Динамика физического развития и физической подготовленности студентов ВГМУ основного медицинского отделения в процессе обучения на 1-4 курсах

GOALS OF WORK: Staff members in palliative home care play an important role in supporting bereaved family members. The aim of this study was to explore staff members' perspectives on providing such support. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Staff members in six units responded (n = 120; response rate 58%) to a postal questionnaire with Likert-type and open-ended questions. The responses were analyzed using statistics and manifest content analysis. MAIN RESULTS: None of the respondents stated that bereavement follow-up was "most often difficult," 23% "most often rather difficult," 52.5% "most often rather easy," and 12.5% "most often easy." Apart from a tendency for age to be linked to perceived difficulty, there were no apparent patterns. Bereavement follow-up was a positive opportunity to support the family member's coping with their bereavement and to get feedback on the palliative care provided. Critical aspects concerned the question of whose needs actually were being met at bereavement follow-up, i.e., the staff members' needs for getting feedback on the care provided versus the risk of burdening the family members' by reminding them of the deceased's dying trajectory. Aspects that negatively influenced the staff members' experiences were complex and related, e.g., to the family member's dissatisfaction with the care provided, to the staff member's perceived lack of competence, and to the staff member's relationship to the family member. CONCLUSIONS: Bereavement follow-up was perceived as a rewarding conclusion to the relationship with the family member. The findings suggest that meaning-based coping might be an appropriate framework when understanding staff members' experiences with providing bereavement follow-up.The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com: Anna Milberg, Gudrun Appelquist, Eva Hagelin, Maria Jakobsson, Eva-Carin Olsson, Maria Olsson and Maria Friedrichsen, "A rewarding conclusion of the relationship": staff members' perspectives on providing bereavement follow-up, 2011, Supportive Care in Cancer, (19), 1, 37-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0786-0 Copyright: Springer International http://www.springerlink.com

Caregivers' active role in palliative home care – to encourage or to dissuade? A qualitative descriptive study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Spouses' involvement in palliative care is often a prerequisite for home death, but it is unclear whether active involvement of the spouse, e.g. administering and being in charge of oral or subcutaneous medication or taking care of the patient's personal hygiene, could be harmful or have negative effects on the spouse's experience of the palliative course of disease. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of bereaved spouses' active involvement in medical and physical care on their experience of the palliative course of disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was a qualitative, descriptive study based on semi-structured individual interviews with seven bereaved spouses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four main categories were found: Degree of involvement, Positive and Negative impact and Prerequisites. The prerequisites found for a positive outcome were Safety (24-hour back-up), Confidence (Professionals' confidence in the spouses' abilities) and Dialog (Spouses' influence on decision-making and being asked).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results from this study identified important issues whenever spouses take an active part in medical treatment and physical care of critically ill patients in palliative care. The results question the previous research that active involvement of family care givers could be harmful and add preconditions to a positive outcome. More research into these preconditions is needed.</p

Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.

The QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization. Rare variant analysis of 6 new QT interval-associated loci in 298 unrelated probands with LQTS identified coding variants not found in controls but of uncertain causality and therefore requiring validation. Several newly identified loci encode proteins that physically interact with other recognized repolarization proteins. Our integration of common variant association, expression and orthogonal protein-protein interaction screens provides new insights into cardiac electrophysiology and identifies new candidate genes for ventricular arrhythmias, LQTS and SCD

Dying within dyads : Stress, sense of security and support during palliative home care

Objectives To examine similarities and dissimilarities in patient and family caregiver dyads in their experience of stress, support, and sense of security. Methods 144 patients and their family caregivers participated. Patients were admitted to six Swedish specialist palliative home care units and diagnosed with a non-curable disease with an expected short survival. We analysed similarity patterns of answers within dyads (correlations) as well as dissimilarities, expressed as the difference between within-dyad responses. The latter were subjected to a model-building procedure using GLM, with 13 sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as independent variables. Results Within dyads, patients and family caregivers scored similar in their perception of support and sense of security with care. There was also dissimilarity within dyad responses in their perception of stress and support that could be attributed to sociodemographic or clinical characteristics. When patients scored higher levels of stress than family caregivers, the family caregiver was more likely to be male. Also family caregiver attachment style (attachment anxiety), patient age and the relationship of the family caregiver to the patient explained dissimilarities within the dyads. Conclusions Patients and family caregivers within the dyads often, but not always, had similar scores. We suggest that it is important that the healthcare staff identify situations in which perceptions within the dyads regarding stress and perception of support differ, such that they can recognise patients and family caregivers unique needs in different situations, to be able to provide adequate support and facilitate dyadic coping.Funding Agencies|Medical Research Council of Southeast SwedenUK Research &amp; Innovation (UKRI)Medical Research Council UK (MRC) [LIO-126821]; Swedish Society of Medicine [2008-21732]; Konung Gustaf V:s och Drottning Victorias Frimurarestiftelse [104821]</p

Attachment figures when death is approaching : a study applying attachment theory to adult patients' and family members' experiences during palliative home care

