Calibrating and adjusting expectations in life: A grounded theory on how elderly persons with somatic health problems maintain control and balance in life and optimize well-being

Aim: This study aims at exploring the main concern for elderly individuals with somatic health problems and what they do to manage this. Method: In total, 14 individuals (mean = 74.2 years; range = 68–86 years) of both gender including hospitalized and outpatient persons participated in the study. Open interviews were conducted and analyzed according to grounded theory, an inductive theory-generating method. Results: The main concern for the elderly individuals with somatic health problems was identified as their striving to maintain control and balance in life. The analysis ended up in a substantive theory explaining how elderly individuals with somatic disease were calibrating and adjusting their expectations in life in order to adapt to their reduced energy level, health problems, and aging. By adjusting the expectations to their actual abilities, the elderly can maintain a sense of that they still have the control over their lives and create stability. The ongoing adjustment process is facilitated by different strategies and result despite lower expectations in subjective well-being. The facilitating strategies are utilizing the network of important others, enjoying cultural heritage, being occupied with interests, having a mission to fulfill, improving the situation by limiting boundaries and, finally, creating meaning in everyday life. Conclusion: The main concern of the elderly with somatic health problems was to maintain control and balance in life. The emerging theory explains how elderly people with somatic health problems calibrate their expectations of life in order to adjust to reduced energy, health problems, and aging. This process is facilitated by different strategies and result despite lower expectation in subjective well-being

Brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa:Current challenges for management, diagnosis and control

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella and affecting domestic and wild mammals. In this paper, the bacteriological and serological evidence of brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its epidemiological characteristics are discussed. The tools available for the diagnosis and treatment of human brucellosis and for the diagnosis and control of animal brucellosis and their applicability in the context of SSA are presented and gaps identified. These gaps concern mostly the need for simpler and more affordable antimicrobial treatments against human brucellosis, the development of a B. melitensis vaccine that could circumvent the drawbacks of the currently available Rev 1 vaccine, and the investigation of serological diagnostic tests for camel brucellosis and wildlife. Strategies for the implementation of animal vaccination are also discussed.Publishe

Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

The management of depressive symptoms in patients with COPD: a postal survey of general practitioners.

Item does not contain fulltextAIMS: We examined the management of depression by general practitioners (GPs), through the use of case vignettes, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe osteoarthritis and depressive symptoms alone. BACKGROUND: Depression is common in patients with COPD. Untreated depression leads to poor compliance with medical treatment and increases health-care utilisation. METHODS: We surveyed a random sample of GPs (n = 3956) in England using a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire explored how GPs would approach the management of emotional distress in patients with and without a chronic condition and gauged their views of and experiences with depression in patients with COPD. FINDINGS: A total of 864 completed responses were received (22%). In the vignettes, a significantly greater percentage of GPs reported that they would explore or offer the diagnosis of depression in a patient with COPD (95.4%) compared with patients with either severe osteoarthritis (88.3%) or depressive symptoms alone (86.3%). In each case, the vast majority of GPs reported that they would explore a diagnosis of depression using a clinical diagnostic tool. The preferred method of treatment, if offered, in all three cases was a combination of anti-depressant drugs and psychological therapy. GPs endorsed the importance of routinely screening for depression in patients who have COPD and acknowledged that depression impairs patient self-management of COPD.In conclusion, GPs in England were able to diagnose depression from the vignettes and plan appropriate treatment strategies in patients with chronic diseases. This should be complemented with thorough physical examination by GPs to rule out other factors such as the impact of physical illness. GPs believe depression interferes with patient self-management of COPD.1 juli 201

Quality of life in elderly patients with COPD: measurement and predictive factors

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity in old age. It leads to reduced quality of life (QoL), but the factors that contribute to this are less understood. There is no consensus on measurement of QoL in elderly COPD patients. We assessed (a) factors predicting QoL in elderly COPD out-patients and (b) specificity (SP), sensitivity (SEN), positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) and repeatability of two disease-specific QoL instruments, the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) and the Breathing Problems Questionnaire (BPQ) in elderly people. All subjects also completed an ADL measure [Nottingham Extended ADL (NEADL)] and a measure of psychological well-being [Brief Assessment of Depression Cards [BASDEC)] as well as a 6-min walk test. Subjects comprised 96 (56 men) elderly out-patients with irreversible COPD aged 70–93 years (mean 78) who were clinically stable for ≥ 6 weeks. Controls were 55 (23 men) aged 71–90 years (mean 78) with normal lung function. All were cognitively intact. Mean FEV1/FVC in COPD subjects was 45·5 (=1·4)% and for controls was 71·4 (=1·3)%. Repeatability was good for both BPQ and CRQ with no significant difference. There were no significant differences in specificity and positive predictive values between the two questionnaires but BPQ performed better than CRQ with regard to sensitivity (P=0·02) and NPV (P<0·001). A multiple regression analysis was used to identify variables that best predicted BPQ and CRQ in COPD subjects. For BPQ predictive values were NEADL (P<0·0001); BASDEC (P<0·0001); age (P<0·0001); 6-min walk distance (P=0·001); body mass index (P<0·05); resting oxygen saturation (P<0·05); and household composition (living alone or with relatives, P=0·05). In contrast only the following predicted CRQ: NEADL, BASDEC and resting oxygen saturation. Sixteen per cent of the variance in BPQ was accounted for by NEADL score, 9% by BASDEC, 4% by age and 3% by 6-min walk distance (total r2=0·70). It was concluded that: (1) BPQ provides more valid assessment than CRQ of QoL in elderly COPD subjects; (2) severity of disease in terms of its impact on QoL is not predicted by lung function tests; (3) the most important determinants of QoL are ADL score and emotional status