Scandinavian journal of primary health care
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2020
Comparative StudyPsychosocial issues need more attention in COPD self-management education.
Objective: To find out how regularly the contents of patient education regarded as essential for COPD patients' self-management are provided by healthcare professionals in specialised healthcare (SHC) and primary healthcare (PHC) in Finland. Design: A cross-sectional study based on an e-questionnaire with 42 items on the content of self-management education of COPD patients. Setting: The study sample included all public SHC units with pulmonary outpatient clinics (n = 29) and nine out of 160 health centres in Finland. ⋯ KEY POINTSIssues vital for coping with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), such as psychological well-being, stress and fatigue, are irregularly included in self-management education both in primary and specialised healthcare. Patient education provided by asthma/COPD nurses is more regular than patient education provided by other nurses. The distribution of work between doctors and nurses should be considered to ensure that there is no gap in COPD patients' education.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2020
Comparative StudyWeak smoking cessation awareness in primary health care before surgery: a real-world, retrospective cohort study.
Objective: Tobacco smoking is a well-established risk factor for postoperative complications. Research on preoperative smoking cessation in primary health care is scarce. Design: This was a retrospective cohort study. ⋯ Research on preoperative smoking cessation in primary health care is scarce. We found weak smoking awareness and weak smoking cessation intervention numbers among both primary and specialized health care doctors. Our results indicate an urgent need for an efficient preoperative smoking cessation model involving both primary and specialized health care.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2020
Quality and availability of information in primary healthcare: the patient perspective.
Objective: To explore lived experiences of patients communicating with and receiving information from primary health care. Design: Qualitative study analysing transcribed interviews by descriptive content analysis. Setting: Recruitment and interviews took place in southern Sweden in three primary care centres where privacy and undisturbed interview environments was ensured. ⋯ Experiences of limited access to primary health care and the need for varying degrees of adaptation on the part of the individual were factors of concern for how patients experienced the care. Key PointsSmooth communication and understandable information are fundamental for quality primary health care. This qualitative interview study identified the following key points from analysing the views of 17 patients:• Patients indicated a feeling of unpredictability due to lack of access to and communication with health professionals.• Patients sometimes reported an inability to understand information conveyed by health professionals.• Being able to form relationships with health professionals was crucial for patients' trust and understanding.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2020
Point-of-care ultrasound for general practitioners: a systematic needs assessment.
Objective: The aim of the study was to achieve consensus among a group of ultrasound proficient general practitioners (GPs) from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland on which ultrasound scanning modalities and ultrasound-guided procedures are essential to GPs in their daily work for the purpose of including them in a basic ultrasound curriculum. Design: The Delphi methodology was used to obtain consensus. Subjects: Sixty Scandinavian GPs with more than two years of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) experience were invited to join the Delphi expert panel. ⋯ We performed a systematic needs assessment among a group of ultrasound proficient GPs using the Delphi methodology for the purpose of establishing a basic POCUS curriculum. The process resulted in a prioritized list of 30 scanning modalities and ultrasound guided procedures. Our study provides the basis for an evidence-based basic POCUS curriculum for GPs.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2020
How can task shifting put patient safety at risk? A qualitative study of experiences among general practitioners in Norway.
Objective: To describe experiences among general practitioners (GPs) in Norway regarding horizontal task shifting experiences associated with adverse events that potentially put patient safety at risk. Design and contributors: We conducted a qualitative study with data from a retrospective convenience sample of consecutive, already posted comments in a restricted Facebook group for GPs in Norway. The sample consisted of 43 unique posts from 38 contributors (23 women and 15 men), presenting thick and specific accounts of potentially adverse events in the context of horizontal task shifting. ⋯ GPs in Norway report adverse events related to task shifting from specialist colleagues without proper resource allocation. Patient safety may be put at risk by hazardous delay, overdiagnosis, endangered accountability and potential malpractice. Planning and implementation of task shifting must involve all system levels and relevant stakeholders to ensure patient safety.