<p>Bakgrunden till detta arbete var att vår hälsouppfattning påverkas av en mängd faktorer. Inom familjer var detta något som starkt relaterades till övriga familjemedlemmars välmående och välbefinnande. Inom den pediatriska vården beskrevs samarbete mellan patienter, föräldrar och vårdpersonal som en viktig faktor. Denna familjecentrerade vård kunde, beroende på hur den fungerade, påverka samtliga parters uppfattningar och upplevelser på positiva och negativa sätt. Denna litteraturstudies uppgift var att undersöka hur den pediatriska vården på sjukhus fungerade i praktiken med syftet <strong>att belysa patienters, föräldrars och vårdares uppfattningar och upplevelser av pediatrisk omvårdnad. Studien bedrevs genom artikelsökning i sökmotorer</strong>. Funna artiklar valdes ut i tre steg. Först genom en snabb genomblick för relevans, sedan genom en noggrannare genomläsning där inklusions- och exklusionskriterier användes för artikelurval. I det sista steget genomgick artiklarna en djupare granskning för kvalitetsbedömning. Resultatet pekade främst på brister i kommunikation och samarbete mellan föräldrar och vårdare samt på barnens upplevelser kring sitt sjukdomstillstånd och deras sjukhusvistelse. Andra uppdagade faktorer var bland annat hur föräldrar uppfattade sitt vakande över barnet och personalens syn på föräldrar i den pediatriska omvårdnaden. I diskussionen framhävdes att arbeta med en helhetssyn på familjen där det är viktigt att lyssna på varje enskild familjs behov.</p>

<p>Barns sätt att uttrycka sig varierar mycket från vuxnas beteende och dessa faktorer tillsammans gör det svårt att vårda barn med smärta. I prehospital vård möts man av barn med smärta och situationen kan göra det svårt att smärtbedöma barnet. Vid behandling av smärta är smärtskattningsinstrument ett redskap för att få ett konkret värde på smärtans intensitet. Det finns olika instrument anpassade för olika åldrar. Syftet var att beskriva olika metoder för smärtbedömning av barn vilket gjordes genom en systematisk litteraturstudie. Sökningar efter artiklar genomfördes i databaser. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades utifrån granskningsmallar och 19 artiklar inkluderades. Artiklarnas resultat sammanfattades och smärtskattnings-</p><p>instrumenten delades in i tre grupper: fysiologiska-, beteendeskalor/fysiologiska-beteendeskalor samt observationsskalor och självskattningsskalor. Det visade sig att det finns många olika skalor och bedömningsformulär för självskattning och bedömning av vårdare för barns smärta i olika åldrar. En del metoder lämpar sig bättre i en ålderskategori och typ av smärta medan andra passar sig för en annan smärttyp och åldersgrupp. Vår slutsats blev att FLACC, CHEOPS och MBPS skulle vara lämpliga för smärtskattning av barn i ambulans. Vidare anser vi att forskning kring smärtskalor på barn i prehospitala vård är angeläget att göra då många av de skalor som analyserats är provade mest på inneliggande barn med smärta. Det är få skalor som är testade på akut sjuka eller skadade barn just i den prehospitala vården.</p>

Bakgrunden till detta arbete var att vår hälsouppfattning påverkas av en mängd faktorer. Inom familjer var detta något som starkt relaterades till övriga familjemedlemmars välmående och välbefinnande. Inom den pediatriska vården beskrevs samarbete mellan patienter, föräldrar och vårdpersonal som en viktig faktor. Denna familjecentrerade vård kunde, beroende på hur den fungerade, påverka samtliga parters uppfattningar och upplevelser på positiva och negativa sätt. Denna litteraturstudies uppgift var att undersöka hur den pediatriska vården på sjukhus fungerade i praktiken med syftet att belysa patienters, föräldrars och vårdares uppfattningar och upplevelser av pediatrisk omvårdnad. Studien bedrevs genom artikelsökning i sökmotorer. Funna artiklar valdes ut i tre steg. Först genom en snabb genomblick för relevans, sedan genom en noggrannare genomläsning där inklusions- och exklusionskriterier användes för artikelurval. I det sista steget genomgick artiklarna en djupare granskning för kvalitetsbedömning. Resultatet pekade främst på brister i kommunikation och samarbete mellan föräldrar och vårdare samt på barnens upplevelser kring sitt sjukdomstillstånd och deras sjukhusvistelse. Andra uppdagade faktorer var bland annat hur föräldrar uppfattade sitt vakande över barnet och personalens syn på föräldrar i den pediatriska omvårdnaden. I diskussionen framhävdes att arbeta med en helhetssyn på familjen där det är viktigt att lyssna på varje enskild familjs behov.

