• VOLUME 1
• Unit 1 The Nature of Nursing 
• 1 Historical and Contemporary Nursing Practice 
• 2. Nurse Education, Research and Evidence-Based Practice
• 3 Nursing Theories and Conceptual Frameworks
• 4 Legal Aspects of Nursing
• 5 Values, Ethics and Advocacy
• Unit 2 Contemporary Health Care
• 6 Health Care Delivery Systems
• 7 Community Health Nursing
• 8 Home Care
• 9 Regional & Remote Nursing
• 10 Health Information and Communication Technology
• Unit 3 The Nursing Process
• 11 Critical Thinking and the Nursing Process
• 12 Assessing
• 13 Diagnosing
• 14 Planning
• 15 Implementing and Evaluating
• 16 Documenting and Reporting
• Unit 4 Health Beliefs and Practices
• 17 Health Promotion
• 18 Health, Wellness and Illness
• 19 Cultures and Nursing
• 20 Complementary and Alternative Therapies
• Unit 5 Lifespan Development
• 21 Concepts of Growth and Development
• 22 Promoting Health from Conception through to Adolescence
• 23 Promoting Health in Young and Middle-Aged Adults
• 24 Promoting Health in Older Adults
• 25 Promoting Family Health

• VOLUME 2
• Unit 6 Integral Aspects of Nursing
• 26 Caring
• 27 Communicating
• 28 Teaching & Learning
• 29 Leading, Managing and Delegating
• Unit 7 Assessing Health
• 30 Vital Signs
• 31 Health Assessment
• 32. Infection Prevention and Control
• 33.Safety
• 34. Hygiene
• 35 Diagnostic Testing
• 36 Medications
• 37 Skin Integrity and Wound Care
• 38 Perioperative Nursing

• VOLUME 3
• Unit 9 Promoting Psychological Health
• 39 Sensory Perception
• 40 Self-Concept
• 41 Sexuality
• 42 Spirituality
• 43 Stress and Coping
• 44 Loss, Grieving and Death
• 45 Mental Health Nursing
• 46 Disability
• Unit 10 Promoting Physiological Health
• 47 Activity and Exercise
• 48 Sleep
• 49 Pain Management
• 50 Nutrition
• 51 Urinary Elimination
• 52 Faecal Elimination
• 53 Oxygenation
• 54 Circulation
• 55 Fluid, Electrolyte and Acid–Base Balance

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• Unit 1 Infection Control
• Section 1.1 Introduction
• Section 1.2 Hand hygiene
• Section 1.3 Using personal protective equipment
• Section 1.4 Standard and transmission-based precautions
• Section 1.5 Gowning and gloving
• Section 1.6 Aseptic technique
• Unit 2 Safe patient moving
• Section 2.1 Introduction
• Section 2.2 Mobility and falls risk assessment
• Section 2.3 Helping a person out of bed
• Section 2.4 Assisting with mobilization
• Section 2.5 Turning or moving a dependent person
• Section 2.6 Using a lifting device
• Unit 3 Health Assessment
• Section 3.1 Introduction
• Section3.2 Examination Techniques
• Section 3.3 Assessing Vital Signs
• Section 3.4 Primary Survey
• Section 3.5 Secondary Survey
• Section 3.6 Diagnostic Testing
• Unit 4 Hygiene Care
• Section 4.1 Introduction
• Section 4.2 Bed-bathing a dependent person
• Section 4.3 Assisting with showering
• Section 4.4 Oral car 
• Unit 5 Skin and Wound Care
• Section 5.1 Introduction
• Section 5.2 Pressure injury assessment
• Section 5.3 Wound assessment
• Section 5.4 Simple wound dressing
• Section 5.5 Wound irrigation
• Section 5.6 Wound packing and/or removal of pack
• Section 5.7 Wound drainage care
• Section 5.8 Staples/sutures/clip removal 
• Unit 6 Medication administration
• Section 6.1 Introduction
• Section 6.2 Oral medication administration
• Section 6.3 Topical medication administration
• Section 6.4 Medication administration via enteral tubes
• Section 6.5 Rectal medication administration
• Section 6.6 Subcutaneous medication administration
• Section 6.7 Intramuscular medication administration
• Section 6.8 Intravenous medication administration (bolus and burette)
• Unit 7 Pain Management
• Section 7.1 Introduction
• Section 7.2 Pain assessment
• Section 7.3 Patient controlled analgesia
• Section 7.4 Non-pharmacological pain management
• Unit 8 Perioperative Nursing Skills
• Section 8.1 Introduction
• Section 8.2 Preparing a person for surgery
• Section 8.3 Post-operative care
• Unit 9 Gastrointestinal nursing skills
• Section 9.1 Introduction 
• Section 9.2 Abdominal assessment
• Section 9.3 Assisting with feeding 
• Section 9.4 Nasogastric tube insertion and removal 
• Section 9.5 Enteral feeds 
• Section 9.6 Changing a stoma appliance 
• Section 9.7 Administration of an enema
• Unit 10 Genitourinary nursing skill
• Section 10.1 Introduction
• Section 10.2 Urinary assessment
• Section 10.3 Urinary elimination
• Section 10.4 Catheter management
• Unit 11 Cardiovascular nursing skills
• Section 11.1 Introduction
• Section 11.2 Cardiovascular assessment
• Section 11.3 Taking a 12 lead electrocardiograph
• Section 11.4 Cardiac monitoring 
• Section 11.5 Basic life support
• Section 11.6 Advanced life support
• Section 11.7 Venipuncture 
• Section 11.8 Managing intravenous lines 
• Section 11.9 Administering intravenous fluid therapy 
• Section 11.10 Administering blood component therapy 
• Section 11.11 Managing central lines
• Unit 12 Respiratory nursing
• Section 12.1 Introduction
• Section 12.2 Respiratory assessment
• Section 12.3 Deep breathing and coughing exercises
• Section 12.4 Incentive spirometry
• Section 12.5 Providing oxygen
• Section 12.6 Use of a nebulizer
• Section 12.7 Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal suctioning
• Section 12.8 Tracheostomy care
• Unit 13 Neurological nursing skills
• Section 13.1 Introduction
• Section 13.2 Neurological assessment
• Section 13.3 Neurovascular assessment
• Unit 14 Mental health nursing skills
• Section 14.1 Introduction
• Section 14.2 Mental health assessment
• Section 14.3 Caring for a person having Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

