The evaluation of nurse education programmes usually consists of the immediate assessment of changes in knowledge and attitudes (Ferrell,1988). Rarely do they focus on changes in the nurse’s behaviour, or consequent improvements in patient care. Attendance at a course does not ensure that nurses will change their practice on return to their clinical setting. However, it is difficult to assess t...

The "gap" between knowledge and political action has long been a topic of discussion for social scientists. Depending upon the theoretical perspective adopted, it has been associated with a conflict of norms and values between scientific and political institutions, with different organizational forms underlying bureaucratic and professional patterns of activity, or with the difference between "...

Dear Sir, We read with interest and commend Vijendren et al.’s [1] in-depth review, analysing occupational health issues in UK doctors. To supplement their knowledge, readers should be aware of a report published in this journal in 2013, which evaluated doctors and dentists contacts with a NHS occupational health (OH) service [2]. For management and self-referrals, the medical reason for attend...