Phenomenological Approach to the Meaning and Impact of Organ Donation in the Family

La donación de órganos es un acontecimiento crítico tras la pérdida de un ser querido. España, a pesar de ser el país del mundo con mayor tasa de donantes, todavía mantiene una negativa familiar del 15,56%. Objetivos: conocer y analizar el impacto de la donación de órganos a través de los significados que tiene para la familia en el contexto español. Materiales y método: estudio cualitativo fenomenológico según el marco conceptual y método de Giorgi. Luego de respetar, al menos, tres años de duelo desde la pérdida de un ser querido, se entrevistaron en profundidad a once familias que donaron órganos en el Hospital La Fe en Valencia. Resultados: tras el análisis de los resultados, se describieron veintisiete unidades de significado que fueron clasificadas en relativos a la pérdida y relativos a la donación de órganos y, posteriormente, correlacionadas. Conclusiones: la donación aparece como mecanismo de alivio o compensación del fallecimiento del familiar.Organ donation is a critical event after the loss of a loved one. Spain, despite being the country with the highest donor rate in the world, still maintains a family negative rate of 15.56%. Objective: Know and analyze the impact of organ donation based on its meaning for the family in the Spanish context. Materials and method: This is a phenomenological qualitative study based on Giorgi's conceptual framework and method. Eleven families who had donated organs at the Hospital La Fe in Valencia were interviewed in depth, following at least three years of mourning since the loss of a loved one. Results: After the results were analyzed, twenty-seven units of meaning were described and classified as relative to the loss and relative to the organ donation. They were then correlated. Conclusion: Organ donation appears to be a relief mechanism or a kind of compensation for the death of a family member

Therapeutic communication does not burn you out; it is invigorating

El objetivo de este trabajo es ayudar a clarificar y modificar la idea que tienen ciertos profesionales de que la "relación de ayuda quema". Es decir, tratar de precisar, partiendo de cómo la Relación de Ayuda si la entendemos en su justo valor, no sólo no quema, no nos lleva al síndrome del burn-out, sino que ésta es vivificante tanto a nivel personal como profesional. Si ciertos profesionales han llegado a esa triste experiencia, (de que la relación de ayuda quema) pensamos se debe, entre otras razones: por una parte, a no tener una idea clara de lo que es la comunicación y la relación terapéutica o de ayuda; por otra parte, a habernos olvidado que no podemos dedicarnos a esta noble labor, sin antes haber trabajado un mínimo sobre nosotros mismos, es decir, sobre nuestro crecimiento personal, autoestima, problemas, conflictos, etc. Si esto no se hace, cabe el peligro de no saber dónde nos situamos, transgrediendo ciertos principios o límites que van anejos a la Relación de Ayuda. Asi mismo, intentamos exponer algunas de las fases por las que se llega al síndrome del burn-out, con el fin de que nos sirvan de reflexión, y poder así restaurar la "vida" personal y profesional que hayamos podido haber dejado en este caminar acompañando a los pacientes.The aim of this work is to help to clarify and modify the perception of some professionals that therapeutic communication is something that leads to "burn out". That is to say, to show how therapeutic communication not only does not burn you out, but can be invigorating at both a personal and professional level. The fact that some professionals have been through this sad experience (burnt out by therapeutic communication) may be due, among other reasons, to not having a clear concept of communication and the therapeutic relationship, and having forgotten that we cannot dedicate ourselves to this noble task without working first on ourselves, our personal growth, self-esteem, problems, conflicts, etc. If this is not done, there is a risk of not knowing where we stand—transgressing certain limits or principles that go along with therapeutic communication. Moreover, we try to state some of the stages of "burn-out syndrome", in order to help us to reflect, and to restore the professional and personal "life" that we may have left behind while caring for our patients