Barns sätt att uttrycka sig varierar mycket från vuxnas beteende och dessa faktorer tillsammans gör det svårt att vårda barn med smärta. I prehospital vård möts man av barn med smärta och situationen kan göra det svårt att smärtbedöma barnet. Vid behandling av smärta är smärtskattningsinstrument ett redskap för att få ett konkret värde på smärtans intensitet. Det finns olika instrument anpassade för olika åldrar. Syftet var att beskriva olika metoder för smärtbedömning av barn vilket gjordes genom en systematisk litteraturstudie. Sökningar efter artiklar genomfördes i databaser. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades utifrån granskningsmallar och 19 artiklar inkluderades. Artiklarnas resultat sammanfattades och smärtskattnings- instrumenten delades in i tre grupper: fysiologiska-, beteendeskalor/fysiologiska-beteendeskalor samt observationsskalor och självskattningsskalor. Det visade sig att det finns många olika skalor och bedömningsformulär för självskattning och bedömning av vårdare för barns smärta i olika åldrar. En del metoder lämpar sig bättre i en ålderskategori och typ av smärta medan andra passar sig för en annan smärttyp och åldersgrupp. Vår slutsats blev att FLACC, CHEOPS och MBPS skulle vara lämpliga för smärtskattning av barn i ambulans. Vidare anser vi att forskning kring smärtskalor på barn i prehospitala vård är angeläget att göra då många av de skalor som analyserats är provade mest på inneliggande barn med smärta. Det är få skalor som är testade på akut sjuka eller skadade barn just i den prehospitala vården.

The life of a preterm infant admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit may be stressful from the moment of birth. Ever since Hans Selye’s initial characterisation of the biological stress response, cortisol has been frequently measured as an indicator of stress responsivity. However, research of the stress response and cortisol in infants, especially those who are preterm and/or ill, has been scarce basically because of methodological issues. The first aim with this thesis was to investigate the acute stress response, as measured by salivary cortisol and behaviour, for preterm infants, healthy infants, and infants at high psychosocial risk in response to certain defined handling procedures. The second aim was to investigate the stress response, as measured by salivary cortisol and psychometric measures, for parents present during the handling procedure of their infants. The intention was to perform all investigations in an as naturally occurring situation as possible, which means that the studied procedures would have been performed irrespectively of the research. The present thesis includes six original articles. The results of the first study demonstrate that it is feasible to collect sufficient amounts of saliva and to analyse salivary cortisol in neonates using the presented method of collection and analysis. The second study shows that preterm infants, usually cared for in incubators, show no signs of discomfort and have variable cortisol responses during skin-to-skin care with their mothers. The mothers, however, experience stress and low control before their first skin-to-skin care with their preterm infant and do not relax completely until after the session. In the third study we found that preterm infants have higher baseline salivary cortisol as compared to healthy full-term infants. Moreover, preterm infants have higher and sustained pain response during a nappy change as compared to healthy full-term infants. The results of the fourth study shows that infants younger than three months, living in psychosocial high-risk families, have increased cortisol responses during a nappy change, performed by the mother. However, support with the aim of improving mother-infant interaction, dampens the stress response. The results of the fifth study show that oral sweet-tasting solution in combination with a pacifier dampen the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in three months old infants during routine immunisation. Moreover, parents experience more self-rated emotional stress before immunisation if it is their first child who is being immunised. The sixth paper shows that the material used for saliva collection (cotton buds with wooden or plastic sticks) is of importance when saliva is collected but for practical reasons not centrifuged within 24 hours prior to cortisol analyse. The present thesis shows that it is practically feasible to collect saliva and to analyse the stress hormone cortisol in infants. The interpretation of infants’ and parents’ salivary cortisol responses to different handling procedures are discussed in relation to shortand long-term consequences, neonatal intensive care, preterm birth, attachment, mood, and pain.

