Drawing up and administering intramuscular injections: a review of the literature Intramuscular (IM) injections have been an integral part of drug administration in nursing practice for almost half a century. However, there are some conflicting practices which warrant investigation to determine their effectiveness in this aspect of patient care. To this end, this paper presents the results of a literature review which was carried out in order to establish current understanding of present day knowledge, procedures and guidelines for the administration of IM injections. Areas addressed within this review include injection sites used, injuries associated with IM injections, issues surrounding needle selection and volume administered through IM injections, injection techniques and nursing skills associated with IM injections. Synthesis of the research reviewed allows the development of research-based guidelines for this skill. These guidelines offer a framework for nurses who wish to provide practice in line with current research into the process of drawing up and administration of intramuscular injections.

These results are discussed in relation to current understanding of the components of expert decision-making in nursing practice. Both intuitive and analytical elements should be recognized in any model that seeks to depict the true nature of nurses' decision-making as they develop clinical expertise.

It is well established that pediatric oncology is perceived as a setting that is personally and professionally demanding. Many sources acknowledge the development of conditions, such as burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatization, as a result of being continuously subjected to highly stressful circumstances in a professional capacity. There are a myriad of individual and collaborative factors that are known to mediate stress in the oncology setting. One such factor is resilience. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate what is known about coping and its relationship with resilience in assisting pediatric oncology nurses to manage work-related stressors. From the themes identified within the reviewed studies, it is clear that the applicability of resilience in pediatric oncology nursing has not been thoroughly investigated. The literature suggests that the presence of resilience among pediatric oncology nurses is possible. What is not known is whether there is a link between this resilience and ability to cope with the stressors of pediatric oncology.

The aim of this thematic literature review is to explore nurses' perceptions of ethical issues in the care of older people. Electronic databases were searched from September 1997 to September 2007 using specific key words with tight inclusion criteria, which revealed 17 primary research reports. The data analysis involved repeated reading of the findings and sorting of those findings into four themes. These themes are: sources of ethical issues for nurses; differences in perceptions between nurses and patients/relatives; nurses' personal responses to ethical issues; and the patient-nurse relationship. The findings reveal that ageism is one of the major sources of the ethical issues that arise for nurses caring for older people. Education and organizational change can combat ageist attitudes. Wider training is required in the care of older people, workplace skills, palliative care and pain management for older people. The demands of a changing global demography will necessitate further research in this field.

Aims and objectives. To explore the research literature that provided data on factors that influence new graduate nurse's preparedness for recognition and response to patient deterioration in the acute care setting. Background. Nurses have a significant role in recognising subtle signs of patient deterioration and responding appropriately to prevent adverse events and improve patient outcomes. This pivotal position has often fallen to the new graduate who must be prepared to make high-consequence decisions in relation to a suspected decline in their patient's condition. Design and methods. An integrative review was undertaken. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using online databases, reference lists of key articles and expert advice. Multiple keyword combinations were used. All relevant studies were subsequently appraised for rigour and quality. Seventeen primary research studies drawn from novice and experienced registered nurse experiences emerged as relevant to the review. Results. Thematic analysis of the studies provided six major themes related to the aim of the review. Emergent themes were as follows: clinical staff support, lack of nurse experience, overwhelming workload, holistic patient assessment, past experiences and lack of available resources. Conclusions. This review highlighted the importance of positive staff support and subsequent confidence building. Graduates then felt able to present effective assessments and less fearful of reprimand when escalating an intervention call. The need for further research to investigate graduate nurses' experiences of recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient emerged. Relevance to clinical practice. Realistic workloads and access to supportive experienced staff would allow graduates time to focus on grouping clinical information to understand the 'total picture' of the patient. Results indicated undergraduate and hospital in-service education programmes needed to offer the opportunity to practice reasoning. Complex clinical situations involving patient deterioration through simulation and clinical placement opportunities appeared most useful.