AIMS: The aim of this study is to describe patients' experiences of living with oesophageal cancer and how they seek information. BACKGROUND: Oesophageal cancer is a devastating disease with poor prognosis. Nursing care for individuals with oesophageal cancer requires increased knowledge of how they experience illness and how it affects them. METHOD: Data were collected by semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 13 participants. Content analysis was used to analyse data. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: (i) Experiences of becoming a patient diagnosed with oesophageal cancer is distinguished by the participants' experiences of vague symptoms, of receiving the diagnosis and of existential concerns evoked by the illness. (ii) Experiences of undergoing investigations and treatment consist of the participants' experiences of extreme tiredness in relation to investigations and treatment. (iii) Experiences of intrusions in daily life is conceptualized by the participants' experiences of how the illness influenced their daily life. (iv) Managing a life-threatening illness consists of a variety of strategies, which the participants employed to manage their life-threatening illness. CONCLUSIONS: The participants were unprepared of receiving a diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. Dysphagia, fatigue and uncertainty influenced the participants' everyday life. To manage the illness one of their strategies was seeking for information. The physicians were considered the main source of information, but family as well as friends with medical knowledge were also acknowledged as valuable sources. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Understanding patients' experiences of living with oesophageal cancer is important to improve nursing care. When caring for these patients, focus ought to be on the whole family. In nursing care, it is important to be aware of the effects of dysphagia and fatigue. Health-care professionals ought to organize meetings with fellow patients and recommend literature and websites that provide patients with high quality information.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe Registered Nurses' incentives to use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. BACKGROUND: The use of nursing diagnoses is scarce in Swedish patient records. However, there are hospital wards were all nurses formulate and use nursing diagnoses in their daily work. This leads to the question of what motivates these nurses who do use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design. METHODS: A purposeful sampling of 12 Registered Nurses was used. Qualitative interviews to collect data and a content analysis were performed. RESULTS: Five categories were identified: identification of the patient as an individual and as a whole, a working tool for facilitating nursing care, increasing awareness within nursing, support from the management and influence on the professional role. The principle findings of this study were: (i) that the Registered Nurses perceived that nursing diagnoses clarified the patient's individual needs and thereby enabled them to decide on more specific nursing interventions, (ii) that nursing diagnoses were found to facilitate communication between colleagues concerning patient care and thus promoted continuity of care and saved time and (iii) that nursing diagnoses were perceived to increase the Registered Nurses' reflective thinking leading to a continuous development of professional knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that the incentives to use nursing diagnoses originate from effects generated from performing a deeper analysis of the patient's nursing needs. Further research is needed to test and validate the usability and consequences of using nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Motivating factors found in this study may be valuable to Registered Nurses for the use and development of nursing diagnoses in clinical care. Moreover, these factors may be of relevance in other countries that are in a similar situation as Sweden concerning application of nursing diagnoses.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To describe and elucidate the meanings of being a close relative of a severely ill family member treated with maintenance haemodialysis approaching the end of life.

BACKGROUND:

End-stage renal disease together with comorbidities, haemodialysis treatment and high mortality rates also affects the lives of close relatives, who report burdens and impaired quality of life. To improve care, more understanding is needed of close relatives' experiences during these patients' end of life.

DESIGN:

This study has a qualitative interpretative design.

METHODS:

Fourteen retrospective qualitative interviews were conducted with close relatives (aged 48-93 years) of deceased patients who had been treated with haemodialysis. The interview text was interpreted using a phenomenological hermeneutical method in three phases.

RESULTS:

The findings of the structural analysis were formulated as six themes: Striving to be supportive and helpful without doing harm to the ill person's self; Needing increasing strength and support; Balancing the will to help with one's own ongoing life; Increasing responsibility involving dilemmas; Striving for a good life together in the present and Living with awareness of death.

CONCLUSIONS:

Close relatives strive for balance and well-being accompanying their ill family member through the end of life. They are facing moral dilemmas and growing demands as their responsibility increases with the deterioration of their family member. Support from and interaction with the healthcare professionals is then of significance.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE:

Findings challenge healthcare professionals in haemodialysis settings to identify close relatives' individual resources and needs towards the patients' end of life. Healthcare professionals in haemodialysis settings need to offer close relatives opportunities to talk about the future and what may be expected at end of life, with or without haemodialysis. They should also contact the closest relative after the death as they may need confirmation and closure.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe inner thoughts and feelings relating to death and dying when living with haemodialysis approaching end of life.

BACKGROUND: Patients who undergo maintenance haemodialysis suffer a significant symptom burden and an impaired quality of life. The high mortality rate in these patients indicates that about one-fourth of them are in their last year of life, suggesting the presence of death and dying in the haemodialysis unit.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Methods.  A total of 31 qualitative interviews were conducted with eight patients (aged 66-87) over a period of 12 months. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data.

