| 1. |
- Tödt, Kristina, 1966-
(författare)
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Fatigue in long-term illness : Influencing factors and functional performance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and in cancer
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Syfte: Avhandlingen studerade sambandet mellan fatigue (trötthet) och valda inverkande faktorer, funktionsförmåga (fysisk och daglig aktivitet och arbetsförmåga) samt med hälsorelaterad livskvalitet (HRQL) vid kroniskt obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL) och vid cancer. Metod: Patienter med KOL (n=121, delarbete I-II) och patienter med cancer under pågående strålbehandling (n=457, delarbete III) studerades i tvärsnittsstudier. Canceröverlevare följdes longitudinellt upp sju år efter strålbehandling (n=215, jämfört med 172 matchade icke-cancerreferenter, delarbete IV). Data samlades in genom frågeformulär och kliniska bedömningar. Beskrivande och inferentiell statistik användes.Resultat: Fatigue förekom hos 74% av patienterna med KOL, 72% hos patienterna under cancerbehandling, 58% hos långtids-canceröverlevarna samt 41% av referenterna. Svårare sjukdom och sämre ansträngningsförmåga vid KOL, och samsjuklighet och nedstämdhet vid cancer under strålbehandling var associerat med större sannolikheten för fatigue. Fatigue under tidigare strålbehandling, och nuvarande nedstämdhet, smärta och antal symptom var associerat med fatigue vid uppföljningen. Svår fatigue hade samband med låg fysisk aktivitet vid KOL och fatigue vid strålbehandling med mindre fysisk och daglig aktivitet och sämre HRQL. Under strålbehandling rapporterade patienter med fatigue 60% sjukfrånvaro gentemot 40% utan. Fatigue hade minskat vid uppföljning men var värre än hos referenterna. Fysisk och daglig aktivitet hade förbättrats och var inte sämre än referenternas. Självskattad arbetsförmåga och arbetsprocent var dock lägre. Fatigue och tilltron till sin arbetsförmåga var associerat med självskattad arbetsförmåga hos canceröverlevare som arbetade. Konklusion: Att uppmärksamma fatigue kan underlätta för hälso och sjukvårdspersonal att identifiera och ge stöd till patienter med nedsatt funktionsförmåga samt till canceröverlevare med risk för långvarig fatigue och påverkad arbetsförmåga.
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| 2. |
- Engström, Margaretha, 1949-
(författare)
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Yrkeskunnande som säkerhetsmetod : En studie kring svåra driftsituationer vid svenska kärnkraftverk
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Existing safety methods for nuclear power predict known and conceivable but not unexpected events. The methods can prevent and limit consequences of incidents. Professional skills, however, can contribute with more than robustness. The operators practise their skills in everyday work in a way beyond formal instructions. This unnoticed practice is of great value for the safety as well as operation economy. In this doctoral thesis the operators’ professional skills at Swedish nuclear power plants have been investigated for the purpose of studying skill as a safety method for unexpected events.In order to study professional skills, adequate momentary actions in every day work have been looked for. These actions manifest in the flow of frequent unpredicted events occurring in ordinary work as a part of managing the continuous process. This dissertation comprises seven examples from Forsmark and Ringhals nuclear power plants. These examples are explored through the epistemology of skill, derived from a wittgensteinian concept of practice. The investigation has its main focus on exploring skill as a safety method for unexpected events. One result is that efforts have to be made in order to maintain practical obtained professional skills.The research has ended in the following conclusions:• Professional skill is important at unexpected events and thus for safety.• Professional skill is built over time in concrete actions in a working practice.• Earlier solutions of problem and successfully management of extraordinary operational situations should be kept alive.• The first criterion of selection at recruiting technicians should be practical persons.• Continuous recruitment is needed in order to avoid a loose generation curve where the professional skill is of different development phases in the different age groups.• For retaining personnel until they have good professional skills, prioritizing applicants from the local community is suggested.• Guidance by formalized requirements and measurable goals don’t reach professional skill and can moreover hide it.• Personnel and other stakeholders in nuclear power not having skills from operation at nuclear power plants need to be conscious about professional skill’s importance for safety.• Understanding the importance of professional skills should be disseminated to those groups influencing the conditions for moulding of it at the nuclear power plants. The knowledge contribution of this thesis points out the value of experienced skilled labour and human proper actions as the base for a sustainable operation and nuclear safety.