Purpose Attachment theory is currently receiving much attention in relation to how adults cope with severe illness. The study aims were using the experiences of patients and family members to explore attachment figures (a central concept within the theory) during palliative home care. Methods Twelve patients and 14 family members were interviewed during ongoing palliative home care. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Four types of attachment figures were identified: (i) family and friends, (ii) health care practitioners, (iii) pets and (iv) God. Both non-physical and physical contact with the attachment figures facilitated a sense of security. In addition, the patient/family members and their attachment figures were described by some as a “we”, and when one part of the “we” felt insecure, this made the other also feel insecure. The patients’ unstable and progressing illnesses constituted a threat to the patients’ and family members’ sense of security. The availability of the attachment figures made them feel secure, and they could then divert their attention from the patients’ illnesses to other things in everyday life, e.g. socialising with family and friends. Some family members also had to cope with the loss of their own attachment figure, when the patient, who had previously been a source of security for them, was no longer able to offer protection and comfort due to the progression of the illness. Conclusion Important aspects of attachment figures in the end-of-life context were identified, and their clinical implications will be discussed.Funding agencies: Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden [FORSS-5775]</p

Palliative care consultation team on acute wards-an intervention study with pre-post comparisons

There is little evidence regarding primary healthcare team members perceptions concerning palliative care consultation team (PCCT) and palliative care (PC) issues on their own wards. This study aimed to study whether a PCCT can influence and change primary healthcare team members perceptions regarding the palliative care at the end of life they are providing to patients in their own acute wards. The intervention was a PCCT visiting surgical and internal medicine wards in 1 year. We used a quasi-experimental design with pre-post-testing, measuring at baseline, and after 1 years intervention. A questionnaire was answered by all primary healthcare team members in three acute wards. A total of 252 team members (pre-post-intervention n = 132/n = 120) participated in the study. Overall, 11 of the 12 statements scored significantly higher after the intervention than before. Responses varied significantly between different professions and depending on the number of dying patients cared for during the last month. The five with the highest Wald values were as follows: the presence of a break point dialogue with a patient, where the changed aim and focus of care was discussed; early detection of impending death; adequate symptom relief and psychological and existential issues. It is possible to change perceptions about end-of-life care in primary healthcare team members on acute wards. Palliative care consultation teams should be a natural part wherever dying patients are cared for

Can a single question about family members' sense of security during palliative care predict their well-being during bereavement? : A longitudinal study during ongoing care and one year after the patient's death

BackgroundIt has been recognised that more evidence about important aspects of family members' sense of security during palliative care is needed. The objectives of the study was: i) to discover what variables are associated with family members feeling secure during palliative care; ii) to develop a model of family members' sense of security during palliative care, and iii) to evaluate if family members' sense of security during ongoing palliative care predicts well-being during bereavement.MethodsBetween September 2009 and October 2010, 227 family members (of patients admitted to six Swedish palliative home care units) participated in the study (participation rate 75%) during ongoing care and 158 participated also 1 year after the patient's death (70%). They answered a single question regarding the family members' sense of security during the palliative care period. The question was constructed and validated by the researchers. Data were also collected using other questions and validated instruments and analysed stepwise with Generalized Linear Models (ordinal multinomial distribution and logit link).ResultsSixteen variables were positively related to family members' sense of security during ongoing palliative care. The five variables with the highest importance were selected into the model (listed in decreasing importance): Family members' mastery; nervousness and stress; self-efficacy; patient having gynaecological cancer; family members' perceived quality of life. Moreover, the family members' sense of security during ongoing palliative care predicted ten variables indicating their well-being 1 year after the patient's death, e.g. psychological well-being, complicated grief symptoms, health related quality of life.ConclusionsThe findings reveal possibilities to identify family members at risk of negative adjustment to bereavement in clinical practice and may help to develop interventions to support family members during ongoing palliative care

We have no crystal ball-advance care planning at nursing homes from the perspective of nurses and physicians

Objective: To investigate clinicians perspectives on the factors that shape the process of advance care planning in a nursing home context. Design: Interviews. Latent qualitative content analysis. Setting: Nine nursing homes in Sweden. Subjects: 14 physicians and 11 nurses working at nursing homes. Main outcome measures: Participants views on advance care planning (ACP) at nursing homes. Results: The analysis of the interviews resulted in four manifest categories: Exploration of preferences and views, e.g. exploring patient wishes regarding end-of-life issues and restrictions in care at an early stage, and sensitivity to patients readiness to discuss end-of-life issues; Integration of preferences and views, e.g. integration of patients preferences and staffs and family members views; Decision amp; documentation of the ACP, e.g. clear documentation in patients medical records that are up-to-date and available for staff caring for the patient, and Implementation amp; re-evaluation of the ACP, e.g. nurse following up after ACP-appointment to confirm the content of the documented ACP. The latent theme, Establishing beneficence - defending oneself against tacit accusations of maleficence, emerged as a deeper meaning of all the four (manifest) parts of the ACP-process Conclusion: This study stresses the importance of involving patients, family members, and the team in the work with advance care planning in nursing homes. In addition, clear medical record documentation and proficiency in end-of-life communication related to advance care planning for physicians as well as nurses may also be factors that significantly shape advance care planning in a nursing home context