Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att ur ett patientperspektiv, belysa upplevelser av möten mellan patient, sjuksköterskan och vården på akutmottagningen. Data till litteraturstudien insamlades via databaserna Cinahl och studiens resultat bygger på 11 artiklar från tre länder som publicerats år 2000-2010. Resultatet i litteraturstudien visade att sex faktorer återkom; Respekt, kommunikation, kunskap och kompetens, tillgänglighet, helhet, och kontinuitet. Resultatet visade att patienter upplever en bristande respekt från vårdpersonal. Kommunikationen uppgavs ofta bristfällig eller inriktad på, för patienten icke relevanta saker. Många patienter upplevde kommunikationen som en envägsdialog. Patienter uppgav att kunskap och kompetens samt bemötande med emotionell omsorg i gav en god relation till vårdpersonal. Brist på resurser ansåg många patienter ledde till en minskad tillgänglighet av vård- och omsorg samt att patienter inte får hjälp i den utsträckning de anser sig ha rätt till. Patienternas helhetsupplevelse av vården visade på en kombination mellan väntetid, information, kompetens samt förståelse där missnöje ledde till upplevelsen av sjuksköterskans kompetens och vården i helhet som mindre tillfredsställande. Kontinuitet för patienterna var viktig för att ge en trygghet och förtroende att kunna söka vård igen vid behov. Slutsatsen är att patienter vill bli sedda som individer, bli respekterade och få relevant information i mötet med akutsjukvården. / The purpose of this literary study was to illustrate experiences, from a patient perspective, during a visit to the Emergency Room. The data for this literary study was collected through the data base Cinahl. The study’s result is based on 11 different articles studied, from three different countries. The articles published between the years 2000-2010. The results of the study reveal six recurring aspects; respect, communication, knowledge and competence, availability, entirety and continuity. The result shows that patients experience a lack of respect from hospital staff. The communication was frequently depicted as insufficient or focused on, from the patient’s perspective, irrelevant aspects. Many patients perceived the communication as a “one-way-communication”. Patients stated that knowledge and competence combined with an approach with emotional care created a good relation with the hospital staff. Lack of resources stated many patients resulted in a reduced availability to treatment and care, when the patients do not receive the required level of help that they perceive themselves to be entitled to. The entirety experience of the visit at the Emergency Room by the patients was a combination of waiting time, information, competence and understanding where dissatisfaction often judge the nurse’s competence and the treatment and care in its entirety as less satisfying. Continuity for the patients was important in order to give security and confidence to seek treatment again when required. The conclusion is that patients wants to be seen as an individuals, be respected and receive relevant information in the meeting with emergency medical services.

Research Objectives Heart failure (HF) is a common condition in persons older than 65 years. Existing literature indicated that hospital readmission rates after discharge for heart failure patients are immensely high. However, previous studies showed that almost half of the early hospital readmissions could be prevented. Moreover, Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and Angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) are the commonly used medications for heart failure patients to control blood pressure. Nevertheless, studies indicated that these two medications could also cause the risk of hospital readmission. Little studies examined the associations of medication use and hospital readmission of heart failure patients in Taiwan. This study aims to investigate the influence factors of hospital readmissions among heart failure patients in Taiwan. Study Design We collected the data from National Health Insurance (NHI) database during the period from year 2000 to 2006. Based on the rule of Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan, the 14-day readmission is considered as a poor quality indicator. We categorized readmissions into 4 groups (14-day, 30-day, 180-day and over 180-day) and evaluated each group¡¦s demographic, hospital characteristics, medical resource utilization, Charlson Comorbidity Index and medication utilizations of ACE inhibitor and ARB. We conducted descriptive analyses by using chi-square and t tests and applied multivariate logistic regression analyses to estimate the probabilities of hospital readmissions of heart failure patients. Population Studied Patients aged 50 or older with heart failure were identified based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Principle Findings Among 1920 heart failure patients, 19.9% of them were readmitted within 14 days, 7.6% were readmitted within 30 days and 26% were readmitted within 180 days. The medical resource utilizations such as average inpatients cost per patient, average outpatients cost per patient, total medical cost, average of inpatients times per patient and average of outpatients times per patient were significantly higher in patients with readmissions than those without readmission. Age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, patients who had been treated with ACE inhibitors and patients who had been treated with ARB were significantly affected the probabilities of readmissions. Conclusion The heart failure patients with readmissions had significantly higher medical resource utilizations than those without readmission. The medication uses of ACE inhibitors or ARB were significantly affected the probabilities of hospital readmissions. By understanding more about the influence factors of readmissions among heart failure patients, we may provide continue improvements of quality of care and reduce unnecessary medical costs. This study results provide useful reference for policy-makers to establish effective disease management program and appropriate health care financing arrangement in the future.