RESULTS: The analysis revealed 10 subthemes that were sorted into three main themes. Being aware that death may be near comprises being reminded of death and dying by the deteriorating body, by the worsening conditions and deaths of fellow patients, and by knowing haemodialysis treatment as a border to death. Adapting to approaching death comprises looking upon death as natural, preparing to face death, hoping for a quick death and repressing thoughts of death and dying. Being alone with existential thoughts comprises a wish to avoid burdening family, lack of communication with healthcare professionals and reflections on haemodialysis withdrawal as an hypothetic option.

CONCLUSIONS: Living with haemodialysis approaching, the end of life involves significant and complex existential issues and suffering, and patients are often alone with their existential thoughts.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses and other healthcare professionals in haemodialysis settings need to combine technical and medical abilities with committed listening and communication skills and be open to talking about death and dying, with sensitivity to individual and changeable needs.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a relatively rare, inherited connective tissue disorder and skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, chronic joint and limb pain, blood vessel and tissue fragility are frequent symptoms. The aims of this study were to describe the degree to which individuals with EDS accept and cope with perceived limitations related to the syndrome, and to determine the relationships between acceptance of disability (AD), sense of coherence (SOC), functional health status and background data. Four questionnaires were mailed: the AD scale Modified (ADM), the SOC Scale, the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and a background form. The respondents with EDS were recruited through the EDS National Association in Sweden and the response rate was 74% (69 females and eight males). The Ethical Committee at Huddinge University Hospital (ref. no. 152/95) approved the study. This study has shown that the level of AD and SOC in individuals with EDS is similar to other patient groups, e.g. individuals with ostomy and with diabetes. Further, the SOC was in concordance with that of the general population. Those working full-time accepted their disability to a greater degree than those on sick leave or disability pension. A multiple regression analysis showed that a greater AD was associated with a higher level of SOC and a better functional health status. The SOC and SIP together accounted for 50% of the variance in the ADM. For health promotion in nursing practice it is important to have insight into the problem areas which may influence the overall life situation for an individual with EDS. A key issue for nurses is to identify individuals with low acceptance of their disease and/or low SOC in order to support these persons' adaptation process. Future research on EDS may be directed towards projects focusing on the development and implementation of models to strengthen the level of AD and SOC in this group.

Aims and objectives.  To describe district nurses' perceptions of the concept of delegating medication management to unlicensed personnel working in municipal social care. Background.  The delegation of medical tasks involves responsibility and is regulated by law to avoid damage and injuries and to protect the patient. The delegation of the administration of medication is a multifaceted task. The delegating district nurse is responsible for the outcome and should also follow up the delegated task. Design.  A descriptive qualitative study, involving semi-structured interviews and content analysis. Methods.  Twenty district nurses were interviewed. The interviews were audio taped. The data were collected from April 2009-August 2010 and analysed using content analysis. Results.  The findings revealed that the statutes of delegation appear to be incompatible with practice, however, mostly due to lack of time. Communication between district nurses and home care aides, as well as tutoring, was regarded as important. The district nurses found it imperative to be available to the home care aides and made an effort to create a trusting atmosphere. Conclusions.  District nurses cannot manage their workload without delegating the administration of medication in the present organisational model of health care and social care. The statutes regarding delegating medicine tasks are also cumbersome and difficult to incorporate for district nurses who are responsible for the delegation. Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings elucidate the current situation as regards district nurses and the need to delegate the administration of medication. Health care and social care for home-dwelling older patients, as well as statutes, needs to be evaluated and updated to meet and be prepared for the increasing demands of care.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore newly graduated nurses' strategies for, and experiences of, sleep problems and fatigue when starting shiftwork. A more comprehensive insight into nurses' strategies, sleep problems, fatigue experiences and contributing factors is needed to understand what support should be provided.

BACKGROUND: For graduate nurses, the first years of practice are often stressful, with many reporting high levels of burnout symptoms. Usually, starting working as a nurse also means an introduction to shiftwork, which is related to sleep problems. Sleep problems may impair stress management and, at the same time, stress may cause sleep problems. Previously, sleep problems and fatigue have been associated with burnout, poor health and increased accident risk.

DESIGN AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses (N = 11) from four different Swedish hospitals, and qualitative inductive content analysis was used. The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm. The COREQ checklist was followed.

RESULTS: Many nurses lacked effective strategies for managing sleep and fatigue in relation to shiftwork. Various strategies were used, of which some might interfere with factors regulating and promoting sleep such as the homeostatic drive. Sleep problems were common during quick returns, often due to difficulties unwinding before sleep, and high workloads exacerbated the problems. The described consequences of fatigue in a clinical work context indicated impaired executive and nonexecutive cognitive function.

CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that supporting strategies and behaviours for sleep and fatigue in an intervention for newly graduated nurses starting shiftwork may be of importance to improve well-being among nurses and increase patient safety.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study highlights the importance of addressing sleep and fatigue issues in nursing education and work introduction programmes to increase patient safety and improve well-being among nurses.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: To explore registered nurses' perceptions of safe practice in care for patients with an extended length of stay in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Extended length of stay and overcrowding in emergency departments are described internationally as one of the most comprehensive challenges of modern emergency care. An emergency department is not designed, equipped or staffed to provide care for prolonged periods of time. This context, combined with a high workload, poses a risk to patient safety, with additional medical errors and an increased number of adverse events. From this perspective, it is important to extend our knowledge and to describe registered nurses' experiences of safe practice.

DESIGN: A qualitative, inductive and descriptive study.

METHODS: Qualitative interview study carried out in five emergency departments. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis with a latent approach.

RESULTS: Patient safety meets obstacles in the clinical environment involving experiencing deficiencies regarding patient safety in the clinical setting and the impact of working procedures and routines. Moreover, nurses are challenged in their professional responsibilities involving balancing essential nursing care and actual workload; it is common to experience emotional reactions based on feelings of loss of control.

CONCLUSIONS: From the nurses' perspective, a prolonged stay in the emergency department may lead to negative consequences for both patient safety and care as well as registered nurses' psychosocial experiences. An extended length of stay significantly reduces the level of nursing and caring that registered nurses can perform in the emergency department. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Nottingham Health Profile can easily be used as a screening instrument, aiming to identify patients at risk for adverse effects on QoL. A better understanding of the subjective QoL of patients with chronic disease is fundamental for health care professionals to be able to identify and support vulnerable patients.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

The aim was to describe nurses' experiences of patients' sleep at an emergency hospital and their perceptions of sleep-promoting interventions.

BACKGROUND:

Promotion of patients' sleep during hospital care is an important intervention for the nursing profession. To promote sleep and to initiate sleep-promoting interventions, nurses need basic knowledge about sleep and its physiology. Therefore, it is of importance to explore and expand knowledge about how nurses experience patients' sleep and how they perceive working with it while providing care.

DESIGN:

A qualitative descriptive design was used.

METHODS:

Data were collected from four focus groups and seven individual interviews. A total of twenty-two registered nurses participated. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS:

Nurses expressed a desire and an ambition to work in ways that promote patients' sleep during hospitalisation. Nurses reported that health care services and emergency hospitals were not organised according to patients' perspective and needs. Furthermore, they did not have opportunities to work effectively to promote sleep according to the patients' wishes. Several nurses stated that they did not have sufficient knowledge about sleep and that they did the best they could under prevailing circumstances. Nurses emphasised the importance of sleep for patients and that it was an area that should be given far greater priority.

CONCLUSIONS:

The results indicate that nurses currently have insufficient knowledge about sleep and sleep-promoting interventions. These aspects of nursing is based on personal experience and common sense rather than being evidence based. Furthermore, sleep as a nursing topic needs to be developed and given more focus in order for nurses to be able to deliver high quality care at emergency hospitals.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE:

Nurses require more knowledge and education to gain deeper understanding of sleep and to deliver evidence-based, high quality care.

AIM: To explore and describe how patients' sleep is addressed at acute-care hospitals in Sweden with regard to nursing care, management, and the development of knowledge in this area.

BACKGROUND: Sleep is a basic human need and thus important for health and health maintenance. Patients describe sleeping in hospital as a stressor, and research shows that nurses tend to underestimate patients' perceived problems with sleep during hospitalization. How do nursing staff at acute hospitals address patients' sleep and the development of knowledge in this area?.

DESIGN/METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted based on data collected through a web survey. Head nurses, registered nurses, nursing care developers, and local training supervisors at 36 randomized acute-care hospitals in Sweden were invited to participate. This study was executed and reported in accordance with SQUIRE 2.0.

RESULTS: The results of the survey (53 responses from 19 wards at 15 acute-care hospitals) showed that no policy documents exist and no current training addresses sleep during hospital stay. All participants agreed that sleep should be considered a nursing topic and that it is important for hospitalized patients.

CONCLUSION: Patients' sleep during hospitalization is undermanaged at acute-care hospitals. Nurses, health care managers, and organizations face challenges if they are to achieve better outcomes.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study shows that nurses do consider patients' sleep important and addressing sleep as part of nursing care. Future studies in the area should focus on what kinds of support and education are needed in the clinical context. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe newly-graduated nurses' experiences of introduction processes and leadership within a hospital trainee programme.

BACKGROUND: For many, being a newly-graduated nurse is associated with stress, influenced by the challenge of the transition to independent nurse, coupled with the loss of mentorship due to nurse turnover and rapidly changing demands.

METHODS: A qualitative design with an inductive approach was chosen and four focus groups were convened. A total of nineteen nurses were included in the study. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. COREQ was used as EQUATOR checklist.

