Professional edition of leading nurse manual launched after rave reviews on new format

Qualified nurses can now have the very latest advanced practice procedures at their fingertips, thanks to the new professional edition of The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures.

The eighth professional edition, which has just been launched, has an exciting new format that organises 19 key chapters into four key stages of patient care.

It provides four extra chapters on advanced practice procedures not included in the student edition launched back in April. These cover: haematological procedures; radionuclide investigations and therapy; cytotoxic therapy and the insertion and management of vascular access devices.

The new easy-to-use format, driven by the patient's journey, is the same in both versions and has already won rave reviews from students and qualified nurses alike.

They include Elizabeth Haidar, research nurse, St George's, University of London, who reviewed the student manual for Nursing Standard. "It is exciting to come across a manual that appears to have done all the work for you" she said. "Reading this new edition, I felt I had attended the lecture, listened to the patient, explored the practical elements and critiqued the audit and research. This book was a pleasure to read and difficult to put down…"

It was also welcomed by Dame Christine Beasley, former Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, who described it as a "gold standard textbook" that provided nurses with "the knowledge and skills which enable them to deliver high quality care in the key areas that matter to patients".

Online reviewers were equally enthusiastic, with comments including: "straightforward and helpful", "detailed and concise", "the market leader for nursing" and "an excellent way to keep updated in all areas of practice."

Written and edited by nurses from the world-renowned UK centre of cancer care, the Manual provides additional headings to make the text even more accessible and this edition includes many more colour photos and diagrams. It is used by qualified nurses across the world to ensure their practice is evidence-based and effective.

The latest professional edition, which provides essential clinical updates since the seventh edition was published in 2008, is once again edited by two renowned nursing experts, Lisa Dougherty, Nurse Consultant in Intravenous Therapy at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Sara Lister, Assistant Chief Nurse and Head of The Royal Marsden School of Cancer Nursing and Rehabilitation.

"More than 80 highly experienced nurses have contributed to this invaluable reference source, which provides qualified nurses with the underlying theory and evidence they need to deliver clinically effective patient-focused care" say the Editors. "We believe this will provide them with the confidence they need to become safe, informed and skilled practitioners."

The format of the new manual is based around the four stages of the patient's hospital experience:

• Managing the patient journey: the context of nursing; assessment, discharge and end of life care; infection prevention and control; risk management.
  
• Supporting the patient with human functioning: communication; elimination; moving and positioning; nutrition, fluid balance and blood transfusion; patient comfort; respiratory care.
  
• Supporting the patient through the diagnostic process: interpreting diagnostic tests; haematological procedures; observations; radionuclide investigations and therapy.
  
• Supporting the patient through treatment: cytotoxic therapy; medicines management; perioperative care; vascular access devices: insertion and management; wound management.

Other key features include:

• Clear, user-friendly, compact and portable
  
• Key evidence-based procedures, with the rationale for each action
  
• Latest up-to-date references.