Perceptions of an older patient on the role of the family doctor in health promotion : a qualitative case study

Introduction: Health promotion and disease prevention are important aspects of primary health care. However, limited data are available concerning the opinions of older patients towards the respective services offered by family doctors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate an older patient's perception of the role of the family doctor in promoting his health, and identify those components that are difficult to examine in quantitative research. Methods: A qualitative case study of an 80-year-old man using an in-depth interview was carried out. The interview transcript was analyzed thematically. Our patient was an 80-year-old university-educated man, with stable social and financial circumstances, living with his wife. He had retired early on grounds of ill health (tuberculosis) and had received a disability pension prior to formal retirement. At the time of the interview, his medical problems included mild prostatic hypertrophy, scoliosis and hypertension. He considered his health status to be satisfactory. He had changed family doctor five years prior to the interview, as he had been dissatisfied with the care provided. Results: We found that our patient expected the family doctor to be aware of, and to discuss, the following issues: physical activity, diet, management of stress and mental health, use of alcohol and tobacco, personal hygiene, health screening, use of medication, and social activity. At the same time, our patient perceived the doctor's role as supplementary to his own in terms of the appraisal and maintenance of his health. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence of what is important in the promotion of health among older people

What do older people value when they visit their general practitioner? : a qualitative study

Older patients see their general practitioners (GPs) relatively often and so recognition of their preferences can lead to improvement of quality of care in general practice. This study aimed to identify which aspects of GPs’ behaviour are the most important for older people in their assessment of the quality of their visits and to explore the application of Jung’s taxonomy differentiating task and affective behaviour in this context. A qualitative approach to generating data was chosen. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of 30 patients aged 65 and older using GP services in two demographically diverse big cities in Poland. Participants were interviewed in 2010 according to a pre-determined topic guide. This research showed that older people assess both ‘task performance’ and ‘affective performance’ behaviours of general practitioners. There were nearly twice as many patient comments concerning affective performance behaviour relative to task performance behaviour. Older people expect that their physicians will be demonstrably friendly, kind, able to joke and have enough time for the consultation

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF NURSING STUDENTS IN LITHUANIA AND POLAND

Nurses' professional identities develop throughout their lifetimes, from before entering nursing education, throughout their years of study and clinical experience, and continue to evolve during their careers. Education is, however, a key period as it is during this time students gain the knowledge and skills that separate nurses as healthcare professionals from people representing their professions. In order to purposefully shape the professional identity of nursing students, there is a need of knowing the level at which students identify themselves with the profession when graduating from a university. The aim of the study is to reveal the professional identity of nursing students in Lithuania and Poland and to make recommendations for improving the study process on the basis of the results of the study. A quantitative survey was conducted in the spring of 2017. The results of the research reveal that the professional identity of nursing students is rather of high level, the decision to work as nurses is strong, but there are some gaps in understanding of roles and responsibilities of nursing.

Rola pielęgniarki i położnej w sprawowaniu podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej

The role of a nurse and midwife in providing primary health careThe scope of responsibilities and services of a nurse and midwife in primary health care was presented on the basis of a review of literature and current legal acts. The scope of responsibilities of a primary care nurse and midwife includes services provided at the patient's home and at an outpatients’ clinic concerning health promotion and disease prevention, as well as nursing, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Services provided by a nurse in educational environment include carrying out and interpreting screening tests, counselling for students with health problems, care for students with chronic illnesses and disabilities, first aid, consultancy for the head teacher and participation in health education, including oral health issues. The objective of long-term home nursing care is to provide nursing care services at the patient's home, to instruct caregivers regarding proper care for the patient and to prepare the patient and their family to self-care and self-management

Rola pielęgniarki i położnej w sprawowaniu podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej

The scope of responsibilities and services of a nurse and midwife in primary health care was presented on the basis of a review of literature and current legal acts. The scope of responsibilities of a primary care nurse and midwife includes services provided at the patient’s home and at an outpatients’ clinic concerning health promotion and disease prevention, as well as nursing, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Services provided by a nurse in educational environment include carrying out and interpreting screening tests, counselling for students with health problems, care for students with chronic illnesses and disabilities, first aid, consultancy for the head teacher and participation in health education, including oral health issues. The objective of long-term home nursing care is to provide nursing care services at the patient’s home, to instruct caregivers regarding proper care for the patient and to prepare the patient and their family to self-care and self-management

Rola pielęgniarki i położnej w sprawowaniu podstawowej opieki zdrowotnej

The scope of responsibilities and services of a nurse and midwife in primary health care was presented on the basis of a review of literature and current legal acts. The scope of responsibilities of a primary care nurse and midwife includes services provided at the patient’s home and at an outpatients’ clinic concerning health promotion and disease prevention, as well as nursing, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Services provided by a nurse in educational environment include carrying out and interpreting screening tests, counselling for students with health problems, care for students with chronic illnesses and disabilities, first aid, consultancy for the head teacher and participation in health education, including oral health issues. The objective of long-term home nursing care is to provide nursing care services at the patient’s home, to instruct caregivers regarding proper care for the patient and to prepare the patient and their family to self-care and self-management

Choice and perception of the nursing profession from the perspective of Polish nursing students: a focus group study.

BACKGROUND: Although previous quantitative studies provide important information on the factors which influence the choice of nursing as a career, qualitative analysis makes it possible to study the subject more thoroughly. The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the reasons why Polish students choose nursing as a profession and their later perception of the job based on experiences acquired during the nursing course. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was designed. We organized 8 focus group discussions with third-year nursing students. A total of 76 students participated in the study. RESULTS: Several reasons why students had chosen the nursing profession were identified: desire to help others, family tradition, desire to work abroad, failure to get into another course, pure chance, and low admission requirements (relative to medical studies). The participants\u27 views of the nursing profession were based on their own personal experiences or observations of nurses at work. Often these observations were superficial, concerning only selected fragments of nursing work. The participants also identified reasons for there being low regard for the nursing profession. CONCLUSION: The decision about choosing nursing is mainly determined by practical aspects, e.g., the opportunity for employment. Although young people are aware of the low prestige of the nursing profession in Poland, they believe it is possible to improve its image and enhance its prestige

Assessment of differences in psychosocial resources and state of health of rural and urban residents : based on studies carried out on students during examination stress

Introduction. Civilization changes of the environment shaping the psychosocial resources from rural to urban influence human health. Aim. The study aimed to identify the differences due to the place of residence (rural, urban) as far as health resources are concerned (social support, sense of coherence, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentration in plasma) and health in examination stress situations. The study also determined the concentration of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (health resource) and cortisol (stress indicator). Material and methods. The psychosocial variables were assessed using the scales: ISEL-48v. Coll., SOC-29, SF-36v.2™ oand analogue scale (perception of examination stress). The study included, based on a stratified sampling (year of study) and purposive sampling (written examination, major), 731 students representing the six universities in Lublin, south-east Poland. Among the respondents, 130 students were rural residents. Results. Health resources of students living in rural and urban areas generally differ statistically significantly in social support and the subscales of availability of tangible support, availability of appreciative support, the availability of cognitive-evaluative support and a sense of resourcefulness. The study recorded a sstatistically significantly larger network of family ties among students living in rural areas. The demonstrated diversity of resources did not substantially affect the perceived health, with the exception of pain sensation. Examination stress assessed by subjective opinion of the respondents and plasma cortisol levels vary relative to the place of residence. Students residing in rural areas showed significantly lower cortisol levels values, but subjectively perceived the situation of examation as more stressful. Conclusions. Differences in health resources and their mechanism of impact on health, to a limited extent, were conditioned by the place of residence, but they are so important in the light of human choices that they require further analysis