<p>Identifiering av fysisk barnmisshandel är en komplicerad uppgift och många misshandelsfall upptäcks inte av sjukvården. Det har skett en attitydförändring i samhället över tid, vilket har bidragit till en ökad anmälningsfrekvens av barnmisshandel. Fysisk barnmisshandel är när en vuxen vållar ett barn skada med eller utan tillhygge. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa vilka kännetecken sjuksköterskan ska uppmärksamma vid kontakt med familjer för att upptäcka om barnet har utsatts för fysiskt våld. Med hjälp av tretton artiklar och en avhandling formades litteraturstudien. Resultatet visar att det finns ett stort antal varningssignaler som sjuksköterskan ska vara observant på vid misstanke av barnmisshandel. Dessa kännetecken varierar och kan vara allt från somatiska skador på barnet till föräldrarnas beteende i sociala sammanhang. Genom erfarenhet och utbildning inom området barnmisshandel, underlättas sjuksköterskans arbete i att särskilja situationer där ett barn blir misshandlat från en situation där ett barn skadas i samband med lek. Vidare forskning i ämnet barnmisshandel krävs för att stärka sjuksköterskeprofessionen och därmed fånga upp fler utsatta barn.</p> / <p>The disclosure of physical child abuse is a complex task for the medical care. A great number of cases are never revealed. There is a trend of an increased reporting frequency of child abuse, since the general attitude in the society has changed. Physical child abuse is defined as: An adult physically harming a child with or without an object. The purpose of this literature study was to summarize what nurses on the field should look for to discover physical child abuse. This paper was formed as a result of a literature study which included 13 articles and 1 thesis. The literature study resulted in identification of a large number of relevant warning signals of child abuse, for example somatic injuries and parental behaviour in social groups. To simplify the nurses' work of separating cases of child abuse from cases of normal accidents during play, existing experience within this area must be disseminated by education. Also, further research within this area is required to improve the nursing profession and help a larger fraction of exposed children.</p>

<p>While constituting a well functioning interface with the aqueous environment in utero, the skin offers a poor barrier after very preterm birth. As a result, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is high, a fact which has important clinical consequences in these infants. To investigate the transport of water through perinatal skin and the potential role of aquaporin (AQP), a water channel protein, in this process, we determined TEWL in a group of extremely preterm infants, and in an experimental rat model we analyzed the expression and distribution of AQP in perinatal skin in relation to TEWL, skin surface hydration and water content. The effects of antenatal corticosteroids (ANS) and of restricted intake of fluids and nutrients on barrier characteristics of the perinatal skin and its AQP expression were also studied.</p><p>In infants born at 24 and 25 weeks of gestation TEWL was very high in the first days after birth and decreased with increasing postnatal age. At a postnatal age of 4 weeks, TEWL was still twice as high as previously reported in infants born at a gestational age of 25-27 weeks and four times higher than in infants born at term. In the rat model, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that AQP1 and AQP3 are abundantly expressed in the skin. AQP1 was expressed exclusively in dermal capillaries and AQP3 in basal layers of the epidermis. AQP1 and AQP3 mRNA as assessed by semiquantitative RT-PCR was higher in fetal than in adult skin. As in infants, TEWL and skin surface hydration were inversely related to gestational age in the rat. In preterm rat pups exposed to ANS, TEWL and skin surface hydration were lower than in unexposed controls, and AQP3 expression was selectively induced by ANS. In term newborn rat pups, restriction of fluid and nutrient intake resulted in a higher skin water content and higher TEWL early after birth, while at an age of 7 days TEWL was lower in fasting rat pups than in controls, although skin water content was still higher.</p><p>To conclude, TEWL is very high in extremely preterm infants early after birth and then decreases at a slower rate than previously reported for a group of slightly more mature infants. </p><p>This is the first time that the distribution and gene expression of AQP1 and AQP3 have been demonstrated in perinatal skin. The localization and expression of AQP in the skin might indicate that these water channels are involved in the regulation of skin hydration and transepidermal water transport in the fetus and newborn infant.</p>