Research Objectives: Osteoporosis has become a significant public health problem in recent years, especially with the growth of the elderly population. Osteoporotic fractures exact a terrible toll on the population with respect to morbidity, cost, and to a lesser extent mortality. These effects can lead to psychological problems, social consequences, functional limitations, and poor quality of life. Thus, knowledge regarding osteoporotic fractures is needed to evaluate the impact of osteoporotic fractures on society, to identify high-risk populations, and to help policymakers to allocate resources accordingly. This study aims to investigate the influence factors of hospital readmissions among osteoporotic fractures patients in Taiwan, and the study results are expected to increase our understanding of the magnitude of the elderly population suffering from osteoporotic fractures and to urge policymakers to develop effective national prevention strategies. Study Design: Using Taiwan¡¦s National Health Insurance database, we identified elderly patients with a hospitalization for osteoporotic fractures between 2001 and 2007. We divided readmissions into different groups (14-day, 30-day, 180-day and over 180-day) and evaluated each group¡¦s demographic, hospital characteristics, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. The claims data are also used to calculate the health services utilization of osteoporotic fractures among those elderly patients with or without readmission of osteoporotic fractures. The data analyses were carried out by Chi-square test, t test, multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression. Population Studied: Patients aged 50 or older with osteoporotic fractures were identified based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Principle Findings: Among 5483 osteoporotic fractures patients, 6.9% of them were readmitted within 14 days, 34.7% were readmitted within 30 days and 13.9% were readmitted within 180 days. The medical resource utilizations were significantly higher in patients with readmissions than those without readmission. Age and Charlson Comorbidity Index were significantly affected the probabilities of readmissions. Conclusion: From the perspective of health policy, the issue of osteoporotic fractures will become increasingly important in the future. This national study will help raise awareness of osteoporotic fractures and hopefully motivate public health policy makers to develop effective national prevention strategies against osteoporosis to prevent osteoporotic fractures.

The quality of care in nursing homes has been evaluated from many varying perspectives, but few studies have analyzed quality in light of complaints made to state survey agencies by residents, their family members, or other individuals interacting with the nursing home. This study analyzed complaints, investigation of complaint allegations, and complaint-related deficiency citations to determine their effect, if any, on the quality of care in nationwide nursing homes. Using the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) survey dataset for facility characteristics and the complaint investigation dataset for outcomes of complaint investigation, analyses conducted included descriptives, correlations, conceptual mapping for complaint-related deficiencies, chi-square tests of independence, t-tests, and generalized estimating equations. At baseline, approximately 66% of nursing homes were for-profit and roughly 53% belonged to a chain membership, while the average percent of residents receiving Medicaid for care reimbursement was 60%. Results indicated that nursing homes differed significantly by profit status and chain membership on whether a complaint was received and whether a deficiency citation was issued following a complaint investigation. Additionally, certain facility and resident-aggregated characteristics, as indicated by odds ratios, were associated with an increase in the likelihood of receiving a complaint or a complaint-related citation. With respect to facility characteristics, for-profit nursing homes and those nursing homes belonging to a chain membership were found to have more complaints and more complaint-related deficiency citations than nonprofit nursing homes and non-chain facilities. Resident-aggregated characteristics, such as a nursing home having more residents restrained, more residents with a catheter, or more residents with a diagnosis of depression, indicated a greater likelihood of receiving a complaint or complaint-related deficiency citation in longitudinal analyses. While additional research could aid in interpreting the effect of complaints on quality of care in nursing homes, study results indicate several facility and resident-aggregated factors that may aid in better understanding of quality of care and improve the training of surveyors and nursing home staff to improve quality of care for residents.

