| 1. |
- Elbro, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Misclassified maternal deaths among east african immigrants in Sweden
- 2007
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Ingår i: Reproductive health matters. - 0968-8080 .- 1460-9576. ; 15:30, s. 153-162
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Western countries have reported an increased risk of maternal mortality among African immigrants. This study aimed to identify cases of maternal mortality among immigrants from the Horn of Africa living in Sweden using snowball sampling, and verify whether they had been classified as maternal deaths in the Cause of Death Registry. Three “locators” contacted immigrants from Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia to identify possible cases of maternal mortality. Suspected deaths were scrutinised through verbal autopsy and medical records. Confirmed instances, linked by country of birth, were compared with Registry statistics. We identified seven possible maternal deaths of which four were confirmed in medical records, yet only one case had been classified as such in the Cause of Death Registry. At least two cases, a significant number, seemed to be misclassified. The challenges of both cultural and medical competence for European midwives and obstetricians caring for non-European immigrant mothers should be given more attention, and the chain of information regarding maternal deaths should be strengthened. We propose a practice similar to the British confidential enquiry into maternal deaths. In Sweden, snowball sampling was valuable for contacting immigrant communities for research on maternal mortality; by strengthening statistical validity, it can contribute to better maternal health policy in a multi-ethnic society.
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| 2. |
- Forsgärde, Elin-Sofie
(författare)
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Pathways for older patients in acute situations and involved actors' experiences of decision-making in ambulatory care
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The overall aim was to describe and compare pathways for older patients and the involved actors’ experiences of decision-making in acute situations in ambulatory care.Methods: The overall three-fold design, comprising exploratory, descriptive as well as comparative ones, was conducted inductively, including a mixed method with a convergent integrated approach to empirical data. The four involved studies were analysed using either quantitative or qualitative analysis methods.Results: Most older patients’ pathways when being assessed by ambulance personnel involved receiving care at hospitals. However, an increasing trend of non-conveyance to hospitals was identified during a five-year period (2014–2018), which means receiving care, for example, at home or primary healthcare (PHC) centres. Decision-making about the level-of-care for older patients was more or less uncertain for all involved actors, i.e. older patients, significant others and healthcare professionals such as ambulance personnel, registered nurses, specialists in general practice at PHC centres and community health nurses. To increase the level of certainty in the decision-making process, all actors was supported by both an individual and external dialogue. Individual dialogue gave support by using own experience and knowledge. For ambulance personnel and community health nurses, support was also partially gained from decision support tools but was regarded as insufficient when older patients had non-specific symptoms. External dialogue provided support through mutuality, and via collaboration, a common goal, trust and responsibility. Mutuality gave support through experience and knowledge being shared with all involved actors, which provided a common comprehensive understanding that facilitated consensus in the decision-making.Conclusion: The increasing level of non-conveyance to hospitals and uncertainty during decision-making highlights the need to develop and extend the availability of dialogue-based collaborations as support in ambulatory care. Dialogue-based support involves all actors contributing to the decision-making. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the prerequisites and the support that mutuality in external dialogues brings. Healthcare organisations need to develop and extend dialogue-based collaboration in ambulatory care by combining different expertise and providing conditions to increase support in decisions adapted to older patients' needs.
