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Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are highly prevalent and recurrent complications of diabetes mellitus that have significant health and cost implications. Self-care is critical for preventing or delaying DFU and promoting healing, yet adherence to self-care recommendations is low. Interventions using motivational interviewing (MI) have been effective in supporting behaviour change and emotional adjustment, but evidence for DFU is scarce. This study will assess the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an MI-guided programme, Healing DFU through Empowerment and Active Listening (HEALing), and its integration in usual wound care practice.
This single-arm pilot study adopts a mixed-methods approach to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the HEALing intervention. HEALing is a practical, low-intensity, clinic-integrated personalised self-care support intervention, comprising three 30 min face-to-face sessions delivered over 6 weeks by trained wound care nurses, aiming to enhance self-care behaviours and support emotional adjustment in patients with DFU. Data will be collected from a battery of questionnaire-based surveys with patients (n=30), and in-depth individual interviews with both patients (n=30) and wound care nurse facilitators (n=10) from nurse-led wound clinics in a large primary care sector in Singapore.
The primary feasibility outcomes will include enrolment, retention (≥80%), data completion (≥80% of surveys) and participant satisfaction. Secondary outcomes will include self-report measures of illness perceptions, foot care confidence, diabetes distress, foot self-care behaviour, DFU knowledge, autonomy support and health-related quality of life, taken at baseline and post-intervention. Post-intervention interviews with patients and wound care nurse facilitators will be conducted to collect feedback on the programme and its implementation feasibility.
The study protocol has been approved by the local ethics committee, and written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Findings will be disseminated through the first author’s PhD thesis, peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences and public events.
To explore mental health help-seeking behaviours among East Asian American dementia caregivers and construct a theory grounded in their behaviour patterns.
Qualitative using constructivist grounded theory design.
We recruited 20 East Asian American dementia caregivers between August 2023 and March 2024 using purposive sampling. We conducted one-on-one interviews and analysed the data using constructivist grounded theory coding.
We constructed a theory including six concepts and 22 categories. While ‘providing care’, caregivers manage caregiving tasks and personal life, experiencing caregiving challenges. ‘Individual capacity’ is a key to perceiving caregiving situations and ‘considering seeking support’. Various factors can affect ‘using support’. Different types of support can be used separately or in combination. When receiving adequate support, caregivers can ‘gain benefits from support’. These benefits, alongside individual capacities, can shape caregivers' ‘outlook on the present and the future’.
This study explains the mental health help-seeking process within East Asian culture, broadening perspectives on diverse populations and highlighting insights into culturally tailored services.
This study offers clinicians and communities insights into the mental health help-seeking process among East Asian American dementia caregivers and highlights strategies to encourage their use of mental health services.
This theory incorporates aspects of East Asian culture, addressing a research gap in studies of Asian Americans. It may enhance understanding of culturally tailored approaches and facilitate future funding for research and services, considering cultural diversity.
The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
Introducción: El cáncer es una enfermedad compleja y desafiante que afecta no solo la salud física, sino también las dimensiones emocionales, sociales y espirituales de los individuos. Objetivo: Describir las experiencias de un grupo de personas sobrevivientes al cáncer. Método: Se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo de tipo etnográfico. La saturación teórica se alcanzó con la participación de 15 personas sobrevivientes de cáncer seleccionadas mediante muestreo en bola de nieve. La recolección de datos se realizó mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas, previo consentimiento informado de los participantes, utilizando la guía propuesta por Leininger para el análisis de datos cualitativos. Resultados: La experiencia de los participantes al haber superado el cáncer se describió en cuatro categorías: el cáncer como sinónimo de muerte, el apoyo familiar, la resiliencia como recurso psicológico crucial y la importancia de la fe en Dios como un bálsamo de vida. Conclusiones: La experiencia de recuperación ante un cáncer comienza con incertidumbre y miedo, asociando inicialmente el diagnóstico con la muerte; pero, con el tiempo, los sobrevivientes logran enfrentar la enfermedad desarrollando una actitud resiliente.