Andelen äldre personer i Sveriges befolkning ökar, vilket leder till större behov av väl fungerande äldreomsorg. Kommunerna har ansvar för äldreomsorgen oberoende om den utförs i offentlig eller privat regi. Den 1 januari 2009 trädde lagen om valfrihet i kraft som bland annat syftar till att öka individens möjlighet att välja hemtjänstutförare. Idag har privata aktörer större möjligheter att etablera sig inom hemtjänsten. Kontrakten som tecknas mellan kommunen och en privat utförare är den enda direkta legala möjligheten för den ansvariga kommunen att påverka kvaliteten i verksamheterna. Därför är det viktigt att kraven som ställs i kontrakten tydligt beskriver vad kommunen vill att de privata aktörerna ska utföra och vilken kvalitet dessa tjänster ska ha. Syftet med studien var därför att undersöka om och hur kommunernas kontrakt med de privata utförarna fångar upp centrala aspekter av omsorgskvalitet inom hemtjänsten. En kvalitativ deduktiv ansats användes och en innehållsanalys genomfördes för att besvara frågeställningarna. Med hjälp av en utformad analysmodell besvarades vilken typ av kvalitetskrav som ställs i kontrakten. Resultaten visade att majoriteten av de identifierade kvalitetskraven i kontrakten beskrev hur omsorgstjänsterna ska utföras. Kraven utifrån de sex kategorierna, som ingick i analysmodellen, diskuterades i kontrakten. De flesta av kraven som ställdes i kontrakten var specificerade och uppföljningsbara. Dock visade det sig att det inte gick att mäta i vilken grad kraven var uppnådda. Utifrån studiens resultat verkar svårigheterna för kommunerna vara att formulera tillräckligt omfattande och mätbara krav, vilket kan försvåra styrningen av kvaliteten inom äldreomsorgen. / The elderly population in Sweden is growing, which means that more efforts by the home care services are needed. The municipality is responsible to ensure that their population gets the services they need by public or private home care agencies. In January 2009 the law of system of choice was introduced. One aim of the law was to give the individual more freedom to choose home care provider. The only legal way for the municipality to control the quality in private services is to establish a contract between them. Therefore it is important that the contract is well written, and that the municipality clearly expresses what quality they expect the home care provider to perform. The aim of this study was to examine how the contracts are written and what kind of quality the text expresses. A qualitative deductive approach was used and a content analysis was made to examine the contracts. A model for analysis was developed with the purpose to examine the contracts. The results showed that the majority of the text about the quality in the contracts described specific how the services should be performed. The six categories, included in the model of analysis, were represented in the contracts. However, the requirements described in the text were not designed to be measurable. The results showed that it seems difficult for the municipality to formulate requirements that are measurable. This can be a reason for the difficulties for the municipality to control the quality in the elderly care.

BACKGROUND: Radical prostatectomy is the surgical procedure performed on men with clinically localized prostate cancer. In recent years, radical prostatectomy quality indicators have been recommended, but the feasibility and validity for many of these listed surgical quality indicators have yet to be examined. We tested the convergent construct validity of these quality indicators by assessing their associations with hospital volume, a variable repeatedly associated with the quality of surgical care, for prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess variations in quality indicators by hospital volume; and (2) To investigate whether certain explanatory variables account for some of the variation observed in Objective 1. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using medical chart review data that had already been collected as part of a parent study. The study population consisted of a stratified random sample of prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 1990 and 1998 in Ontario, who were treated by radical prostatectomy with curative intent within six months of diagnosis (n = 645). The feasibility of using this data to assess a number of quality indicators was explored, and where possible, variables were developed for analysis. Ultimately, detailed analyses were performed for the quality indicators: total blood transfusions of three units or greater, length of hospital stay, and use of non-nerve-sparing surgical technique. RESULTS: Even using high-quality chart data, it was not feasible to evaluate all of the quality indicators that were explored. For blood transfusions of three units or greater, length of hospital stay, and use of non-nerve-sparing surgical technique, worse outcomes were generally apparent with decreasing hospital volume, both before and after adjusting for the effect of explanatory variables. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated convergent construct validity for three quality indicators (blood transfusions, length of hospital stay, and non-nerve-sparing surgery). If their validity is further demonstrated in future studies, these indicators could be used for quality assessment and could provide feedback to surgeons, surgical department heads, hospital administrators, and quality councils by suggesting areas for quality improvement in surgical care, such that future outcomes can be optimized. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-23 17:53:33.166

