As Lee and I sat down to write this, our first editorial, we were completely unsure of what we wanted to say. Following on from Jess is a tall task and having read her editorials from previous editions we felt slightly overwhelmed with the enormity of our new roles as co-editors of the British Journal of Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing (BJARN) and what lies ahead. We began to discuss what we wanted to do with the journal, how we envisage it developing and the types of articles we would like to see published. We therefore thought that we would take this opportunity to introduce ourselves, let you know what some of our ideas are and to remind you of the different topics that can be used for articles.
So, let's start by introducing ourselves. I (Lucie) currently work part time as a practice educator within the inpatient recovery units of a busy London teaching hospital and part time as a senior lecturer in perioperative practice. Having two different jobs can be very demanding but the bonus is being able to work both in the clinical environment and within a university, as this allows me to integrate theory and practice on a daily basis. It also affords me the chance to see what is currently happening in practice and how staff are affected by the ever-changing face of healthcare practice. As a result, I am always interested in hearing about the changes that are being made in practice that improve patient care and the smooth running of the recovery unit.
I (Lee) am working as a senior lecturer at Kingston University in the Faculty of Health and Social Care Services and on the weekends I still keep up with clinical work in one of the private hospitals. My passion in perioperative nursing has motivated me to impart knowledge and skills onto others through teaching. I am interested in evidence-based research especially in anaesthesia and would like to see more of this in the BJARN.
We would like to see the BJARN continue to grow and develop for future generations of recovery and anaesthetic nurses, and as such, we need your help for this. At the last British Anaesthetic and Recovery Nurses Association (BARNA) conference, we had the first meeting of our editorial board and discussed suggestions for future editions, articles and guest editorials, but one of the main things we agreed on was that we need to ensure that the steady flow of contributions continues. We are therefore asking you, the reader of the BJARN, to put pen to paper, fingers to the keyboard and send us your contributions. These do not have to be just academic articles, but can be as simple as a letter to the editor or telling us about the unit you work in. By having a wide range of contributions, we can expand on the information and knowledge that we can share with you and continue to raise awareness of current issues and contribute to evidence-based practice.
In an earlier edition of the BJARN [Inch, Reference Inch2008], a list of suggested topics was drawn up to encourage potential contributors to write about. We thought that it would be a good idea to remind you of some of these suggestions of topics that you may have an interest in or have already written about:
• Patient case studies: from either an anaesthetic or a recovery perspective, from any surgical speciality.
• Managing a specific clinical complication in anaesthetics/recovery: e.g. malignant hyperpyrexia, residual paralysis, aspiration, hypothermia, hypovolaemia, local anaesthetic toxicity, PONV, pain, etc.
• Management issues: we want to know about the problems and challenges that you encounter within your units/theatres and how you overcome them. For example, patient flow, staffing issues, skill mix, infection control, parents in recovery, overruns.
• Quality and audit: reports on any audits that you have been involved with. Why these were undertaken? What was the audit tool? What did the results show? What actions were taken?
• Reflection: use a recognised model of reflection to write about something that has happened to you in practice that made you stop and think.
• Ethical dilemmas: write about a professional/ethical/legal situation, issue or dilemma that you have experienced in your anaesthetic/recovery unit. This could be presented as a reflection, using a recognised model of reflection. Issues related to ethical dilemmas are of great interest to your fellow members, such as accountability, consent, dignity, confidentiality, negligence and advocacy.
• Information about your unit: tell us about the unit you work in. What is your speciality and staffing requirements? What type of training opportunities are offered? What makes your unit an enjoyable place to work? Download the questionnaire at www.barna.co.uk and return it along with photos of your unit.
• Conference and study day reports: have you attended a conference or study day? What did you think? What did you learn? Would you recommend it?
• Mentoring, training and assessing: how do you organise students and new staff within your anaesthetic/recovery units? Do you have any examples of good mentorship, assessment or technique? What orientation or teaching packages do you have in place? What competencies do you use?
• Examples of discharge criteria, protocols, guidelines or standards: include rationale about why they are effective and how other units could learn from them.
These are just a few examples of the different topics that are of great interest to the Association, but we are interested in whatever you feel comfortable writing that is relevant to anaesthetic and recovery nursing. Either way, please feel free to contact the editorial team with your ideas and suggestions, as they will be able to help you prepare your submission for publication.
Lee and I would both like to thank Jess for all of her hard work and support in helping us with this transition into our new roles and showing us the ropes. We hope that we can continue to publish the BJARN to the same high standard that she has. In addition, we would like to thank the BARNA committee for welcoming us into the fold.
Lastly, we look forward to hearing from you in some way in the future, either in a letter to the editor, suggestions for the journal or by contributing an article. So please have a go and send your ideas and submissions to: [email protected]
