perceptions, attitudes and exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) of staff in the New Zealand hospitality industry.

This article presents the findings of a local initiative to develop practice standards for patient handling in a specialist orthopaedic hospital. The changes in practice needed were first, to implement the statutory minimum standards for load handling (HSE 1992a); second, to minimise the high risk of injury, particularly to the back, faced by nurses mobilising patients; and third to meet the need for an instrument which could be used in developing and evaluating better clinical conditions for patients and working conditions for nursing staff. Participants reached a level of consensus over a broad range of standards, but even after three rounds, consensus on four standards was not reached. The author suggests this type of study can be used to develop standards applicable on a local level.

This study attempts to clarify the distinction between orthopaedic and general nursing in response to criticism that orthopaedic nursing did not merit specialty status. The questionnaire survey asked nurses to assess a range of 76 nursing activities in terms of professional function. The results showed 36 out of the 76 activities were identified as 'highly orthopaedic'. The author emphasises that the holistic nature of nursing also applies to orthopaedic nursing and that this requires both generic and specialist skills. The implication for nurse education is that the necessary skills may need to be taught to a higher level to match a specialty status.

No abstract

This article reports the findings of a questionnaire survey of work-injured nurses. Thirty nurses reported back injury caused by lifting and nine causative factors were identified in significantly more than 20 per cent of accidents. The threshold of reported weight at which accidents began to happen was 50.9kg. Nurses were found to be particularly at risk when mobilising patients because walking accidents are not preventable by using non-lifting techniques. The findings suggest that nurses should be equipped with the appropriate levels of expertise in assisting patients with mobilising.