Syfte: Att undersöka hur nöjda patienter 75 år och äldre är med vården som bedrivs på akutmottagningen på Akademiska sjukhuset i Uppsala avseende väntetid, miljö, kompetens, förtroende, tillgänglighet, bemötande, information, kommunikation och smärtlindring. Metod: Deskriptiv tvärsnittstudie. 38 patienter 75 år och äldre som besökt Akademiska sjukhusets akutmottagning svarade på en enkät avseende hur nöjda de var med sitt besök. Resultat: Patienter 75 år och äldre var i stort mycket nöjda över vården som bedrivs på Akademiska sjukhusets akutmottagning. Patienterna var minst nöjda över väntetiden som ibland ansågs vara för lång i relation till deras besvär. Ingen skillnad gick att utläsa mellan hur nöjda män och kvinnor var med vården avseende väntetid, miljö, kompetens, förtroende, tillgänglighet, bemötande, information, kommunikation och smärtlindring. Någon skillnad gick inte heller att utläsa mellan hur nöjda patienterna var med vården och vilken typ av besvär; medicinskt, kirurgiskt eller ortopediskt som patienten hade sökt för. Slutsats: Studien visar att de patienter 75 år och äldre som besvarade enkäten i stort är mycket nöjda med vården som bedrivs på Akademiska sjukhusets akutmottagning avseende väntetid, miljö, kompetens, förtroende, tillgänglighet, bemötande, information, kommunikation och smärtlindring. Resultaten går inte att generalisera och mer forskning krävs på området. / Aim: To investigate the satisfaction levels of patients aged 75 years and older for care received at the emergency department of Akademiska hospital in Uppsala with regard to waiting times, treatment environment, competence, patient trust, accessibility, treatment, information, communication and pain relief. Method: Descriptive cross section study. 38 patients aged 75 years and older who visited Akademiska’s emergency department answered by completing a form regarding how satisfied they were with their visit. Results: Patients aged 75 and older were generally very satisfied with the care offered by Akademiska’s emergency department. Patients were least satisfied with waiting times, which were sometimes felt to be too long in relation to their symptoms. No significant difference was recorded between the satisfaction levels between men and women for the care offered with regard to waiting times, treatment environment, competence, patient trust, accessibility, treatment, information, communication or pain relief. Neither were any significant differences recorded between the types of symptoms - medical, surgical or orthopaedic - that the patients were seeking treatment for. Conclusion: The study shows that patients aged 75 and over who answered the form were generally very satisfied with the care offered by Akademiska hospital’s emergency department with regard to waiting times, treatment environment, competence, patient trust, accessibility, treatment, information, communication and pain relief. These results cannot be generalized and more research is required in this area.

At the Primary Health Care Centre in Vännäs (VPHCC), northern Sweden, a development work was implemented in 1976-1980. The overall purpose was to enhance primary health care planning. In trying to improve health care delivery cooperation with community members was initiated and some organizational changes like a new appointment system, a new medical record and local care programs for some common diseases were introduced. Official statistics were also used for comparative purposes. The aims of the work were postulated (increased accessibility, higher continuity, more equitable distribution and enhanced cooperation) and suitable methods were designed. From postal surveys, chartreviews and administrative data (from hospitals, out-patient clinics and health centres) figures and information were collected. Accessibility was studied by waiting room time which was reduced and continuity, analyzed with a new concept - visit based provider continuity - was improved. The question of equitable distribution was studied by the consultation rates at different out-patient clinics. It seemed as if the local development work changed the patterns of utilization but some important issues were not decisively answered. Repeated postal surveys reflected the question of equitable distribution and the cooperation between the VPHCC and the community members. Positive responses were recorded in aspects like telephone accessibility and health care information. In a tracer study of diabetes the quality of care was studied. The local care program was actually implemented in the daily practice but the question of care quality needs further penetration. Within the frames of the development work new methods in the health care planning were introduced. Our work started from the prerequisits of the VPHCC and other health centres might find other ways of planning for care provision. On a general level, however, the structure of our work - defining aims, means and evaluation methods - can be used by others. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1986, härtill 6 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu

