Feltlaboratoriet som metode

The article introduces the Fieldlaboratory as a participatory research method for creating knowledge on and with people whos lives are inflicted when new technologies are introduced to practice. Based on empirical material from a research and developmental project with the aim to examine how a network of seniors can be supported by a digital platform, the method is discussed in relation to the use of laboratories in design research and classical anthropological ideas on field work. The article argues that knowledge production in the Fieldlaboratory is based on recognising the new context provided by the intervention of a digital platform, as well as both the present and the possible future

Praksisrefleksion I hjemmesygepleje – et koncept for kompetenceudvikling

As a consequence of the municipality reform and the consequent move of services from hospital to primary healthcare, a Danish municipal wished to strengthen the professional competences, fellow-feeling, and collegiate spirit of their community nurses, taking their starting point in their newly developed ‘profile for community nurses’. This article presents a concept for reflection on practice which consists of a competence-developmental project. The project originates from Wacherhausen’s theory of reflection on practice, in ‘Appreciative Inquiry’, comprising appreciatory communication, and in the method ‘The narrative team-reflection’. The concept is about the community nurses in practicing and analyzing appreciatory communication here and now and in giving and receiving constructive mono- and inter-professional feedback. In conclusion, the developed concept for reflection on practice generates fellow-feeling, strengthens the community nurses’ professional competences and promotes collegiate spirit and engagement. The concept can easily be applied to other professionals and/or to other themes for practice development

Physiotherapy as a disciplinary institution in modern society - Foucauldian perspective on physiotherapy in Danish private practice

In many Western countries, physiotherapy in a private context is practiced and managed within a neoliberal ideology. Little is known about how private physiotherapeutic practice functions, which is why this study aims to explore how physiotherapy is practiced from the perspective of physiotherapists in Danish private practice, within a Foucauldian perspective. This study consisted of 21 interviews with physiotherapists employed in private practice and observation notes of the clinic. Interviews and observation notes were analyzed through the lens of Foucault’s concepts of discipline, self-discipline, power and resistance. Three categories were constructed: (1) the tacit transition from person to patient; (2) the art of producing docile bodies; and (3) the inhibition of freedom of action by practicing in private homes. From a Foucauldian perspective, private physiotherapeutic practices have a disciplinary function in modern society as the physiotherapists produce docile bodies through disciplinary technologies, whereby their business becomes profitable. Most patients support the physiotherapists’ ‘‘regime of truth’’ but if they resist, they are either excluded or accepted as ‘‘abnormal’’ but as a necessary source of income. The physiotherapists appear to be unconscious of the bio-powers working ‘‘behind their backs’’ as they are subject to the Western medical logic, and the neoliberal framework that rules their businesses

Health and wellbeing in refugee families from Syria resettled in Denmark

Aims: The aim was to evaluate self-reported health status and wellbeing in a well-defined group of refugee families from Syria 2–4 years after resettlement in Denmark, and, where possible, compare it with a Danish reference population. The purpose was to determine the need for specialized health care to resettled refugees. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 90 individuals from Syria aged 13–56 years. We used questionnaire survey to assess the general health and wellbeing in the study population in relation to a Danish reference population. Objective measurements of selected health indicators like overweight, hypertension and levels of cholesterol and blood glucose (HbA1c) were also determined for the study population. Results: Mean wellbeing scores and the proportion of study participants rating their health as good were lower among the study participants compared with the Danish population for all age groups. The proportion of participants who reported often being alone against their will was significantly higher than among Danes, as was the proportion who had nobody to talk to when having problems. A significantly higher proportion of participants experienced various forms of pain or discomfort than in the Danish population. Overall, 23.6% and 3.4% of participants had elevated cholesterol and HbA1c levels, respectively, and the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25) was 70%. Hypertension was more frequent (16.2%) than in another refugee population in Denmark (9%). Conclusions: The study demonstrated various mental and physical health challenges among the Syrian refugee families, and their health and wellbeing appeared to be substantially poorer as compared to the Danish reference population. The findings emphasize the need for systematic and specialized health care services at a municipality level to resettling refugees as a prerequisite for the refugees to become contributing citizens