11. |
- Ek, Kristina
(author)
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Att leva med mycket svår kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom : ett liv i slowmotion
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to describe how people with very severe obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experienced their every day lives and created meaning, with focus on end-of-life. A second aim was to describe how death and dying can be viewed from the perspective of relatives to people with COPD. In study I, eight patients were interviewed about how COPD affected their everyday lives. A phenomenological method was used. In study II, four people with COPD who lived alone were interviewed over time, to illuminate how the illness influenced their everyday life and their existential thoughts about life and death. In study III, four couples of whom one partner in each couple had COPD were interviewed several times to illuminate the affect the illness had on the spousal relationship, their self-expressed needs, and their existential thoughts, from the perspective of two people living together. A phenomenological-hermeneutic method was used for the analyses in studies IIand III. Study IV aimed at studying patients’ last six months of life with focuson dying and death, and in this study content analysis was used.The studies (I-IV) revealed that suffering from very severe COPD can be a daily struggle to survive as well as to maintain the self-image. The studies also explicate experiences of a shrinking life space, and questions of meaning were being challenged (I). Study II showed that living alone provided feelings of independency. However the bodily losses reminded the patients’ about death and raised fears about death of being painful, as they did not want to face death alone. For the couples in study III living with COPD meant living in a changed pace with uncertainty, changed intimate relationship and finding new ways of living together. Study IV outlined the trajectory of illness to be irregular and characterized by periods of sudden deterioration, making it difficult to plan for the future. Death was experienced as an unexpected experience and was described by all as peaceful. The results in this thesis have outlined important insight into the existential challenges of living with COPD as experienced by the ill persons themselves and their next of relatives.
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12. |
- Eldh, Ann Catrine, 1965-
(author)
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Patient participation : what it is and what it is not
- 2006
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In general, patient participation is regarded as being informed and partaking in decision making regarding one’s care and treatment. This interpretation is common in legislation throughout the Western world and corresponding documents guiding health care professionals, as well as in scientific studies. Even though this understanding of the word participation can be traced to a growing emphasis on individuals’ autonomy in society and to certain dictionary defi nitions, there are other ways of understanding participation from a semantic point of view, and no trace of patients’ descriptions of what it is to participate can be found in these definitions. Hence, the aim of this dissertation was to understand patients’ experience of the phenomenon of patient participation. An additional aim was to understand patients’ experience of non-participation and to describe the conditions for patient participation and non-participation, in order to understand the prerequisites for patient participation. The dissertation comprises four papers. The philosophical ideas of Ricoeur provided a basis for the studies: how communication can present ways to understand and explain experiences of phenomena through phenomenological hermeneutics. The first and second studies involved a group of patients living with chronic heart failure. For the fi rst study, 10 patients were interviewed, with a narrative approach, about their experience of participation and non-participation, as defi ned by the participants. For the second study, 11 visits by three patients at a nurse-led outpatient clinic were observed, and consecutive interviews were performed with the patients and the nurses, investigating what they experience as patient participation and non-participation. A triangulation of data was performed to analyse the occurrence of the phenomena in the observed visits. For paper 3 and 4, a questionnaire was developed and distributed among a diverse group of people who had recent experience of being patients. The questionnaire comprised respondent’s description of what patient participation is, using items based on findings in Study 1, along with open-ended questions for additional aspects and general issues regarding situations in which the respondent had experienced patient participation and/or non-participation. The findings show additional aspects to patient participation: patient participation is being provided with information and knowledge in order for one to comprehend one’s body, disease, and treatment and to be able to take self-care actions based on the context and one’s values. Participation was also found to include providing the information and knowledge one has about the experience of illness and symptoms and of one’s situation. Participation occurs when being listened to and being recognised as an individual and a partner in the health care team. Non-participation, on the other hand, occurs when one is regarded as a symptom, a problem to be solved. To avoid non-participation, the information provided needs to be based on the individual’s need and with recognition of the patient’s knowledge and context. In conclusion, patient participation needs to be reconsidered in health care regulations and in clinical settings: patients’ defi nitions of participation, found to be close to the dictionaries’ description of sharing, should be recognised and opportunities provided for sharing knowledge and experience in two-way-communication.
