| 1. |
- Pejner, Margaretha Norell, 1958-
(författare)
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The bright side of life : support in municipal elderly home care
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Registered nurses in municipal elderly home care have in some occasionsdifficulties in identifying the patients’ needs and prioritize intervention inaccordance with the patients’ preferences, which is to obtain social and emotional support. The overall aim was to explore and describe which supportive interventions registered nurses use in municipal elderly home care settings and if it is in agreement with the patient’s preferences. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study (I ) were conducted and followed up by a qualitative approach with Grounded Theory as a method (II IV ). Sample to study; I , registered nurses (62) performed interventions to 6138 patients between 80- 109 years. II , 12 registered nurses, who performed 36 home visits to patients between 80- 102 years. III , 16 registered nurses. IV , 18 patients between 80- 96 years. Data was collected by; I , between 2004- 2008, during the months of April and October using a web- based form which was filled in by registered nurses. II , through nonparticipant observations when the registered nurse made a home visit. III and IV , using informal conversational interviews. Results: Combined, the four studies show that emotional support is important to a group of older patients because it helps them to experience serenity. Serenity is a state of relief and the moment required for the patient to be able to move forward in a dignify way. Patients lost or reduced ability to process their emotions makes so that they get stuck in a state, which fatigue them with additional experience of disease and illness. To get out of their state the patient uses the registered nurse as a reliever whose mission is to identify their needs and guide them into a state of serenity. Registered nurses on the other hand, makes priorities based on patients preferences. Registered nurses strengths was their profession that contributed to the patient's emotions became available to them. Weaknesses was registered nurses workload and lack of knowledge about the identification of emotions. Emotional support should be developed as a nursing intervention and be integrated as a part of nursing.
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| 2. |
- Algilani, Samal, 1981-
(författare)
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To be at one's best : The evolution of Optimal Functionality and its possible implementation in an ICT-platform
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- At the Nutrition and Physical Activity Research Centre for Optimal Health and Functionality through Life (NUPARC), a research gap was uncovered regarding the concept optimal functionality based on the older adult’s own perspective. The overall aim was to explore the concept of optimal functionality among older adults and the possibility of creating and developing an ICT-platform to measure it. Method: An existing cohort from NUPARC was used for recruitment in studies I-III and to some extent study IV. A scoping study design and framework was adopted for the inclusion of the articles in Study I. Study II had a descriptive design. Six focus group discussions were conducted and analysed using qualitative deductive content analysis to extend the qualitative understanding. Study III used a phenomenological approach describing the experience of mental health and its impact on the ability to function as optimally as possible. Six interviews were analysed using Giorgi’s phenomenological approach. Study IV was a feasibility study and included 8 older adults using an ICTplatform for a period of four weeks. Results: Optimal Functionality comprises three major corner stones: Body-related factors, Self-related factors and External factors (I) accompanied by nine aspects, and according to older adults it is a matter of functioning as optimally as possible (II). The three major cornerstones are intricately linked and all but the mental aspects were included in the discussions (II). Life situations affecting mental health, consequences of mental health and strategies for maintaining good mental health were described by older adults as having an impact on mental health and affecting their ability to function as optimally as possible (III). The older adults managed the usage of an ICT-tool well and it was perceived as meaningful (IV). Conclusion: Optimal functionality is holistic, subjective, dynamic and applicable to all older adults. Identification of the factors involved can help the older adults on their path to health. An ICT-platform can facilitate the identification of the factors for optimal functionality and the eventual measurement of it.
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| 3. |
- Anita, Johansson, 1955-
(författare)
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Ändlös omsorg och utmätt hälsa : Föräldraskapets paradoxer när ett vuxet barn har långvarig psykisk sjukdom
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to deepen knowledge of what it means to be a parent of an adult child who suffers from long-term mental illness. Data collection in studies I-III consisted of qualitative interviews with 26 parents. In study I, 16 mothers and, in study II, 10 fathers were interviewed about the way in which their everyday life was affected when an adult child suffers from long-term mental illness. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. In study III, the same 26 parents participated as in studies I-II. The aim of the study was to investigate parents’ conceptions of the mental health care. Data were analysed by means of the phenomenographic method. Study IV is based on questionnaires completed by 151 parents. The aim was to investigate mothers’ and fathers’ health related quality of life (HRQOL) focusing on self-rated symptoms of anxiety, depression and burden as well as their experiences of encounters with the mental health services. Data were analysed for the most part by means of non-parametric method.The mothers’ everyday life was characterized by constant preparedness to adapt their life situation to the needs of their child (I). The fathers’ inherent ongoing struggle to ensure the child’s well-being required both strength and courage. Fathers attempted to maintain a good balance in life; this balancing act depended on collaboration between those involved in the child’s life, the family, the healthcare services and other authorities (II). The parents described feeling excluded from professional care and questioned its quality and accessibility (III). Mothers’ self-rated HRQOL was lower and they were also affected by burden and mental ill health to a greater extent than the fathers (IV).The results highlight shortcomings in the interaction between parents and mental health professionals. This highlights the importance of interventions that support and strengthen cooperation between parents and mental health professionals in the care of children who suffer from mental illness.