<p>Children with myelomeningocele (MMC) usually have problems with daily life activities, but the background to their problems is not altogether obvious. An understanding of the possible causes of activity problems is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of physical therapy. The overall aim of the present studies was to identify impairments above the cele level, which might influence mobility in children with MMC (study I) and to analyse sitting posture (study II) and the movement characteristics of reaching movements (study III and IV). </p><p>In total, 41 children and young adults with MMC and without mental retardation were investigated. Study I comprised 32 children, 6-11 years. Mobility and the caregiver assistance required for mobility were quantified according to the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and correlation between mobility and neurological impairment, hand function and cognitive function were calculated. The results showed that nine children achieved independent mobility and that there was a moderate and significant correlation between the need for physical assistance and high cele level, impaired hand function and impaired cognitive function. In those children who used a wheelchair, only poor hand strength was significantly correlated with the need for caregiver assistance.</p><p>Study II comprised 11 children, 10-13 years, and a control group of 20 healthy children. Sitting posture was investigated by using a force plate and analysed from the frequency and the amplitude of the postural sway. The reaction forces before and during rapid arm lift were also analysed. The result showed that children with MMC had significantly lower sway frequency compared to the controls. In both groups, the ground reaction forces were registered before the children lifted their arms. Study III and IV comprised 31 children and young adults, 9-19 years and 31 matched controls. Reaching movements were investigated with a digitising tablet, linked to a computer. The ability to program and execute reaching movements was analysed and also the ability to adapt reaching to new visuomotor conditions. The results showed that the MMC group had poorer precision, less straight movements and shorter deceleration phases as compared to the controls. In both groups the movements were pre-programmed. In addition, adaptation of reaching to new visuomotor conditions was poor in the MMC group as compared to the controls. </p><p>In conclusion we found that impairments above the cele level influenced mobility and the control of sitting posture in children with MMC. Reduced precision and co-ordination of reaching, and also difficulties with motor adaptation, could partly explain thier problems with hand activities. These findings need to be considered in therapy programs for children and young adults with MMC.</p>

<p>Glucose is the most important fetal nutrient and the production of this substrate increases in the pregnant woman. In the last trimester the increased insulin resistance directs energy substrates to the fetus. Fetal growth is sometimes disturbed, often without an obvious explanation.</p><p>After birth the newborn infant must produce its own glucose, primarily for the brain. Fatty acids from lipolysis are also important energy substrates. Hypoglycaemia can be a problem, occurring frequently in preterm infants and infants born small for gestational age (SGA). In addition, SGA infants are at risk of developing the metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Neonatal medication can influence energy metabolism. One such medication is theophylline, administered in preterm infants to prevent apnoea. </p><p>We investigated energy substrate production in women with normal and IUGR pregnancies, in preterm neonates, before and after theophylline treatment and in newborn SGA infants, using stable isotope-labelled compounds and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. </p><p>We found that late pregnancy was associated with an almost twofold increase in the rate of lipolysis. This provides substrates for maternal energy metabolism, which may spare glucose for the fetus. Even though glucose production was comparable in the two groups of pregnant women, those with IUGR had a lower rate of lipolysis. A reduced supply of energy substrates could be one factor underlying IUGR. In spite of the insulin resistance of late pregnancy, insulin still had a regulatory role in energy substrate production in the women with normal pregnancies, but not in those with IUGR. </p><p>Although infants born preterm and/or SGA have limited energy stores, we demonstrated that they are capable of both lipolysis and glucose production. Theophylline had no adverse effects on energy substrate production. Data on insulin and IGFBP-1 in the SGA infants indicate that in such infants insulin sensitivity is increased peripherally but reduced in the liver.</p>

<p><b>Background. </b>Newborn infants, especially preterm infants, have an increased susceptibility to serious and overwhelming bacterial as well as fungal infections. Symptoms of septicaemia in especially the very preterm neonates are vague and unspecific. No really good biochemical parameter exists today that can confirm or exclude the existence of neonatal septicaemia. The access to such a test in neonates would be most valuable, not only to assure early institution of effective antibiotic therapy when needed, but also to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics, thereby reducing the risk of further development of antimicrobial resistance. </p><p><b>Aim. </b>To investigate the possible use of the expression of the phagocyte receptor CD64 (FcγRI) on neutrophils for early diagnosis of bacterial infections with special reference to neonatal septicaemia. </p><p><b>Results. </b>Neutrophils from preterm and term newborn infants, older infants, children, and adults examined during the early phase of a bacterial infection showed a significantly higher expression of CD64 compared with non-infected controls (p<0.001). Neutrophils from even extremely preterm infants expressed CD64 to the same extent as did neutrophils from children and adult patients. The expression of CD64 was not affected by the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or by such factors as premature rupture of the membranes, gestational age, steroid treatment before delivery, method of delivery, birth weight or postnatal age.</p><p>Major surgery in adults (total hip replacement) did not affect the CD64 expression to an extent comparable to that found during bacterial infections. Indirectly CD64 was found to be at least equal to CRP for differentiation between Influenza A infection and bacterial infections in adults.</p><p><b>Conclusion.</b> CD64 was found to be a specific and reliable marker for early detection of bacterial infections in preterm and term newborn infants, as well as after surgery. For differentiation between bacterial and viral infections it is probably at least as effective as CRP.</p>