Hogmanay Dinner Thursday December 31st, 1914

To access publisher's full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.Pain management is an important aspect of providing quality health care, and monitoring patient-related outcomes is a recommended quality improvement practice. Valid and reliable tools are needed for this purpose. The American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ) is widely used to measure quality of pain management. The APS-POQ was recently revised to reflect advances in pain management. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the revised version in Icelandic patients in the hospital setting. The questionnaire was translated according to an adaptation of Brislin's model. Data were collected from 143 patients on 23 wards in a university hospital. Participants were ≥ 18 years old, hospitalized for >24 hours, alert, not too ill to participate, and in pain ≥ 1 on a 0-10 scale in the past 24 hours. Mean (SD) age was 66 (18) years, 51.4% were women, 48.6% men. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation confirmed a five-component structure, but four items lowered reliability and were removed from the scales. The final version consists of four components, with Cronbach α >.70, explaining 64.2% of the variance. Participants had little difficulty in answering the questionnaire, but two additional items about participation in decisions and pain medications were added in response to patients' comments and suggestions. Administering the Icelandic version of the APS-POQ-R was found to be feasible, and the questionnaire has acceptable construct validity and reliability. The results support the use of the APS-POQ-R-I to evaluate the quality of pain management in hospitals in Iceland.Icelandic Nursing Association Science Fund Icelandic Research Fund 11040902

Dimitri Rostoff as Dedalus (centre left), Roman Jasinsky as Icare (centre right), and artists of the company, in Icare, The Original Ballet Russe, Australian tour, His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, May 1940 (1) [picture] /

From: Icare : choreographic legend in one act / ballet and rhythms by Serge Lifar ; orchestrated by Antal Dorati.; Inscription: "4Y/20".; Part of the collection: Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938-1940.; Choreography by Serge Lifar ; scenery and costumes by Sidney Nolan.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4173892. One of a collection of photographs taken by Hugh P. Hall of 28 ballet productions performed by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet (toured Australia 1938-1939) and the Original Ballet Russe (toured Australia 1939-1940). These are the second and third of the three Ballets Russes companies which toured Australasia between 1936 and 1940. The photographs were taken from the auditorium during a live performance in His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne and mounted on cardboard for display purposes. For conservation and storage, the photographs have been demounted. The original arrangement of the photographs has been recorded, and details are available from the Pictures Branch of the National Library

Determinants of Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain among Nurses in a University Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowThe aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the primary determinants of knowledge and attitudes regarding pain among nurses in a hospital setting. All registered nurses employed at participating units at a university hospital were invited to participate. Information on work experience, education, and hospital unit was evaluated using a questionnaire. The Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain instrument was used to assess knowledge on pain management. The difference in knowledge between nurses with different levels of education was assessed with analysis of variance. The discriminatory ability of each question was determined with item response theory, and the association between correct answers to individual items and the total score were calculated using linear regression. Participants were 235 nurses, 51% of the 459 invited. The overall pain knowledge score was 26.1 (standard deviation 5.3, range 8-38) out of a total of 40 possible. Those with an advanced degree in nursing scored on average 2.9 points higher than those who did not have an advance degree (95% confidence interval: 0.9-4.7). Responses to clinical vignette questions showed more difference between nurses with different levels of knowledge of pain management than the other questions. Participants with the correct response to the best discriminatory item had 5.35 (95% confidence interval 4.08-6.61) points higher total score than those with an incorrect answer. Higher education is associated with better knowledge on pain management. To assess pain knowledge, the ability to interpret and solve a clinical vignette leads to better results than answering direct questions.Icelandic Nurse Association Icelandic Research Fun

Quality Pain Management in Adult Hospitalized Patients: A Concept Evaluation.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageTo explore the concept of quality pain management (QPM) in adult hospitalized patients.Pain is common in hospitalized patients, and pain management remains suboptimal in some settings.A concept evaluation based on Morse et al.'s method.Of more than 5,000 articles found, data were restricted to 37 selected key articles published in peer-reviewed journals.Data were extracted from the selected articles and then synthesized according to the following: definition, characteristics, boundaries, preconditions, and outcomes.QPM relates to the Structure: organizationally supported evidence-based policies, competent staff, interprofessional and specialized care, and staff accountability;screening, assessment/reassessment and communication of pain and its treatment, patient/family education, individualized evidence-based treatment, embedded in safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable services; andreduced pain severity and functional interference, decreased prevalence/severity of adverse consequences from pain or pain treatment, and increase in patient satisfaction.QPM is a multifaceted concept that remains poorly defined in the literature. Studies should aim to develop valid, reliable, and operational measures of the pillars of QPM and to look at the relationship among these factors. Authors need to state how they define and what aspects of QPM they are measuring

Quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and depression of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy: longitudinal study