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| 4. |
- Arvidsson Lindvall, Mialinn, 1977-
(författare)
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Physiotherapeutic perspectives on balance control after stroke : exercises, experiences and measures
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate physiotherapeutic perspectives on balance after stroke, in terms of exercises, experiences and measurements. Study I was a pilot randomized controlled trial with 46 persons who had had a stroke, 24 of whom were included in the intervention group and 22 who were included in the control group. The intervention consisted of 8 weeks of body awareness therapy (BAT). There were no significant differences over time between the groups in the outcome measures of balance, walking, self-reported balance confidence and quality of life. Study II had a qualitative design using content analysis. Participants in the intervention group from Study I and the four physiotherapists who had been in charge of the BAT were interviewed. One overall theme emerged: "Simple yet challenging", which was based on six categories. Study III investigated the validity and test-retest reliability of the Six-Spot Step test (SSST), an instrument used to assess the ability to take load on each leg. A cross-sectional design with 81 persons who had had stroke was performed. The convergent validity was strong to moderate, and the test-retest reliability was good. In Study IV a mixed method design including both qualitative and quantitative data collection was used. The participants’ experiences of balance and its influence in everyday life were presented in two themes: "Feeling dizzy and unstable is a continuous challenge" and "Feeling trust and confidence despite dizziness and unsteadiness". Taken together, the different data sets provided complementary and confirmatory information about balance. All participants experienced the balance limitations as a continuous challenge in everyday life, yet they also felt trust and confidence.In summary, BAT can be a complement in physiotherapeutic stroke rehabilitation and the SSST can be used as a measuring instrument of walking balance in persons with stroke. Living with balance limitations was experienced as a challenge but the participants were still able to manage their everyday life and activities.
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| 5. |
- Barzangi, Jir, 1978-
(författare)
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Infant Dental Enucleation in Sweden : Perspectives on a Practice among Residents of Eastern African Origin
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Infant dental enucleation (IDE) is a practice consisting of the removal of deciduous canine tooth buds in infants. Practiced mainly in Eastern Africa, the purpose is to treat or to prevent bodily symptoms and diseases. IDE can cause both general and oral complications. The occurrence of IDE among Eastern African immigrants in a few European countries has been reported. However, knowledge surrounding the practice in Sweden was poor. The overall aim of this work was to explore IDE in the Swedish context. Four studies were conducted. Paper I presents a review of scientific publications. An overview of IDE was gained, and some knowledge gaps were identified. Paper II describes a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of IDE in small children. Dental records of 1133 children (mean age 4.6 years, SD 1.4) from a multi-ethnic area were studied. Missing deciduous canines without any registered reason were documented. One or more deciduous canines were missing in 21% of the children with known Eastern African origin (n=101), compared to only three children in the rest of the population (n=1032). Six adults of Somali origin were interviewed to explore their experiences and perceptions of IDE (paper III). These experiences and perceptions were categorised in four essentially different ways: an effective and necessary treatment, a disputed tradition, an option to failure and a desperate measure. Their experiences and perceptions were found to be highly influenced by contexts. In the final study (paper IV), the knowledge, experiences and attitudes among dental and health care personnel were examined. Questionnaires were sent to licensed personnel working in emergency departments, midwifery and child health centres, school health services and public dental health services in ten municipalities. Less than 20% had any knowledge of IDE, while 12.5% of the respondents encountering children had seen at least one patient subjected to IDE. Different attitudes were reported between clinical settings regarding responsibilities and possibilities concerning the management and prevention of IDE. From the findings presented in this thesis, it was concluded that there is a need for initiatives to increase awareness of and knowledge on IDE among dental and health care professionals. Legally obligated responsibilities in these professions regarding IDE need to be clarified, and initiatives should include guidelines regarding both the management of IDE and its prevention in Sweden. Educational programmes should also be produced for residents of Eastern African origin to change their perceptions of IDE, and a culturally sensitive approach should be adopted to ensure that such programmes are effective.