Remote assessment of surgical site infection(SSI) lacks sensitivity for the diagnosis of SSI, but current evidence has not evaluated whether a combination of photographs and questionnaires improves diagnostic accuracy. This study aims to develop a remote diagnostic measure to identify SSI. A two-phase mixed methods study was conducted. In phase I, five clinicians reviewed the Bluebelle wound healing questionnaire(WHQ) on a five-point Likert scale of agreement for inclusion in a remote measure. Discussion generated a hypothesis as to which items should be included. In phase II, a cohort study, whereby clinicians evaluated patient's wound images and patients completed the WHQ, were reviewed for scale structure. Principal component analysis (PCA) with scree plot examination and maximum likelihood of estimation (MLE) for one, two and three factors were evaluated. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's α. Phase I: hypothesis generation estimated a measure containing between 10 and 12 items would include all relevant items without ambiguity or redundancy. Phase II: a combined sample of 570 responses provided clinician reviewed images and patient responses. PCA suggested that a 12-item measure with a combined variance of 60.2% would have the best model fit. Cronbach's α was high at 0.841. One included item was highlighted as potentially ambiguous in phase I (wound pain), providing an additional model with this removed. MLE for one, two and three factors suggested measures with 8, 10 and 11 items, respectively. Total variances were low at 29.7%, 39.8% and 41.4% and Cronbach's α were high at 0.838, 0.827 and 0.823, respectively. Three potential models for a remote diagnostic measure were identified. Each is shorter than alternative available measures, which have not been designed for combined use, ensuring this is easy to use. Further evaluation for reliability and diagnostic accuracy is needed to validate a final measure that can be implemented in clinical practice.
RESUMEN
Objetivo: describir la percepción del personal de enfermería que brinda cuidado durante la pandemia por Covid-19. Metodología: estudio cualitativo descriptivo con análisis de contenido temático e inductivo, la selección de participantes fue por muestreo no probabilístico e intencionado, 50 enfermeros que laboran en la unidad de cuidado intensivo adulto y hospitalización. Se aplicó entrevista para la recolección de datos, que partió de una pregunta central, el análisis se realizó según planteamientos propuestos por Tinto. Resultados: emergieron tres temas con sus unidades de significado. Cuidado de enfermería durante la pandemia: mezcla de emociones. Separación familiar como medida de cuidado. Trabajo en equipo una estrategia de afrontamiento. Conclusión: Los desafíos a los cuales el personal de enfermería se ha enfrentado en esta pandemia ha llevado a la presencia de un sin número de manifestaciones emocionales que deben ser tenidas en cuenta para el manejo psicoemocional y prevención de secuelas a largo plazo.
by Jasmine C. Mah, Olga Theou, Mario Ulises Perez-Zepeda, Jodie L. Penwarden, Judith Godin, Kenneth Rockwood, Melissa K. Andrew
BackgroundThe construct of social vulnerability attempts to understand social circumstances not merely as a descriptor, but as a predictor of adverse health events. It can be measured by aggregating social deficits in a social vulnerability index (SVI). We describe a standard procedure for constructing a multi-level SVI using two working examples.
MethodsFirst, we describe a six-step approach to constructing a SVI. Then, we conducted a secondary analysis of a clinical dataset (Canadian Immunization Research Network’s Serious Outcomes Surveillance Network (SOS)) and a population-based dataset (Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)). In both datasets, we construct SVIs, use descriptive statistics to report distributions by age and sex, and perform a multivariable linear regression of social vulnerability on frailty.
ResultsProcedures for drafting a list of candidate social items, selecting deficits for inclusion, and screening deficits to meet inclusion criteria were applied to yield a 18-deficit SVI for the SOS and 74-deficit SVI for the CLSA. Deficits in each SVI were re-scored between 0 and 1, where 1 indicates the greater risk. Finally, the sum of all deficits is calculated into an index. In the SOS, SVI was associated with age only for females and was weakly associated with frailty (r = 0.26, p Conclusion
We present a standard method of constructing a SVI by incorporating factors from multiple social domains and levels in a social-ecological model. This SVI can be used to improve our understanding of social vulnerability and its impacts on the health of communities and individuals.
There is increased interest in implementing structured clinical handover frameworks to improve clinical handover processes. Research postulates that structured clinical handover frameworks increase the quality of handovers; yet inconsistencies enacting these frameworks exist which has a potential to jeopardise the quality of communication during handovers thereby defeating the purpose of these frameworks.
This scoping review aims to analyse and synthesise what is currently known of the nurses' experiences and perceptions in implementing structured clinical handover frameworks and identify knowledge gaps in relation to this topic area.
A scoping review guided by the PRISMA-ScR checklist.
A systematic search of five electronic databases was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed primary research studies which met the predetermined eligibility criteria. In total, 301 studies were imported into COVIDENCE, screened and assessed for eligibility resulting in 23 studies remaining. From the eligible studies, data was extracted, collated, appraised, summarised and interpreted.
MEDLINE, CINHAL, ProQuest, EMCARE, Web of Science and Informit.
