Dietary Advice on Prescription: A novel approach to dietary counseling

This article describes a novel approach to giving dietary advice, which is called “Dietary Advice on Prescription” (DAP; Matordning på Recept [MoR] in Swedish). It is the same principle as prescription on medicine and “Physical Activity on Prescription” (PAP; Fysisk aktivitet på Recept [FaR] in Swedish). The main idea is that a written prescription will strengthen the oral advice and emphasize certain aspects of the dietary recommendation. The DAP is on the brink of being tested in a planned study

Living on social assistance with chronic illness: Buffering and undermining features to well-being

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Sweden, the social security and sickness insurance systems are comprehensive and aim to provide people whose illness prevents them from earning their own living, with either sickness benefits or disability pension. Some, however, are not entitled to these benefits or receive social insurance benefits at a level too low for subsistence, and are referred to social assistance. The purpose of this study was to explore in depth how social assistance recipients with chronic illness perceive and respond to the experience of living on social assistance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventeen in-depth interviews were carried out with chronically ill people who had received social assistance for several years. Grounded theory informed the design of the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study showed that different strategies (living one day at a time, taking steps forwards and backwards and making attempts to find ways out of the situation) were employed by social assistance recipients to maintain or improve their well-being. Contextual features like the prevailing welfare system, public services and the local neighbourhood could buffer or undermine these strategies and their overall well-being. These features together influenced how interviewees perceived their situation, the possible ways out of the situation and the consequences for their well-being.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From this study it is evident that the way in which individuals on social assistance interact with services and how they are treated by professionals plays an important role in their well-being, in combination with what kind of help and support is available for recipients through the welfare system. In this respect, persons living on social assistance with chronic illness are particularly vulnerable. This study suggests that more effort should be made to find long term solutions concerning income support, rehabilitation and other services provided to this group.</p

Interprofessional Collaboration in Swedish health and social care from a care manager’s perspective : [Interprofessionell samverkan i svensk hälso- och sjukvård och social omsorg ur biståndshandläggares perspektiv]

The aim of this study was to study interprofessional collaboration in health and social care for older people and persons with disabilities from a care manager's perspective. The empirical data was collected at a workshop held during a national conference for care managers and through focus group interviews in two Swedish municipalities. The results showed that the care managers collaborated in different ways with many different professionals from different organisations. The care and discharge planning meetings emerged as the most typical situation where care managers collaborated with different health care professionals. Interprofessional collaboration was seen as a means for care managers to fulfil their assignment and carry out their work. The care manager role encompassed role strain, a relatively weak professional identity, and differences in professional status among those involved in interprofessional collaboration.Syftet med studien var att studera interprofessionell samverkan i hälso- och sjukvård och social omsorg för äldre personer och personer med funktionsnedsättningar ur biståndshandläggares perspektiv. Empiriska data samlades in vid en workshop i samband med en nationell konferens för biståndshandläggare samt genom fokusgruppsintervjuer i två kommuner i Sverige. Resultatet visade att biståndshandläggare samverkar på flera varierande sätt och med olika yrkesgrupper från flera organisationer. Vård- och omsorgsplaneringsmöten framträdde som den mest typiska situationen där biståndshandläggare samverkar med andra yrkesgrupper inom vård och omsorg. Interprofessionell samverkan sågs som viktig för att biståndshandläggarna skulle kunna fullfölja sin uppgift och utföra sitt arbete. Biståndshandläggarrollen kännetecknas av motstridiga rollförväntningar och en relativt svag professionell identitet. Skillnader i professionell status bland de involverade påverkade samverkan