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| 6. |
- Biswas, Animesh, 1978-
(författare)
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Maternal and Neonatal Death Review System to Improve Maternal and Neonatal Health Care Services in Bangladesh
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Bangladesh has made encouraging progress in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality over the past two decades. However, deaths are much higher than in many other countries. The death reporting system to address maternal, neonatal deaths and stillbirths is still poor. Moreover, cause identification for each of the community and facility deaths is not functional. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop, implement and evaluate the Maternal and Neonatal Death Review (MNDR) system in Bangladesh. The study has been conducted in two districts of Bangladesh. A mixed method is used in studies I and II, whereas a qualitative method is used in studies III-V, and cost of MNDR is calculated in study VI. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, group discussions, participant observations and document reviews are used as data collection techniques. Quantitative data are collected from the MNDR database. In study I, community death notification in the MNDR system was found to be achievable and acceptable at district level in the existing government health system. A simple death notification process is used to capture community-level maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths. It was useful for local-level planning by health managers. In study II, death-notification findings explored dense pocket areas in the district. The health system took local initiatives based on the findings. This resulted in visible and tangible changes in care-seeking and client satisfaction. Death numbers in 2012 were reduced in comparison with 2010 in the specific area. In study III, verbal autopsies at community level enabled the identification of medical and social causes of death, including community delays. Deceased family members cordially provided information on deaths to field-level government health workers. The health managers used the findings for a remedial action plan, which was implemented as per causal findings. In study IV, social autopsy highlights social errors in the community, and promotes discussion based on a maternal or neonatal death, or stillbirth. This was aneffective means to deliver some important messages and to sensitize the community. Importantly, the community itself plans and decides on what should be done in future to avert such deaths. In study V, facility death review of maternal and neonatal deaths was found to be possible and useful in upazila and district facilities. It not only identified medical causes of death, but also explored gaps and challenges in facilities that can be resolved. The findings of facility death reviews were helpful to local health mangers and planners in order to develop appropriate action plans and improve quality of care at facility level. Finally, in study VI, the initial piloting costs required for MNDR implementation were estimated, including large capacity development and other developmental costs. However, in the following year, costs were reduced. Unit cost per activity was 3070 BDT in 2010, but, in the following years, 1887 BDT and 2207 BDT, in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
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| 7. |
- Carlsson, Eva, 1952-
(författare)
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Communication about eating difficulties after stroke : from the perspectives of patients and professionals in health care
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Stroke is one of the major causes of eating difficulties (EDs). It is one of the leading causes of death and disability and one of the most important factors contributing to health-care costs. There is a clear association between EDs after stroke and undernutrition, where studies have shown that structured screening of eating function among stroke patients can predict nutritional problems as well as need for subsequent institutional care. Reliable and valid instruments that can identify EDs exist, but there is lack of knowledge on how persons experience living with EDs after stroke. Stroke unit care is evidence-based and grounded in multidisciplinary collaboration and continuity of care. The overall aim of this thesis is to explore and describe EDs after stroke as represented by health care professionals in patient records (PRs) and transferred information, and as described by persons living with EDs after stroke. An additional aim is to explore methodological aspects related to the inclusion of persons with EDs and communication impairment in research studies. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Two studies used descriptive designs (I, II), one an explorative design (III) and one applied a methodological discussion (IV). In one of the studies PR data were used (I), in another study data were derived from three sources: PRs, screening of patients and interviews with nurses (II). Persons with EDs after stroke participated in Study III while literature, empirical data and researchers' experiences served as the data in study IV. Data were analysed by categorisation of phrases (I), content analysis (II) and descriptive statistics (I, II), by qualitative analysis (III) and by processing of literature and empirical findings in two research groups (IV). The main findings from the studies on representation of stroke care in PRs (I, II) showed that, despite that >50% of patients in Study I and all patients in Study II had EDs, there were few signs of multidisciplinary collaboration dealing with this problem. Unsystematic screening for swallowing difficulties was routine, whereas screening for nutritional risk and EDs was lacking (I, II). Multidisciplinary discharge summaries proved to have low quality and entailed little information on patients' eating ability (I). The two EDs most frequently documented were swallowing and lack of energy to complete a meal (I,II). EDs were described in vague terms (I, II). In Study II, all patients had swallowing difficulties and most patients had lack of energy to complete a meal. The electronic information transfer tool held information on eating ability for most patients (II), but the nursing staff in residential home care perceived deficiencies in that information, even identifying several EDs not reported at discharge (II). Experiences from persons living with EDs after stroke were presented in one main theme: Striving to live a normal life, including three sub-themes: Abandoned to learn on one's own (little support from health care professionals to learn to handle eating), Experiencing losses (loss of eating functions and loss of valued activities) and Feeling dependent in mealtime situations (III). One major finding from the methodological exploration (IV) is that creative approaches and suitable methods for inclusion of participants with EDs and communication impairment into qualitative studies can be found in the fields of aphasiology and learning disabilities. Another major finding from Study IV is that researchers need good communication skills as well as knowledge in neuropsychology. A general conclusion is that screening for EDs should be routine in stroke care and that a multidisciplinary terminology to express EDs must be developed to provide accurate information transfer. Health care professionals need to enhance their knowledge in nutrition and provide support to stroke patients with EDs with the goal that they can eat and perform meal-related activities in accordance with their habits before the stroke. To gain access to the experiences of persons with EDs and communication impairment researchers need to test participatory approaches when planning for inclusion of those persons.
