The purpose of the present study was to examine the role that specific factors play in the quality of life (QL) for women with recurrent breast cancer.

African American breast cancer survivors (N=22) in this exploratory study had a mean of 15.55 years since diagnosis (SD=10.734, min-5 years, max= 47 years). The women reported good quality of life, good health, good health care, very good provider care, very good sensitivity by their provider for their being a cancer survivor, and very good sensitivity and competence by their provider for treating them as an African American breast cancer survivor. Both the quantitative and qualitative data reinforce each other, showing evidence of posttraumatic growth from breast cancer, including a significant increase from before breast cancer to after breast cancer in their spirituality. Perhaps, most importantly, this exploratory study with a small sample found suggestive positive correlations between two types of self-efficacy coping and quality of life: i.e., the higher the rating for quality of life, then the greater the use of problem focused coping (r=.798, p=.000), and greater the use of support from friends/family coping (r=.776, p=.000). Hence, coping emerges as vital with regard to achieving a higher quality of life. This is consistent with Gaston-Johansson et al. (2013), urging exposing women to a Comprehensive Coping Strategy Program (CCSP). As an implication of this study, such a focus on coping strategies is recommended for health educators in their work with breast cancer survivors, and also with the newly diagnosed. While women may emerge from a breast cancer diagnosis with greater spirituality and having discovered they are stronger than they think, there may be those women who are struggling. They have yet to achieve the key factors associated with a higher quality of life such as high self-efficacy to cope with stress. Thus, health educators are advised to ensure that African American breast cancer survivors and those newly diagnosed receive culturally tailored interventions designed to improve their self-efficacy to cope. Health educators may conduct support groups with survivors and newly diagnosed women, so as to ensure they have adequate social support—especially if spousal/partner support is not high. This may counter the tendency of some women to withdraw and isolate, as per the emergent theme: emotional numbing, withdrawing, and isolating.

À travers le monde, il existe encore des attitudes discriminantes chez des dentistes, des étudiants ou des patients envers des personnes ayant des infections transmissibles par le sang comme celles causées par le virus de l’immunodéficience humaine, le virus de l’hépatite B ou le virus de l’hépatite C. De plus, aucune étude québécoise ou même canadienne récente n’a été faite à ce sujet. But : Le but du projet de recherche était d’évaluer les connaissances sur les risques de transmission d’infections et les attitudes des patients et des étudiants de dernière année de médecine dentaire du Québec et d’établir si des associations existaient entre ces variables. Matériel et méthodes : Des questionnaires distincts ont été construits à partir de ceux utilisés dans des études comparables conduites à l’étranger. Les questionnaires incluaient des choix de réponse de type fermé et des échelles de niveau d’accord par rapport à des énoncés. Soixante-neuf étudiants de dernière année de médecine dentaire de l’Université de Montréal ainsi que de l’Université Laval ont participé au projet de recherche (taux de participation de 56,6 %) et cent-quarante-deux patients de la clinique de Résidence Multidisciplinaire de l’Université Laval ont été recrutés. Des analyses descriptives ont permis de décrire les populations étudiées et les associations possibles entre les variables ont été analysées en utilisant la corrélation de Spearman, letest de Wilcoxon ainsi que le test de Kruskal-Wallis. Résultats : Les connaissances des étudiants et des patients étaient limitées et les attitudes discriminantes étaient exprimées par 17,4 % des étudiants et 41,8 % des patients. Aucune association statistiquement significative n’a été notée entre les connaissances et les attitudes des étudiants (p > 0,05)alors qu’il y en avait une pour les patients (p < 0,05). Conclusions : Dans les limites de cette étude transversale, les connaissances des étudiants n’avaient pas d’effet sur leurs attitudes, alors que les connaissances des patients affectaient leurs attitudes. De meilleures connaissances au sujet de la transmission d’infections en cabinet dentaire pourraient s’avérer bénéfiques tant pour les patients que pour les étudiants. / Worldwide, negative attitudes still remain from dentists, students or patients concerningpeople infected with blood borne pathogens (human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis Bvirus and hepatitis C virus). Furthermore, there is no actual study from Quebec or any recentCanadian study regarding this topic. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge and attitudes towardthe risk of transmission of infections in dentistry and to see if an association exists betweenthese variables. The studied population was patients and senior year dental students fromQuebec. Methods: Distinct questionnaires were developed from those used in other similarstudies. The questionnaires included closed-ended questions and Likert-type scaleevaluations of agreement with statements. Sixty-nine senior year dental students fromUniversity of Montreal and Laval University (participation rate of 56.6 %) and one hundredforty-two patients from the Multidisciplinary Residency Program of Laval University wereincluded in the study. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the studied population andthe possible associations between variables were analyzed using the Spearman correlation,the Wilcoxon Test as well as the Kruskal-Wallis Test. Results: The students’ knowledgeand the patients’ knowledge were both limited and negative attitudes were expressed by17.4 % of the students and 41.8 % of the patients. There was no significant statisticalassociation between the knowledge and the attitudes of the students (p > 0,05). However,there was for the patients (p < 0,05). Conclusions: In the limit of this cross-sectional study,the knowledge of the students did not affect their attitudes while the knowledge of thepatients did. Educational efforts are needed to enhance and increase the knowledge of bothpatients and students about the risk of transmission of infections in dental settings.