Patienter med ögonsjukdomar är en stor patientgrupp som förväntas öka, då många av sjukdomarna är åldersrelaterade och befolkningen i världen blir allt äldre. Ett stort antal av patienterna kommer att förekomma på olika vårdavdelningar där de vårdas av annan orsak. Omvårdnad är sjuksköterskans huvudansvar och hennes profession medför att riktlinjer och lagar ska följas i samband med yrkesutövning. Syftet med pilotstudien var att undersöka sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att ge omvårdnad till inneliggande patienter med olika ögonsjukdomar i anamnesen. Pilotstudien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod och datainsamlingen skedde genom intervjuer. Data analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet sammanställdes i tre kategorier: Att erfara bristfälligt ansvarstagande, Att erfara behov av prioriteringar och Att erfara okunskap om ögonsjukvård. Sjuksköterskorna erfor bristfälligt ansvarstagande och de ansåg omvårdnadsarbetet med patienter med olika ögonsjukdomar i anamnesen som svårt. De ansåg sig sakna tillräckligt med kunskap och arbetsbelastningen ledde till att de var tvungna att prioritera på ett sätt som inte gynnade patientgruppen. Sjuksköterskorna uttryckte ett behov av mer utbildning inom detta område. Mer kunskap skulle kunna bidra till att de upplevde en ökad trygghet i sin yrkesroll och leda till en högre patientsäkerhet. Pilotstudien visar att det finns förbättringspotential för att höja patientsäkerheten och som bör följas upp i en fullskalig studie. / Patients with ocular diseases are a large group which is expected to increase since many of the ocular diseases are age-related and world population is aging. These patients are found in various wards where they are inpatients because of other causes than ocular diseases. Nursing care is the nurse´s major responsibility and they are obliged to follow guidelines and laws regularizing their profession. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate nurses´ experience of providing care for inpatients with any ocular disease, in their anamnesis. The pilot study was conducted using a qualitative content analysis using interviews. The results were compiled into three categories; Experiencing inadequate accountability, Experiencing the need for priorities, and Experiencing the ignorance of ophthalmology. The nurses in the pilot study experienced nursing care to patients with various eye diseases in history difficult. They thought they lacked sufficient knowledge and because of the workload which made them prioritize in a way which did not benefit the patients. The nurses expressed a need of more education in ophthalmic care. More knowledge would support them in experiencing an increased security in their profession and lead to improved patient safety. The pilot study shows that there is potential for improvement to enhance patient safety and should be followed up in a full scale study.

Aim: The overall aim of the present thesis was to describe and evaluate IT support in dementia care from the perspectives of staff and relatives. More specifically, it was to examine staff members’ satisfaction with work, life satisfaction and sense of coherence before and after increased IT support, to describe staff members’ opinions and perceptions of IT support during the process of implementation, to describe relatives’ opinions of IT support and to compare relatives’ perceptions of their irritations with care and life satisfaction before and after increased IT support. In addition, three questionnaires were further developed and tested among staff working in elderly care, and then used in the staff evaluation. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with baseline assessments and follow-ups and experimental and control groups was used in two studies to investigate the outcomes of IT support. A descriptive design was used to study staff views on IT support, and a correlative design was used in the methodological study. Participants were 33 staff members and 22 relatives in the evaluation, 14 staff members in the descriptive study and 299 staff members in the methodological study. Data collection methods were questionnaires and group interviews. The IT support consisted of passive passage alarms, fall detectors, sensor-activated night-time illumination of the lavatory, movement detectors, email communication, an Internet website and additional computers. Findings and conclusions: Staff job satisfaction and perceived quality of care increased in the experimental group. The relatives were generally positive about the IT support, and the experimental group showed a decrease in practical/logistical irritations. Staff described ‘moving from fear of losing control to perceived increase in control and security’ and ‘constant struggling with insufficient/deficient systems’. Conclusions are that IT support can be a resource in dementia care as perceived by caregivers if IT support is incorporated into the care system.