Twenty three studies were included in this review which yielded the following major themes: (1) quality and completeness of information transfer; (2) interprofessional collaboration; (3) challenges impacting the experience of implementing the structured clinical handover frameworks and (4) perceived impacts on quality, patient safety and health outcomes.
There are key benefits and issues experienced and perceived by nurses implementing structured clinical handover frameworks and this review identifies opportunities for further improvements. Future research should explore the perceived associations with patient outcomes.
This review highlights the importance of structured clinical handover frameworks, the nurses' experiences in implementing these frameworks and strategies to improve the effectiveness of these frameworks.
No Patient or Public Contributions as this study is a review of published primary evidence.
To evaluate the effect of a novel, co-designed, digital AF educational program, ‘INFORM-AF’, to reduce re-hospitalisation of people with AF.
The secondary aims are to examine the effect of the intervention on: (a) reducing cardiovascular-related hospitalisation, (b) increasing medication adherence, AF-related knowledge, and Atrial fibrillation (AF)-related quality of life and (c) determining the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.
AF is an increasingly prevalent cardiac arrythmia that involves complex clinical management. Comprehensive education is essential for successful self-management of AF and is associated with positive health-related outcomes. There has been an increase in technology-based education for AF. However, its effects on hospitalisation, medication adherence and patient-reported outcomes are unclear.
A prospective, randomised (1:1), open-label, blinded-endpoint, multicentre clinical trial.
Eligible participants are aged 18 years or above, diagnosed with AF, and own a smartphone. The study will be conducted at two metropolitan hospitals. In the intervention group, participants will receive the AF educational program delivered via Qstream®. In the control group, participants will receive the Stroke Foundation ‘Living with AF’ booklet. The primary outcome is re-hospitalisation within 12 months from an indexed presentation or hospital admission.
This clinical trial is part of a developing program of work that will examine mHealth educational-behavioural interventions on cardiovascular outcomes. Findings from this pilot study will inform the development of a digital educational framework for patients living with AF.
There remain many gaps in providing high-quality patient education for patients with AF. This trial will test a new theory-driven, smartphone-based education program on important clinical outcomes, including rehospitalisation.
This study evaluates a novel, co-designed, digital AF educational program, ‘INFORM-AF’, to reduce the re-hospitalisation of people with AF. Study results are expected to be reported in 2025. Findings are expected to inform practice recommendations for AF patient education that may be included in future clinical practice guideline recommendations.
SPIRIT Checklist.
JL is a consumer co-researcher on the project and provided critical input into intervention design, and feedback and input across the study duration.
To characterise experiences with telehealth for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) services among patients, prescribers, nurses and substance use counsellors to inform future best practices.
We engaged a qualitative descriptive study design.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with prescribers (nurse practitioners and physicians, n = 20), nurses and substance use counsellors (n = 7), and patients (n = 20) between June and September 2021. Interviews were verbatim transcribed. Thematic analysis was conducted using a qualitative descriptive method.
Among both providers and patients, four themes were identified: (1) Difficulties with telehealth connection (2) Flexibility in follow-up and retention, (3) Policy changes that enabled expanded care, (4) Path forward with telehealth. Two additional findings emerged from provider interviews: (1) Expansion of nurse-managed office-based opioid treatment, and (2) Novel methods to engage patients.
Patients and providers continued to view telehealth as an acceptable means for delivery and management of MOUD, particularly when utilised in a hybrid manner between in-person visits. Nurse-managed care for this service was evident as nurses extended the breadth of services offered and utilised novel methods such as text messages and management of ‘call-in’ lines to engage patients.
Use of telehealth for MOUD should be incorporated into practice settings to reach patients in a flexible manner. Nurses in particular can use this medium to extend office-based opioid treatment by conducting assessments and expanding capacity for other wrap-around services.
We identify recommendations for best practices in the use of telehealth for opioid use disorder management and highlight the value of nurse-managed care.
The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research.
Patients with opioid use disorder and prescribers with experience using telehealth were interviewed for this study.
