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- Liljeroos, Maria
(author)
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Caring needs in patient-partner dyads affected by heart failure : An evaluation of the long-term effects of a dyadic psycho-educational intervention
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction: As medical treatment has improved, patients with heart failure (HF) now live longer and care mostly takes place at home with partners providing the main assistance. Taking care of an ill or disabled individual imposes a well-documented burden on the partner’s healthrelated quality of life. The awareness of partners’ burdensome situation is increasing, but few interventions have targeted the needs of patientpartner dyads with HF. The results have been inconclusive and give no clear guidance on how interventional programmes should be designed to improve both patient and partner outcomes.Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of a psychoeducational intervention delivered to patient-partner dyads with HF during long-term follow-up, and to explore the dyads’ perceived caring needs.Methods: The thesis is based on four papers that used both quantitative and qualitative data. Study I and II used a randomized controlled design with a follow-up assessment after 24 months including 155 patientpartner dyads. The control group received care as usual. The intervention group received care as usual, and in addition they participated in the nurse-led psycho-educational intervention. Data was collected using questionnaires before and 24 months after the intervention, in order to determine the long-term effects on patients and partners regarding health related quality of life, perceived control, symptoms of depression and partners’ caregiver burden (I, II). A conceptual health promotion model inspired the intervention. To describe how the model was applied, a qualitative approach analysing nurses’ documentation of the sessions with 71 dyads in the intervention group (III) was used. Study IV has an explorative design. To further explore the dyads’ perceived caring needs, focus groups interviews with 19 patient-partner dyads with heart failure (IV) were performed.Results: The intervention did not have any significant effect on physical or mental health- related quality of life, depressive symptoms, or perceived control over the heart failure among the dyads (I) or caregiver burden in the partners (II) after 24 months. Furthermore, time to first event did not differ significantly between the dyads in the intervention group and the control group (I, II). As for the partners, both the intervention and control group reported decreased physical health between the baseline assessment and the 24-month follow-up (I). The intervention was composed of three components; 1) cognitive 2) supportive, and 3) behavioural component. The analysis of the nurses’ documentation confirmed the coverage of all the components and the analysis revealed a vide range of caring needs among the dyads (III). The dyads described a need to learn about HF to be able to manage everyday life. Regular outpatient clinic visits and access to telephone support were vital and both the patient and the partner need to be present at the clinic visits. Meeting others who are in the same situation and sharing the burden in nurse-led group sessions was proposed as an opportunity to support each other and others (IV).Conclusions: Over the 24-month follow-up period, the intervention had a neutral effect on health- related quality of life, depressive symptoms and perceived control over the HF among the dyads, and on partners’ caregiver burden. Considering the fact that partners serve as a critical extension of the formal healthcare system, and that both patients and partners ask for more support, it will become crucial to find new ways to support dyads affected by heart failure. This thesis may be viewed as a first step in trying to understand dyads’ perceived caring needs, and it can serve as a guide in clinical work and when designing new dyadic interventions.
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| 3. |
- Rovner, Graciela, 1959, et al.
(author)
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Chronic pain and sex-differences; women accept and move, while men feel blue.
- 2017
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In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study is to explore differences between male and female patients entering a rehabilitation program at a pain clinic in order to gain a greater understanding of different approaches to be used in rehabilitation.1371 patients referred to a specialty pain rehabilitation clinic, completed sociodemographic and pain related questionnaires. They rated their pain acceptance (CPAQ-8), their kinesiophobia (TSK), the impact of pain in their life (MPI), anxiety and depression levels (HAD) and quality of life scales: the SF-36, LiSat-11, and the EQ-5D. Because of the large sample size of the study, the significance level was set at the p ≤.01.Analysis by t-test showed that when both sexes experience the same pain severity, women report significantly higher activity level, pain acceptance and social support while men report higher kinesiophobia, mood disturbances and lower activity level.Pain acceptance (CPAQ-8) and kinesiophobia (TSK) showed the clearest differences between men and women. Pain acceptance and kinesiophobia are behaviorally defined and have the potential to be changed.
