Psychosocial Adaptation in Relatives of Critically Injured Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit

Hemos analizado la influencia del tiempo transcurrido desde el ingreso del paciente en la UCI en sus familiares mas allegados, sobre determinadas variables clínicas de personalidad, las relaciones familiares y el temor experimentado ante la muerte. La muestra estaba formada por 57 familiares de pacientes traumatizados graves ingresados en la UCI de Traumatología. Hemos empleado una encuesta psicosocial y los siguientes instrumentos: Cuestionario de Análisis Clínico, Escala de Clima Social en la Familia y Escala de Temor a la Muerte. Los familiares de pacientes ingresados en la UCI, comparados con los mismos familiares cuatro años después del ingreso, obtienen puntuaciones más elevadas en hipocondria, depresión suicida, agitación, depresión ansiosa, culpabilidad-resentimiento, paranoia, psicastenia, desajuste psicológico y expresividad, y menor en el temor al proceso de morir propio. El tiempo transcurrido desde el ingreso del paciente en la UCI ejerce una influencia sobre sus familiares en algunas variables clínicas de personalidad, las relaciones familiares y el temor experimentado ante la muerte.The aim of this study is to analyze how the length of time a patient spends in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) affects close relatives, with regard to specific clinical variables of personality, family relationships and fear of death. The study group consisted of 57 relatives of seriously ill patients admitted to the ICU of “Virgen del Rocío” Rehabilitation and Trauma Hospital (Seville, Spain). The instruments applied were: a psychosocial questionnaire, clinical analysis questionnaire, family environment scale and fear of death scale. The relatives of patients admitted to ICU obtained higher scores in hypochondria, suicidal depression, agitation, anxious depression, guilt-resentment, paranoia, psychasthenia, psychological maladjustment and self-expression, and less in fear of their own death, as when compared to interviews with the same relatives 4 years later. The length of time a patient spent in the ICU influenced relatives in some clinical variables of personality, family relationships and fear of death

Regulación del derecho a un proceso penal sin dilaciones indebidas: de la atenuante analógica a la atenuante específica del código penal

[Resumen] El derecho a un proceso sin dilaciones indebidas es una garantía procesal que está constitucionalizada, de manera autónoma pero íntimamente relacionada con el también fundamental derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva sin indefensión. Aunque su respeto tiene que hacerse efectivo en todo tipo de procesos, es en el penal en el que su vulneración es especialmente grave, lo que ha provocado que la doctrina y la jurisprudencia hayan buscado diversas opciones reparadoras de su lesión. La reforma del Código Penal de 2010 constituye un avance importante en esta materia puesto que se abandona el anterior criterio de entender las dilaciones indebidas como una “atenuante analógica”, legalizando su consideración como una “atenuante específica”.[Abstract] The right to trial without undue delay is a procedural guarantee that is constitutionalized, independently but also closely related to the fundamental right to effective judicial guidance without helplessness. Although this must be respected in all types of procedures, their violation is particularly serious in criminal ones and this has prompted the doctrine and jurisprudence to seek various remedial options for its breach. The Penal Code of 2010 constitutes an important advance in this matter since it leaves behind the former criterion to understand undue delay as a mitigating factor analogue, legalizing their consideration as a specific mitigating factorMinisterio de Educación; DER 2009-11199Ministerio de Educación; DER 2009-13351Junta de Castilla y León; SA 033A10-

Development of an experimental telemetry system

This article presents the design and implementation of a communications system to receive information about the status, height, speed, temperature or any other type of variable of interest from vehicles such as balloons or experimental rockets. In a first iteration, the system was designed to achieve transmission distances in the order of dozens kilometers but leaving some margin to extend the operating range to up to 100 km in line of sight. At the beginning of the project different factors such as the use of a frequency band suitable for this type of applications, the modulation scheme to use and a data protocol were analyzed. Subsequently, the most appropriate commercial devices to implement each of the system blocks were selected. With these components a first prototype of the telemetry board was built and the necessary tests to verify the correct performance of it were conducted. Finally, the design and implementation of the flight hardware was carried out and the final tests that fully validated the proposed design were performed.Facultad de Ingenierí

Validación de la versión española del Cuestionario Breve de Evitación Experiencial (BEAQ) en población clínica