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| 3. |
- Forsgärde, Elin-Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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Patients' aged ≥ 65 years dispositions during ambulance assignments, including factors associated with non-conveyance to hospital : a longitudinal and comparative study
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 10:11, s. 1-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Patients >= 65 years old represent 30%-50% of all ambulance assignments (AAs), and the knowledge of which care level they are disposed to is limited and diverging. The aim of this study was therefore to describe and compare characteristics of patients' aged >= 65 years dispositions during AA, including determining changes over time and factors associated with non-conveyance to hospitals. Design A longitudinal and comparative database study. Setting Ambulance service in a Swedish region. Participants 32 085 AAs with patients >= 65 years old during the years 2014, 2016 and 2018. Exclusion criteria: AAs with interhospital patient transfers and lack of patients' dispositions data. Outcome measures Dependent factors: conveyance and non-conveyance to hospitals. Independent factors: age, sex, symptom, triage level, scene, time, day and season. Results The majority (n=29 060; 90.6%) of patients' dispositions during AA were conveyance to hospitals. In total, the most common symptoms were circulatory (n=4953; 15.5%) and respiratory (n=4529; 14.1%). A significant increase, p<0.01, of non-conveyance to hospitals was shown during 2014 and 2018, from 801 (7.8%) to 1295 (11.4%). Increasing age was associated with decreasing odds of non-conveyance, 85-89 years (OR=0.85, 95 % CI=0.72 to 0.99) and 90 years or older (OR=0.80, 95 % CI=0.68 to 0.93). Several factors were associated with non-conveyance, for example, symptoms of diabetes (OR=8.57, 95 % CI=5.99 to 12.26) and mental disorders (OR=5.71, 95 % CI=3.85 to 8.48) in comparison with infections. Conclusions The study demonstrates several patient characteristics, and factors associated with non-conveyance to hospitals, such as age, symptom, triage level, scene, time, day and season. The increasing non-conveyance trend highlights the importance of further studies on optimal care levels for patients >= 65 years old.
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| 4. |
- Forsgärde, Elin-Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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Physicians’ experiences and actions in making complex level-of-care decisions during acute situations within older patients’ homes : a critical incident study
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2318. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Complex level-of-care decisions involve uncertainty in which decisions are beneficial for older patients. Knowledge of physicians’ decision-making during acute situations in older patients’ homes is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to describe physicians’ experiences and actions in making complex level-of-care decisions during the assessment of older patients in acute situations within their own homes. Methods: Individual interviews and analyses were performed according to the critical incident technique (CIT). In total, 14 physicians from Sweden were included. Results: In making complex level-of-care decisions, physicians experienced collaborating with and including older patients, significant others and health care professionals to be essential for making individualized decisions regarding the patients’ and their significant others’ needs. During decision-making, physicians experienced difficulties when doubt or collaborative obstructions occurred. Physicians’ actions involved searching for an understanding of older patients’ and their significant others’ wishes and needs, considering their unique conditions, guiding them, and adjusting care according to their wishes. Actions further involved promoting collaboration and reaching a consensus with all persons involved. Conclusion: Physicians strive to individualize complex level-of-care decisions based on older patients’ and their significant others’ wishes and needs. Furthermore, individualized decisions depend on successful collaboration and consensus among older patients, their significant others and other health care professionals. Therefore, to facilitate individualized level-of-care decisions, the health care organizations need to support physicians when they are making individualized decisions, provide sufficient resources and promote 24 − 7 collaboration between organizations and health care professionals.
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| 5. |
- Forsgärde, Elin-Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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Support in acute situations when a community health nurse is called: experiences of older patients, their significant others, and involved healthcare professionals- a qualitative interview study
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2318. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Care decisions for older patients in acute situations are challenging to make, and there is limited knowledge of support in home healthcare settings, where older patients receive ongoing health care from, for example, community health nurses. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the support for all involved in acute situations when a community health nurse was called, as experienced by older patients, their significant others and healthcare professionals involved.Methods: The study was conducted using a phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach, in which meanings of the study phenomenon were analyzed. The included participants were those who had been involved in acute situations. Twelve participants from four acute situations were interviewed. The participant included three older patients, one significant other, four community health nurses, one registered nurse student, one specialist in general practice, and two ambulance personnel, with one being a registered nurse and the other a specialist ambulance nurse.Results: Support in decision-making was received from the knowledge of temporality, which provided a comprehensive understanding based on past and present knowledge of the older patient. The knowledge of temporality allowed for the early detection of new symptoms and facilitated care decisions tailored to the older patient. There was a dependency on pre-existing mutual interpersonal support, and confidence developed through relational, caring, and medical competence.Conclusions: The advantages of temporality, confidence and mutual interpersonal support in acute situations highlight the importance of enhancing relational continuity in home healthcare settings and establishing a structural collaboration among community health nurses, specialists in general practice, and ambulance personnel. This collaboration aims to provide support for making decisions regarding tailored care.
