The aim was to explore patients’ experiences of ward rounds in inpatient care.
An exploratory qualitative design was chosen, collecting data with one-to-one semistructured interviews, conducted from March to May 2023. An interview guide was used as a basis for the interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
A medical and a surgical ward at a medium-sized hospital in southern Sweden.
Purposeful sampling was used to recruit patients aged 18 years or older. 16 patients were recruited with an age range of 38–72 years.
The findings showed that patients’ experiences of ward rounds have a wide range of variation. The main theme was: ‘The ward round as a bridge between patients’ experiences and knowledge and healthcare professionals’. The main theme consisted of two subthemes, reflecting the variation in patients’ experiences: ‘Feeling of togetherness versus loneliness’ and ‘Getting answers or being left in limbo’. The subthemes also highlighted patients’ experiences of factors that enabled satisfactory interactions between patients and healthcare professionals during ward rounds, such as comprehensible detailed information and supportive atmosphere, as well as experiences of factors that obstructed such interactions and caused patients to feel uncertainty.
Ward rounds in inpatient care play an important role for patient care and health, functioning as a bridge between patients and healthcare professionals. It is important for healthcare practitioners and policy-makers to create a model for ward rounds that can contribute to an open and supportive atmosphere as well as sharing comprehensible and detailed information.
Proactive and easily accessible interventions are needed to support people with long-term health conditions who experience limitations in activities of everyday life. However, there is a lack of interventions that promote self-management skills that prevent deterioration and improve health. The internet-based programme ‘Strategies for Empowering Activities in Everyday Life’ (SEE) supports people with long-term health conditions in developing self-management skills through knowledge, self-analysis and management strategies, promoting active and healthy daily life. This study protocol aims to evaluate the feasibility of SEE 2.0 and the study design.
This feasibility study employs a pretest and post-test design with no control group, embedded within a mixed-method approach. The participants will include 30–40 clients, occupational therapists and managers involved in delivering SEE 2.0 in primary healthcare and hospital-based services. Data will be collected through assessments and forms at baseline, 4 months and 12 months after inclusion. Additionally, qualitative methods will be used to enhance the understanding of participants’ experiences.
The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. The results will inform the refinement of SEE 2.0 and guide decisions on whether to proceed with planning a full-scale evaluation to assess the intervention’s effect. The results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals on websites and presented at conferences and seminars to reach various user groups.
by Gabriella Lillsunde Larsson, Jessica Carlsson, Gisela Helenius, Lovisa Bergengren
ObjectiveTo improve human papilloma virus (HPV) screening, more effective triage methods for HPV-positive samples need development and validation. Cytology, the most common triage method today, is subjective and can only be applied to professionally collected samples. Methylation status has been shown to be informative, as genes are highly methylated in HPV-induced cervical dysplasia and cancer. This study aimed to assess whether triaging HPV-positive samples using molecular methods, such as methylation and genotyping for high-risk HPV types, could be as effective as cytology in cervical screening.
MethodsA retrospective biobank study was conducted on HPV-positive samples collected in 2017–2018, analyzing FAM19A4/MiR-124-2 hypermethylation and HPV genotyping for types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and/or 59, comparing these results to cytology triage for detecting histologically confirmed high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and cancer.
ResultsResults from 1915 positive screening samples were analyzed, including 1052 follow-up biopsies with 402 HSIL or cancer cases. Genotyping showed slightly higher sensitivity than cytology but lower specificity, while methylation had higher specificity but much lower sensitivity. Cytology’s positive predictive value (PPV) was 36%, with lower PPVs for the molecular methods. Combining molecular methods increased the PPV but significantly reduced sensitivity.
ConclusionsBased on these findings with molecular methods reducing sensitivity, we do not recommend adopting the molecular triage methods evaluated in this study in the Swedish setting. The trade-off between sensitivity and specificity does not support a change from the current cytology-based triage approach.
In 2022, the WHO conditionally recommended the use of treatment decision algorithms (TDAs) for treatment decision-making in children
Within the Decide-TB project (PACT ID: PACTR202407866544155, 23 July 2024), we aim to generate an individual-participant dataset (IPD) from prospective TB diagnostic accuracy cohorts (RaPaed-TB, UMOYA and two cohorts from TB-Speed). Using the IPD, we aim to: (1) assess the diagnostic accuracy of published TDAs using a set of consensus case definitions produced by the National Institute of Health as reference standard (confirmed and unconfirmed vs unlikely TB); (2) evaluate the added value of novel tools (including biomarkers and artificial intelligence-interpreted radiology) in the existing TDAs; (3) generate an artificial population, modelling the target population of children eligible for WHO-endorsed TDAs presenting at primary and secondary healthcare levels and assess the diagnostic accuracy of published TDAs and (4) identify clinical predictors of radiological disease severity in children from the study population of children with presumptive TB.