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Critical Conversations for Patient Safety: An Essential Guide for Healthcare Students

• Section 1 Communication and patient safety
• Chapter 1: The relationship between communication and patient safety
• Chapter 2 An introduction to communication skills
• Chapter 3: Key attributes of patient-safe communication
• Chapter 4: Why do patients complain about how health professionals communicate?
• Chapter 5: An historical and cultural overview of health professionals’ evolving team dynamics
• Section 2: Improving interprofessional communication to promote patient safety and wellbeing
• Chapter 6: Interpersonal communication for interprofessional collaboration
• Chapter 7: Clinical handover
• Chapter 8: Open disclosure
• Chapter 9: Discharge planning and continuity of care
• Chapter 10: Communicating to promote medication safety
• Section 3: Improving therapeutic communication to promote patient safety and wellbeing
• Chapter 11: Key attributes of therapeutic communication
• Chapter 12: Communicating with older people
• Chapter 13: Communicating with children and families
• Chapter 14: Communicating with people who have a mental health problem
• Chapter 15: Communicating with people who have communication impairment
• Chapter 16: Communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Chapter 17: Communicating with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Chapter 18: Communicating with people about their spiritual needs
• Chapter 19: Communicating with people who are angry or aggressive
• Chapter 20: Communicating about end-of-life care and decisions
• Section 4: Workforce issues and patient safety
• Chapter 21: When whistle-blowing seems like the only option
• Chapter 22: Creating safe healthcare organisations

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Students are supported with a variety of pedagogical features aimed at providing a consistent and scaffolded delivery of content, offering a broad range of opportunities to apply and test their learning.

The new edition also has:

• A clear and accessible writing style allowing students to engage with the text and the theories. 
• Language that is simple and easy to read for first year students who may struggle with tertiary language.
• Updated content that is relevant in contemporary Australian nursing. 
• Real world cases where students can discuss evidence-based nursing practises by reviewing the relevant research and discussing the implications for nursing practise.

• Real patient stories are included in each chapter of Critical Conversations and are designed to bring the book to life and illustrate the key learning outcomes.
• Students are supported with a broad range of learning features and opportunities, including chapter learning objectives and key concepts, margin notes, a glossary of terms, critical thinking and assessment activities, and much more.

Key terms – anchors students in understanding new concepts and terms related to the unit. 

Learning outcomes for each section – identifies key points for the reader to keep in mind as they progress through the chapter. Featured at the start of the chapter, as well as located in the margins near relevant sections of text within the chapter. 

Each unit begins with an assessment of that system / function – provides a good basis to move through the unit onto the skills that are associated with that particular area. 

Ethical practise box – allows students the opportunity to understand the ethical complexities of nursing practise. This provides opportunities for practise for those who have not done placement. 

Standards for practise – Provides a professional reference for students to understand industry standards. 

Clinical scenario – Helps students who have not been on placement understand the critical thinking and skills needed in placement. 

Critical thinking Questions- Develops student thinking with scaffolded learning and questions. 

The 3 Ps table–  presents information in a concise way for students. The rationales of the intervention are presented next to each step of the intervention. This assists students with their critical thinking.  

Further Reading – Provides resources for further learning

References– Students will have the resources to use to enhance their learning and reference to professional standards.