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Biomedical subjects

Stefan Sörensen

Publications and source records attributed to Stefan Sörensen.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Two different training programmes for patients with COPD: a randomised study with 1-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects on exercise capacity and health related quality of life (HRQoL) of two exercise programmes; one programme including endurance training and one including only resistance training and callisthenics. A second purpose was to find out whether the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected the training response and whether the interventions had a long-term effect. METHODS: Sixty-three patients were stratified according to severity of COPD and randomised to two training groups. Group A had a mixed programme including endurance training. Group B had resistance training and callisthenics. All trained twice weekly for 8 weeks. A symptom-limited ergometer test, 12-min walking test, dynamic spirometry, blood gas analysis at rest and HRQoL were measured before and after the training period. Follow-up tests were conducted at 6 and 12 months after training. RESULTS: Forty-two patients fulfilled the trial. In group A (n=20) peak exercise capacity increased by 7W (P<0.001) and 12-min walking distance (12MWD) by 50 m (P<0.01), whereas group B (n=22) did not change in any of these variables. HRQoL did not change significantly in either group. Training response was similar in patients with moderate and severe disease. One year post-training 12MWD had returned to pre-training level in group A, and below pre-training level in group B (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise capacity in patients with severe and moderate COPD improved by intensive endurance training, two sessions a week for 8 weeks. The improvement was however small and HRQoL did not improve. Severity of illness did not affect response to training. The results indicated that the effects of a short endurance training intervention slowed down decline in baseline functional exercise capacity for 1 year.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Pain in pediatric oncology: do the experiences of children and parents differ from those of nurses and physicians?

Diagnosis and treatment of pain are central components in the care of children with cancer. The aim of the present study was to compare the viewpoints of children and parents with those of professionals, on different aspects of pain in children with cancer. Information was collected through questionnaires and interviews. In particular, we focused on the extent and causes of pain, strategies to reduce procedural pain, pain evaluation, and attitudes to pain treatment. We found that both families and professionals shared the opinion that pain was a common symptom during different phases of cancer treatment but, surprisingly, professionals regarded it as more frequent than families. The groups agreed that treatment related pain is the most critical problem, followed by procedure and cancer related pain. Concerning strategies to decrease procedural pain, there was a high concordance in views between groups. Nurses and physicians more often claimed that failing pain treatment was associated with psychological factors such as high levels of anxiety in parents and children, loneliness, and lack of preparation. The self-report, according to both parents and professionals, is a feasible procedure even in young children from 4 years of age. Both groups asserted that parents were better in ascertaining the extent of their child's pain. In conclusion, although the families and professionals in this study have many comparable views concerning pain in children with cancer, divergences also exist. To acquire a more accurate picture of the situation we must focus on the views of the children first, and then those of parents and professionals. A tendency to overestimate the problems was observed in professionals. Hopefully this reflects a keen awareness of the current situation.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Development of an index to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an index to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff. BACKGROUND: Nursing staff, working on hospital wards, at nursing homes and at other facilities, have to deal with oral health care and there are many reports about the low priority that is given to oral health care by nursing staff. It is difficult to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff. A Dental Coping Beliefs Scale (DCBS) index was used in an intervention study and was found to be easy to handle but did not have the ability to reveal significant differences in small study samples. A development process consisting of added items and item numbering by chance was carried out. During this process, different nursing staff test groups were used. The aim was to develop an oral health care priority index that can be used both on hospital wards and at special facilities to measure oral health care priority among nursing staff over time and between groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nursing staff at both special facilities and hospital wards and nursing students. RESULTS: It was found that the index, the nursing DCBS, was more stable compared with the version that was used in the initial intervention study. It was also noted that its ability to discriminate between the items was improved. CONCLUSION: The nursing DCBS index is a suitable tool for use in further studies where the aim is to measure how different nursing staff groups give priority to and allocate responsibility for oral health care, even where study samples are small.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Quality of light and quality of life--the effect of lighting adaptation among people with low vision.