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13. |
- Ewertsson, Mona, 1958-
(author)
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Lärande av praktiska färdigheter inom sjuksköterskeprofessionen : studier av lärande i olika arenor
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A central part of the nursing profession is the performance of practical skills. In order to provide adequate care, maintain patient-safety, and feel comfortable in the profession, registered nurses (RNs) need to be equipped with requisite skills. Overall aim: To explore and describe how learning and development of practical skills occurs during the preparatory phases and within the nursing profession. Method: Qualitative (I, III, IV) and quantitative methods (II) were used. Data were collected through individual interviews (I, IV), questionnaires (II) and participant observations, including informal talks (III, IV). Results: Both students and new RNs expressed a need to learn and develop practical skills (I, II, III, IV). Less than half of the new RNs had access to a clinical skill laboratory (CSL), where they could learn and practice practical skills (II). The students described that learning at a CSL had been meaning for their clinical practice. They also expressed a great need for continuing learning in real patient situations (I, III, IV). During clinical practice, preceptors and students took different approaches which affected student’s learning processesö (I, III, IV). There was a tension between learning at a CSL and learning in clinical practice sites because students perceived differences in the performance of skills. Students described that they understood that performance of skills could be done in different ways without injuring patients. However, the data also showed deviations in performances that could jeopardize patientsafety. In these situations, student’s behavior differed (I, IV). One third of new RNs deviated from evidence based guidelines when they performed practical skills which they were unfamiliar with (II). Both students and new RNs reported that reflection in connection with the performance of practical skills was not common (I, II III, IV). Conclusions: Cooperation between university CSLs and clinical settings must be intensified in order to enhance the understanding of learning processes regarding practical skills. A consensus regarding academic approaches should be reached. Universities need to support preceptors in educational issues where the importance of reflection is clarified and exemplified. Increasing patient-safety requires that new RNs receive opportunities for training in artificial environments, and that a culture that reinforces the use of guidelines and a reflective stance is cultivated.
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14. |
- Ewertzon, Mats, 1956-
(author)
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Familjemedlem till person med psykossjukdom : bemötande och utanförskap i psykiatrisk vård
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis focused on the situation of family members of persons with psychotic illness, particular on their experience of the approach of the healthcare professionals and of their feelings of alienation regarding the professional care of their family member. A further aim was to explore how siblings who have participated in a support group for siblings experienced their situation.A questionnaire was developed that enabled the aims of this thesis to be investigated (I). Seventy family members from various parts of Sweden participated, and data were collected via the questionnaire developed in study I (II-III). Thirteen siblings who previously had participated in a support group participated in follow-up focus groups interviews (IV).The questionnaire developed was shown to be reliable and valid in these studies (I). In many cases, the participants had experienced an approach from professionals that indicated that they did not experience openness, confirmation and cooperation, and that they felt powerless and socially isolated in relation to the care. There was also found to be a certain degree of association between how the participants experienced the approach and whether they felt alienation (II). The majority of the participants considered openness, confirmation, and cooperation to be important aspects of professional’s approach. The result also identified a low level of agreement between the participants’ experience and what they considered to be significant in the professional’s approach (III). The findings revealed the complexity of being a sibling of an individual with psychotic illness. Participating in a support group for siblings can be of importance in gaining knowledge and minimizing feelings of being alone (IV).Although the psychiatric care services in Sweden have been aware of the importance of cooperating with family members, the results indicated that there is a need for further research in this area.
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15. |
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16. |
- Faag, Carina, 1970-
(author)
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A comprehensive nurse-led intervention for patients with peripheral vestibular disorders : the feasibility and benefits
- 2015
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Dizziness and balance problems are common symptoms at all ages, the symptoms are more common in women than in men and increases with age. Several studies clearly demonstrate that peripheral vestibular disorders symptoms may lead to the patients reporting functional consequences of a physical, mental and social character. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of an intervention for patients with peripheral vestibular disorders that contains patient education in groups in combination with individual support. The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Thirty-six patients participated in the study: the intervention group (n = 18), who received the intervention and standard care, and patients in a control group (n = 18), who received standard care. The intervention includes a patient education program and individualized nursing support during a six-month period. Outcomes were collected by self-assessment questionnaires about dizziness-related symptoms, well-being, sense of coherence, and self-care measured at baseline before randomization and at six and nine months later. All patients were also instructed to complete a diary where they recorded symptoms that arose during an episode of dizziness. The main results show that the patients who received the intervention rated statistically significant fewer vertigo-related symptoms and a higher sense of coherence than the control group at the ninemonth follow-up. The intervention was feasible and seems to support the patients to manage symptoms. The effects were small and must be considered in relation to the efforts of the intervention. Confirmative studies are warranted.