FINDINGS: The analysis resulted in three themes: Need for an introduction when facing a complex reality, Striving to stand on my own, and The importance of having an accessible and multi-skilled manager. The transition is a complex, dynamic and demanding process.

CONCLUSIONS: The orientation process from student to becoming an independent nurse is a challenging period. A flexible manager and a readily accessible leadership facilitate the newly-graduated nurse's striving to become an independent nurse. The study demonstrates that a trainee programme and support are essential in this process. There are indications that today's newly-graduated nurses have high expectations of coaching from the manager during the orientation process.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The hospital setting and its organisation are rapidly changing in relation to the increasing number of patients and their health status. In addition, there is a need for newly-graduated nurses to secure regrowth, to fill the ranks of experienced nurses leaving the field. Newly-graduated nurses increasingly perceive a gap between their training and clinical realities, thus necessitating changes in tutoring and their introduction to the work. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The aim was to describe registered nurses' experience in the context of delegating the administration of medication to unlicensed personnel in residential care homes.

BACKGROUND: The residents in residential care homes have a need for extensive care and nursing, and large amounts of medicines are common practice. Registered nurses' workload and difficulties in fulfilling their duties, such as administration of medicines, have led to frequent delegation of this task between the registered nurses and unlicensed assisting personnel. It is, of course, a great responsibility to ensure that the care of the older people remains safe while maintaining quality in the prevailing situation.

DESIGN: A qualitative inductive descriptive study.

METHODS: Data were collected using audio-recorded semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 18 registered nurses and interpreted using manifest content analysis. The study was approved by the ethical research committee.

RESULTS: Registered nurses found the organisation unsupportive with regard to nursing interventions. The delegation context was experienced as a grey zone; the rules and regulations were not in line with the unspoken expectation to delegate the administration of medicine to unlicensed personnel, in order to be able to manage their daily work.

CONCLUSIONS: The slimmed organisation of residential care homes relies upon registered nurses' use of delegation of medicine administration to unlicensed assistant personnel. It becomes an inevitable assignment entailing a challenging responsibility for patient safety and the quality of care.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results of this study may contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of caring for older people in residential care homes and to improving the work environment of all healthcare personnel.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To describe district nurses' perspectives on detecting mental health problems and promoting mental health among homebound older people with multimorbidity.

BACKGROUND:

Mental health problems among older people with multiple chronic conditions, that is, multimorbidity, are challenging issues. These patients' homes often serve as arenas in which district nurses can promote health. Mental health promotion must be studied in greater depth within primary care because older people with multimorbidity are particularly prone to developing poor mental health, which can go undetected and untreated.

DESIGN:

A descriptive, qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and content analysis.

METHODS:

Twenty-five district nurses completed individual or focus group interviews. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS:

Most district nurses stated that detecting mental health problems and promoting mental health were important tasks but that they typically focused on more practical home health care tasks. The findings revealed that district nurses focused on assessment, collaboration and social support as means of detecting mental health problems and promoting mental health.

CONCLUSIONS:

The district nurses described various factors and actions that appeared to be important prerequisites for their involvement in primary mental health care. Nevertheless, there were no established goals for mental health promotion, and district nurses often seemed to depend on their collaboration with other actors. Our findings indicated that district nurses cannot bear the primary responsibility for the early detection of mental health problems and early interventions to promote mental health within this population.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE:

The findings of this study indicated that workforce training and collaboration between different care providers are important elements in the future development of this field. Early detection and early treatment of mental health-related issues should also be stated as explicit objectives in the provision of care to community-dwelling older people with multimorbidity.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To develop the theoretical understanding of the process of providing person-centred home care for people with dementia.

BACKGROUND: People with dementia are increasingly cared for at home by family members and home care staff. Care of people with dementia should be person-centred; however, little is known about how home care staff understand and enact person-centred care in their daily work.

DESIGN: Grounded theory.

METHODS: Home care staff (n = 29) were recruited from home care services specialised in providing care for people with dementia. Group interviews were conducted, and a tentative theoretical model for providing person-centred home care to people with dementia was outlined. Nine of the participants were then individually interviewed to further develop the model. The analysis was conducted parallel to the data collection, and hypotheses concerning the evolving theoretical model were continuously tested in the following interviews. The COREQ checklist for qualitative studies was used in reporting the study.

RESULTS: Person-centred home care of people with dementia was conceptualised as a series of processes: Getting ready, getting in, giving care, getting out and finalising the story, each with subprocesses. Theatre metaphors were used to describe how the care was provided. A core process, Enacting and re-enacting familiarity, was at centre in all processes.

CONCLUSIONS: In the person-centred care of people with dementia, familiarity had to be established and continuously fostered. When familiarity was in place, the care recipient and the home care staff acted as a team to perform the care. The theoretical works of Goffman were used to interpret the results.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study provides a model for person-centred care of people with dementia at home that deepens the understanding of its processes, prerequisites and outcomes. The model can inform education and administration of home care for people with dementia.