Qualitative Research Process Applied to Organ Donation

The family interview for organ donation continues to be one of the main concerns of transplant coordinators. We approach the family because we need to know the opinion of the person who has just died about the donation of his or her organs. The objective of this article is to describe how the application of the qualitative methodology has been followed to perceive what the relatives live in the moment in which they are informed of the death of their relative and they are offered the option of organ donation. Phenomenology is a philosophy that deals with the granting of meanings. It can simply describe or try to interpret them. Our informants were selected from among donor families until the 11 families were obtained. We use the Giorgi method because it allows us to identify the essence of a phenomenon and transform the lived experience into a textual expression of its essence. The unit of analysis was, each of the statements of the discourse that describes and interprets a reality, what we call “essence” or “meaning units.” It must be the minimum expression of an episode and the experience in relation to it. We have detected 24 themes of the meaning units are most important for families in our area. Families agree on talking about donation, mourning, death, consolation from the donation, and the importance of the support received. Phenomenology is adequate to deepen into the feelings and interests of families in the process of donation

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Food consumption of immigrants in Elda county

En España, la inmigración es un fenómeno reciente y creciente exponencialmente. En la zona geográfica correspondiente al departamento de salud 18, la mayor parte es de procedencia sudamericana, marroquí y rumana. La alimentación de estos colectivos posee un estratégico valor cultural y sanitario. Presentamos un estudio en el que se ha entrevistado a un total de 170 inmigrantes, que tiene por objetivo valorar uno de los aspectos clave de la alimentación: el consumo de alimentos. Los resultados apuntan a que los inmigrantes mantienen un consumo equilibrado de principios inmediatos, si bien algunos grupos alimentarios básicos son consumidos insuficientemente. Además, el tiempo de estancia parece ser un factor de adaptación al patrón nutricional desequilibrado propio de los españoles.In Spain, immigration is a recent and exponentially increasing phenomenon. In the geographical area corresponding to the department of health no.18, most immigrants come from South America, Morocco and Rumania. The feeding patterns of these people have a strategic value regarding culture and health. We present a work in which 170 immigrants have been interviewed, with the aim of assessing one of the main aspects: food consumption. The results indicate that immigrants maintain a balanced consumption of immediate principles, although some basic foods groups are insufficiently consumed by them. In addition, the length of their stay could be considered a crucial factor towards the assimilation of the currently unbalanced nutritional pattern of Spanish people

Impact of Organ Donation in Spanish Families: Phenomenological Approach Through Relatives' Lived Experiences

Introduction and Purpose. This study explores the family experience when they are told that their recently deceased relative is in a potential position for organ donation, as well as the connotations that develop from that situation and how those nuances have lasted since then for family members. In Spain, and especially in Valencian region (where this study took place), one of the most productive counties for organ donation nationwide, the family interview is considered to be one of the most important tools that transplant coordinators can use to improve and succeed through the process of a potential organ donation. Methodology and Data Analysis. This is a qualitative study based on a phenomenological approach using Giorgi's method for data analysis. Members of 11 families who donated their deceased relatives' organs in La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain, from 2009 to 2011, participated through in-depth interviews after signing informed consent agreements. Discussion. Experiences described have shown how the relatives' overview has been affected by the situation in a way that is very different from the professional staff's view of reality. The difference in perspectives creates a barrier which can make the professional team less effective in understanding family interests to create a helpful and successful relationship for organ donation. Understanding the experiences of the families involved can help healthcare providers to conduct a more supportive family interview when the topic is organ donation.Supported by the Society Spanish of Transplant

