The Experiences and Evaluation of a Complex Intervention for Couples Coping With Stroke

BACKGROUND: Globally, stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. With a strong sense of filial responsibility, Asian caregivers are committed to caring for their ill family members. In response, the 3H (Head, Heart, Hands) intervention was developed and implemented in Singapore to support couples in their coping after a stroke. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of the participants taking part in the 3H intervention and evaluate the intervention after they had participated in it.METHODS: An interpretive descriptive design was used. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 7 patients and 7 spousal caregivers. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.RESULTS: The participants' experience was described as one of becoming more prepared to face the storm. The "storm" resulted from a stroke, where the participants were worried and uncertain about their future. After participating in the intervention, the couples' coping processes had improved. They coped by breaking the silence and engaging in conversations, cultivating a sense of support, and conveniently fulfilling their educational needs. It was evaluated that extending the 3H intervention for community nursing is necessary to strengthen the care transition of couples from the hospital to home.CONCLUSION: New knowledge has been gained that the 3H intervention is useful and may be implemented in a clinical context before a patient's discharge from hospital. As a result of participating in the 3H intervention, effective coping was evident where participants engaged in conversations, cultivated a sense of support, and fulfilled their educational needs. Primary healthcare professionals should pay more attention to the difficulties and needs of this group of people, provide more resources to support them, and improve their quality of life.</p

Health system barriers influencing timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in low and middle-income Asian countries: evidence from a mixed-methods systematic review

Background Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer type and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in developing countries. A high prevalence of late breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been reported predominantly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), including those in Asia. Thus, this study utilized a mixed-methods systematic review to synthesize the health system barriers influencing timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in Asian countries. Methods We systematically searched five electronic databases for studies published in English from 2012 to 2022 on health system barriers that influence timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in Asian countries. The review was conducted per the methodology for systematic reviews and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, while health system barriers were extracted and classified based on the World Health Organization (WHO)‘s Health Systems Framework. The mixed-methods appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results Twenty-six studies were included in this review. Fifteen studies were quantitative, nine studies were qualitative, and two studies used a mixed-methods approach. These studies were conducted across ten countries in Asia. This review identified health systems barriers that influence timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The factors were categorized under the following: (1) delivery of health services (2) health workforce (3) financing for health (4) health information system and (5) essential medicines and technology. Delivery of health care (low quality of health care) was the most occurring barrier followed by the health workforce (unavailability of physicians), whilst health information systems were identified as the least barrier. Conclusion This study concluded that health system factors such as geographical accessibility to treatment, misdiagnosis, and long waiting times at health facilities were major barriers to early breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among Asian women in LMICs. Eliminating these barriers will require deliberate health system strengthening, such as improving training for the health workforce and establishing more healthcare facilities

COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong and Gaza Strip: Lessons Learned from the Two of the Most Densely Populated Spots in the World.

10.24171/j.phrp.2021.12.1.07Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives12144-5

Struck by a Storm: Reflections on the Perceived Uncertainties of Poststroke Recovery

10.1097/JNN.000000000000058

The Experiences and Evaluation of a Complex Intervention for Couples Coping With Stroke

10.1097/JNN.0000000000000564Journal of Neuroscience Nursing533107-14

The Experiences of Couples Affected by Stroke and Nurses Managing Patient Rehabilitation: A Descriptive Study in Singapore

10.1097/jnr.000000000000039

Effectiveness of Public Education Campaigns for Stroke Symptom Recognition and Response in Non-Elderly Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106207Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases31

Cultural Perspectives on Pain Assessment and Opioid Use: International Neuroscience Nursing Research Symposium Conference Proceedings

10.1097/JNN.000000000000058

Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.227