Aim.  To identify predictors of low health-related quality of life among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and make a comparison between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis with disease duration. Background.  Studies have shown that patients with inflammatory bowel disease rate their health-related quality of life lower, as compared with a general population. Design.  Survey. Methods.  In this study, 197 patients in remission were included and divided into a Crohn's disease group and an ulcerative colitis group. Each group was also divided into separate groups whether the patients had short disease duration or long disease duration. Generic instruments, combined with disease-specific questionnaires, were used for measuring health-related quality of life. Results.  The analysis showed a non-significant effect for diagnosis, but a significant effect for disease duration showing that the patients with short disease duration had lower scores of health-related quality of life compared with patients with long disease duration. A significant interaction between diagnosis and disease duration was also revealed. Conclusion.  Patients with longer disease duration experienced a better health-related quality of life than patients with short disease duration. Patients with Crohn's disease and short disease duration have the lowest health-related quality of life and are in greatest need of education and support. Relevance to clinical practice.  It is important to identify which patients' are in the greatest need of education and support.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: This study sought to describe how women in Mexico who have suffered from gender-based violence experience their encounters with healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence is a worldwide problem. Previous studies have described that women feel they are not being cared for appropriately during their encounters with healthcare professionals. This study was conducted in Mexico, which has a high rate of gender inequality.

DESIGN: A descriptive, qualitative study was conducted.

METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with seven women. An inductive content analysis was used to analyse the interviews.

RESULTS: The analyses resulted in four categories: Feelings of guilt about being abused, Feelings of being unimportant, Feelings of taking time and Feelings of being insecure/secure. The women emphasised the importance of healthcare professionals taking time out of their busy schedules for them. When they treated the women with respect and genuine interest, the women felt secure. When the healthcare professionals did not meet these expectations, feelings of frustration and mistrust were elicited.

CONCLUSIONS: Feelings of being listened to and safety were considered important aspects in a positive encounter, whereas feeling a lack of time or interest often led to negative experiences such as frustration with and distrust of the healthcare system. These results imply that healthcare professionals may have deficiencies with regard to how these women are treated because these women do not feel that they receive the proper support.

Aims and objectives.  To evaluate the effect of a group-based multi-professional educational programme for family members of patients with chronic heart failure with regard to quality of life, depression and anxiety. The secondary aim was to investigate the impact of social support and sense of coherence on changes in quality of life, anxiety and depression during the period of the study. Background.  When a person is diagnosed with heart failure, the daily life of the family members is also affected. Design.  Randomised controlled trial. Methods.  A total of 128 family members were randomly assigned to participate in a multi-professional educational programme or a control group. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were used. Results.  There were no significant differences in anxiety, depression or quality of life between the intervention group and control group. Adequacy of social network was the only independent variable that explained levels of anxiety and depression after 12 months beyond baseline levels of anxiety (p < 0·001, R(2)  = 0·35) and depression (p = 0·021, R(2)  = 0·37). Younger family members were found to have a higher quality of life (p < 0·01). Conclusion.  Improved disease-related knowledge may need to be combined with other target variables to induce desired effects on depression, anxiety and quality of life of family members. Antecedents of depression and anxiety, such as sense of control, may need to be specifically targeted. Our results also suggest that intervention aimed at enhancing social support may be beneficial for family members. Relevance to clinical practice.  Anxiety and depression did not decrease nor did quality of life improve after the intervention. An educational programme for family members with a component specifically targeting anxiety, depression and quality of life warrants testing. Furthermore, it is important that health care providers understand the influence of social support on anxiety, depression and quality of life when interacting with family members.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To gain a better understanding of fear-avoidance beliefs towards physical activity and body awareness in people experiencing moderate-to-severe rheumatic pain.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are long-term conditions with pain as the prominent symptom. Health-promoting physical activity is recommended and can have an analgesic effect. High self-rated pain has previously been reported to be associated with increased fear-avoidance behaviour in relation to physical activity. Body awareness, which includes attentional focus and awareness of internal body sensations, could be valuable in the nursing care of long-term diseases.

DESIGN: Empirical phenomenological.

METHODS: An empirical phenomenological psychological method was applied. The interviews took place between autumn 2016-spring 2017 with 11 informants (eight women and three men, age range 44-71 years) who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 7) or psoriatic arthritis (n = 4), with a disease duration ranging from 3-35 years. The mean visual analogue scale score in the study sample was 60 mm.

RESULTS: Three typologies were identified: "My relatively fragile physical status", "I am an active creator" and "Part of something bigger than myself."

CONCLUSIONS: The current findings indicated that pain anticipation and fear-avoidance beliefs towards physical activity sometimes affected the behaviour of individuals with long-term rheumatic pain syndromes. People experiencing moderate-to-severe rheumatic pain tended to focus on their fragile physical and emotional state. By adopting a more favourable attitude towards the self, the body could be restored to a state of calm and balance.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The current findings are relevant for healthcare professionals engaged in health-promotion clinical practice.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine eating difficulties among stroke patients - a comparison between women and men.