The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) has been suggested as the most appropriate instrument for measuring experiential avoidance. However, no Spanish validation has been published. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the BEAQ in a clinical sample treated at a community mental health unit. Methods: Participants (N = 332) completed the BEAQ as well as other self-report measures of experiential avoidance and psychopathology. Results: Internal consistency was satisfactory (α = .82). No statistically significant gender differences were found in the BEAQ scores. The data also showed high test-retest reliability after four to six weeks, acceptable concurrent validity with another experiential avoidance measure and acceptable convergent validity with the psychopathology measure. The principal component analysis, forcing the one factor solution proposed in the original scale, produced indicators similar to the English version of the BEAQ. Conclusions: These results firmly support the reliability and validity of this Spanish validation, stressing its usefulness as a measure of experiential avoidance in clinical populations.Antecedentes: el Cuestionario Breve de Evitación Experiencial (BEAQ) ha sido propuesto como el instrumento más adecuado para medir la evitación experiencial. Sin embargo, todavía no ha sido publicada ninguna validación en español. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio ha sido la validación de una versión española del BEAQ, en una muestra clínica atendida en un Centro de Salud Mental Comunitario. Método: los participantes (N = 332) completaron el BEAQ, así como otras medidas de autoinforme de evitación experiencial y psicopatología. Resultados: la consistencia interna fue satisfactoria (α = .82). No se encontraron diferencias de género estadísticamente significativas en las puntuaciones del BEAQ. Los datos también mostraron una alta fiabilidad test-retest en un intervalo de cuatro a seis semanas, validez concurrente aceptable con otra medida de evitación experiencial y validez convergente aceptable con la medida de psicopatología. El análisis de componentes principales forzando a la solución de un factor, como se propuso en la escala original, obtuvo unos indicadores similares a los obtenidos en dicha versión inglesa. Conclusiones: los resultados confirman la adecuada fiabilidad y validez de la presente versión española del BEAQ, destacando su utilidad como medida de la evitación experiencial en población clínica

Uso de JUnit para evaluación en laboratorio de Estructuras de Datos

Las pruebas del software, y en especial las pruebas unitarias automatizadas, son un área relevante de las competencias de un titulado en Informática. Pero aparte de su papel en los contenidos del currículo, pueden ser una herramienta útil para la docencia. Se ha documentado en múltiples ocasiones el uso de las pruebas automatizadas para autoevaluación de los estudiantes, o para implementar sistemas de corrección automáticos o semiautomáticos; es decir, en diversas formas de trabajo autónomo. Sin embargo, la aportación de este artículo radica en documentar la aplicación de una variante, que consiste en utilizar pruebas automatizadas durante los propios exámenes prácticos, en una doble vertiente: como instrumento del profesor para hacer posible una evaluación rápida, ordenada y coherente en el momento, y simultáneamente como elemento integrante del propio ejercicio. Cabe anticipar algunos potenciales problemas del uso de esta técnica. Aquí se discuten dichos problemas y su incidencia real tras la experiencia.SUMMARY -- Software testing, and automated unit testing in particular, is a relevant topic for software engineering studies. But, in addition to their role as a part of the curricula, they are a tool that can be applied in teaching itself. The use of automated testing in teaching, be it for student self-assessment, or for implementing automatic or semiautomatic grading systems, is well documented. These approaches are largely based on self-study or autonomous work schemas. However, this paper presents an approach based on applying automated software testing during lab exams, with a double goal: on one hand, as a tool for the teacher, that makes it possible to perform a quick, orderly and consistent assessment in-place, and on the other hand, as an important component of the exam itself. Some potential problems can be identified in advance. In this paper, these problems are discussed and their real relevance in practice is evaluated

The effect of task difficulty on decision-making: Differences between obsessive–compulsive disorder and non-affective psychosis

The aim was to determine whether there are differences between groups in jumping to conclusions and the number of beads required to make a decision based on task difficulty. An assessment was made of 19 patients with non-affective psychosis, 19 with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and 19 healthy controls. The Beads Task scale was used in its two versions. Patients with non-affective psychosis jumped to conclusions. There was significant interaction between group and task difficulty. Increased difficulty of the task did not affect the number of beads patients with non-affective psychosis or OCD needed to make their decision. However, healthy controls needed to see more beads before they could make a decision in the hard test than in the easy one. Patients with non-affective psychosis jump to conclusions, but neither this group nor the OCD patients benefit from the changes in task difficulty when making their decisions

Evolución psicológica tras el trasplante de órganos

Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica (I+D+I)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación)

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in different stages of organ transplant