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| 6. |
- Forsgärde, Elin-Sofie, et al.
(författare)
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The dialogue as decision support; lived experiences of extended collaboration when an ambulance is called
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 16:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose This study aimed to describe extended collaboration in situations when an ambulance was called, as experienced by older patients, a significant other, and ambulance- and primary healthcare (PHC) centre personnel. Methods The study used a phenomenological reflective lifeworld research (RLR) approach. Participants included in three specific situations with extended collaboration were interviewed: three older patients, one significant other, three ambulance personnel and four personnel at the PHC centre. The transcribed interviews were analysed for meanings of the phenomenon. Results The extended collaboration means that decisions were supported through dialogue by bridging knowledge spaces between person, within-team and across-team levels. Through dialogue experience and knowledge were shared and certainty in decisions was increased. The extended collaboration was built on trust, responsibility taken, shared and entrusted, and the common goal of adapted care for the unique patient. A need for further improvement and transparency was elucidated. Conclusions The difficulty of making care decisions stresses the importance of available extended collaboration based on the dialogue between patients, significant others, and ambulance- and PHC centre personnel to increase certainty in decisions. Collaboration further requires respectful encounters, trust, responsibility and a common goal of adapting the care for the unique patient.
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| 7. |
- Lindfors, Oskar, et al.
(författare)
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Informing patients on planned consultation time–a randomised controlled intervention study of consultation time in primary care
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 37:4, s. 402-408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate whether patients’ pre-consultation knowledge of the time frames for the consultation influences the actual consultation time and/or patient and physician related outcomes; satisfaction and enablement. Design: Randomised controlled blinded intervention study. Setting: Four strategically chosen Primary Health Care Centres (PHCC:s) in Kronoberg county in Sweden participated. Intervention: Pre-consultation information on planned consultation time. During one week in each PHCC consecutive patients were randomised to intervention group or control group, when booking an appointment with a physician. Subjects: Patients >18 years of age. Main outcome measures: Consultation time, patient satisfaction, patient enablement and physician satisfaction. Results: No significant difference in consultation time was found between the intervention group and control group. No differences were seen between intervention group and control group regarding any of the other measures. Stratified data showed significantly shorter consultation time for the intervention group in one of the PHCC:s and for employed physicians. Employed physicians also rated consultations as being easier and were more satisfied with their consultations compared to non-employed physicians. Conclusion: Information on the planned consultation time has a potential to decrease consultation time in certain settings. No negative side effects were found in this study. Key points Patients prepare before their consultation but to influence its contents and length is difficult. Informing patients on estimated consultation time can influence actual consultation time. Informing patients on planned consultation time has no adverse effects in this study.
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| 8. |
- Litorp, Helena, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Maternal near-miss and death and their association with caesarean section complications : a cross-sectional study at a university hospital and a regional hospital in Tanzania
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2393 .- 1471-2393. ; 14:1, s. 244-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The maternal near-miss (MNM) concept has been developed to assess life-threatening conditions during pregnancy, childhood, and puerperium. In recent years, caesarean section (CS) rates have increased rapidly in many low- and middle-income countries, a trend which might have serious effects on maternal health. Our aim was to describe the occurrence and panorama of maternal near-miss and death in two low-resource settings, and explore their association with CS complications.METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study, including all women who fulfilled the WHO criteria for MNM or death between February and June 2012 at a university hospital and a regional hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Cases were assessed individually to determine their association with CS. Main outcome measures included MNM ratio; maternal mortality ratio; proportion of MNM and death associated with CS complications; and the risk for such outcomes per 1,000 operations. The risk ratio of life-threatening CS complications at the university hospital compared to the regional hospital was calculated.RESULTS: We identified 467 MNM events and 77 maternal deaths. The MNM ratio was 36 per 1,000 live births (95% CI 33-39) and the maternal mortality ratio was 587 per 100,000 live births (95% CI 460-730). Major causes were eclampsia and postpartum haemorrhage, but we also detected nine MNM events and five deaths from iatrogenic complications. CS complications accounted for 7.9% (95% CI 5.6-11) of the MNM events and 13% (95% CI 6.4-23) of the maternal deaths. The risk of experiencing a life-threatening CS complication was three times higher at the regional hospital (22/1,000 operations, 95% CI 12-37) compared to the university hospital (7.0/1,000 operations, 95% CI 3.8-12) (risk ratio 3.2, 95% CI 1.5-6.6).CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of MNM and death at the two hospitals was high, and many cases were associated with CS complications. The maternal risks of CS in low-resource settings must not be overlooked, and measures should be taken to avoid unnecessary CSs. More comprehensive training of staff, improved postoperative surveillance, and a more even distribution of resources within the health care system might reduce the risks of CS.