BACKGROUND: Gender differences have been reported in studies of stroke, but the findings are inconclusive and few of these studies have specifically focused on gender differences in eating difficulties.

DESIGN: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study.

METHOD: Patients with stroke were recruited at a general hospital in Sweden. To detect eating difficulties, individual observations of the patients were made during one meal using a structured observation protocol. Assessment also included measurements of nutritional and oral status, degree of independence, stroke severity, neglect and well-being.

RESULTS: One hundred and four patients (53·8% women) were included in the study. The proportion of stroke patients with one or more eating difficulties was 81·7%. The most common eating difficulties were 'managing food on the plate' (66·3%), 'food consumption' (54·8%) and 'sitting position' (45·2%). Women had lower 'food consumption', more severe stroke (p = 0·003), worse functional status (p = 0·001) and lower quality of life (QoL) (p=0·038) than men. More women than men were malnourished and living alone. After adjustment for functional status and motor arm, the odds ratio of having difficulties with food consumption was four times higher among women than men (1·7-9·4, confidence interval 95%).

CONCLUSIONS: More women than men with stroke suffered from inadequate food consumption. The women had more severe strokes, experienced poorer QoL and showed lower functional status than the men. In the rehabilitation process of women with stroke, these factors should be taken into consideration.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Structured observation of meals, including assessment of food consumption, might be necessary in acute stroke care to detect patients, especially women, who might need closer supervision and nutritional intervention.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore parental experiences of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in their newborn infant suffering from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy following perinatal asphyxia.

BACKGROUND: Since more than a decade, newborn infants are treated with TH following perinatal asphyxia to reduce mortality and disabilities and to improve neurological outcome. The infants' body temperature is lowered to 33.5°C for 72 hr, and the infant is usually cared for in an open incubator. The parents are not able to hold their infant skin to skin, which risks causing emotional reactions in parents and a loss of normal parent-infant bonding.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews.

METHODS: Up to 7 months after the event, interviews were conducted with 14 parents of seven infants who had received TH in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Sweden. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using framework approach. Findings were reported following the Standard for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist.

RESULTS: From the interviews, an overall theme was found: Transition through a life-altering time, and three categories: (a) trepidation about prognosis, (b) transitioning into parenthood supported by the caring philosophy of family-centred care (FCC) and (c) rewarming as a milestone.

CONCLUSIONS: Parental experiences of TH are based on the immediate emotions and stress of uncertainty of the infant's prognosis. The values of FCC in the NICU append a natural transitioning into parenthood by parental involvement in nursing care and decisions. The rewarming of the infant is seen as a restart to more or less normal circumstances from the critical period of delivery and TH.

RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: The management of NICUs should update the awareness of and deepen knowledge about FCC. The emphasis ought to be on adequate information about TH and the values of FCC to parents in the NICU context.

AIM: To explore nurses' experiences of supporting family caregivers in specialised home care while learning to use the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention can provide guidance for discussions with family caregivers in specialised home care concerning their specific support needs. Little attention has been paid to how nurses experience the use of the intervention in their everyday practice.

DESIGN: This longitudinal study adopted an inductive qualitative approach using interpretive description.

METHODS: Interviews were conducted at two time points. A total of 22 interviews took place with 12 nurses recruited from six specialised home care services. Data were analysed using interpretive description.

RESULTS: Nurses' everyday clinical practice changed while learning to use the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention, and they experienced professional and personal growth. Their supportive inputs shifted from being reactive towards being more proactive. Their approach changed from taking on great professional responsibility, towards a shared responsibility with family caregivers. The support altered from ad hoc contacts in the hallway, towards scheduled trustful conversations. Nurses were concerned about the amount of time and energy this kind of support might require. They pointed to the importance of holding good nursing skills to conduct this new way of having conversations.

CONCLUSION: Nurses' everyday clinical practice can be further developed through the use of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention. Nurses may develop both professionally and personally, increasing their ability to provide person-centred support.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: With the use of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool Intervention, nurses can create trusting conversations with family caregivers of patients with life-threatening illnesses cared for in specialised home care.

REPORTING METHOD: Reporting of the study follows the Consolidated Criteria For Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist (File S1).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Participating nurses were involved in discussing the study design.

AIM: To translate the MISSCARE Survey into Swedish and establish its validity and reliability by evaluating its psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Missed nursing care is defined as any aspect of required nursing care that is omitted or delayed. The consequence of missed nursing care is a threat to patient safety. The MISSCARE Survey is an American instrument measuring missed nursing care activities (part A) and its reasons (part B).

METHODS: The translation was accomplished according to World Health Organization guidelines, focusing on a culture adaptation. Acceptability, construct validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were analysed. The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0) was used as reporting checklist.

