To explore Registered Nurses' experiences of continuity of care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care.
An inductive, descriptive qualitative study.
Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 purposively sampled Registered Nurses of varying levels of experience from eight regions in Sweden. The audiotaped interviews were conducted over a 5-month period (December 2023–April 2024), transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretive description.
Registered Nurses' experiences of continuity of care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are described by three themes (seven subthemes): Patient continuity (Building personal relationships: Being accessible and enabling trust and confirmation), Collaborator continuity (Having a colleague to lean on: Colleagues can lean on me: Feeling alone with my expertise) and Continuity with myself (Trusting my own competence: Carrying a burden alone).
Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research Guidelines.
This study provides an understanding of Registered Nurses' experiences of continuity of care in primary care. The results may help improve future care since nurses play an essential role in the care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within primary care.
To enhance continuity of care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the relationship between the nurse and the patient is important, as is collaboration with colleagues. This collaborative approach allows these nurses to maintain continuity with both the patients and themselves, fostering a more stable and effective care environment.
This study offers valuable insights into the experiences of Registered Nurses in maintaining continuity of care within primary care, particularly for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By highlighting the critical role of Registered Nurses in managing these patients, the study underscores the importance of strong nurse–patient relationships and effective collaboration among healthcare professionals.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
A healthy diet improves glycaemic control and reduces cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, access to dietitians is limited. Several countries have implemented mandatory interpretive front-of-pack labelling to guide consumers towards healthier food choices, but Sweden has not. Smartphone applications may offer an alternative platform to provide such information. This study evaluates the dietary and clinical impact of a novel application providing interpretive labelling to Swedish adults with T2D.
This is a fully decentralised randomised controlled trial. 900 individuals with T2D for ≥2 years who regularly shop for groceries will be recruited via general practices and community advertisements. Participants will be randomised to receive either: (1) access to the FoodSwitch mobile application plus standard written dietary advice, or (2) standard written dietary advice only. The FoodSwitch application allows users to scan barcodes on packaged foods to receive recommendations of healthier alternatives within the same category. The primary outcome is the difference in change in mean self-measured glycated haemoglobin between groups after 6 months. Secondary outcomes include differences in changes in waist circumference, body weight, quality of life, medication use, hospitalisations and all-cause mortality at 26 weeks. Exploratory outcomes include omics analyses. Recruitment is ongoing. Expected study completion on 31 December 2026.
The trial has received ethical approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2023-06622-01, 2024-06668-02, 2024-07357-02 and 2025-01095-02) and is performed in line with World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki and the General Data Protection Regulation. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed international journal.
There is limited evidence on how to effectively treat individuals from marginalised populations with dependence on amphetamine and/or methamphetamine (collectively referred to hereafter as amphetamine dependence). The disease burden is extremely high in this population, especially related to psychiatric comorbidities, cardiovascular complications, injection-related infections and poor social functioning. ATLAS4Dependence is a multi-centre randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial that will investigate the effectiveness and safety of substitution treatment with dextroamphetamine compared with placebo in people with amphetamine dependence.
The trial will recruit 226 adult patients in several outpatient clinics in Norway.Inclusion criteria comprise individuals with amphetamine dependence, defined as use on three or more days per week during the past 28 days, who currently inject or have formerly injected drugs. This includes individuals both with and without comorbid opioid dependence, as well as those currently receiving or not receiving opioid agonist treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either dextroamphetamine or placebo for 12 weeks. Flexible doses within the range of 30–120 mg daily will be provided based on individual assessments. The participants in both arms will be offered standard psychosocial and medical follow-up in accordance with current clinical practice. The endpoint assessments will be conducted at 12 weeks with weekly self-reports and safety assessments and a follow-up assessment at 52 weeks. The primary objective of the study is to assess the impact of 12 weeks daily prescribed oral dextroamphetamine versus placebo on the use of illicit amphetamines as well as on the total amount of amphetamines used (including both illicit and prescribed sources). Secondary outcomes are the differences between the groups at 12 weeks regarding psychological distress, symptoms of psychosis, quality of life, cardiovascular risk factors, injection-related infections, executive functioning, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms, sleep, violence risk, fatigue, symptoms of craving and withdrawal, treatment retention, days of use of illicit amphetamines and use at 4 weeks and 8 weeks during the intervention period, use of other illicit substances and alcohol, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis (using private economy, criminal activity and health service utilisation) and a qualitative approach to assess overall experiences with the study intervention. Analysis and reporting will follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines. All tests will be two-sided. Descriptive results and the estimated effectiveness will be presented with 95% CIs. The difference between the groups at the primary time point (at the end of the 12-week trial) will be assessed using 2 test (for use of illicit amphetamines measured by monthly urine tests) and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) (for weekly self-reported total amount of amphetamines). Analyses for the primary endpoint will be undertaken on an intention-to-treat basis and reported on as such, but sensitivity analyses with per protocol analyses will also be presented.
