Advanced Clinical Skills for GU Nurses

This book has been developed to help nurses who are in nurse practitioner roles by supporting them to develop their ‘advanced practice skills’. This book is intended to build on skills and knowledge that nurses will have acquired at staff nurse level. It is intended that this book will develop skills and knowledge which until recently have been more in the medical domain, such sexual history taking and physical assessment.

Acknowledgements vii

Dedication vii

List of Contributors viii

Foreword xiv

1 Defining Advanced Practice 1
Matthew Grundy-Bowers

2 Taking a Sexual History 21
Colin Roberts

3 Male Genital Examination 34
Yaswant (Ravi) Dass

4 Female Genital Examination 42
Michelle Arnold

5 The Skin and the Lymphatic System 52
Jane Bickford

6 Examination of the Anus and Oral Cavity 63
Jennifer Browne and Matthew Grundy-Bowers

7 Legal Issues in Sexual Health 76
Jonathan Davies

8 HIV Pre- and Post-Test Discussion 91
Jane Hooker

9 Health Promotion and Sexual Health 108
Debby Price

10 Women’s Sexual Health 126
Grainne Cooney

11 Drugs and Pharmacology 163
Sonali Sonecha

12 Patient Group Directions and Nurse Prescribing 185
Cindy Gilmour and Jane Bickford

Index 203

Matthew Grundy-Bowers RN, BSc Hons (Editor) – Consultant Nurse in Sexual Health and HIV and Associate Lecturer, St Mary’s Hospital, London

Jonathan Davies RN, Dip HE, MA – Senior Lecturer in sexual health & HIV

The role of the Genito-Urinary (GU) nurse practitioner/specialist is still relatively new, with many nurses working in sexual health undertaking roles which, until recently, were the domain of doctors. Advanced Clinical Skills for GU Nurses has been developed to help nurses who are in ‘nurse practitioner’ roles by supporting them to develop their advanced practice skills. The book will develop skills and knowledge that nurses will have acquired at staff nurse level.

Written by an experienced team of contributors, this practical book includes useful chapters on:

• Taking a sexual history
• Male and female genital examination
• HIV pre and post test discussion
• Health promotion and sexual health
• Women’s sexual health

Advanced Clinical Skills for GU Nurses is written in an engaging, easy-to-read style, enabling readers to develop skills and knowledge which until recently have been more in the medical domain. It will prove an invaluable resource for practice nurses and nurses working in family planning, health advisors, midwives and other nurse practitioners, such as those working in A&E, or NHS walk-in centres. GU Nurse practitioners and those taking on more advanced roles such as symptomatic screening clinics will also find this an essential reference.