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| 3. |
- Ernesäter, Annica, 1970-
(författare)
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National Telephone Advice Nursing in Sweden : Patient Safety and Communication
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate patient safety and communication within national telephone advice nursing (SHD) in Sweden. Four empirical studies with different perspectives were conducted. The aim of Study I was to describe telenurses’ experiences of working with computerized decision support systems and how such systems could influence their work. The telenurses described a duality of perceptions: the CDSS both supported and inhibited their work. Study II aimed at describing medical errors that had led to an incident report within the context of SHD. Incident reports sent to and from the SHD during 2007 were collected. The results showed that telenurses have limited possibilities to refer callers to the appropriate level of care, and that other healthcare providers reported that telenurses had made an incorrect assessment regarding callers’ need for care. Study III aimed at describing the actual communication between telenurses and callers expecting a higher level of care than recommended by telenurses, and at investigating relationships within the communication between telenurses and callers. The results showed that telenurses were more prone to use closed-ended questions and did not follow up on callers’ understanding of the advice given. There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between callers’ expressions of Concern and telenurses’ expressions of Criticism, and also between utterances of Criticism between the parties. The aim of Study IV was to describe the characteristics of all malpractice claims following telephone calls to SHD, including the identified causes, the healthcare providers’ measures, and the actual communication between the telenurses and callers. The results showed that among the cases, 13 of 33 patients died and 12 were admitted to intensive care. The National Board of Health and Welfare’s (NBHW) investigations most commonly reported communication failure as the cause of the malpractice claims. The measures reported by SHD most commonly involved discussion in work groups and education of staff. Communication analysis showed a positive correlation between the callers’ expressions of Concern and the telenurses’ expressions of Reassurance. The results also showed communication patterns similar to those found in Study III. Hence, telenurses’ communicative strategies are not in line with the “dialogue process” they are educated in and could be regarded as a threat to patient safety.In conclusion, the importance of high quality communication is undoubted within telephone advice nursing, and specific training and supervision in communication for telenurses might contribute to improving their communicative competence as well as patient safety. Adapting the CDSS into encourage telenurses to explore callers’ reasons for calling and to follow up on understanding might facilitate patient safety. Organizations also need to take a system-wide approach when addressing patient safety issues and ensure that telenurses are given the resources they need to fulfill their work.
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| 4. |
- Hagerman, Heidi, 1980-
(författare)
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Working Life Among First-Line Managers and Their Subordinates in Elderly Care : an Empowerment Perspective
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The aim of this thesis was to study the working life of first-line managers and their subordinates in elderly care from an empowerment perspective. Methods: Paper I and II used a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 male and 14 female first-line managers. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Paper III and IV used a quantitative approach with a longitudinal, correlational and multilevel design. 78 first-line managers and 1398 subordinates filled in the questionnaire at T1 and 56 first-line managers and 769 subordinates at T2. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses (III & IV) and multilevel modelling (IV). Results: In Paper I and II, the first-line managers reported having a challenging and complex work situation. Although the first-line managers sometimes expressed a need for better access to structural empowerment in terms of information, resources and support, they experienced psychological empowerment in their work. In Paper III, the results indicated that the more access the first-line managers had to structural empowerment over time, the more likely they were to feel psychologically empowered over time, resulting in lower ratings of their stress symptoms and higher ratings of their own self-rated leadership-management performance over time. Another finding in Paper III was the influence the number of subordinates per first-line manager had on the first-line managers’ ratings of structural empowerment and the subordinates’ ratings of structural empowerment and stress symptoms. In Paper IV, the results indicate that the more access the first-line managers had to structural empowerment at T1, the more access the subordinates had to structural empowerment at T2, and the higher the subordinates rated their first-line manager’s leadership-management performance at T2, when controlling for psychological empowerment. Conclusions: The working life of first-line managers in elderly care is complex and challenging, and they seem to need better access to structural empowerment (Paper I-IV). However, although deficiencies in access to structural empowerment were reported, the first-line managers experienced their work as a positive challenge (Paper 1) and felt that, though the work was not easy, it was worth it (Paper II).
