RISIKOADFÆRD OG DET GODE LIV: Spørgsmål til en livsstil med øl, cigaretter og mangel på motion

This pilot study looks into the question of why some people continue a lifestyle of risk behaviour, knowing full well that this might cause them illness in the future. Risk behaviour in this study was defined by not meeting the recommendations from the Danish National Board of Health: Not to smoke, to keep a BMI lower than 25, to drink less than 14 (women) or 21 (men) standard drinks per week and to be physically active at least half an hour each day. Each interviewee failed to meet at least two of these recommendations and did not have plans to change his or her lifestyle. The aim of this study was to qualitatively investigate how four citizens from West Copenhagen, with high risk behaviour, regarded the concepts of health, illness and risk; the study also addresses the factors that would increase their motivation for lifestyle change. This study showed that the informants’ attitudes to risk behaviour were negotiated, created and maintained around the following themes which are part of a practical rationalism: “future”, “probability”, “it happens to others” and “luck”. The threat of illness caused by risk behaviour was expected to be the primary motivating factor for lifestyle change. The informants with high-risk behaviour had a short-term perspective that dominated their everyday lives. They didn’t expect to fall ill due to their risk behaviour, but if they did, they considered the disease to be the primary motivating factor for lifestyle change. &nbsp

Fractures and Alcohol Abuse – Patient Opinion of Alcohol Intervention

Purpose: To clarify patient opinions about alcohol intervention in relation to surgery before investigating the effect in a Scandinavian multi-centre randomized trial. Material and Methods: A qualitative study. Thirteen consecutive alcohol patients with fractures participated after informed consent. They were interviewed during their hospital stay. The number of participants was based on the criteria of data-saturation. The analysis followed the applied qualitative framework model aimed at evaluation of specific participant needs within a larger overall project. Results: All patients regarded alcohol intervention in relation to surgery as a good idea. They did not consider quit drinking as a major problem during their hospital stay and had all remained abstinent in this period. About half of the patients were ready or partly ready to participate in an alcohol intervention. Patient opinions and their readiness to participate were expressed in four groups, which also reflected their readiness to stop drinking in the perioperative period, their general acceptance of supportive disulfiram as part of an alcohol intervention as well as their awareness of postoperative complications. Conclusion: This study clarified that the patients found alcohol intervention relevant in relation to surgery

The right to smoke and the right to smoke-free surroundings: international comparison of smoke-free psychiatric clinic implementation experiences

In Scandinavia, people with a severe mental disorder have a reduced life expectancy of 15-20 years compared with the general public. Smoking is a major contributor, and smoke-free policies are increasingly adopted in psychiatric clinics around the world. We compared potential facilitators and barriers among staff and management, for the implementation of smoke-free psychiatric clinics

RISIKOADFÆRD OG DET GODE LIV: Spørgsmål til en livsstil med øl, cigaretter og mangel på motion.

This pilot study looks into the question of why some people continue a lifestyle of risk behaviour, knowing full well that this might cause them illness in the future. Risk behaviour in this study was defined by not meeting the recommendations from the Danish National Board of Health: Not to smoke, to keep a BMI lower than 25, to drink less than 14 (women) or 21 (men) standard drinks per week and to be physically active at least half an hour each day. Each interviewee failed to meet at least two of these recommendations and did not have plans to change his or her lifestyle. The aim of this study was to qualitatively investigate how four citizens from West Copenhagen, with high risk behaviour, regarded the concepts of health, illness and risk; the study also addresses the factors that would increase their motivation for lifestyle change. This study showed that the informants’ attitudes to risk behaviour were negotiated, created and maintained around the following themes which are part of a practical rationalism: “future”, “probability”, “it happens to others” and “luck”. The threat of illness caused by risk behaviour was expected to be the primary motivating factor for lifestyle change. The informants with high-risk behaviour had a short-term perspective that dominated their everyday lives. They didn’t expect to fall ill due to their risk behaviour, but if they did, they considered the disease to be the primary motivating factor for lifestyle change. &nbsp

Self-reported needs for improving the supervision competence of PhD supervisors from the medical sciences in Denmark

Background: Quality of supervision is a major predictor for successful PhD projects. A survey showed that almost all PhD students in the Health Sciences in Denmark indicated that good supervision was important for the completion of their PhD study. Interestingly, approximately half of the students who withdrew from their program had experienced insufficient supervision. This led the Research Education Committee at the University of Copenhagen to recommend that supervisors further develop their supervision competence. The aim of this study was to explore PhD supervisors' self-reported needs and wishes regarding the content of a new program in supervision, with a special focus on the supervision of PhD students in medical fields. Methods: A semi-structured interview guide was developed, and 20 PhD supervisors from the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen were interviewed. Empirical data were analysed using qualitative methods of analysis. Results: Overall, the results indicated a general interest in improved competence and development of a new supervision programme. Those who were not interested argued that, due to their extensive experience with supervision, they had no need to participate in such a programme. The analysis revealed seven overall themes to be included in the course. The clinical context offers PhD supervisors additional challenges that include the following sub-themes: patient recruitment, writing the first article, agreements and scheduled appointments and two main groups of students, in addition to the main themes. Conclusions: The PhD supervisors reported the clear need and desire for a competence enhancement programme targeting the supervision of PhD students at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Supervision in the clinical context appeared to require additional competence. Trial registration: The Scientific Ethical Committee for the Capital Region of Denmark. Number: H-3-2010-101, date: 2010.09.29

From Targeted Needs Assessment to Course Ready for Implementation—A Model for Curriculum Development and the Course Results

This article contributes guidance on how to approach the development of a course curriculum in general and presents a specific example from medical research education. The purpose of this study is to discuss a model for translating needs assessments of targeted learners into a course curriculum. The model employs established methods for data collection, such as different interview approaches and surveys. The authors argue that there is value in going from exploratory in-depth qualitative data collection methods to more conclusive rigorous quantitative methods when developing a course curriculum. In this way, the model is especially sensitive to the needs of targeted learners in the initial phase and at the same time offers a systematic and practical approach to curriculum development. The model is presented step-by-step with the aid of an empirical example of how to assess the needs of medical doctors in the publication process and develop an introductory course in writing an initial manuscript for publication. The article concludes that the proposed model gives curriculum developers a unique opportunity to explore the needs of targeted learners in depth, while systematically aiming towards conclusive decisions on curriculum content ready for implementation

From Targeted Needs Assessment to Course Ready for Implementation—A Model for Curriculum Development and the Course Results

This article contributes guidance on how to approach the development of a course curriculum in general and presents a specific example from medical research education. The purpose of this study is to discuss a model for translating needs assessments of targeted learners into a course curriculum. The model employs established methods for data collection, such as different interview approaches and surveys. The authors argue that there is value in going from exploratory in-depth qualitative data collection methods to more conclusive rigorous quantitative methods when developing a course curriculum. In this way, the model is especially sensitive to the needs of targeted learners in the initial phase and at the same time offers a systematic and practical approach to curriculum development. The model is presented step-by-step with the aid of an empirical example of how to assess the needs of medical doctors in the publication process and develop an introductory course in writing an initial manuscript for publication. The article concludes that the proposed model gives curriculum developers a unique opportunity to explore the needs of targeted learners in depth, while systematically aiming towards conclusive decisions on curriculum content ready for implementation