This study will externally validate the first data-driven WHO TDAs in a large, well-characterised and diverse paediatric IPD derived from four large paediatric cohorts of children investigated for TB. The study has received ethical clearance for sharing secondary deidentified data from the ethics committees of the parent studies (RaPaed-TB, UMOYA and TB Speed) and as the aims of this study were part of the parent studies’ protocols, a separate approval was not necessary. Study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at local, regional and international scientific meetings and conferences. This database will serve as a catalyst for the assessment of the inclusion of novel tools and the generation of an artificial population to simulate the impact of novel diagnostic pathways for TB in children at lower levels of healthcare. TDAs have the potential to close the diagnostic gap in childhood TB. Further finetuning of the currently available algorithms will facilitate this and improve access to care.
Current diets which are commonly high in meat and ultra-processed foods are unhealthy and unsustainable and contribute significantly to climate change, environmental degradation and poor health outcomes. Transitioning to healthy and sustainable diets that are rich in plant-based foods and low in animal products could reduce environmental impacts and improve population health. Young Australian adults are a critical target group for dietary intervention as they are motivated towards climate action and have the lowest diet quality out of all adult age groups. As such, this study proposes a digital nutrition intervention to promote healthy and sustainable diets in this population group.
A 4-week pilot pre-post intervention will be conducted on the Deakin Wellbeing mobile application between July and August 2025. 32 young adults (18–25 years old; current student and/or staff at Deakin University; consume less than 260 g/week of legumes or 175 g/week nuts, living in Australia) will receive 4 weeks of the intervention to improve their adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet. Primary outcomes include feasibility (retention rate) and acceptability (engagement and user experience). Secondary outcomes include sustainable food literacy, legume and nut intakes, and adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet. Primary outcomes will be reported with descriptive statistics, while changes in secondary outcomes at each study time point will be measured using repeated measures Analysis of Variance, Friedman tests and McNemar’s tests.
Ethics approval to conduct the study was granted by the Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (2024/HE000163). A summary of findings will be disseminated to key stakeholders, for example, Deakin University Student Engagement groups, and will also be presented to the wider research community at conferences and via peer-reviewed publications. A summary of the results will be sent to all participants via email.
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Registration ID: ACTRN12625000335493p, prospectively registered on 22 April 2025. Universal Trial Number: U1111-1319-0745.
Culture underpins social interaction between school health professionals and children. Both practice and research suggest that cultural variations, migration and intercultural interactions pose potential challenges in encounters between school health professionals and children and may relate to the health professionals’ understanding of their own culture as a factor in such encounters. Still, for the school health services (SHS), reviews collating existing research on school health professionals’ understanding of culture are lacking.
This review aims to identify, describe and analyse existing research on school health professionals’ (ie, school nurses, school social workers, school doctors and school psychologists) understanding of culture.
A scoping review of peer-reviewed and published scientific articles on school health professionals’ understanding of culture.
Articles published between 2013 and 2024 on culture, SHS and school nurses, school doctors, school social workers or school psychologists.
Searches were conducted in October 2023 and September 2024 in 10 databases. Two reviewers independently screened the article titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion. Extracted data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. The qualitative content analysis focused on content related to theoretical considerations, key findings and conceptualisations of culture.
From 1784 screened articles, 100 articles were screened in full text and 21 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. After identifying two additional articles through manual searches, a total of 23 articles were included in the review. The findings show that the articles primarily applied a quantitative study design, focused on school psychologists and school nurses and were conducted in the USA and Nordic-Baltic area. Self-understanding was mainly studied using validated instruments, leaving the conceptualisation of culture to the researchers. Still, only about half of all the articles described the theoretical conceptualisation of culture. Studies of intercultural interaction focused on the challenges of encountering ‘diverse’ children and raised concerns about barriers and hindrances to the encounters.
This review shows that SHS professionals’ understanding of culture has mainly been studied within two SHS professions, within a narrow geographical sphere and without a theoretical stance on culture. Thus, more qualitative research, a clearer theoretical conceptualisation of culture and more research on SHS professionals’ practice and self-understanding are needed.
The study aimed to examine factors associated with the perceived feeling of safety and postoperative recovery in patients who have undergone orthopaedic day surgery under regional anaesthesia.
The design was quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional. The study participants comprised a consecutive sample (n = 209) of patients who underwent orthopaedic day surgery under regional anaesthesia.