Feeding habits in students and workers of the university Miguel Hernández

Objetivo: Describir los hábitos alimenticios de una comunidad universitaria. Material y métodos: Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo transversal. El instrumento utilizado fue un cuestionario de frecuencias de consumo, administrado por entrevista personal a una muestra accidental de 147 personas. Constaba de cuatro secciones: 1) número de comidas y lugar donde se realizan, 2) patrones de consumo de los distintos grupos de alimentos, 3) modos de preparación de los alimentos, 4) datos de identificación y demográficos. Resultados: En comparación con el patrón de Vivanco y Palacios, nuestra muestra se caracteriza por: alto consumo de carnes (4 veces/semana), disminución del consumo de huevos (2v/sem.), incremento del consumo de hidratos de carbono complejos (5v/sem.), consumo ligeramente inferior de frutas (5v/sem.), ingesta insuficiente de verduras (4v/sem), legumbres (2v/sem) y pescados (2,5v/sem). Conclusiones y Recomendaciones: Atendiendo a los estudios referenciados, es conveniente disminuir el consumo de carnes, aumentando los aportes de pescados, verduras, hortalizas y legumbres, alimentos que, habiendo sido habituales en nuestra dieta mediterránea, parecen haber sido abandonados en beneficio de la conformación de una dieta que tiende a la homogeneización cultural.Objective: To describe the feeding habits of a university community. Material and methods: A transversal descriptive study was performed. The instrument used was a questionnaire of frequency of consumption, administered by an interview with a random sample of 147 people. It consisted of four sections; 1) number of meals and place where they are taken, 2) consumption patterns of the different food groups, 3) ways of preparing foods, 4) identification and demographic data. Results: In comparison with the pattern of Vivanco and Palacios, our sample is characterised by: high meat consumption (4 times/week), reduction in the consumption of eggs (2 times/week), an increase in consumption of complex carbohydrates (5 times/week), slightly lower consumption of fruit (5 times/week), insufficient intake of greens (4 times/week), vegetables (2 times/week) and fish (2.5 times/week). Conclusions and Recommendations: In line with the studies referenced, it would be useful to reduce the consumption of meat, to be replaced by an increase in fish, greens, garden produce and vegetable intake. Foods that had a regular place in our Mediterranean diet seem to have been abandoned in favour of adoption of a diet that tends to cultural homogenisation

Nursing student's perceptions of the clinical learning environment: the social climate

Objetivo: conocer las percepciones de los estudiantes de enfermería acerca del entorno de aprendizaje clínico en el que realizan sus prácticas hospitalarias. Diseño: estudio cualitativo. Ámbito: H.U. de San Juan (Alicante) y E.U.E. de Alicante. Sujetos: alumnos de enfermería que durante el curso académico 2002-2003 realizaron sus prácticas clínicas en este hospital. Metodología: observación participante, entrevista semi-estructurada y análisis de contenido. Resultados: los alumnos manifestaron que generalmente, las enfermeras les permiten tomar decisiones, pero sin establecer diferencias según su habilidad y grado de formación; señalaron la falta de argumentos consistentes para la clarificación de sus dudas y les pareció positiva la existencia de documentación (protocolos, libros, artículos científicos) en las unidades para su consulta. Consideran que el grado de implicación en las actividades de la unidad, va a depender de ellos mismos, de las características de la unidad, así como de los profesionales. En ocasiones no perciben la figura de enfermera-tutora claramente definida. Manifiestan que las actividades y procedimientos más frecuentes, se les explican detalladamente al inicio de las prácticas. Señalaron los inconvenientes que a su parecer, tiene el que se les distribuyan actividades a realizar y no pacientes a los que cuidar. Conclusiones: El principal rol que adopta el alumno es el de aprendiz, pero en ocasiones, debido al complejo contexto social en el que se integra, adopta el rol que podíamos denominar de “trabajador precario con remuneración educativa”.Study Objective: to know nursing students perceptions about clinical learning environment during their clinical field placements. Design: qualitative study. Setting: University Hospital of San Juan and School of Nursing of Alicante, University of Alicante (Spain). Subjects: nursing students that made their practice settings at this hospital during the academic course 2002-2003. Methodology: participant observation, semistructured interview and content analisis. Results: generally, nurses allow the students to take decisions, but without establishing differences between their ability and knowlege; students indicated the lack of consistent arguments for clarificating doubts and believed positive the existence of cientific literature (nursing protocols, books, research papers) for consultation in the wards. They consider that student implicacion level in ward activities, is going to depend on themselves, the ward characteristics, as well as the staff. Sometimes students do not perceive the nurse-tutor figure clearly defined. They say that the common activities and procedures are explained to them in detail at the beginning of the practice period. They indicate the disadvantages of distribute tasks to be done versus patients to take care of working depending on tasks instead of working center on patients. Conclusions: students usually adopt the roll of apprentice, but sometimes, due to the complex social context of the practice settings, they adopt the role, that we can call, “precarious worker with educative remuneration”