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| 9. |
- Litorp, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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The effects of previous cesarean deliveries on severe maternal and adverse perinatal outcomes at a university hospital in Tanzania
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. - : Wiley. - 0020-7292 .- 1879-3479. ; 133:2, s. 183-187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate if multiparous individuals who had undergone a previous cesarean delivery experienced an increased risk of severe maternal outcomes or adverse perinatal outcomes compared with multiparous individuals who had undergone previous vaginal deliveries. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study at a university hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, enrolled multiparous participants of at least 28 weeks of pregnancy between February 1 and June 30, 2012. Data were collected from patients' medical records and the hospital's obstetric database. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (Cl) were calculated to compare outcomes among patients who had or had not undergone previous cesarean deliveries. Results: A total of 2478 patients were enrolled. A previous cesarean delivery resulted in no increase in the risk of severe maternal outcomes (OR0.86, 95% CI 0.58-1.26; P = 0.46), and decreased risk of stillbirth (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.29-0.62, P < 0.001), and intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal distress (OR 0.58, 95% CI 038-0.87, P = 0.007). Conclusion: Previous cesarean delivery was not a risk factor for severe maternal outcomes or adverse perinatal outcomes. The present study was conducted at a referral institution, where individuals with previous cesarean deliveries may constitute a healthy group. Additionally, there could be differences between the study groups in terms of healthcare-seeking behavior, referral mechanisms, intrapartum monitoring, and clinical decision making.
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| 10. |
- Nilsson, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Incidence of diabetes in middle-aged men is related to sleep disturbances.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Diabetes Care. - : American Diabetes Association. - 1935-5548 .- 0149-5992. ; 27:10, s. 2464-2469
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE—Sleep deprivation in healthy men has been experimentally found to result in disturbances in glucose metabolism and in sympathovagal imbalance. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sleep disturbances and elevated resting heart rate are associated with increased risk of developing diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A group of 6,599 initially healthy, nondiabetic men aged 44.5 ± 4.0 years took part in a prospective, population-based study in Malmö, Sweden. The incidence of diabetes during a mean follow-up of 14.8 ± 2.4 years was examined in relation to self-reported difficulties in falling asleep and resting heart rate at baseline. Diabetes was assessed at follow-up in all subjects by questionnaire and in a subgroup of 1,551 men by blood glucose measurement. RESULTS—A total of 615 (9.3%) subjects reported either difficulties in falling asleep or regular use of hypnotics (seen as markers of sleep disturbances), and 158 (2.4%) subjects reported both of these. Altogether, 281 (4.3%) of the men developed diabetes during the follow-up period. Logistic regression models showed difficulties in falling asleep or regular use of hypnotics (odds ratio [OR] 1.52 [95% CI 1.05–2.20]) and resting heart rate (OR per 10 bpm 1.13 [0.99–1.30]) to be associated with development of diabetes when full adjustments were made for baseline age, biological risk factors, lifestyle, family history of diabetes, and social class. CONCLUSIONS—The results suggest that sleep disturbances and, possibly, elevated resting heart rate, in middle-aged men, are associated with an increased risk of diabetes.
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