Increasingly people use the Internet to find health-related information. However, to obtain information of good quality there may be obstacles. The aim of this literature review was to gain knowledge about use of the Internet in developing health related knowledge. Two questions were posted: What factors can be obstacles in understanding health-related information on the Internet? What effects can health related information obtained from the Internet have for the user? In a systematic search in CINAHL and Pubmed, and a systematic review of two specific journals from the years 2000 to 2004, 14 scientific articles were found. Use of the Internet is related to the individual’s age, socio-economical factors, ethnicity, and health. Information obtained from the Internet may influence the patient-caregiver relation, as well as the individual’s sense of security and independence. There are learning needs for the individual in how to use the Internet and needs for improvement of the search-engines and websites
Aim: To evaluate quality of websites containing health information about heart attack in the Swedish language, accessible via one common used search engine available to the general public. Background: Increasingly, information about different health problems is sought on the Internet. From a layman perspective, such information can be hard to find, to understand and to trust. Health care professionals should be able to inform and teach the individual safe ways of finding health information of good quality on the Internet, which involves assessments of the websites. Methods: In one common used search engine, the Google, one search was performed during February 2006. Seventy websites were evaluated using one or all the European Union (EU) quality criteria. Findings: No website met all the criteria, but websites found on the search engines first search pages, met the criteria in the best way. Those websites were primarily aimed at mediating health information to the general public provided by government authorities, county councils, universities and companies. Conclusions: Ethnic minority groups, and individuals with low literacy skills/or visual impairments, may have difficulties finding suitable information. The EU quality criteria need to be refined in order to better assess the quality on different kind of websites.
Introduction:Pain in connection with needles is a major reason to children’s anxiety and fear. Parents have a unique competence and knowledge about their children’s experiences and reactions that should be regarded as important in health care. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe a group of parents' perceptions of the factors that influence their children's experience in relation to venepuncture. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 parents. The interviews were based on the question “What factors influence your child's experience in relation to venepuncture?”. The data were analysed through manifest and latent content analysis. Results: The manifest analysis resulted in five categories: Children's experience of fear and stress, The parent's behaviour, Information and preparation, Distraction and Staff expertise. The latent content analysis led to the theme: Adapting the peripheral venepuncture for the individual child is both the responsibility of the parents and the health care professionals. Conclusions: Parents have specific knowledge of the child they wish to convey to the nursing staff. They also want to work in collaboration with staff to minimize the child's anxiety and fear. Parents should be seen as a resource in the child’s health care.
In this pilot study a faces pain scale (FPS) and the ColouredAnalogue Scale (CAS) were evaluated. The FPS consists of six faces corresponding to a numeric scale of 0 to 10, and the CAS is a modified visual analogue scale from 0 to 10. The aims were to examine if FPS and CAS were considered as equal, valid and applicable in measuring pain in children in an emergency room. To assess concurrent validity, 62 children in an emergency room were asked to mark their current pain on both self-report scales. When construct validity was assessed, a subgroup of children (n=19) was asked to score their pain before and after administered analgesics. All children were asked which scale they preferred. There were no significant differences in the scores between the scales. The correlation between them was 0.64 for children >8 years of age and 0.66 for children 4.5–7 years (p<0.05). Median scores after analgesic administration decreased from 5.8 to 4.2 with CAS (p<0.001) and from 6 to 4 with FPS (p<0.001). Children >8 years preferred CAS, while younger children preferred FPS (p<0.05). Both scales showed concurrent and construct validity in this study group of untrained children in an emergency room.
Background: Transplantation is a well established form of treatment for terminal organs failure. Most patients that undergo this treatment havebeen through a period of severe illness and suffering. In the care of the patient the nurse can ease the suffering.The aim of this study was to describe how patients experience organ transplantation.Methods: Nine kidney transplanted and five liver transplanted patients were interviewed concerning their experience of transplantation.Interviews with semi constructed questions were performed at two occasions during the first month post transplanted. The text was then analyzedwith the qualitative content analysis.Results: After text analysis seven categories and two themes emerged. The themes were – physical suffering and physical well-being. Aftertransplantation the recollection of illness was very strong and despite severe disease trust in the health care and in the careers remained high.Conclusions:It is central that nurses are aware of that process – to go from a life threatening illness to an experience of well-being – is slow.If nurses are conscious about this, an opportunity to persist patients trust toward the health care and health careers, is given.
Background: Nurses should work from health perspective and have profound knowledge of what affects public health. Through dialogue with patients, nurses have an essential role to illustrate patients drinking behavior and illuminate the effects of alcohol on health.
Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate the district nurses experiences of dialogue with patients concerning alcohol.
Method: Eight district nurses were interviewed at experiences of dialogue with patients concerning alcohol.
Findings: Three themes were interpreted, as feeling of security in reassuring to know that there had time, have sufficient knowledge and to find a good opportunity to talk about alcohol. Personal values attitude affected the dialogue Patient’s responsibility for the dialogue when the patient herself not asked at alcohol was it no conversation or if the patient signaled that they did not want to talk about alcohol ended the dialogue.
Conclusion: The experience of safety in the work situation, personal attitudes towards alcohol affected the district nurse´s attitudes and abilities to accomplish dialogue with patients concerning alcohol. It was remarkable that the responsibility for the content of the dialogue in several occasions was submitted to patients. The district nurses want guidelines and procedures for working with alcohol issues.
Aim: The aim of this study was to describe strategies that parents use in managing their everyday relationship with their mentally ill son ordaughter.Background: When a son or daughter is suffering from mental illness, the parents’life arenas become affected. To help individuals with a lackof coping strategies handle the stress that can arise in mental ill health situations, it is important to develop more knowledge about howparents handle everyday life with their son or daughter with mental illness.Methods: Qualitative interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with ten parents. The data were analysed through manifest contentanalysis.Findings: Three categories were found, all with subcategories: finding power in everyday life; the need for external support; and preparednessfor coping.Conclusion: The management strategies the interviewed parents used consisted of gaining power every day by taking out moments to dispeltheir thoughts, and by creating both an openness in the family and the opportunity to practice leisure activities to temporarily distancethemselves from the relationship with their son or daugher with mental illness. They also mentioned the need to be prepared to handle differentsituations that may arise. In this regard, both routines and flexibility are important management strategies for these parents. When ason/daughter is receiving treatment at a psychiatric ward, support from health professionals is important for parental management strategies
Background: Care of elderly changed in the 1990s in Sweden; treatment sessions were shortened in particular. Consequently, patients have a greater need for care when returning home from hospital. This task may seem overwhelming and caregivers can feel lonely, worn out and resigned in their situation. Aim: Explore how caregivers experience caring for an elderly next of kin in ordinary living. Method: Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with eleven Swedish caregivers. Findings: Caregivers experienced their situation as something to be endured. In particular, they felt a need for belonging, a need for controlling everyday life, and a need for support. Conclusion: Home care nurses, health centres and home support workers should be aware of and respect caregivers’ needs in terms of support.