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| 4. |
- Magnusson, Carl, 1976, et al.
(author)
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The final assessment and its association with field assessment in patients who were transported by the emergency medical service
- 2018
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Trauma Resuscitation & Emergency Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1757-7241. ; 26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundIn patients who call for the emergency medical service (EMS), there is a knowledge gap with regard to the final assessment after arriving at hospital and its association with field assessment.AimIn a representative population of patients who call for the EMS, to describe a) the final assessment at hospital discharge and b) the association between the assessment in the field and the assessment at hospital discharge.MethodsThirty randomly selected patients reached by a dispatched ambulance each month between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2016 in one urban, one rural and one mixed ambulance organisation in Sweden took part in the study. The exclusion criteria were age<18years, dead on arrival, transport between health-care facilities and secondary missions. Each patient received a unique code based on the ICD code at hospital discharge and field assessment.ResultsIn all, 1080 patients took part in the study, of which 1076 (99.6%) had a field assessment code. A total of 894 patients (83%) were brought to a hospital and an ICD code (ICD-10-SE) was available in 814 patients (91% of these cases and 76% of all cases included in the study). According to these ICD codes, the most frequent conditions were infection (15%), trauma (15%) and vascular disease (9%). The most frequent body localisation of the condition was the thorax (24%), head (16%) and abdomen (13%). In 118 patients (14% of all ICD codes), the condition according to the ICD code was judged as time critical. Among these cases, field assessment was assessed as potentially appropriate in 75% and potentially inappropriate in 12%.ConclusionAmong patients reached by ambulance in Sweden, 83% were transported to hospital and, among them, 14% had a time-critical condition. In these cases, the majority were assessed in the field as potentially appropriate, but 12% had a potentially inappropriate field assessment. The consequences of these findings need to be further explored.
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| 5. |
- Öhlén, Joakim, 1958, et al.
(author)
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Variations in Care Quality Outcomes of Dying People : Latent Class Analysis of an Adult National Register Population
- 2017
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In: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. - : Elsevier. - 0885-3924 .- 1873-6513. ; 53:1, s. 13-24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Symptom relief is a key goal of palliative care. There is a need to consider complexities in symptom relief patterns for groups of people to understand and evaluate symptom relief as an indicator of quality of care at end of life. Objectives. The aims of this study were to distinguish classes of patients who have different symptom relief patterns during the last week of life and to identify predictors of these classes in an adult register population. Methods. In a cross-sectional retrospective design, data were used from 87,026 decedents with expected deaths registered in the Swedish Register of Palliative Care in 2011 and 2012. Study variables were structured into patient characteristics, and processes and outcomes of quality of care. A latent class analysis was used to identify symptom relief patterns. Multivariate multinomial regression analyses were used to identify predictors of class membership. Results. Five latent classes were generated: "relieved pain,'' "relieved pain and rattles,'' "relieved pain and anxiety,'' "partly relieved shortness of breath, rattles and anxiety,'' and "partly relieved pain, anxiety and confusion.''Important predictors of class membership were age, sex, cause of death, and having someone present at death, individual prescriptions as needed (PRN) and expert consultations. Conclusion. Interindividual variability and complexity in symptom relief patterns may inform quality of care and its evaluation for dying people across care settings. (C) 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Lindblad, Marléne, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Identifying no-harm incidents in home healthcare : a cohort study using trigger tool methodology
- 2020
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In: BMC Health Services Research. - : Springer. - 1472-6963. ; 20:1, s. 1-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundPatient safety in home healthcare is largely unexplored. No-harm incidents may give valuable information about risk areas and system failures as a source for proactive patient safety work. We hypothesized that it would be feasible to retrospectively identify no-harm incidents and thus aimed to explore the cumulative incidence, preventability, types, and potential contributing causes of no-harm incidents that affected adult patients admitted to home healthcare.MethodsA structured retrospective record review using a trigger tool designed for home healthcare. A random sample of 600 home healthcare records from ten different organizations across Sweden was reviewed.ResultsIn the study, 40,735 days were reviewed. In all, 313 no-harm incidents affected 177 (29.5%) patients; of these, 198 (63.2%) no-harm incidents, in 127 (21.2%) patients, were considered preventable. The most common no-harm incident types were “fall without harm,” “deficiencies in medication management,” and “moderate pain.” The type “deficiencies in medication management” was deemed to have a preventability rate twice as high as those of “fall without harm” and “moderate pain.” The most common potential contributing cause was “deficiencies in nursing care and treatment, i.e., delayed, erroneous, omitted or incomplete treatment or care.”ConclusionThis study suggests that it is feasible to identify no-harm incidents and potential contributing causes such as omission of care using record review with a trigger tool adapted to the context. No-harm incidents and potential contributing causes are valuable sources of knowledge for improving patient safety, as they highlight system failures and indicate risks before an adverse event reach the patient.
