Anne Wennick

Swedish families' lived experience when a child is first diagnosed as having insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: An ongoing learning process.

Sweden has the second highest nationwide incidence of childhood diabetes in Europe, and it is rapidly increasing. The diagnosis of Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has been indicated as a crisis in the life of the individual and family. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the whole family’s lived experience when a child in the family is diagnosed as having diabetes. It was designed as a longitudinal, descriptive, inductive study including qualitative interviews. Family members in 12 families were recruited from a children’s university hospital in Sweden to participate in a series of three interviews: when first diagnosed, and 1 and 3 years after diagnosis. This article derives from the first interview. All invited families agreed to participate and were interviewed 1 to 3 months after diagnosis using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The family’s lived experience was identified as an ongoing learning process including learning about the inevitable and learning about the extent. The learning process was experienced as a recurrent phenomenon when the family was exposed to new situations or contexts. Therefore, individualized treatment may reduce the difficulties experienced in coping with the diabetic management regimen after discharge, thus making the transition smoother.

Attained education and self-assessed health later in life when diagnosed with diabetes in childhood: a population-based study.

Wennick A, Hallström I, Lindgren B, Bolin K. Attained education and self‐assessed health later in life when diagnosed with diabetes in childhood: a population‐based study.

High School Students' Experiences in School Toilets or Restrooms

Previous research about school toilets is based on studies of children in elementary school. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences when using the school toilets reported by students aged 16–18 years. Qualitative interviews with 21 students were conducted and analyzed using content analysis. The data revealed that the toilets were considered insecure, dirty, and unpleasant. Additionally, students refrained from drinking during school hours and remained in constant movement or jumped up and down to withhold urine and stool. This was illustrated in the following categories: assessing the toilet environment, coping with the situation, and feeling exposed. Hence, there is an urgent need to improve the school toilet environment in order to respect the rights of all students to void or defecate when necessary, a process which will require involvement of students, teachers, and other school staff as well as the School Health Service.

Polyethylene Glycol- or Sodium Picosulphate-Based Laxatives Before Colonoscopy in Children

Objectives: The purpose of this randomised study was to compare the quality of bowel cleansing using either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium picosulphate (NaPico) (primary outcome) in relation to the tolerability and acceptance of these laxatives among children and their caregivers (secondary outcome). Methods: The study was a randomised controlled trial that was conducted as an investigator-blinded study within the Department of Paediatrics of Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. A total of 72 children (10–18 years of age) were randomly placed into 1 of 2 groups (PEG or NaPico). The Ottawa Bowel Preparation Quality Score was used to evaluate the quality of bowel cleansing. A total of 2 different questionnaires were used to evaluate both the acceptability and tolerability of the laxatives. Results: In total, 71 children completed the bowel cleansing. Of these 71 cleanses, 67 protocols were analysed according to the Ottawa Bowel Preparation Quality Score. No significant difference in bowel cleansing quality was detected between the 2 groups. Rates of acceptability and tolerability were significantly higher in the NaPico group than in the PEG group. Conclusions: In the present study, both laxatives were found to be satisfactory in terms of aiding the performance of an uncomplicated and successful colonoscopy. NaPico was, however, more tolerable to the children than PEG, and both, the children and their caregivers, were more accepting of NaPico than of PEG. Consequently, NaPico can be recommended as the option for bowel cleansing in children ages 10 years and older.

The narrow treatment road to survival: Everyday life perspectives of women with breast cancer from Iraq and the former Yugoslavia undergoing radiation therapy in Sweden

This study aimed at exploring how women from Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, diagnosed with breast cancer and living in Sweden, experience their everyday life during radiation therapy. A qualitative research design was used comprising interviews with ten women, five originating from Iraq and five from the former Yugoslavia. Striving to survive, the women experienced their everyday life during radiation therapy as extremely challenging. This experience can be placed into three categories: strategies for survival, keeping up appearances and staying in control. Because of these specific challenges, immigrant women may need additional information and guidance in conjunction with the diagnosis, which may enable them to identify possible sources of support from those closest to them. Also, greater attention should focus on acknowledging the woman behind the diagnosis, regardless of her origin, to develop an individualised support programme to help her cope with everyday life during radiation therapy.

Swedish Children's Lived Experience of Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in children. When this lifelong illness is diagnosed in childhood, especially during adolescence, it may have a negative impact on childrens quality of life. The aim of the present study was to illuminate the meaning of childrens lived experience of ulcerative colitis. Seven children aged between 10 and 18 years were recruited from University Hospital South Sweden and interviewed about the phenomenon under scrutiny. Data were analyzed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutical method. The meaning of the childrens lived experience of ulcerative colitis was summed up as a main theme. A daily struggle to adapt and be perceived as normal consisted of 4 subthemes: being healthy despite the symptoms, being healthy despite being afraid, being healthy despite a sense of being different, and being healthy despite needing support. The children strove to perceive themselves as healthy, and they needed to be perceived as healthy, especially when experiencing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Children with inflammatory bowel disease confront various problems, such as ambitions and goals that are hard to achieve, due to reduced abilities as a result of the illness or an insufficiently adapted environment.

How do patients with peripheral arterial disease communicate their knowledge about their illness and treatments? A qualitative descriptive study.

BackgroundPeripheral arterial disease is a chronic illness, and patients with peripheral arterial disease should receive advice about lifestyle changes and medical therapies to reduce further atherosclerotic complications. Previous research has indicated that patients with peripheral arterial disease lack information about their disease and secondary prevention measures. The aim was to elucidate how patients with peripheral arterial disease communicate their knowledge about their illness and treatments.MethodsDuring 2009, seven focus group interviews were conducted with twenty-one patients (50–81 years old) with peripheral arterial disease and were analysed using content analysis.ResultsWhen respondents with PAD communicate their knowledge about the illness and its treatments they “Navigate through uncertainty, believes and facts about PAD, displaying an active or passive information-seeking behaviour”. After discharge, they felt a feeling of relief at first, which was later exchanged into uncertainty from their restricted knowledge about the illness and how to behave following revascularisation. For example, during the discussions about risk factors, smoking was noted as a major risk factor, that triggered feelings of guilt. Thus, the respondents needed to consult other sources of information to manage their everyday lives.ConclusionsFollowing endovascular treatment, the short amount of time spent with peripheral arterial disease patients requires innovative guidance in clinical practice to meet individuals’ needs regardless of whether the patient actively or passively understands and manages their peripheral arterial disease.