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AimTo describe parental experiences of providing skin-to-skin care (SSC) to their newborn infants.BackgroundSSC care for newborn infants has been reported to have positive physiological and psychological benefits to the infants and their parents. No systematic review regarding parental experiences has been identified.DesignIn this first part of a meta-study, the findings of a systematic literature review on parental experience of SSC care are presented.Data sourcesFour databases were searched, without year or language limitations, up until December 2013. Manual searches were performed in reference lists and in a bibliography of the topic.Review methodsAfter a quality-appraisal process, data from the original articles were extracted and analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe systematic and manual searches led to the inclusion of 29 original qualitative papers from nine countries, reporting experiences from 401 mothers and 94 fathers. Two themes that characterized the provision of SSC emerged: a restoring experience and an energy-draining experience.ConclusionThis review has added scientific and systematic knowledge about parental experiences of providing SSC. Further research about fathers’ experiences is recommended.

AimTo synthesize and interpret qualitative research findings focusing on parental experiences of skin-to-skin care (SSC) for newborn infants.BackgroundSSC induces many benefits for newborn infants and their parents. Three meta-analyses have been conducted on physiological outcomes, but no previous qualitative meta-synthesis on parental experiences of SSC has been identified.DesignThe present meta-synthesis was guided by the methodology described by Paterson and co-workers.Data sourcesFour databases were searched, without year or language limitations, up until December 2013. Manual searches were also performed. The searches and subsequent quality appraisal resulted in the inclusion of 29 original qualitative papers from 9 countries, reporting experiences from 401 mothers and 94 fathers.Review methodsThe meta-synthesis entails a meta-data analysis, analysis of meta-method, and meta-theory in the included primary studies. Based on the three analyses, the meta-synthesis represents a new interpretation of a phenomenon. The results of the meta-data analysis have been presented as a qualitative systematic review in a separate paper.ResultsWhen synthesizing and interpreting the findings from the included analyses, a theoretical model of Becoming a parent under unfamiliar circumstances emerged. Providing SSC seems to be a restorative as well as an energy-draining experience. A supportive environment has been described as facilitating the restorative experience, whereas obstacles in the environment seem to make the provision of SSC energy-draining for parents. When the process is experienced as positive, it facilitates the growth of parental self-esteem and makes the parents ready to assume full responsibility for their child.ConclusionThe results show that SSC can be interpreted not only as a family-including and important health care intervention but also in terms of actually becoming a parent. The process of becoming a parent in this specific situation is influenced by external factors in three different levels; family and friends, community, and society at large. The descriptions of providing SSC are similar to what has previously been described as the natural process of becoming a mother or a father.

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Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation increases functional capacity and quality of life and decrease exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there is little knowledge of how it influences their next of kin.

Findings enhance the understanding of the impact of colorectal cancer on both patients and partners. Healthcare personnel need to assess both the patient's and partner's need for information, support and assistance. Support groups could be an effective tool for providing information, communication and support. Future studies are needed to evaluate such groups.

Large technical systems serving the everyday needs of people, such as water supply systems, power grids or communication networks, are rich in accumulated metals. Over time, parts of these systems have been taken out of use without the system infrastructure being removed from its original location. Such metal stocks in hibernation thus constitute potential resource reservoirs accessible for recovery. In this paper, obsolete stocks of copper situated in the local power grids of two Swedish cities are quantified. Emphasis is also on economic conditions for extracting such -hibernating‖ cables. The results show that on a per customer basis, the two power grids contain similar amounts of copper, i.e. 0.04-0.05 tonnes per subscriber. However, the share of the copper stock that is in hibernation differs between the grids. In the larger grid of Gothenburg, almost 20% of the copper accumulated in the grid is no longer in use, while the obsolete share does not exceed 5% in the city of Linköping. For managers of local power grids, recovery of hibernating cables could be beneficial if integrated with other maintenance work on the grid. At the present price of copper, however, separate recovery of obsolete cables is not economically justified.2

Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes a hidden health risk for exposed mothers and children. In Sweden, screening for IPV in healthcare has only been routine during pregnancy, despite an increase in IPV following childbirth. The arguments against routine questions postpartum have concerned a lack of evidence of beneficial effects as well as fear of stigmatizing women or placing abused women at further risk. Increased understanding of women's attitudes to routine questions may allay these fears. In this study, 198 mothers in 12 child healthcare centres (CHCs) filled in a short questionnaire about their exposure and received information on IPV at a regular baby check-up visit. The mothers' lifetime prevalence of exposure to IPV was 16%. One hundred and twenty-eight mothers participated in a telephone interview, giving their opinion on the screening experience. The intervention was well-received by most of the mothers who reported that questions and information on IPV are essential for parents, considering the health risks for children, and that the CHC is a natural arena for this. Necessary prerequisites were that questioning be routine to avoid stigmatizing and be offered in privacy without the partner being present.