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| 5. |
- Zetterling, Maria, 1966-
(författare)
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Clinical Studies in the Acute Phase of Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Patients admitted in similar clinical condition after spontaneous SAH can develop very different clinical courses. This could depend on the severity of the initial global ischemic brain injury at ictus. In the present study, we explored relations between clinical and radiological parameters at admission that indicate a more severe initial impact, and the following days hormone levels and brain metabolism. Early global cerebral oedema (GCE) on computed tomography occurred in 57 % of SAH patients and was associated with a more severe clinical condition. The brain’s glucose metabolism, measured with intracerebral microdialysis (MD), changed the first days. MD-glucose was initially high and MD-pyruvate low. MD-glucose gradually decreased and MD-pyruvate and MD-lactate increased, suggesting a transition to a hyperglycolytic state. This was more pronounced in patients with GCE. Similar patterns were seen for interstitial non-transmitter amino acids. From initial low concentrations, they gradually increased in parallel with MD-pyruvate. The amino acid concentrations were higher for patients admitted in better clinical condition. Insulin lowered MD-glucose and MD-pyruvate even when plasma glucose values remained high. P-ACTH and S-cortisol were elevated early after SAH. GCE was associated with higher S-cortisol acutely. Urine cortisol excretion, indicating levels of free cortisol, were higher in patients in a better clinical condition. Suppressed P-ACTH occurred in periods of brain ischemia. We suggest that GCE on the first CT scan is a warning sign indicating increased vulnerability if the patient is exposed to compromised energy supply or increased energy demand. Reduction of blood glucose after SAH should be done with caution. The temporal change of the glucose metabolism and the amino acid concentrations probably reflect activated repair mechanisms. This should be considered in the intensive care treatment of SAH patients. Finally, our results support earlier observations that the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is important in critical care.
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| 6. |
- Bednarska, Olga, 1973-
(författare)
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Peripheral and Central Mechanisms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome : in search of links
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic visceral pain disorder with female predominance, characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and disturbed bowel habits in the absence of an identifiable organic cause. This prevalent and debilitating disease, which accounts for a substantial economic and individual burden, lacks exact diagnostic tools and effective treatment, since its pathophysiology remains uncertain. The bidirectional and multilayered brain-gut axis is a well-established disease model, however, the interactions between central and peripheral mechanisms along the brain-gut axis remain incompletely understood. One of the welldescribed triggering factors, yet accounting for only a fraction of IBS prevalence, is bacterial gastroenteritis that affects mucosal barrier function. Altered gut microbiota composition as well as disturbed intestinal mucosal barrier function and its neuroimmune regulation have been reported in IBS, however, the impact of live bacteria, neither commensal nor pathogenic, on intestinal barrier has not been studied yet. Furthermore, abnormal central processing of visceral sensations and psychological factors such as maladaptive coping have previously been suggested as centrally-mediated pathophysiological mechanisms of importance in IBS. Brain imaging studies have demonstrated an imbalance in descending pain modulatory networks and alterations in brain regions associated with interoceptive awareness and pain processing and modulation, particularly in anterior insula (aINS), although biochemical changes putatively underlying these central alterations remain poorly understood. Most importantly, however, possible associations between these documented changes on central and peripheral levels, which may as complex interactions contribute to disease onset and chronification of symptoms, are widely unknown.This thesis aimed to investigate the peripheral and central mechanisms in women with IBS compared to female healthy controls (HC) and to explore possible mutual associations between these mechanisms.In Paper I, we studied paracellular permeability and passage of live bacteria, both commensal and pathogenic through colonic biopsies mounted in Ussing chambers. We explored the regulation of the mucosal barrier function by mast cells and the neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) as well as a correlation between mucosal permeability and gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms. We observed increased paracellular permeability and the passage of commensal and pathogenic live bacteria in patients with IBS compared with HC, which was diminished by blocking the VIP receptors as well as after stabilizing mast cells in both groups. Moreover, higher paracellular permeability was associated with less somatic and psychological symptoms in patients.In Paper II, we aimed to determine the association between colonic mucosa paracellular permeability and structural and resting state functional brain connectivity. We demonstrated different patterns of associations between mucosa permeability and functional and structural brain connectivity in IBS patients compared to HC. Specifically, lower paracellular permeability in IBS, similar to the levels detected in HC, was associated with more severe IBS symptoms and increased functional and structural connectivity between intrinsic brain resting state network and descending pain modulation brain regions. Our findings further suggested that this association between mucosa permeability and functional brain connectivity was mainly mediated by coping strategies.In Paper III, we investigated putative alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission of aINS, as the brain’s key node of the salience network crucially involved in cognitive control, in IBS patients relative to HC and addressed possible connections with both symptoms and psychological factors. We found decreased concentrations of the excitatory neurotransmitter Glx in bilateral aINS in IBS patients compared to HC, while inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA+ levels were comparable. Further, we demonstrated hemisphere-specific associations between abdominal pain, coping and aINS excitatory neurotransmitter concentration.In conclusion, this thesis broadens the knowledge on peripheral and central mechanisms in IBS and presents novel findings that bring together the ends of brain-gut axis. Our results depict association between mucosal permeability, IBS symptoms and functional and structural connectivity engaging brain regions involved in emotion and pain modulation as well as underlying neurotransmitter alterations.
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| 7. |
- Bergstrand, Sara, 1978-
(författare)
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Preventing pressure ulcers by assessment of the microcirculation in tissue exposed to pressure
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to combine optical methods into a system with the ability to simultaneously measure blood flow changes at different tissue depths. The goal of such a system was to reveal vascular mechanisms relevant to pressure ulcer etiology under clinically relevant conditions and in relation to the evaluation of pressure-redistribution support surfaces.This thesis consists of four quantitative, cross-sectional studies measuring blood flow responses before, during, and after pressure exposure of the sacral tissue. Two optical methods – photoplethysmography and laser Doppler flowmetry – were combined in a newly developed system that has the ability to discriminate blood flows at different tissue depths. Studies I and II explored blood flow responses at different depths in 17 individuals. In Study I the blood flow was related to tissue thickness and tissue compression during pressure exposure of ≥ 220 mmHg. In Study II, the sacral tissue was loaded with 37.5 mmHg and 50.0 mmHg, and the variation in blood flow was measured. Studies III and IV included 42 healthy individuals < 65 years, 38 healthy individuals ≥ 65 years, and 35 patients ≥ 65 years. Study III included between-subject comparisons of blood flow and pressure between individuals in the three study groups lying in supine positions on a standard hospital mattress. Study IV added within-subject comparisons while the individual was lying on four different types of mattress. The studies explored the vascular phenomena pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV) and reactive hyperemia (RH).The most common blood flow response to tissue exposure in this thesis was PIV, although a decrease in blood flow (a lack of PIV) was observed in some individuals. The patients tended to have higher interface pressure during pressure exposure than the healthy groups but no differences in blood flow responses were seen. Our results showed that pressure levels that are normally considered to be harmless could have a significant effect on the microcirculation in different tissue structures. Differences in individual blood flow responses in terms of PIV and RH were seen, and a larger proportion of individuals lacked these responses in the deeper tissue structures compared to more superficial tissue structures.This thesis identified PIV and RH that are important vascular mechanisms for pressure ulcer development and revealed for the first time that PIV and RH are present at different depths under clinically relevant conditions. The thesis also identified a population of individuals not previously identified who lack both PIV and RH and seem to be particularly vulnerable to pressure exposure. Further, this thesis has added a new perspective to the microcirculation in pressure ulcer etiology in terms of blood flow regulation and endothelial function that are anchored in clinically relevant studies. Finally, the evaluation of pressureredistribution support surfaces in terms of mean blood flow during and after tissue exposure was shown to be unfeasible, but the assessment of PIV and RH could provide a new possibility for measuring individual physiological responses that are known to be related to pressure ulcer development.