A limited understanding of the pathology underlying chronic wounds has hindered the development of effective diagnostic markers and pharmaceutical interventions. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular composition of various common chronic ulcer types to facilitate drug discovery strategies. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of leg ulcers (LUs), encompassing venous and arterial ulcers, foot ulcers (FUs), pressure ulcers (PUs), and compared them with surgical wound healing complications (WHCs). To explore the pathophysiological mechanisms and identify similarities or differences within wounds, we dissected wounds into distinct subregions, including the wound bed, border, and peri-wound areas, and compared them against intact skin. By correlating histopathology, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), and immunohistochemistry (IHC), we identified unique genes, pathways, and cell type abundance patterns in each wound type and subregion. These correlations aim to aid clinicians in selecting targeted treatment options and informing the design of future preclinical and clinical studies in wound healing. Notably, specific genes, such as PITX1 and UPP1, exhibited exclusive upregulation in LUs and FUs, potentially offering significant benefits to specialists in limb preservation and clinical treatment decisions. In contrast, comparisons between different wound subregions, regardless of wound type, revealed distinct expression profiles. The pleiotropic chemokine-like ligand GPR15L (C10orf99) and transmembrane serine proteases TMPRSS11A/D were significantly upregulated in wound border subregions. Interestingly, WHCs exhibited a nearly identical transcriptome to PUs, indicating clinical relevance. Histological examination revealed blood vessel occlusions with impaired angiogenesis in chronic wounds, alongside elevated expression of genes and immunoreactive markers related to blood vessel and lymphatic epithelial cells in wound bed subregions. Additionally, inflammatory and epithelial markers indicated heightened inflammatory responses in wound bed and border subregions and reduced wound bed epithelialization. In summary, chronic wounds from diverse anatomical sites share common aspects of wound pathophysiology but also exhibit distinct molecular differences. These unique molecular characteristics present promising opportunities for drug discovery and treatment, particularly for patients suffering from chronic wounds. The identified diagnostic markers hold the potential to enhance preclinical and clinical trials in the field of wound healing.
The aims of the study were to explore the experiences of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their partners and examine the factors influencing partner involvement in GDM management, seeking to inform a targeted couple-based intervention.
A descriptive qualitative study.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 women with GDM and their partners. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from a tertiary hospital in Xi'an, China. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Three themes and 12 subthemes were identified. Theme I: Women's expectations of their partner's involvement in GDM management—practical support and emotional support. Theme II: Partner involvement in GDM management—constructive involvement, unhelpful involvement with good intentions and insufficient involvement. Theme III: Factors that influence partner involvement in GDM—knowledge of GDM, GDM risk perception, health consciousness, attitudes towards the treatment plan, couple communication regarding GDM management, family roles and appraisal of GDM management responsibility.
Women desired practical and emotional support from partners. The types of partner involvement in GDM management varied. Some partners provided constructive support, while some partners' involvement was limited, non-existent or actively unhelpful. By combining these results with the factors influencing partner involvement, our findings may help healthcare professionals develop strategies to involve partners in GDM care and enhance women's ability to manage GDM.
Partner involvement in GDM care may help them understand and better attend to women's needs, thus improving their experience and potential outcomes. This study highlights novel factors that need to be considered in developing couple-based interventions for this population.
The reporting follows the COREQ checklist.
Some patients were involved in data interpretation. There is no public contribution.
The critical care nursing workforce is in crisis, with one-third of critical care nurses worldwide intending to leave their roles. This paper aimed to examine the problem from a wellbeing perspective, offering implications for research, and potential solutions for organisations.
Discursive/Position paper.
The discussion is based on the nursing and wellbeing literature. It is guided by the authors' collaborative expertise as both clinicians and researchers. Data were drawn from nursing and wellbeing peer-reviewed literature, such as reviews and empirical studies, national surveys and government and thinktank publications/reports.
Critical care nurses have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with studies consistently showing critical care nurses to have the worst psychological outcomes on wellbeing measures, including depression, burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These findings are not only concerning for the mental wellbeing of critical care nurses, they also raise significant issues for healthcare systems/organisations: poor wellbeing, increased burnout and PTSD are directly linked with critical care nurses intending to leave the profession. Thus, the wellbeing of critical care nurses must urgently be supported. Resilience has been identified as a protective mechanism against the development of PTSD and burnout, thus offering evidence-based interventions that address resilience and turnover have much to offer in tackling the workforce crisis. However, turnover data must be collected by studies evaluating resilience interventions, to further support their evidence base. Organisations cannot solely rely on the efficacy of these interventions to address their workforce crisis but must concomitantly engage in organisational change.
We conclude that critical care nurses are in urgent need of preventative, evidence-based wellbeing interventions, and make suggestions for research and practice.