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17. |
- Falk-Brynhildsen, Karin, 1959-
(author)
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The effect of peroperative skin preparation on bacterial growth during cardiac surgery
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Routine products are used and procedures are followed in order to prevent and minimize the bacterial contamination of the surgical wound, and thus reduce the risk of postoperative wound infections. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of different preoperative skin preparation before cardiac surgery.In study I, 10 healthy volunteers were compared in time to recolonization of the skin and bacterial growth with or without plastic adhesive drape. Bacterial samples were taken as paired samples on both side of the sternum. Plastic drape on disinfected skin seems to hasten recolonization compared with bare skin.In study II, 135 cardiac surgery patients were comparing plastic adhesive drape versus bare skin on the chest regarding intra-operative bacterial growth. Plastic adhesive drape did not reduce the bacterial recolonization or wound contamination, P. acnes colonizes males more often than females and P. acnes is not affected by disinfection with 0.5% chlorhexidine in ethanol.Study III, compared the leg harvesting site with or without microbal skin sealant in 135 CABG patients regarding intraoperative bacterial growth and postoperative wound infection. Almost no bacterial growth was found during surgery regardless of the use of microbial skin sealant and bare skin. A high incidence of postoperative wound infections (16.8%) in 2 month follow up was present and SSI was largely caused by S. aureus, i.e. other bacterial species than observed intraoperative.Study IV, a descriptive study using phenotypic and genotypic methods investigate susceptibility to chlorhexidine among S. epidermidis indicating that S. epidermidis isolates following preoperative skin disinfection are sensitive tochlorhexidine.
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18. |
- Florin, Jan, 1956-
(author)
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Patient participation in clinical decision making in nursing : a collaborative effort between patients and nurses
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overall aim of the thesis was to study clinical decision making in nursing. This was performed by evaluation of the quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements and comparison of the concordance between nurses and patients’ perceptions of the patients’ nursing needs, as well as patient preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Further, predictors regarding patients’ active participation were investigated. Quasi-experimental, comparative and cross-sectional descriptive study designs were used to collect data in acute care settings from randomly selected patient records (n = 140), nurse-patient dyads (n = 80), and patients discharged from hospital care (n = 428). Data were gathered using questionnaires and review of patient records. The quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements improved by the means of education directed to nurses and implementation of new forms for recording supporting nursing care planning (I). Discrepancies were found concerning patients and nurses’ perceptions about what constitutes a problem for the patient as well as the severity and importance of acting on the problem (II). Further, nurses perceived that their patients preferred to be more active in clinical decision making compared with the patients’ own preferences for participation (III). Gender, education, living situation, and occupation were identified as predictors for preferring an active role in clinical decision making (IV). The conclusions are that the accuracy of diagnostic statements needs to be addressed and validated further through systematic assessment of the patients’ perceptions and preferences concerning the health situation and preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Clinical implications are that nurses need to involve patients in identifying patient problems of relevance for nursing. Further, nurses also need to be aware of patients’ preferences for participation in clinical decision making in order that they can plan care in accordance with patient preferences and allow participation to the degree preferred by the patient.
