One of our nurses is celebrating going into print - the first in her group after undertaking an MSc in Health Studies.

Charlotte Lloyd's dissertation titled ‘The Effectiveness of Care Bundles in the Management of a COPD Exacerbation’ in the form of an integrative review was accepted for publication by the British Journal of Nursing. She examined admission and discharge care bundles from all parts of the world including the US and Hong Kong to determine the components making up the bundles and their effectiveness.

Evidence shows that COPD affects three million people in the UK and causes 30,000 deaths annually. In each of the studies included for this integrative review, it appeared that reduction in lengths of stay and readmission rates were the main outcomes used to determine how effective the care bundles were. However, more research is needed into which components contributed to these outcomes.

Charlotte, now a Clinical Nurse Educator supporting our newly qualified nurses, said: "I  became interested in COPD whilst I was working in acute medicine at the start of my dissertation. It is evident that more research is still needed into the indiividual parts of the care bundle to see which works best and in what situations."

She said she was "shocked"and ‘overwhelmed’ after hearing her submission had been accepted. She said: "I didn't expect it. I submitted it and it wasn’t until a few months later that I heard back with the news. I am very proud though and want to thank everyone for all the support I have had."

Head Nurse for Professional & Workforce Development, Michelle Bamforth, said: "As a team we are really proud of Charlotte and her achievement. Her commitment to post registration education is great and I hope she goes on to use her academic skill to influence and teach our current and future workforce."

** Dr Joanne Garside, Director of Health Partnerships, from Huddersfield University, said: “Charlotte was one student from a group of over 50 students (qualified health professions). She completed her course with distinction averaging A grades and was the first to get her project work into print."