From this ex post facto study, we analysed if symptoms of anxiety and depression of the patients varies after transplant in relation to the three main stages of the process: a) Intensive Care Unit (ICU – patient recently admitted to ICU after transplant), b) post-ICU (when a patient comes out of ICU but remains in hospital), and c) post-hospital (when a year has passed after the transplant). 39 transplant patients were assessed in three different stages: ICU, post-ICU, and post-hospital. In each stage, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was applied and, in addition, during the first stage other information was obtained (socio-demographic, medical, etc.) by way of a psychosocial survey. Patients showed more symptoms of anxiety and depression in the ICU and post-hospital stages, diminishing in the post-ICU stage. After the organ transplant, it is noticed a psychological evolution in the shape of “U”, with an increase of psychological well-being in the middle stages.Desde este estudio ex post facto, analizamos si los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión de los pacientes varían después del trasplante en relación a las tres fases del proceso: a) Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI – paciente admitido recientemente en la UCI tras el trasplante), b) post-UCI (cuando el paciente abandona la UCI pero permanece en el hospital) y c) post-hospital (cuando ha pasado un año tras el trasplante). Treinta y nueve trasplantados fueron evaluados en tres momentos diferentes: UCI, post-UCI y post-hospital. En cada fase se aplicó la Escala Hospitalaria de Ansiedad y Depresión; además, durante la primera fase se obtuvo información adicional (sociodemográfica, médica, etc.) a través de una encuesta psicosocial. Los pacientes presentaban los mayores síntomas de ansiedad y depresión en la UCI y en la fase posthospital, siendo menores en la fase post-UCI. Por lo tanto, después del trasplante de órgano, se aprecia una evolución psicológica en forma de “U”, con un aumento del bienestar psicológico en las fases intermedias.Neste estudo ex post facto, analisámos se os sintomas de ansiedade e depressão dos pacientes variam depois do transplante em relação às três fases do processo: a) Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI – paciente admitido recentemente na UCI depois do transplante), b) pós-UCI (quando o paciente abandona a UCI mas permanece no hospital) e c) pós-hospital (quando passou um ano após o transplante). 39 transplantados foram avaliados em três momentos diferentes: UCI, pós-UCI e pós-hospital. Em cada fase aplicou-se a Escala Hospitalar de Ansiedade e Depressão; além disse, durante a primeira fase recolheu-se informação adicional (sociodemográfica, médica, etc.) através de uma entrevista psicossocial. Os pacientes apresentavam os maiores sintomas de ansiedade e depressão na UCI e na fase pós-hospital, sendo menores na fase pós-UCI. Por conseguinte, depois do transplante de órgãos, aprecia-se uma evolução psicológica em forma de “U”, com um aumento do bem-estar psicológico nas fases intermédias.Instituto de Salud Carlos II

Calidad de vida en la salud: algunas investigaciones en el ámbito hospitalario

Exponemos los resultados más relevantes de dos investigaciones relacionadas con la Calidad de Vida en la Salud. En la primera de ellas, empleamos tres grupos con 32 sujetos cada uno: pacientes con Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica (EPOC) estabilizados, pacientes con EPOC descompensados (hospitalizados) y enfermos con cáncer de pulmón (hospitalizados). Analizamos la influencia de la descompensación de la EPOC sobre la calidad de vida. En la segunda investigación, empleamos un grupo de 57 familiares de pacientes traumatizados graves que fueron evaluados en dos momentos diferentes: cuando el paciente se hallaba ingresado en la UCI y transcurridos cuatro años del alta de éste. Analizamos cómo afecta en los familiares (variables clínicas de personalidad, relaciones familiares y temor experimentado ante la muerte) el tiempo transcurrido desde el ingreso del paciente en la UCI en función de su calidad de vida

Concerns, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Living Kidney Donation–Parent Donor Candidates Worry Less about Themselves

Even though the majority of living kidney donor candidates appear in good mental health and show few concerns little is known concerning the influence of the type of donor-recipient relationship on donor candidates’ specific concerns with regard to kidney donation. 136 donor candidates at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital of Seville filled in the Scale of Concerns Regarding Living Kidney Donation of whom 105 donor candidates and their corresponding recipients (105 patients with End-Stage Renal Disease) were further evaluated with regard to mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II) and quality of life (SF-36 Health Survey). As hypothesized recipients scored higher on depression and lower on quality of life. Donor candidates intending to donate to their children were significantly less concerned about risks of donation for themselves compared to donor candidates donating to siblings. Our findings highlight the importance of the type of donor-recipient relationship to understand specific concerns of donor candidates and optimize psychosocial assessment and support. From an evolutionary perspective parents lack of concern about their own well-being can be seen as an altruistic behavior to increase children’s fitness at the (potential) expense of their own fitness