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19. |
- Florin, Jan
(author)
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Patient participation in clinical decsion making : A collaborative effort between patients and nurses
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overall aim of the thesis was to study clinical decision making in nursing. This was performed by evaluation of the quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements and comparison of the concordance between nurses and patients’ perceptions of the patients’ nursing needs, as well as patient preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Further, predictors regarding patients’ active participation were investigated. Quasi-experimental, comparative and cross-sectional descriptive study designs were used to collect data in acute care settings from randomly selected patient records (n = 140), nurse-patient dyads (n = 80), and patients discharged from hospital care (n = 428). Data were gathered using questionnaires and review of patient records. The quality of nurses’ diagnostic statements improved by the means of education directed to nurses and implementation of new forms for recording supporting nursing care planning (I). Discrepancies were found concerning patients and nurses’ perceptions about what constitutes a problem for the patient as well as the severity and importance of acting on the problem (II). Further, nurses perceived that their patients preferred to be more active in clinical decision making compared with the patients’ own preferences for participation (III). Gender, education, living situation, and occupation were identified as predictors for preferring an active role in clinical decision making (IV). The conclusions are that the accuracy of diagnostic statements needs to be addressed and validated further through systematic assessment of the patients’ perceptions and preferences concerning the health situation and preferences for participation in clinical decision making. Clinical implications are that nurses need to involve patients in identifying patient problems of relevance for nursing. Further, nurses also need to be aware of patients’ preferences for participation in clinical decision making in order that they can plan care in accordance with patient preferences and allow participation to the degree preferred by the patient
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20. |
- Forslund, Kerstin, 1953-
(author)
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Challenges in prehospital emergency care : patient, spouse and personnel perspectives
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Prehospital emergency care (PEC) with the emergency call to the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) centre is an essential part of the health-care system. It is important to obtain knowledge about the links in the PEC chain from the perspectives of those providing the service and those receiving it. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe the challenges surrounding PEC based on the experiences of patients, spouses and personnel. A qualitative descriptive design was used in the five papers included. The data analysis methods were phenomenological-hermeneutics (I–III), qualitative content analysis (IV–V) and descriptive statistics (V). Interviews with thirteen patients who had called the EMD-centre due to acute chest pain (I) revealed a general satisfaction with PEC. They were aware of the number to call in an emergency but were uncertain when to call. The potentially life threatening emergency situation was marked by vulnerability and dependency and was fraught with pain, fear and a sense of aloneness. An overall theme of aloneness emerged from the interviews with nineteen spouses who had placed an emergency call for their husband or wife that was experiencing acute chest pain (II). The challenges in being a spouse to a person in need of PEC were associated with: “Being responsible and trying to preserve life” and “Being able to manage the uneasiness and feel trust in an uncertain situation”. The spouses were in an escalating spiral of aloneness, worry, uncertainty, stress, fear of loss and desperation. Interviews with sixteen emergency operators dealt with situations they considered difficult to deal with and their reflections on how they managed such situations (III). Uncertainty, communication difficulties and insufficient resources characterized those situations. Skills, knowledge, experience, as well as personal qualities such as sensitivity, self-insight, empathy and intuition were regarded as important when handling them. Interviews with four nurses and fifteen emergency operators related to their experiences of working together for two years at an EMD-centre were conducted after the nurses were added to the EMD-centre to increase medical and nursing competence (IV). Initial frustration and scepticism changed to positive experiences with improved cooperation and service. The nurses voiced difficulties dealing with the more medically urgent calls and the emergency operators with the more complicated and diffuse medical cases. A total of 336 questionnaires related to alarms involving acute chest pain and given the highest priority by the emergency operator were collected in a study aimed at describing the ambulance personnel’s perceptions of the quality of the information received from the EMD-centre (V). The ambulance personnel perceived most of the information such as patient assessment, condition, history, preparedness and in particular pain status to be of high quality. In summary: In PEC there is many interdependent complexities that present demands and challenges to the actors involved (I–V). In general those who received emergency assistance from PEC were satisfied, but the margins between success and failure are small. Risks for errors exist throughout the PEC chain and time poses a challenge. Understanding is crucial for all involved, and the same situation can be experienced differently. Challenges inherent in PEC are the communication problems, unpredictability and uniqueness along with daring to be in the acute situation and dealing with a sense of aloneness, uncertainty and dependency. The personnel that do not have the ability to see the person they are helping are even more challenged. Important attributes for PEC personnel are caring attitudes, personal skills, experiences and professional knowledge. PEC personnel have the authority and power to act and make decisions, in which responsibility, sensitivity, and human dignity must be addressed. Lives are saved with PEC despite all the challenges and possibilities for error, such as those that exist between the different actors. It is vital that the PEC chain is as strong as possible.
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