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| 8. |
- Carlsson, Eva
(författare)
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Understanding Persons with Eating Difficulties and Communication Impairment after Stroke : Patients Experiences and Methodological Issues in Qualitative Interviews
- 2006
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Difficulties with eating are common after stroke and are often associated with communication problems. Although numerous aspects of dysfunction have been identified, little is known about the experiences of living with eating difficulties after stroke. A few researchers have attempted to explore how best to ensure that the voices of people with communication impairment can be captured in qualitative research interviews, but several methodological issues related to including this population in qualitative research have remained unexamined. The purpose of the thesis was to illuminate the phenomenon of eating difficulties after stroke and to discuss methodological issues involved in interviewing persons with communication impairment. Study I had a qualitative, descriptive design involving repeated interviews and participant observations with three persons 1½ years post-stroke. Eating difficulties after stroke were experienced as Striving to live a normal life with the sub-themes Abandoned to learn on one’s own, Experiences of losses, and Feeling dependent. The findings showed that “eating difficulties after stroke” is a complex phenomenon, and that, based on the experiences of stroke survivors, there is a need for health care professionals to develop and use methods for eating training and other forms of support during the continuum of care. The combination of repeated interviews and participant observations seemed to be an approach that should be tested in larger studies. Study II was a methodological exploration based on the experiences gained in Study I and in a qualitative study involving persons with traumatic brain injury. Methodological issues related to sampling, obtaining informed consent, and fatigue in participant and researcher were discussed, and strategies for conducting qualitative interviews with these populations were suggested.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Dwyer, Lise-Lotte, 1965-
(författare)
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Dignity in the end of life care : what does it mean to older people and staff in nursing homes?
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The discussion of a palliative care and a dignified death has almost exclusively been applied to people dying of cancer. As people are getting older and are living longer, nursing homes have become an important place for end-of-life care and death. Dignity is a concept often used in health care documents but their meaning is rarely clarified. The main aim of this thesis was to gain a deeper understanding of what dignity meant to older people in end of life care as well as to nursing home staff. The thesis comprises four studies. The first and second study involved older people living in nursing home settings studied from a hermeneutic perspective. In the first study twelve older people in two nursing homes were interviewed two to four times over a period of 18–24 months during 2002–2003. Altogether, 39 interviews were analyzed by a hermeneutic method. Dignity was closely linked to self-image and identity. The themes of unrecognizable body, dependence and fragility constituted threats to dignity. The third theme, inner strength and sense of coherence, seemed to assist the older people in maintaining dignity of identity. In the second study the aim was to acquire a deeper understanding of how three older women from study I, created meaning in everyday life at the nursing home. A secondary analysis was carried out and showed meaning in everyday life was created by an inner dialogue, communication and relationships with others. The third study was to explore nursing home staff members’ experience of what dignity in end-of –life care means to older people and to themselves. Totally 21 interviews with staff were carried out and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The meaning of older people’s dignity was conceptualized as feeling trust, which implied being shown respect. Staff members’ dignity was conceptualized as maintaining self-respect. Dignity was threatened in situations where staff experienced themselves and the older people as being ignored and thereby marginalized. The fourth study was carried out through focus groups discussions with 20 staff members about seven older peoples dying death and care. The analyses showed that conversations and discussions about death were rare. Death was surrounded by silence. It was disclosed that the older dying person’s thoughts and attitudes of death were not explicitly known. A dignified death meant alleviation of bodily suffering and pain and meaningfulness. The staff’s ethical reasoning mainly concerned their experience of a gap between their personal ideals of what a dignified end of life should include and what they were able to provide in reality, which could result in conscious stress. Staff members need training and support. End of life care demands competence and teamwork. A challenge for future care of older people would be to develop a nursing home environment in which human dignity is promoted.
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