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| 7. |
- Berg, Katarina, et al.
(author)
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Postoperative recovery from the perspective of day surgery patients : A phenomenographic study
- 2013
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In: International Journal of Nursing Studies. - : Elsevier. - 0020-7489 .- 1873-491X. ; 50:12, s. 1630-1638
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Today, many patients undergo surgical procedures in a day surgery setting. The shift from inpatient care to care at the patient’s own home following discharge places various demands on patients and their families during the recovery process. There is a need for knowledge of how the postoperative recovery process is perceived, as research indicates a lack of support for patients managing recovery at home.Objectives: To explore day surgery patients’ perceptions of postoperative recovery.Design: A qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach was used.Methods and settings: Semi-structured interviews with 31 patients undergoing an orthopaedic, general or urologic day surgical procedure were carried out face-to-face at the patients’ homes, 11-37 days post-discharge. Patients were recruited from two day surgery settings: one private unit and one unit associated with a local county hospital.Results: The patients perceived postoperative recovery as comprising internal and external prerequisites and implied changes in ordinary life with varying levels of support. The organization at the day surgery unit, with its advantages and disadvantages, was perceived as having an impact on the subsequent recovery trajectory. The results are demonstrated in three descriptive categories: ‘Conditions for recovery at home’, The rollback to ordinary life’ and ‘Being a cog in a flow of care’.Conclusions: Postoperative recovery following day surgery implies, from the patients’ perspective, a migration from being a recipient of care at the day surgery unit to playing an active role, with extensive responsibility at home. To manage self-care confidently, postdischarge patients require knowledge and understanding of what constitutes the normal range in recovery following their specific surgical procedure.
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| 8. |
- Friman, Anne, et al.
(author)
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General practitioners’ perceptions of their role and their collaboration with district nurses in wound care
- 2019
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In: Primary Health Care Research and Development. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1463-4236 .- 1477-1128. ; 20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To explore the perceptions of general practitioners (GPs) regarding their role and their collaboration with district nurses (DNs) in the management of leg ulcers in primary healthcare.Background: Earlier research regarding the treatment of leg ulcers in a primary care context has focussed primarily on wound healing. Less is known about GPs’ understandings of their role and their collaboration with DNs in the management of leg ulcers. Since the structured care of patients with leg ulcers involving both GP and DN is currently rather uncommon in Swedish primary care, this study sets out to highlight these aspects from the GP’s perspective.Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews with 16 GPs including both private and county council run healthcare centres. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Four themes were identified. The first theme: ‘role as consultant and coordinator’ shows how the GPs perceived their role in wound care. In the second theme: ‘responsibility for diagnosis’ the GPs’ views on responsibility for wound diagnosis is presented. The third theme: ‘desire for continuity’ is based on the GPs’ desire for continuity concerning various aspects. In the fourth theme: ‘collaboration within the organisation’ the importance of the organisation for collaboration between GPs and DNs is presented.Conclusions: The GP’s often work on a consultation-like basis and feel that they become involved late in the patients’ wound treatment. This can have negative consequences for the medical diagnosis and, thereby, lead to a prolonged healing time for the patient. Shortcomings regarding collaboration are mainly attributed to organisational factors.