The study is approved by European Medicines Agency, Clinical Trial Information System (CTIS). Written informed consent will be obtained from all patients. Study results will be published in international peer-reviewed medical journals.
CTIS 2023-510404-44-00.
As care and rehabilitation poststroke are increasingly moving into persons’ home environment, the importance of support from social networks in self-management and rehabilitation has emerged as an important topic for research and practice. While there are instruments used to assess social support and collective efficacy, a clearer scope of the availability and quality of these instruments is needed. This clarification will enable the development of interventions integrating social network perspectives in poststroke rehabilitation.
To assess the availability and quality of instruments assessing social support and collective efficacy, a scoping review will be conducted and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines (PRISMA-ScR). Literature searches conducted between 14 November 2024 and 15 November 2024 in the CINAHL and PubMed/Medline databases resulted in 4631 articles potentially eligible. After removing duplicates, 4121 articles’ titles and abstracts were initially screened. Full-text screening, searches of reference lists and data extraction started in June 2025. Starting August 2025, two reviewers will assess the full texts against the inclusion criteria in Covidence using a coding template. Identified instruments will be appraised following the COSMIN (Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments guidelines) and analysed using a narrative descriptive method. Results will be reported in February 2026 according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review, as it does not involve primary data. However, this review follows established ethical guidelines and best practices, and included studies will be reviewed to ensure that they received ethical approval and included informed consent. Results from the review will be disseminated through an article in a scientific journal, at relevant conferences and surmised to stroke organisations. A policy brief will be developed for health and social care professionals and policy makers.
Commentary on: Farfán-Zúñiga, X abd Jaman-Mewes, P. Reflections of nursing students on the care of the person’s dignity at the end of life: a qualitative study. Nurse Education Today 2024; 133: 106067.
Implications for practice and research Dignity is one of the main values at the end of life. Reflection of dignity and the meaning of such should be an obligatory part of nursing education, particularly when caring for people at the final stage of life, where vulnerability is more palpable. Research on nursing students’ reflections regarding meeting the dignity needs of dying people is essential to improve the quality of end-of-life care.
Dignity is a cornerstone in healthcare and nursing research, not least it is an important concept when caring for people and their relatives at the end of life. Yet, there is a lack of research about nursing education, reflective...
To explore aspects of interpersonal relationships in palliative care nursing, focusing on confidential conversations between patients and registered nurses (RN).
A qualitative study employing focused ethnography.
Data were collected through unstructured participant observations, field notes and interviews with patients and RN in specialist palliative care. Data were analysed using reflective thematic analysis.
Confidential conversations in palliative care are founded on trust that is fragile and develops dynamically through consistent interactions. Small talk, presence and silence are essential for initiating and maintaining trust and the interpersonal relationship. The environment, patient condition and RN emotional presence and competence shape these conversations. As the relationship evolves, conversations adapt to the patient's changing needs. Missed signals or interruptions can disrupt flow, but the potential for repair remains, allowing for restoration and strengthening of trust and connection.
Confidential conversations in palliative care are grounded in fragile, dynamic trust, necessitating ongoing presence, sensitivity and adaptability from RN. To support these interactions, healthcare environments must prioritise privacy, relational continuity and communication training. Future research should investigate how organisational structures and clinical settings influence confidential conversations.
Healthcare environments should facilitate confidential conversations by ensuring relational continuity and minimising distractions. Communication training that emphasises presence and management of silence can strengthen nurse–patient relationships, enhancing patient care and emotional support.
This study explores key aspects of confidential conversations in palliative care, emphasising trust and emotional sensitivity. It addresses a research gap in palliative care using rare observational methods to deepen understanding of nursing relational aspects. The findings offer practical guidance for enhancing communication and relational skills, informing training and policy development and ultimately, improving emotional support and care.
Findings are reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines.
This study did not involve patient or public participation in its design, conduct or reporting.
The Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDH) seeks to identify dengue epidemics as early as possible with high specificity.
Development and prospective application of an early warning system for dengue epidemics using routine historical surveillance data. A weekly intercept-only negative binomial regression model was fitted using historical probable and confirmed dengue data. A range of threshold definitions was explored using three model-estimated percentiles of weekly dengue case counts.