RESULTS: The translation and culture adaptation needed several revisions. A total of 126 nurses answered the test and retest which showed acceptability of missing data. The factor analysis revealed a lack of fit to data for the original factorial structure in part B, while further analysis provided results suggesting a modification based on omitting six items. The internal consistency for part B and its subscales showed good results.

CONCLUSIONS: The MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version is a reliable and valid instrument, with good psychometric properties.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: More reliable language versions of the instrument enable national and international comparisons that could be valuable for nursing managers and/or directors of nursing who are responsible for quality of care and patient safety in the strategic care planning process.

BACKGROUND: Infertility is a worldwide problem and is experienced as psychologically stressful. Communication about infertility varies depending on clinical aspects, personal relationships and culture. The aim of this study was to explore infertility-related communication and coping strategies among women affected by, primary or secondary fertility problems.

METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used. One hundred ninety-nine women affected by primary and secondary infertility were recruited from one fertility clinic in Stockholm. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The answers were compared across the two groups using the chi-squared test for independence.

RESULTS: The majority of the women discussed infertility related subjects with intimate friends and/or relatives and did not discuss the results of examinations and tests with people outside of the family. There were significant differences between the two groups. Twice as many women with secondary infertility acknowledged that they never talk about the causes or results of the tests and examinations with other people, compared with women with primary infertility. Approximately 25 percent of the women with primary infertility used distraction techniques, such as turning to work, as a coping strategy compared to women with secondary infertility (10%). Some women did not discuss the inability to conceive and reasons why they were childless with their spouses. Twelve percent of the women reported that they left the room when the subjects of children were being discussed. Approximately 30 percent of the participants did not ask friends or relatives for advice and a few were not able to discuss how tests and treatments affected them emotionally.

CONCLUSION: The present study indicates that a majority of infertile women discuss about infertility-related subjects with their spouses. However they are less likely to discuss the reason for infertility and results of tests and examinations with people outside the family.

RELEVANCE TO THE CLINICAL PRACTICE: The result of the current study can be useful regarding interventions for women affected by primary or by secondary infertility. The healthcare staff must be alert and attentive in order to pay attention to these possible challenges. Identification of women at risk of developing emotional problems due to communication difficulties regarding infertility-related issues merits close attention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To illuminate meanings of the lived experiences of dog handlers' when visiting older persons with dementia with their therapy dog.

BACKGROUND:

Studies indicate that care of persons with dementia should focus on a person-centred approach with the person's interests in the centre. Animal-assisted therapy using a therapy dog in the care of persons with dementia has been shown to increase well-being and decrease problematic behaviours associated with the illness.

DESIGN:

A qualitative lifeworld approach was adopted for this study.

METHODS:

Data were collected from open-ended interviews with nine dog handlers, and the analysis conducted using the phenomenological hermeneutical method.

RESULTS:

The structural analysis resulted in one theme, 'Respite from the burden of illness for persons with dementia'.

CONCLUSIONS:

Visiting a person with dementia can be seen as an act of caring, providing temporary respite from their illness, and creating a special relationship between handler and patient. A therapy dog visit can represent a moment of communion between the handler and the person with dementia.

IMPLICATION FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE:

Dog handlers use their skills and knowledge to promote a situation that reduces symptoms of illness and encourages healthier behaviour. The results of this study may be of interest to researchers, clinical practitioners, caregivers and dog handlers who care for persons with dementia using therapy dog teams on prescription as an alternative method to minimise behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe prehospital nursing students' experiences of patient safety culture in emergency medical services during their internship.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety culture in the emergency medical services is a complex phenomenon including more than organisational policies and practices and professionals' technical skills.

DESIGN: The descriptive qualitative approach used the Sharing Learning from Practice to improve Patient Safety Learning Event Recording Tool, which includes both open-ended and structured questions.

METHODS: Purposeful sampling was used, and data were collected from graduating prehospital nursing students (n = 17) from three Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences. Open-ended questions were reviewed using thematic analysis, and frequencies and percentages were derived from structured questions. COREQ guidelines were used to guide this study.

RESULTS: Four themes were identified during the thematic analysis: environmental and other unexpected factors in emergency medical services, working practices and professionalism in emergency medical services, teamwork in emergency medical services and feelings related to patient safety events in emergency medical services. Patient safety events described by students were seldom reported in the healthcare system or patient files. According to the students, such events were most likely related to communication, checking/verification and/or teamwork.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that prehospital nursing students can produce important information about patient safety events and the reasons that contributed to those events. Therefore, emergency medical services organisations and managers should use students' observations to develop a patient safety culture in emergency medical services.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Understanding how prehospital nursing students have experienced patient safety culture during their internships on ambulances can support educational institutions, together with emergency medical services organisations and managers, to improve policies for students to express patient safety concerns as well as patient safety successes.

