RCN updates travel health guidance to reflect new nursing challenges

It is six years since the RCN published its last set of travel health nursing guidance. Sandra Grieve explains how and why the guidance has been updated

Background

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has recognised and given a platform to nurses providing travel health services since 1994. The first guidelines and standards published in 2007 were updated in 2012. Following an audit and evaluation (RCN 2017) revised Travel Competencies have been published (RCN 2018) . This revised edition retains the elements that nurses have found most useful, such as the information on pre-travel risk assessment and management but has been updated to reflect the changing nature of travel health.

Audit

Before updating the existing document (RCN 2012) an audit of use and