Dengue is endemic in Puerto Rico with irregular occurrence of large epidemics with substantial impact on health burden and health systems. Probable and confirmed dengue data are routinely collected from all hospitals and private clinics.
A total of 86 282 confirmed or probable dengue virus cases were reported from 1 January 1986 to 30 June 2024, with an annual mean of 2212 cases (median: 1533; range: 40–10 356).
The model was fitted retrospectively to mimic real-time epidemic detection and assessed based on sensitivity and specificity of epidemic detection.
The 75th percentile threshold aligned best with historical epidemic classifications, balancing false alarms and missed detections. This model provides a robust method for defining thresholds, accounting for skewed data, using all historical data and improving on traditional methods like endemic channels.
In March 2024, PRDH declared a public health emergency due to an early, out-of-season surge in cases that exceeded the epidemic alert threshold developed in this study. This real-time application highlights the value of these thresholds to support dengue epidemic detection and public health response. Integrating thresholds with other tools and strategies can enhance epidemic preparedness and management.
Digital inclusion (which includes skills, accessibility and connectivity to the internet and digital devices) is a ‘super social determinant of health’ because it affects many aspects of life that influence health. Older people are especially vulnerable to digital exclusion. Existing digital inclusion interventions are commonly offered opportunistically to people who come into contact with services, or in specific locations. The lack of systematic identification of need unintentionally excludes older people who may be most in need of support, and that support is not addressing their needs.
This multi-method project includes six workstreams: (1) A survey of people aged 65+ to ask about digital use and engagement. Survey data will be used to develop a model that predicts digital exclusion from data available in primary care records. (2) Testing, via a further survey, the external validity of the model to identify those who are digitally excluded. (3) Interviews with community service providers to identify, understand and define the components of existing digital inclusion services for older people. Concurrently, a rapid review of the literature will identify evidence for interventions aimed at supporting digitally excluded adults aged 65+. (4) Interviews with people aged 65+ representing a range of digital use will explore factors from the COM-B model that influence digital behaviours—their capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) relating to digital engagement. Analysis outputs will identify the intersectional nature of barriers or facilitators to digital inclusion. (5) Co-production workshops with older people and community service providers will identify key components of interventions that are required to address digital exclusion. Components will be mapped against existing interventions, and the ‘best fit’ intervention(s) refined. An implementation plan will be developed in parallel. (6) Feasibility testing of the refined intervention(s) to assess acceptability and obtain feedback on content and delivery mechanisms.
This study was approved by the Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee on 23 October 2023 (ref. 23/YH/0234). Findings will be disseminated in academic journals and shared at webinars, seminars, conferences and events arranged by organisations operating across the digital inclusion and older people fields.
To describe the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of diagnosis of adult-onset type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes, in a recent cohort and compare to a previous cohort from the same region. Further, to explore factors influencing the prevalence of pre-existing CVD, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and C-peptide; in the later cohort also heart failure, hyperlipidaemia, tobacco use and physical activity.
Two prospective cross-sectional cohort studies compared.
All primary health care centres and hospitals in Kalmar and Kronoberg counties in Southeastern Sweden.
Adults with newly diagnosed T1D or T2D (classified by combination of islet antibodies and C-peptide) in 1998–2001 and 2016–2017.
Prevalence of hypertension and CVD at diagnosis of diabetes, and associations with beta-cell function, in two cohorts collected 15 years apart. Further, to explore factors influencing the prevalence of hypertension and CVD, and level of C-peptide.
In patients with newly diagnosed T2D, mean age-at-onset had decreased (66±14.1 years vs 63±12.6, p≤0.001) and mean BMI had increased (29.0±5.4 vs 31.4±5.8 kg/m2, p≤0.001). Prevalence of pre-existing myocardial infarction had decreased in both T1D (18% vs 7%, p=0.03) and T2D (25% vs 11%, p≤0.001). Pre-existing hypertension had increased in both T1D (23% vs 40%, p=0.01) and T2D (44% vs 61%, p≤0.001). C-peptide level was lower and was associated with several cardiovascular conditions in newly diagnosed T2D in 2016–2017 (p=0.048 p≤0.001).