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe how older people living at home in Stockholm, Sweden, experienced the management of their own medication regimen from their own perspective. BACKGROUND: Very old people tend to use more medicines, and without proper medication, many of them would not function well and would not be able to remain in their own homes. METHODS: This qualitative study involved audiotaped interviews with 25 very old persons. Inclusion criteria: aged >or=85 years, mini-mental state examination >or=24, living at home, taking medicines regularly. Data collected May-June 2005, analysed using content analysis. DESIGN: Descriptive study. RESULTS: Findings revealed that most participants managed their medicines by themselves and were very content with this. Older people who received some help with their medicines were also very pleased with that help. The most important components for older people were to have good cognitive ability, to be independent and to get support with their medicines from a close person as a back up. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that most of the participants were very pleased with their medicine management, either on their own or they were able to get some help. There was, however, a need for assistance in delivering the medicines to their homes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Understanding how older people experience their management of medicines and to reveal the components which may affect them in this situation is important to improve nursing care. To observe the life of an older person as a whole is important in nursing care, so that the person's behaviour can be understood, as how older people manage to handle their medicines may have an impact on their autonomy and on health-care resource use.

AIM: To explore newly graduated registered nurses' experiences and how they manage complex patient situations.

BACKGROUND: Newly graduated registered nurses' working in acute care hospital settings are challenged by managing complex patient situations in rapidly changing clinical contexts involving increased patient acuity, co-morbidities, and staffing shortages.

DESIGN: Qualitative study design.

METHODS: Data were collected using focus groups interviews of a total of 16 newly graduated registered nurses with clinical work experience of six months of direct patient care in an acute care hospital setting. Analyses were conducted using qualitative content analysis. COREQ reporting guidelines were used.

RESULTS: The analysis resulted in the overarching theme `Not being sufficiently prepared and supported to meet responsibilities and demands´. The theme included three categories: `Responsibility is not in proportion to competence´, ` Lack of medical competence and experience complicates patient safety´, and `Strives for control to manage and organize nursing care´.

CONCLUSION: The results show that newly graduated registered nurses' are not sufficiently supported for the level of responsibility and the demands placed on them when providing nursing in complex patient situations in acute care hospital settings. If they are given sole responsibility for multiple complex patient situations, patient safety may be compromised.

AIM: To assess self-reported clinical competence and the need for further training among newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs) working in Swedish acute care hospital settings.

BACKGROUND: NGRNs are expected to take full responsibility for patients' nursing care in an increasingly complex clinical context and professional nurses' clinical competence is critical in providing high quality and safe nursing care.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional design.

METHODS: Data were collected using the 50-item ProffNurse SAS II. A total of 85 NGRNs who had recently commenced working with direct patient care at three hospitals in central Sweden participated in the study. The response rate was 69%. The STROBE cross-sectional reporting guidelines was used.

RESULTS: The NGRNs assessed their clinical competence as being highest in areas relating to team collaboration and ethics and lowest in areas relating to professional development and direct clinical practice. The need for further training was greatest in areas such as direct clinical practice and patient safety and lowest in areas such as team collaborating and ethics.

CONCLUSION: The use of instruments to identify NGRNs' self-assessed clinical competence is of value when designing and evaluating introductory programs for NGRNs taking on positions in acute care hospital settings. The availability of experienced nurses from whom NGRNs can gain clinical competence and learn from is of importance, both from the perspective of the NGRNs themselves as well as patient safety.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: An understanding of NGRNs' clinical competence and their need for further training may assist in both planning and organizing nursing programs and in making clinical policy decisions when designing introduction programs in acute care settings.

AIM: To investigate the occurrence of complications after a needle puncture or intravenous injection in the ipsilateral arm of women who have undergone axillary lymph node clearance for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: After axillary lymph node clearance in patients with breast cancer, some women experience lymphoedema and recurrent infections. To reduce the risk of these postoperative complications, most women are advised to not have intravenous infusions in, or blood samples taken from, the arm in the operated side. Very little published data are available regarding the incidence of lymphoedema after intravenous procedures under clean conditions in the hospital setting. This study set out to investigate the occurrence of complications after a needle puncture or intravenous injection in the ipsilateral arm of women who have undergone axillary lymph node clearance for breast cancer is therefore important.

DESIGN: Descriptive.

METHODS: Self-reported questionnaire.

RESULTS: Most of the reported complications were minor, including itching, bruises and vomiting at the time of the intravenous procedure. The most serious complication was infection in one patient needing antibiotic treatment and subsequent arm swelling.

CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that if a blood sample is taken or intravenous injection is given according to the current Swedish guidelines for health care professionals, there should be a very low risk of complications.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: If intravenous procedures are performed without any disadvantage in the arm of the operated side in women who have undergone axillary surgery, the clinical problem of finding a proper vein and the psychological concern of the women can be reduced.