Scandinavian journal of caring sciences
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Comparative Study
Doctor and patient perceptions of the level of doctor explanation and quality of patient-doctor communication.
Several measures, such as the frequency, duration and ratio of quantitative communication behaviours, have been used to evaluate patient-doctor communication; however, these measures have several major problems. Therefore, we examined whether doctors' and patients' perceptions of the level of doctors' explanations provide a better measure for evaluating the quality of patient-doctor communication. ⋯ A measure that classifies patient-doctor pairs into doctor-better and the other situations might be effective for evaluating the quality of patient-doctor communication. As this is a new approach to evaluating patient-doctor communication, more studies are necessary to verify these findings.
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Despite the fact that haemodialysis requires that spouses support and assist their partner during the treatment period, little attention has been focused on their health. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of health in everyday life among spouses of haemodialysis patients. The study had an explorative and descriptive design based on content analysis. ⋯ Independence in everyday life revealed that spouses who cared about themselves and looked after their own health experienced relaxation and happiness, which protected their health. Clinical interventions should include an assessment of the spouses' health and everyday life in order to plan the care to ensure that it is directed towards increasing their independence. Instruments need to be developed that assess when and how spouses experience the greatest sense of well-being, if they have scope for relaxation and recovery, and what type of support they require in their everyday life.
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Continuity of care (COC) for acutely unwell older adults, particularly those who are nursing home residents, who present to hospital, is complicated by the presence of co-morbid conditions, long waiting times, both for the ambulance and in the department, and poor after-hours general practitioner access. ⋯ The connection between COC and acutely unwell older adults who present to hospital is a prolific area for further research. In particular, the effectiveness of programmes aimed at enhancing the advanced nursing practice role and the COC process for older adults, needs investigation.
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The aim of this study was to describe and compare the self-assessed quality of sleep, occupational health, working environment, illness experience and job satisfaction among female nurses working different combinations of shifts. ⋯ In general Icelandic nurses are satisfied with their work and their shift assignment does not seem to pathologically disrupt their circadian cycle. Nevertheless, nursing directors are advised to look more closely at the organization of nurses' work during night shifts, as well as the rest period for nurses changing from evening to day shifts.
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The aim was to develop and test a questionnaire for use in telephone interviews concerning patient evaluation of geriatric care and rehabilitation. Instrument development was performed comprising qualitative interviews, construction of items, content validation, pilot study and data collection for evaluation of care and rehabilitation, clinical utility, reliability and construct validity. Qualitative interviews were performed with 12 elderly participants. ⋯ The questionnaire is considered valid, reliable and judged to have good clinical utility. The time consumption for the telephone interview is about 10-20 minutes. The questionnaire is useful in defining areas for potential quality improvement in geriatric wards.