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe overall survival gain of cancer chemotherapy is estimated to be small, and some claim that it rarely improves quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this population-based study was to describe QOL and symptoms of anxiety and depression, over time, in a group of Icelandic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Quality of life was measured with the Icelandic version of Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System, Short Form (CARES-SF), and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with the Icelandic version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Enrolled into the study were 144 patients, 90 women and 54 men; mean (SD) age was 55 (12.1) years. Although QOL was found relatively good during the period of chemotherapy, it was significantly worse after 3 and 6 months compared to baseline. Quality of life was found worst in the sexual and physical domains. At all time points, a significant association was found between symptoms of anxiety and depression and QOL with those reporting symptoms of either anxiety or depression experiencing worse QOL. The good QOL found during the period of chemotherapy is a positive finding. The results, however, call for an intense assessment, over time, of physical symptoms, anxiety, and depression, as well as sexuality issues

Irina Baronova (centre), Tatiana Riabouchinska (front row second from right), Anton Dolin (far right rear), and artists of the company, in Le mariage d'Aurore, Covent Garden Russian Ballet, Australian tour, His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, ca. 1938 [picture] /

From: Le mariage d'Aurore (Aurora's wedding) / music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.; Inscription: "2D/38".; Part of the collection: Hugh P. Hall collection of photographs, 1938-1940.; Performed Sept-Nov 1938 and Mar-Apr 1939.; Choreography after Marius Petipa ; scenery by Léon Bakst ; costumes by Alexandre Benois.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4194175. One of a collection of photographs taken by Hugh P. Hall of 28 ballet productions performed by the Covent Garden Russian Ballet (toured Australia 1938-1939) and the Original Ballet Russe (toured Australia 1939-1940). These are the second and third of the three Ballets Russes companies which toured Australasia between 1936 and 1940. The photographs were taken from the auditorium during a live performance in His Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne and mounted on cardboard for display purposes. For conservation and storage, the photographs have been demounted. The original arrangement of the photographs has been recorded, and details are available from the Pictures Branch of the National Library

Patient-related barriers to pain management: the Icelandic Barriers Questionnaire II

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldThe Barriers Questionnaire-II (BQ-II) is used to evaluate eight attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Icelandic BQ-II (IBQ-II). Icelandic adults (n=244) completed the IBQ-II, the Brief-Pain-Inventory, and demographic questions. Half the responders were male (52%), and 42.8% had pain on the day of data collection. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 34.73 (11.78) years and education of 15.08 (3.69) years. Factor analysis of the IBQ-II supported three factors. The alpha was 0.90. The mean (SD) IBQ-II total score was 2.32 (0.78), on a scale of 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating stronger barriers. IBQ-II total scores were inversely related to education (r=-0.21; P<0.01), and positively related to least pain (r=0.24; P<0.05), average pain (r=0.23; P<0.05), and pain interference with life activities (r=0.22; P<0.05) for those who had pain. There is support for reliability, validity, and feasibility of the IBQ-II

The relationship between chronic pain pattern, interference with life and health-related quality of life in a nationwide community sample.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageTo establish the scope of the problem of chronic pain in the population, we need to extend the focus on prevalence, the most frequently studied factor. Among other important factors is the complex relationship between the temporal characteristics of pain and their impact on peoples' lives. The purpose of the present study was to describe the characteristics of chronic pain, including pattern, severity, location, spread, and duration, in a population-based sample and to investigate the relationships between pain pattern and impact on the individual's life measured by interference with life and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In this cross-sectional study, a postal questionnaire measuring pain characteristics, life interference (Brief Pain Inventory), and HRQoL (Short Form 36 Health Survey), was sent to a sample of 4,500 individuals, randomly drawn from the Icelandic National Register. The total response rate was 36.9% and was significantly higher among native Icelanders (40.6%) than individuals of non-Icelandic origin (8.6%).The prevalence of chronic pain (≥3 months) was 47.5% with mean duration of 9.3 years, and 31.9% reported constant pain. Participants with constant pain reported higher life interference scores and less HRQoL than participants with intermittent or periodic pain. Hierarchical stepwise regression analyses showed that pain pattern and severity accounted for 44.4% variance for life interference. The range of the variances for these variables for the five domains of HRQoL was from 7.3% (mental health) to 53.3% (bodily pain). Pain pattern and severity are the most significant predictors of the impact of chronic pain on individual's daily life.University of Akureyri Research Fund Icelandic Nursing Association Research Fund Ingibjorg R. Magnusdottir Research Fun

[Epacris impressa] [picture] /

Pl. no. 2 of: The wild flowers around Melbourne / by Fanny Anne Charsley.; S9855

Exterior photograph featuring window stonework detail, Clarendon Terrace, Clarendon St., East Melbourne, 1977, 4 [picture] /

Condition: Good.; Title devised by cataloguer based on inscription on reverse.; Part of the collection: Wolfgang Sievers photographic archive.; Sievers number: 4540-O.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4179476. Illustrates the architecture and exterior design of the Clarendon Terrace, 210 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne, 1977