Patients with newly diagnosed T2D were younger, with higher BMI, compared with 15 years earlier, a challenge for diabetes care. Prevalence of pre-existing myocardial infarction had decreased notably, in line with, but still less than in the general population; while pre-existing hypertension had increased, in both diabetes types. C-peptide was associated with several cardiovascular conditions in newly diagnosed T2D in the recent cohort, which warrants further investigation.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing, heterogeneous skin disease affecting 2%–7% of adults, with roughly 30% having moderate-to-severe disease. AD symptoms, like intense itching and skin pain, carry a substantial disease burden that negatively impacts patients’ quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial well-being. Lebrikizumab is a novel, high-affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to and neutralises interleukin-13 with high potency. Three clinical trials with lebrikizumab (ADvocate 1 and 2; ADhere) demonstrated significant clinical benefit in patients with AD, while the 3-year long-term extension study of lebrikizumab (ADjoin) further demonstrated long-term efficacy and safety in patients with AD. The ADTrust study will evaluate patient well-being, their relationship with their skin, long-term effectiveness, and safety of lebrikizumab, treatment satisfaction, and long-term effect of lebrikizumab treatment on different aspects of patients’ lives, including itch, pain, sleep, fatigue, work impairment and overall QoL among adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD in a real-world setting.
This non-interventional, prospective, observational, real-world evidence study will involve approximately 150 sites across Europe and approximately 1200 adults with moderate-to-severe AD treated with lebrikizumab for 2 years. The primary endpoint is patient well-being assessed by the 5-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) questionnaire. Key secondary endpoints include clinical effectiveness (Eczema Area and Severity Index and Investigator’s Global Assessment Scale), disease symptomatology and control (Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, 24-hour peak pruritus, skin pain, fatigue and sleep quality Numerical Rating Scale, and safety and tolerability. Other validated endpoints will evaluate physician-reported and patient-reported QoL and treatment satisfaction (Dermatology Life Quality Index, Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire-9), patients’ work productivity and impairment (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI)-AD) and disease control (AD Control Tool). Novel experimental endpoints will also be evaluated with the aim to assess patients’ relationship with their skin (SkinLove questionnaire), disease control (intensity and frequency of flares) and an Effectiveness Diary+© (a brief monthly survey on a voluntary basis with the aim to assess the long-term impact of lebrikizumab on three fundamental aspects of the patients’ life: the well-being (WHO-5), the itch intensity (24 hours peak pruritus) and the frequency and intensity of flares). Statistical analyses will be descriptive and explorative and based on observed cases. Missing data imputation may be used to handle missing data for primary endpoints and secondary effectiveness endpoints.
This study will be conducted according to the protocol, which has ethics committee approval (Hamburg Ethic Committee in Germany: 2024-101358-BO-ff), and all applicable laws and regulatory requirements for each participating country. The results will be disseminated through scientific publications and congress presentations.
NCT06815380 (Pre-results).
To evaluate the quality of care from the patients' perspective after receiving either person-centred, nurse-led follow-up or standard care after surgical treatment of intermittent claudication.
Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
Patients at two centres for vascular surgery in Stockholm, Sweden were randomised to either a person-centred, nurse-led follow-up programme (intervention group) or a standard follow-up programme with surgeons. During their visits at 4 to 8 weeks and 1 year after surgery, they received the questionnaire Quality from patients' perspective with 28 items. The patients responded to each item from two aspects: (1) how they perceived the quality of received care and (2) subjective importance (how important the care was for them).
A total of 104 of 138 patients at 4–8 weeks and 159 of 193 patients at 1 year after surgery completed the questionnaire. At 4–8 weeks, the intervention group scored significantly higher perceived quality of care regarding five items: receiving useful information about “How I should take care of myself” and “Which nurse were responsible for my care”, “Nurses were respectful towards me”, “Nurses showed commitment/cared about me” and “Easy to get in contact with the clinic through telephone”. At 1 year, the intervention group scored higher regarding two items: “Which nurses were responsible for my care” and “Next of kin treated well”.
Person-centred, nurse-led follow-up as implemented in this study has been shown to lead to a higher perception of quality of care regarding information about self-care, the experience of being respected, and knowing the care provider responsible for their care. Thus, it could contribute towards improved patient satisfaction without compromising the perception of quality of care regarding other factors such as receiving the best medical care or timeliness.
This study addresses how patients with intermittent claudication, who underwent revascularisation, perceive a follow-up care that is person-centred and nurse-led compared to standard care delivered by surgeons. The results indicate that patients find the person-centred and nurse-led follow-up programme satisfactory, with equal or higher quality of care and that follow-up can be delivered by nurses with retained patient safety. Thus, vascular units may consider transitioning follow-up care from surgeons to nurses while maintaining positive patient's perception of quality of care, patient satisfaction and safety.
Reporting of the work was made using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement.
No patient or public contribution.
Study Details | Person-centred Follow-up and Health Promotion Programme After Revascularization for Intermittent Claudication | ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03283358