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| 9. |
- Walfridsson, Ulla, et al.
(author)
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Development and validation of a new Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia (ASTA) with focus on symptom burden
- 2012
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In: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1477-7525. ; 10:44
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Arrhythmias can appear with a variety of symptoms, all from vague to pronounced and handicapping symptoms. Therefore, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) concerning symptom burden are important to assess and take into consideration in the care and treatment of patients with arrhythmias. The main purpose was to develop and validate a disease-specific questionnaire evaluating symptom burden in patients with different forms of arrhythmias.Methods: A literature review was conducted and arrhythmia patients were interviewed. Identified symptoms were evaluated by an expert panel consisting of cardiologists and nurses working daily with arrhythmia patients. SF-36 and Symptoms Checklist (SCL) were used in the validation of the new questionnaire Arrhythmia-Specific questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia (ASTA). Homogeneity was evaluated with Spearman's correlations and Cronbach's alpha coefficient (alpha) was used to evaluate internal consistency. Construct validity was evaluated using item-total correlations and convergent and discriminant validity. For this, Spearman's correlations were calculated between the ASTA symptom scale, SCL and SF-36. Concurrent validity was validated by Spearman's correlations between the ASTA symptom scale and SCL.Results: The correlations between the different items in the ASTA symptom scale showed generally sufficient homogeneity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be satisfactory (alpha = 0.80; lower bound 95 % CI for alpha = 0.76). Construct validity was supported by item-total correlations where all items in the symptom scale were sufficiently correlated ([greater than or equal to]0.3). Convergent and discriminant validity was supported by the higher correlations to the arrhythmia-specific SCL compared to the generic SF-36. Concurrent validity was evaluated and there were sufficiently, but not extremely strong correlations found between the ASTA symptom scale and SCL.Conclusions: The nine items of the ASTA symptom scale were found to have good psychometric properties in patients with different forms of arrhythmias. Arrhythmia patients suffer from both frequent and disabling symptoms. The validated ASTA questionnaire can be an important contribution to PROs regarding symptom burden in arrhythmia patients.
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| 10. |
- Hedin, Katarina, et al.
(author)
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Management of patients with sore throats in relation to guidelines : an interview study in Sweden.
- 2014
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 32:4, s. 193-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To explore how a group of Swedish general practitioners (GPs) manage patients with a sore throat in relation to current guidelines as expressed in interviews.DESIGN: Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews.SETTING: Swedish primary care.SUBJECTS: A strategic sample of 25 GPs.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived management of sore throat patients.RESULTS: It was found that nine of the interviewed GPs were adherent to current guidelines for sore throat and 16 were non-adherent. The two groups differed in terms of guideline knowledge, which was shared within the team for adherent GPs while idiosyncratic knowledge dominated for the non-adherent GPs. Adherent GPs had no or low concerns for bacterial infections and differential diagnosis whilst non-adherent GPs believed that in patients with a sore throat any bacterial infection should be identified and treated with antibiotics. Patient history and examination was mainly targeted by adherent GPs whilst for non-adherent GPs it was often redundant. Non-adherent GPs reported problems getting patients to abstain from antibiotics, whilst no such problems were reported in adherent GPs.CONCLUSION: This interview study of sore throat management in a strategically sampled group of Swedish GPs showed that while two-thirds were non-adherent and had a liberal attitude to antibiotics one-third were guideline adherent with a restricted view on antibiotics. Non-adherent GPs revealed significant knowledge gaps. Adherent GPs had discussed guidelines within the primary care team while non-adherent GPs had not. Guideline implementation thus seemed to be promoted by knowledge shared in team discussions.
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