Spiritual dimensions are an important focus for nursing care and nurses can be catalysts for spiritual care. The purpose of this descriptive comparative analysis is to examine the spiritual care needs as perceived by terminally ill clients, non-terminally ill clients, and well adults. The theoretical framework for this study is Leininger's "Cultural Care Theory" that supports the notion that spiritual care needs to be culturally congruent.Participants were obtained from a 225-bed hospital, hospice, home care, and a wellness program in a midwestern city. Permission was obtained from the hospital President, Vice President of Nursing, the directors of Hospice and Home Care, and the community's Wellness Program. The number of participants was 76. The process for the protection of human rights was followed.Findings were that terminally ill, non-terminally ill, and well-adults all agree that receiving spiritual care that is congruent with beliefs is important. The terminally ill clients rated spiritual needs higher than both non-terminally ill and well-adults. All groups rated the same in the persons from whom it was wished to receive spiritual care. Common themes of spiritual care desired from these persons for the terminally ill group was: pray for/with me and talk to me. For the non-terminally ill group it was: give me information, The understanding, and provide emotional and spiritual support. Finally, for the well-adults it was: listen to me, talk to me, be confident, and support me.No statistical difference between groups (.940) on the SPS. On the SPC, the terminally ill group was more satisfied (5.20) with spiritual support they were receiving than the non-terminally ill group or well-adults.It was concluded that regardless of the stage of illness, the same spiritual needs are prominent, all individuals have spiritual needs, and several types of interventions are preferred. It has been demonstrated in this study that prayer is the most sought after component of spiritual care among all three groups. Second to that would be someone to talk to and someone to listen to them.Implications call for nurses to facilitate spiritual care from family, friends, minister or priest, and hospital chaplain. This could be written into the plan of care by having the client describe the type of spiritual care they want to receive. Nursing Administration needs to work with nursing staff to define spirituality and religion and what they mean to the nurse. / School of Nursing

Britain's Asians are a young population and their socio-economic status is low, with racial disadvantage in housing, employment, education and health. Research on their health has usually not been conducted in its socio-economic and demographic context and there is little on their use of primary care. Three studies were conducted to investigate their relationship with primary care in Bradford. A study of general practice attenders of white/British, Pakistani and Indian origin confirmed the demographic and socio-economic differences between the groups. The former had higher rates of alcohol and cigarette consumption. For Pakistanis and Indians, fluency and literacy in English was poor. Ethnic and linguistic match between doctor and patient was more important in patients' choice of doctor than the doctor's sex. Differential employment status of Asian and white/British accounted for some of the differences in health. A study of general practice attendance showed similar rates of surgery consultations between Asians and Non-Asians; the latter made greater use of domiciliary services. Both these studies were conducted in an inner Bradford health centre with an Asian male, a white male and a white female doctor. Bradford GPs were found to perceive that Asian patients made greater use of surgery and domiciliary consultations; attended more often for trivial complaints; and had lower compliance rates than Non-Asians. These perceptions were not supported by objective data. Better qualified GPs had a smaller, and Asian doctors had a greater proportion of Asian patients on their lists. Research, and action on Asians' health, needs to take account of their poorer socio-economic status.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

