Exploring the compassion deficit debate.

Several recent high profile failures in the UK health care system have promoted strong debate on compassion and care in nursing. A number of papers articulating a range of positions within this debate have been published in this journal over the past two and a half years. These articulate a diverse range of theoretical perspectives and have been drawn together here in an attempt to bring some coherence to the debate and provide an overview of the key arguments and positions taken by those involved. In doing this we invite the reader to consider their own position in relation to the issues raised and to consider the impact of this for their own practice. Finally the paper offers some sense of how individual practitioners might use their understanding of the debates to ensure delivery of good nursing care.

Assessing pain in people with dementia. 1: the challenges.

This article is the first of a two-part unit on dementia and pain assessment. It examines literature that describes the problem of pain for people with dementia and the challenges nurses face in undertaking pain assessments.

Assessing pain in people with dementia 2: the nurse's role.

This is the second in a two-part unit on dementia and pain assessment. The first part examined research on pain in people with dementia and the challenges nurses face with pain assessments. This part explores evidence on the methods and tools available to nurses and other care providers to use in pain assessment. It also outlines some practical implications.