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Ekblom Bak, Elin, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Accelerometer derived physical activity patterns in 27.890 middle‐aged adults : The SCAPIS cohort study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 32:5, s. 866-880
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study aims to describe accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA) patterns and fulfillment of PA recommendations in a large sample of middle-aged men and women, and to study differences between subgroups of socio-demographic, socio-economic, and lifestyle-related variables. A total of 27 890 (92.5% of total participants, 52% women, aged 50–64 years) middle-aged men and women with at least four days of valid hip-worn accelerometer data (Actigraph GT3X+, wGT3X+ and wGT3X-BT) from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study, SCAPIS, were included. In total, 54.5% of daily wear time was spent sedentary, 39.1% in low, 5.4% in moderate, and only 0.1% in vigorous PA. Male sex, higher education, low financial strain, born in Sweden, and sedentary/light working situation were related to higher sedentary time, but also higher levels of vigorous PA. High BMI and having multiple chronic diseases associated strongly with higher sedentary time and less time in all three PA intensities. All-year physically active commuters had an overall more active PA pattern. The proportion fulfilling current PA recommendations varied substantially (1.4% to 92.2%) depending on data handling procedures and definition used. Twenty-eight percent was defined as having an “at-risk” behavior, which included both high sedentary time and low vigorous PA. In this large population-based sample, a majority of time was spent sedentary and only a fraction in vigorous PA, with clinically important variations between subgroups. This study provides important reference material and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the individual PA pattern in future research and clinical practice.
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| 10. |
- Engström, Maria, 1968-
(författare)
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Cheruvimskie pesnopenija v russkoj liturgičeskoj tradicii
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is a contribution to a growing field of studies on the reception of Byzantine culture in Russia. The object of investigation is the history of the Church Slavonic translation of the Cherubika, which constitute one of the most ancient and dogmatically important functional genres of Byzantine liturgical hymns. The chronological frame of this study is the 13th–17th century. Particular attention is focused on the last change in the liturgical texts in Muscovite Russia, in the mid-17th century. This liturgical reform, which led to the famous Schism in the Russian Church, is studied as part of the cultural reforms started by Tsar Alexis Romanov (1645-1676).The most characteristic feature of Orthodoxy is the principal unity of Scripture and Tradition, which in a hermeneutical perspective means the inseparability of text and context. The semiotic and interdisciplinary approach used in this study reflects this principle. The Slavic Cherubika are interpreted in a broad cultural perspective, and Church Slavonic translations are studied in the proper theological, rhetorical and linguistic contexts.Although the 17th-century translations made in Moscow were based on late Greek and South Slavic sources, they reconstruct the original dogmatic message of the Byzantine Cherubika and are hence closer to the Tradition than earlier Slavonic translations.This study offers a new interpretation of the nature of the Schism. It is shown that the main cause of the controversy between Reformists and Old Believers lies in their different understandings of the connection between Text and Ritual. The traditional medieval interpretation of the Cherubika is influenced by certain iconographical themes, other liturgical texts and the priest’s actions during the liturgy. The transition from a liturgocentric interpretation of sacral texts to a descriptive theological interpretation was a break from the characteristic Russian form of liturgocentrism and the beginning of a new cultural era.
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