BJN Award Runner-Up

category, I did not expect to be shortlisted. I entered the competition because I recognised it was a great way to highlight really important areas of clinical practice, innovations and advances in nursing. Ultimately, what I wanted to do was raise the profile of the psychological burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the role respiratory nurses have to support patients. You might think that this doesn’t seem much of an innovation, but sadly as many as 60% of patients with COPD attending our respiratory clinics experience symptoms of anxiety, and many also have symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, these distressing comorbidities are largely undetected and undertreated. I recognised I did not have the skills to help patients, so I completed a postgraduate diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) several years ago. This training helped me develop CBT therapy for patients with respiratory problems. I was lucky enough to be awarded over £200 000 to undertake a National Institute for Health Research Clinical Academic Fellowship. The main purpose of the fellowship was to carry out a large randomised control trial of CBT for patients with COPD. What is unique about this research is that respiratory nurses deliver the CBT. The results have shown that nurses in physical healthcare settings can provide holistic care, providing physical, social and psychological needs. CBT is one approach that offers hope for better COPD management. Being shortlisted helped highlight the innovative role nurses working in respiratory care can have in reducing anxiety and depression, and in improving patients’ quality of life. Any opportunity to improve patient care is so worthwhile. I would certainly recommend nominating yourself or colleagues for a BJN Award. What have you got to lose? BJN