Scandinavian journal of caring sciences
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing and medical intervention programme for the prevention and treatment of delirium in elderly patients treated for femoral neck fractures. Forty-nine patients consecutively admitted to an orthogeriatric rehabilitation unit in a county hospital in northern Sweden were compared with historical cohorts of corresponding patients in the same and other hospitals. There was a total reorganization of nursing and medical care of patients with femoral neck fractures. ⋯ The main result of the study was that the incidence of delirium was significantly lower than in all previously published studies. The incidence of other postoperative complications was also lower, and a larger proportion of the patients regained independent walking ability and could return to their previous living conditions on discharge. It can be concluded that the intervention programme reduced the incidence and duration of delirium and improved functional outcome for elderly patients treated for femoral neck fractures.
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This is the first of two studies investigating district nurses' opinions regarding the knowledge, management and nursing documentation of patients with chronic pain conditions, before and after the introduction of 'pain advisers' in one health care region in Stockholm. Seventy (97%) district nurses at 12 selected primary health care centres (PHCCs) answered a questionnaire. The study showed that 85% of the district nurses met patients with chronic pain conditions at least once a week. ⋯ The district nurses reported insufficient pain documentation. A number of district nurses were dissatisfied with the present management of patients with chronic pain at their PHCCs, their own knowledge of pain control, their own preparedness to meet these patients, their own follow-ups and their own documentation. The study also showed that the district nurses' attitudes to pain and pain control varied, depending on how satisfied they were with their own management of patients with chronic pain conditions.
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The aim of this study was to adapt, validate, and test for reliability the Quality of Life Scale in Norwegian (QOLS-N) for patients suffering from psoriasis. Two hundred and eighty-two patients with psoriasis were included in the study. Self-reported health was measured using the SF-36. ⋯ The correlation with disease severity was not significant (-0.06). The results reported in the present paper are in accordance with those derived in other validation studies. The QOLS-N seems to be a reliable and valid measure of global quality of life in patients suffering from psoriasis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Postoperative pain. Does subcutaneous lidocaine spray relieve it? Can pain be predicted?
Postoperative pain is often a big problem after gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of the present investigation was two-fold; To see whether supplying of lidocaine spray in the surgical wound influences postoperative pain and to evaluate the role of patients and caring factors on the perception of postoperative pain. Sixty consecutive patients undergoing major abdominal surgery were randomized into a control or a treatment group. ⋯ Preoperative anxiety correlated to postoperative pain, whereas malignant diagnoses did not. Most of the studied patients had considerable postoperative pain. Routines for postoperative pain relief should be improved.
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As peace of mind has been reported by elderly nursing home patients to be an important aspect of health, registered nurses were asked how they could support the attainment of this state of mind in elderly, lucid patients. Four aspects of nursing support were found: support through instrumental activities, through daily coexistence, through genuine encounters and through empowering supportive interventions. Included in professional nursing was not only the responsibility for all nursing performed in the ward, but also the empowering support, health education (support to acquire a realistic picture of the situation) and support in dealing with situations at hand. It was concluded that these functions in nursing home care needed further attention and research.