Background Heart failure (HF) affects not only the person diagnosed with the syndrome but also family members, who often have the role of informal carers. The needs of these carers are not always met, and information and communications technology (ICT) could have the potential to support them in their everyday life. However, knowledge is lacking about how family members perceive ICT and see opportunities for this technology to support them. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of ICT solutions as supportive aids among family members of persons with HF. Methods A qualitative design was applied. A total of 8 focus groups, comprising 23 family members of persons affected by HF, were conducted between March 2015 and January 2017. Participants were recruited from 1 hospital in Sweden. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to find family members of persons with symptomatic HF from diverse backgrounds. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results The analysis revealed 4 categories and 9 subcategories. The first category, about how ICT could provide relevant support, included descriptions of how ICT could be used for communication with health care personnel, for information and communication retrieval, plus opportunities to interact with persons in similar life situations and to share support with peers and extended family. The second category, about how ICT could provide access, entailed how ICT could offer solutions not bound by time or place and how it could be both timely and adaptable to different life situations. ICT could also provide an arena for family members to which they might not otherwise have had access. The third category concerned how ICT could be too impersonal and how it could entail limited personal interaction and individualization, which could lead to concerns about usability. It was emphasized that ICT could not replace physical meetings. The fourth category considered how ICT could be out of scope, reflecting the fact that some family members were generally uninterested in ICT and had difficulties envisioning how it could be used for support. It was also discussed as more of a solution for the future. Conclusions Family members described multiple uses for ICT and agreed that ICT could provide access to relevant sources of information from which family members could potentially exchange support. ICT was also considered to have its limitations and was out of scope for some but with expected use in the future. Even though some family members seemed hesitant about ICT solutions in general, this might not mean they are unreceptive to suggestions about their usage in, for example, health care. Thus, a variety of factors should be considered to facilitate future implementations of ICT tools in clinical practice.
One in five participants reported low/medium social support. Our study underlines the complex relationships between perceived social support, psychological well-being and perceived control over the heart condition. Multiple aspects need to be taken into account when developing interventions to provide psychosocial support and optimize outcomes in this patient group.
AimsTo describe what nurses do during episodes of suspected infection in elderly nursing home residents and if these actions are linked to who is initiating an episode and whether the episode is considered an infection or not.DesignProspective descriptive study. Data were collected in 2008–2010.MethodsSummarized and categorized documentation by nursing assistants and nurses was used for summative content analysis.ResultsNurses' actions seem to be related to who initiated the episode and if the episodes are categorized as ‘non‐infection’, ‘possible infection’ or ‘infection’. Actions could be ‘observation’, ‘screenings’, ‘engaged in waiting’, ‘follow‐ups’, ‘nurse‐prescribed actions’, ‘diagnosing’, ‘contacting the physician’, ‘carrying out an action prescribed by the physician’, ‘contacting an ambulance or arranging an emergency visit to the hospital’ and ‘prescribing screening’. As NAs often initiate episodes of suspected infection by observing changed conditions, it seems important to include the NA in the decision‐making process as these observations could detect possible early signs and symptoms of infections.
Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Swedish research council for health, working life and welfare Background Informal care is increasing due to societal challenges such as ageing populations, more non-communicable diseases in combination with lack of health care personnel. Informal carers, namely family members, friends and neighbours, are important actors in the care and support of people with heart failure. To support them in their caring, information and communication technology has shown to be promising. The mentioned challenges have also put pressure on digitalising health care. The COVID 19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to provide and receive support through digital services. There is currently a lack of support interventions for carers of people with heart failure that are directly integrated within the health care system. To develop relevant support carers should be involved in the process. Purpose The aim of the study was to describe the co-design process in the development of an online support program for carers of people with heart failure. Methods Informal carers, researchers and practitioners were involved in the co-design process. In the first phase an assessment of carers’ needs and preferences was performed based on a literature search, focus group interviews (n=23 carers), individual interviews and user group sessions (n= 7 carers). Phase two continued with the actual development of the support program prototype, based on the results of phase one. This phase included 13 carers and 18 researchers and practitioners. In the final phase, the program was reviewed and refined by carers, practitioners, and researchers. The project group coordinated the co-design process and took part in the development of the support program. Results The co-design process resulted in an online support program consisting of 15 modules with the aim to increase carers’ preparedness to care for a person with heart failure. Each module focused on different topics such as "About heart failure" and "To be a carer". The support program was designed and integrated within the Swedish national e-health platform "1177" in a section called "support and treatment". During the co-design process, various challenges arose, which included the choice of platform itself which then influenced the further co-design process. This process involved balancing implementation and sustainability requirements, against carers’ needs and preferences regarding the program itself. Conclusions To conduct a co-design process involving carers and other actors means to navigate diverse interests, goals and pay due attention to regulations. It is an explorative process in which researchers need to be flexible. The effects of the program will now be tested via a randomized controlled trial, and the results will also illuminate the co-design process further.
Introduction: There is a risk of an accident or a terrorist attack involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agents resulting in many victims. In CBRN ambiance, the identification, classification, and triage of the victims in the field is complex without adapted medical data support. Therefore, the decontamination of a new model of medical triage tag printed on quality paper was evaluated. Methods: Six medical triage tags (model OHMI-000735584-0001) were contaminated with a radioactive solution of Technetium" at slight, medium, and heavy concentrations (n = 2 for each group). After an initial measurement of the gamma radiation (Sonde SX-2R, Radiagem™, Canberra, France), each tag was decontaminated with a neutral soap (DTPA) for 90 seconds and rinsed with water (1.5 I/tag). A measurement of the remaining contamination was completed. Data were processed using an ANOVA and differences among groups were evaluated using a Neuman-Keuls test with Bonferonni's correction. Statistical significance was set at/> <0.05. Results: Whatever the initial contamination was, the final contamination was not significantly different from the natural radioactivity in the environment. Conclusions: This new medical triage tag is able to be decontaminated after contamination with a radioactive solution.
BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) affects not only the person diagnosed with the syndrome but also family members, who often have the role of informal carers. The needs of these carers are not always met, and information and communications technology (ICT) could have the potential to support them in their everyday life. However, knowledge is lacking about how family members perceive ICT and see opportunities for this technology to support them. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of ICT solutions as supportive aids among family members of persons with HF. METHODS A qualitative design was applied. A total of 8 focus groups, comprising 23 family members of persons affected by HF, were conducted between March 2015 and January 2017. Participants were recruited from 1 hospital in Sweden. A purposeful sampling strategy was used to find family members of persons with symptomatic HF from diverse backgrounds. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS The analysis revealed 4 categories and 9 subcategories. The first category, about how ICT could provide relevant support, included descriptions of how ICT could be used for communication with health care personnel, for information and communication retrieval, plus opportunities to interact with persons in similar life situations and to share support with peers and extended family. The second category, about how ICT could provide access, entailed how ICT could offer solutions not bound by time or place and how it could be both timely and adaptable to different life situations. ICT could also provide an arena for family members to which they might not otherwise have had access. The third category concerned how ICT could be too impersonal and how it could entail limited personal interaction and individualization, which could lead to concerns about usability. It was emphasized that ICT could not replace physical meetings. The fourth category considered how ICT could be out of scope, reflecting the fact that some family members were generally uninterested in ICT and had difficulties envisioning how it could be used for support. It was also discussed as more of a solution for the future. CONCLUSIONS Family members described multiple uses for ICT and agreed that ICT could provide access to relevant sources of information from which family members could potentially exchange support. ICT was also considered to have its limitations and was out of scope for some but with expected use in the future. Even though some family members seemed hesitant about ICT solutions in general, this might not mean they are unreceptive to suggestions about their usage in, for example, health care. Thus, a variety of factors should be considered to facilitate future implementations of ICT tools in clinical practice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.