Objetivos: Describir el papel del equipo de enfermería en el cuidado de pacientes con sospecha de infarto agudo del miocardio. Metodo-logía: revisión integradora de la literatura, utilizando las bases de datos MEDLINE, PUBMED, LILACS, CUIDEN, CINAHL, y las Prácticas Recomendadas de la Sociedad Brasileña de Cardiología. Se incluyeron publicaciones de 2010 a 2021, que estuvieran en portugués y de acceso gratuito. Resultados: se obtuvo una muestra final de 26 artículos, siendo seleccionados y agrupados en tres categorías temáti-cas: A) Conocimiento del equipo de enfermeria sobre los protocolos para el atendimiento a los pacientes con sospecha de Infarto agudo de miocardio B) la Sistematización de la asistencia de enfermeria durante el atendimiento inicial; C) Papel del equipo de enfermeria. Conclusiones: el equipo de enfermeria es visto como parte fundamental en las unidades de atención, por lo tanto, es necesario actualizar a estos profesionales para un mejor soporte técnico y científico, basado en la evidencia.
Objetivo: Describir el abordaje del dolor en pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca, según lo encontrado en la literatura. Metodología: se realizó una investigación bibliográfica con búsqueda en las bases de datos MEDLINE, PUBMED, LILACS, CUIDEN, CINAHL, utilizando los descriptores Manejo del dolor, insuficiencia cardíaca y Automedicación, junto con el operador booleano AND. Se seleccionaron artículos en portugués, publicados entre 2010 y 2020, que respondieron al objetivo de la investigación. Las publicaciones duplicadas fueron ex-cluidas al final de las búsquedas en cada base de datos, obteniendo una muestra final de 31 artículos. Resultados: se encontró que el dolor se puede clasificar: 1) Según su naturaleza en nociceptivo (que puede ser somático y visceral), neuropático y mixto) y 2) Según su intensidad: en agudo, crónico o recurrente. Por lo tanto, el abordaje del dolor dependerá de su origen y de la necesidad del individuo.
Objetivo: identificar la producción científica que trate sobre cuidados de enfermería durante el período pre y postoperatorio de pacientes sometidos a cirugía cardíaca. Metodología: Revisión integradora de la literatura con enfoque cualitativo, realizada en las bases de datos CUIDEN, CINAHL, LILACS, LATINDEX, SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) y BDENF (Base de datos bibliográfica especializada en el área de enfermería de Brasil) con un período de tiempo de 2007 a 2020. Resultados: Los principales diagnósticos de enfermería encontrados para el preoperatorio fueron: ansiedad y riesgo de infección, aspiración e integridad de la piel. Los diagnósticos para el postoperatorio fueron: dolor agudo, disminución del gasto cardíaco, alteración del intercambio de gases, riesgo de desequilibrio en el volumen de líquidos y electrolitos, alteraciones en la percepción sensorial, perfusión ineficaz del tejido renal, termorregulación ineficaz y escaso conocimiento sobre las actividades de autocuidados. Conclusión: La sistematización de la atención de enfermería se considera fundamental, para garantizar una atención segura y de calidad a los pacientes sometidos a procedimientos quirúrgicos.
Objetivo: Analizar la prevalencia de mortalidad neonatal tardía en el periodo de 2000 hasta 2010 en los estados de la región sur de Brasil. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo, de naturaleza cuantitativa. Los participantes del estudio eran neonatos nacidos en el período 2000 hasta 2010, que murieron con edades de siete a veintisiete días, en los estados de la región sur de Brasil. Los datos se obtuvieron a través de DATASUS y se analizaron con la ayuda de Microsoft Office Excel 2010, utilizando los cálculos de porcentaje, desviación estándar, promedio y análisis de varianza (ANOVA) este último utilizó un nivel de significación estadística del 5%. Resultados: Se encontró un promedio de 2.33 a 2.56 muertes por cada 1000 nacidos vivos en los estados estudiados del periodo 2000 hasta 2010. Conclusiones: La vigilancia de la mortalidad neonatal ayuda a identificar factores de riesgo, lo que permite la adopción de medidas preventivas necesarias para garantizar la supervivencia de los recién nacidos.
Objetivo: caracterizar las producciones científicas sobre atención integral de salud, promovidas a través de políticas públicas para perso-nas que conviven con el Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana. Metodología: Revisión integrativa de literatura, a través de la búsqueda en las bases de datos PUBMED, LILACS y la biblioteca virtual SCIELO, utilizando los descriptores “Políticas Públicas de salud”, “Síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida”, “Atención integral de salud” y el operador booleano “Y”, resultando en una muestra, después de leídos, de 12 artículos. Los resultados de este estudio nos permitieron identificar y clasificar el estado de las políticas públicas para la atención de esta población, en tres categorías: A: políticas y / o directrices insuficientes; B: Necesidad de mejoras e inversiones en políticas existentes; C: éxito de los programas, siendo imprescindible una articulación internacional de gobiernos y organismos no gubernamentales para la elaboración de políticas más ajustadas a las realidades y objetivando la atención integral de salud de esta población.
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