PURPOSE: The study has investigated the effect of lighting on the daily activities (ADL) of the visually impaired in their homes by comparison before and after light adjustments were made in the kitchen, hall and bathroom. It has also investigated the additional effects on the quality of life after providing task lighting in the living room. METHOD: A total of 56 people were consecutively recruited from those receiving lighting adaptation help by the Low Vision Clinic in Göteborg. Ten persons did not complete the study. After medical examinations, lighting standards and psychosocial factors were charted. After lighting improvements were carried out in the kitchen, hall and bathroom, the subjects were randomly divided into two groups, an intervention and a comparison group. The task lighting in the living room was also improved for those included in the intervention group. Follow-up interviews to determine ADL and quality of life were performed 6 months after lighting adaptation. RESULTS: A marked effect on quality of life of the lighting in the living room was found for the intervention group. The effect on ADL of the basic lighting adaptation in kitchen, hall and bathroom for both groups was significant for tasks carried out on the working surface in the kitchen. Other activities in the kitchen and in the bathroom tended to improve but changes were not significant. CONCLUSION: The results confirm that it is possible to increase quality of life by improving the lighting conditions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Symptoms experienced in the last six months of life in patients with end-stage heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Despite today's modern therapy, the advancement of chronic heart failure (CHF) has not been curbed (Dying from heart failure: lessons from palliative care, BMJ, 317, 1998, 961-962, Editorial). Consequently, the suffering in patients with end-stage CHF is still present. The knowledge on the frequency of symptoms in these patients is scarce. AIMS: The aim of this study was to achieve a deeper understanding of patients with end-stage CHF and to describe symptoms in these patients during the last 6 months of life by examining documentation in medical records. METHODS: The study adopted a descriptive, retrospective design using record reviews to collect data, in which 80 medical records of patients hospitalised for CHF in 1995 were reviewed. Descriptive statistics and Student's t-tests were performed. RESULTS: Breathlessness was the most common symptom (men 90%, women 86%). The largest gender difference was on limitation in physical activity (men=77%, women=37%, total=49%, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: (1) Twenty-one symptoms were observed, implicating that, patients with CHF in later stages of the disease experience a wide range of symptoms. (2) Despite the fact that several symptoms were documented by both nurses and physicians, it is quite remarkable that symptom-controlling measures were only provided sparingly. (3) A palliative care approach may benefit patients suffering from end-stage CHF.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Oral health education for nursing personnel; experiences among specially trained oral care aides: one-year follow-up interviews with oral care aides at a nursing facility.

The improved dental health in most industrialized countries is not apparent among elderly and long-term care patients. Oral healthcare has been found to have low priority in nursing care. To create lasting positive effects in oral healthcare education, a new educational model was tested in an oral healthcare project. After approval from ethical committee, nursing assistant and nurses' aides took part in a dental auscultation period at a dental clinic to serve as oral care aides additional to traditional oral healthcare education. Following this period, the aides were given responsibility for the oral healthcare at their ward. After serving as oral care aides for 1 year, interviews were made and analysed based on the Grounded Theory methodology. The aim was to investigate how the oral care aides had experienced their new duties regarding oral healthcare. The results indicated that, despite several environmental changes, reluctant residents and occasional lack of commitment from colleagues, the oral care aides felt responsible for the oral healthcare provision. The oral care aides expressed courage, the capacity to cope with reality, confirmation and empathy, characteristics that propelled them from novices to oral care aides with an expert competence.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

The essence of humour and its effects and functions: a qualitative study.

Humour is one of the innate abilities that an individual develops whilst growing up and which is affected by his/her experiences in life. The purpose of this study was to describe which categories can be included in the term 'humour' and to describe the effects and functions that humour has on people. The study was exploratory. The data were based on 20 interviews, nine of which were made with women and 11 with men who had no formal connection to health services or nursing. Ages ranged from 17 to 75 years and all the interviewees were from Sweden. The research question was: 'what does humour mean to you?'. The answers given were labelled as: laughter, happiness, unforeseen events/situations, real humour/art form, jokes, plays on words/puns, situation comedy and political satire. The categories were: possibilities/obstacles and weapon/protection. We conclude that the essence of humour can be categorized as possibilities/obstacles and weapon/protection. Humour has effects and functions on individuals. Empathy is a prerequisite for the use of humour in the context of health services and nursing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Dental auscultation for nursing personnel as a model of oral health care education: development, baseline, and 6-month follow-up assessments.

Oral health care has been shown to have low priority in nursing and has been only partly successful. To create more positive effects than those achieved through traditional oral health care education, this project tested an educational model for nursing staff personnel. In addition to traditional oral health care education, some of the nursing staff members passed an additional dental auscultation period and served as oral care aides. The aides were responsible for the oral health care of the residents at their nursing facilities (intervention group). The intervention nursing facilities were compared with facilities where nursing personnel only received a traditional oral health care education program. Assessments were made at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up. At follow-up it was shown that the nursing staff in the intervention group gave higher priority to the oral health care work than the nursing staff in the control group.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Assessments of oral health care in dependent older persons in nursing facilities.

The number of dependent elderly with natural teeth is increasing dramatically. If these elderly persons do not receive proper oral health care, severe oral problems are likely to result. In conjunction with an oral health care education program for the staff of nursing facilities, oral health status was assessed and semi-structured interviews performed with residents and their relatives about oral health care. The assessments were made at baseline and at an 18-month follow-up. The project was conducted as a longitudinal, controlled study with an intervention and a control group. The aim of the study was to evaluate differences between the intervention and control group after oral health care intervention. At follow-up, it was shown that the intervention group had established more dental contacts. However, the results also indicated that the residents were not concerned about their oral health. Nursing staff therefore have to be responsible for oral health care if improved care for residents is to be realized.

Aged↗