A questionnaire was sent to the home addresses of the study population approximately 3 weeks postoperatively. The questionnaire included the Feeling Safe During Surgery Scale (FSS), the Swedish version of the post-discharge surgical recovery scale (S-PSR), and questions concerning background variables. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the association of different variables with both feeling safe and postoperative recovery.
The only factor associated with the feeling of safety was preoperative anxiety; higher levels of preoperative anxiety were associated with lower levels of perceived safety during surgery. The factors associated with postoperative recovery were the recovery process itself and the patient's feeling of safety. Higher levels of postoperative anxiety were associated with a lower level of postoperative recovery. Higher levels of perceived safety during surgery were associated with higher postoperative recovery.
The perceived feeling of safety in the perioperative period could not be explained by factors such as age, gender, or level of education. Based on the results of this study, postoperative recovery was associated with the perceived feeling of safety in the perioperative period. Anxiety in the perioperative period was associated with patients' perceived feeling of safety and their postoperative recovery. Thus, this study's results emphasise the importance of ensuring that people undergoing surgery feel safe to promote their recovery. Based on previous research, the nurse–patient relationship seems to be an important part of making patients feel safe, which ultimately affects their recovery.
This study examines the association between perceived feeling of safety in the perioperative period and patients' postoperative recovery after undergoing orthopaedic day surgery under regional anaesthesia. Previous research has shown that the nurse–patient relationship and patients' possibilities to participate in their care are important for them to feel safe. This study further emphasises the importance of fostering relationships in the perioperative period and making patients an active part in decision-making, as it may positively impact their recovery. Creating a feeling of safety for the patient should be prioritised, as it benefits their perioperative experience and postoperative recovery.
This research is reported in accordance with the STROBE guidelines.
No patient or public contribution.
To explore and describe older persons' unique experiences of care encounters with home care nurses in a real-life context.
The increasing number of older persons in society contributes to increases in age-related impairments compromising their quality of life. Future care consists of “hospitals at home” where care encounters occur in a person's private domain, partly becoming a clinical workplace. Scant research has focused on how older persons experience care encounters with home care nurses and needs to be highlighted.
Multiple-case study.
The cases relied on replication logic and five purposive sampled older persons were interviewed. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and differences within and between cases were explored and findings across the cases were replicated.
The cross-analysis emerged in three categories: “Nursing routine rules the care encounters”, “Lack of knowledge and information” and “Dependency on support from others”.
Our research has found that older persons face challenges while receiving home care, including limited engagement in their care and the need for enhanced support. Implementing person-centred care in homes poses ethical challenges that require careful consideration. Home care nurses should prioritise understanding each patient individually, recognising them beyond their patient role, which necessitates more thorough and time-sensitive care encounters.
Findings were reported using COREQ guidelines.
Patients were interviewed and contributed with data for this study.
This study emphasises the need to prioritise individualised care in home settings and listen to the voices of older individuals to enhance quality.
To investigate fundamental care delivery regarding oral care in a surgical context, and to compare patients' self-reported oral health with registered nurse assessments.
A descriptive and comparative study, with a consecutive selection.
A patient oral health rating tool, including questions about performed oral care, was distributed to patients (n = 50), at four surgical wards in Sweden. The response rate was 72%. Oral health status was assessed by a registered nurse using the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG), and a comparison between patient and registered nurse assessment was performed by calculating Cohen's kappa coefficient and percentage agreement.
Patients (38%) reported severe oral symptoms, mostly dry lips and not an adequate amount of saliva, and 80% were not offered help with oral care. ROAG assessments revealed that 74% had problems with oral health. Almost half of the patients (48%) needed assistance with oral care but only 10% received help. Registered nurses assessed the patient's oral health as worse than the patient's self-assessment did.
There are deficiencies in fundamental care delivery regarding oral care in a surgical care context. Oral health assessments need to be performed by registered nurses. Routines for systematic oral assessments and for oral care need to be implemented by nurse managers to ensure that patients' fundamental care needs are fulfilled.
Oral health assessments need to be performed regularly by registered nurses since it is insufficient that patients self-assess their oral health. Nurse managers need to provide and implement routines for nurse assessments and oral care in surgical care contexts.
There are deficiencies in patients' oral health and oral care, and registered nurses need to perform oral health assessments. Nurse managers need to implement routines for registered nurse assessments and oral care.
Patients admitted to a surgical ward were included in the study after being screened for inclusion criteria. After participants signed informed consent, they filled in a questionnaire about oral health and oral care, and a registered nurse performed an oral health assessment.
This study was carried out according to the STROBE checklist.