The primary health care (PHC) institution has a core value in comprehensive health care systems. PHC have been presented as an effective resolution in improving health care, because it is associated with the better health outcomes, lowers health care costs and is related to a greater equity in health. PHC institution was newly established in Lithuania in 1992, when the health care reform was started. Family physicians were retrained from district doctors (pediatricians and internists) or graduated family medicine residency. The recent years have been challenging for Lithuanian family medicine institution. This is the first national study, which evaluates changes in the task profiles and workload of family physicians ten years after the beginning of PHC reform in Lithuania. It provides new information about the differences and similarities in the services of retrained district physicians and physicians after family medicine residency. First time was evaluated family physicians’ satisfaction at national level: are they happy with new role? The study is exceptional because it combines data from patients and their family physicians and gives insight into the attitudes of PHC services users, an important indicator of the quality of health care. Aim of the study: to evaluate changes in family physicians’ task profiles and job satisfaction, and to assess patients’ attitudes towards PHC during ten years of PHC reform in Lithuania. Objectives of the study: 1. To evaluate and... [to full text] / Pirminei sveikatos priežiūrai (PSP) šiuolaikinėje sveikatos priežiūros sistemoje skiriamas ypatingas dėmesys, nes šios institucijos plėtojimas gerina visuomenės sveikatą, paslaugų prieinamumą bei mažina sveikatos sistemos išlaidas. Šeimos gydytojai Lietuvoje nuo 1992 metų pradėti ruošti dvejopai: dalis jų buvo perkvalifikuojami iš apylinkės gydytojų (terapeutų ir pediatrų), kita dalis buvo ruošiama stacionarinėje šeimos medicinos rezidentūroje. Neabejotinai pastarieji PSP reformos metai buvo iššūkis tiek visuomenei, tiek šeimos medicinos institucijai. Tai pirmasis nacionalinis tyrimas, kuriame vertinti šeimos gydytojų veiklos apimčių, darbo krūvio pokyčiai vykdant PSP reformą per dešimtį jos metų. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidžia šeimos gydytojų baigusių stacionarinę rezidentūrą panašumus ir skirtumus su šeimos gydytojais, persikvalifikavusiais iš apylinkės gydytojų. Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje šeimos gydytojų buvo klausiama, ar jie patenkinti savo darbu? Be to, tyrimo metu vienu mtu buvo apklausiami ne tik šeimos gydytojai, bet ir jų pacientai, kurių nuomonė labai svarbi vertinat sveikatos priežiūros paslaugų kokybę. Darbo tikslas: nustatyti šeimos gydytojų veiklos apimtis, jų nuomonę apie darbą ir įvertinti pacientų požiūrį apie pirminę sveikatos priežiūrą per pirminės sveikatos priežiūros reformos dešimtmetį. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti ir palyginti apylinkės ir šeimos gydytojų darbo krūvį, veiklos apimtis ir jų pokyčius. 2. Palyginti šeimos gydytojų nuomonę apie jų darbą ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

La présente recherche documente le lien entre l'inconfort et l'agitation chez des personnes âgées atteintes de la démence de type Alzheimer. L'étude est réalisée auprès de 49 participants recrutés dans trois centres d'hébergement et de soins de longue durée. L'inconfort et l'agitation ont été évalués par des membres du personnel soignant de ces établissements connaissant bien les participants. Des analyses de régression multiple hiérarchiques contrôlant pour des caractéristiques des participants montrent que l'inconfort explique une part significative de la variance de l'agitation globale de même que de l'agitation physique non agressive et de l'agitation verbale. Les implications théoriques et pratiques de ces résultats sont discutées.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The focus of this study was to explore and analyze the perceptions of treatment effectiveness among substance abuse clients involved in Bilingual Family Counseling Outpatient Treatment. The intent was to have a better understanding of a treatment centers program's outcome from the clients' point of view and its effectiveness in terms of the usefulness to the client.