There are over 1,5 billion Muslims living on earth and the religion is one of the world´s most increasing. Sweden is a country with a cultural diversity where about 300 000 Muslims lived in 1999. Today, the requirement for knowledge about caring for Muslims and the need of culturally competent nursing care are increasing.The aim of this study was to define cultural factors which the nurse has to recognize to be able to give culturally competent care to the Muslim patient. The method that has been used was a The Sunrise Model, which illustrates Leininger´s theory of culture care diversity and universality, provides a theoretical framework for the study. The results are presented on the basis of Leininger´s three cultural factors; cultural values, beliefs and lifeways. Factors that where especially important to recognize for the nurse were the perception of health and illness, prayer, death, gender roles, family, clothing, diet and communication.
Background: Hand hygiene is the simplest and most fundamental means to prevent care related infections. It is of great importance that the guideline of hand hygiene is followed for the patient’s sake. Unfortunately, healthcare workers perform hand hygiene too seldom. If the patient comes down with a care related infection, the suffering will increase. The nurse's role is therefore to prevent unnecessary suffering for the patient by following recommendations for hand hygiene. In order to get a broader understanding of the reasons why the compliance of hand hygiene is so low the theory of planned behaviour was used (TPB). This theory explains the human behavior. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe causes of not following recommendations for hand hygiene among health care workers. Method: This literature review was based on quantitative and qualitative scientific articles. Results: The findings indicated that there were several factors that influence the low compliance of hand hygiene recommendations. These were summarized as: workload and lack of time, skin irritation, attitudes and motivation, insufficient access to hand hygiene products, inappropriate glove use, lack of knowledge and unawareness.
Background: The number of patients with a foreign background is increasing, thereby it can be a challenge for the staff to communicate with those who do not speak the native language. Therefore, the need for good communication is crucial in order to meet patient’s right and secure the quality of nursing care. Interpreters are increasingly used in healthcare today, despite of this the communication between the nurse and patient does not work. Few studies are made where the communication between the nurse and patient through an interpreter is studied in the primary care in Sweden. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe nurse’s experience of communication with patients through an interpreter in the primary care.
Method: Eight nurses and district nurses were interviewed individually during winter 2013. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. A qualitative content analysis method was used to analyse the interview texts. Results: Four main categories were revealed: experiences of communicating through an interpreter, family member as an interpreter, professionalism among interpreters and strategies for the use of interpreters. It is a challenge to work through an interpreter since it require more time and resources. There are differences in the interpreter’s skills and to use relatives as interpreters is not optimal for the patient's autonomy. Nurses have their own strategies when it comes to the use of interpreters. In spite of this it is nurses pointed out the need for training in intercultural communication and training in effective use of interpreters. Conclusion: There is a need for better collaboration between the interpreter agency and the nurses there the views and expectations of both sides can be discussed. That could improve quality of the communication with the patient and provide the care that is planned. Training for nurses in intercultural communication should also be improved
It is important to use a language interpreter in health care meetings where patients do not speak Swedish to increase the understanding and participation among the patients. The use of a language interpreter in the health care meeting requires the interpreter and the caregiver to follow the regulations and guidelines at hand. It is a challenge for the language interpreters to be able to efficiently convey whatever is said during the meeting since there can be obstacles such as for the interpreter to be misunderstood or mistrusted in their job.
Aim: To describe the language interpreter´s experiences of being a tool in the health care meeting. Methods: A qualitative study where interviews have been made with eleven language interpreters. The interviews have been analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Result: The language interpreter found his or her work rewarding with a great responsibility in conveying messages correctly between the parts. In some cases the language interpreter experienced that the caregiver or the patient didn't trust the interpretation to be correct. It was found hard to perform a proper interpretation when the caregiver or the patient lacked knowledge of the interpreter's role. According to the informants, the quality of the interpreted conversation increased significantly if both the language interpreter and the caregiver had experience in language interpretation. Conclusion: There is doubt about how to use a language interpreter in the health meeting according to the interviewed language interpreters. Even though there are regulations on, and guidelines to, how to conduct a meeting where a language interpreter is used, there are few caregivers who have knowledge about what their own role and the language interpreter role should be in the health care meeting.
Background: How small children sleep influence the whole family. Sleeping problems, could influence children physical, mental, emotionally, cognitive and socially. When parents get waked by the children, who wake by themselves in the middle of the night, the parents do not always now what to do. Aim: The aim of this study was how children sleep and how it influence their parents sleep habit. The question formulation was threefold: Firstly. To describe the sleeping habit of children aged 0-3 years and their parents. Secondly, how usual are sleeping problems and which are the differences concerning sleep between those who experience problems and those who do not? Thirdly, witch help has the parents searched and received concerning sleeping problems. Method: The study was empirical and a questionnaire was constructed. This was delivered to three children care centres. 51 questionnaires were answered and analysed. Results: The parents who believed that they sometimes had problem with the sleep, felt more irascible. They also believed that the children were more frequently sick. The parents talked more with district nurse, and they had more frequently at least two children.
Follow-up studies on art therapy are lacking. In a randomised art therapy intervention study from 2001 to 2004 with women with breast cancer, results showed that patients benefitted from participating in art therapy for up to four months after the intervention. The aim of this study was to describe the coping resources and quality of life amongst women treated for breast cancer five to seven years after participating in individual art therapy during radiotherapy as compared to a control group. In 2009, thirty-seven women, 18 from the intervention group and 19 from the control group, answered questionnaires about their coping resources and quality of life. The results showed no significant difference between the groups regarding their coping resources or quality of life, except for an unexpected significantly lower score in the domain ’Social relations’ in the study group as compared to baseline, at the time of the follow up. However, our study from 2001 to 2004 supports various positive effects of art therapy within six months of participation as compared to a control group. Consequently, attending art therapy during the treatment period for breast cancer can be of great importance to support health, coping and quality of life in a short-term perspective. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Aim and objective The objective was to explore and describe patients’ daily life experiences five years after gastric bypass surgery. Background Bariatric surgery markedly decreases body weight. Previous studies describe positive consequences, as well as physical, social and emotional challenges during the first few years after surgery. An understanding of how patients adjust to and cope with postsurgical changes in the long term is crucial to help them obtain a successful outcome after bariatric surgery. Method A qualitative method was employed. In-depth interviews with 10 men and women were conducted five years after bariatric surgery in a Norwegian hospital. Results One overarching theme – a multitude of daily life changes following bariatric surgery – was developed based on three main themes: relational aspects related to weight loss, the new body and changes in self-esteem. Six sub-themes are described. Conclusion Those who undergo gastric bypass surgery experience enormous changes in their daily lives. Their social lives, their relationship to their body and their self-esteem may be altered by the weight loss. Relevance to clinical practice The results of this study suggest directions for patient education, health staff education and peer education. A patient education programme focusing on changes in daily life experiences when undergoing gastric bypass surgery is suggested due to the changes experienced by the patients involved in this study.