Bjöörn Fossum

Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in residents of nursing homes in a Swedish municipality: Healthcare staff knowledge of and adherence to principles of basic infection prevention

Abstract Background: The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in residents living in Swedish nursing homes, and if carriage of resistant bacteria was related to antibiotic treatment, other risk factors, and/or staffs adherence to guidelines for infection control. Methods: Five hundred and sixty residents from 9 nursing homes on a total of 67 wards participated in the study and had microbiological cultures taken. Faecal samples were obtained from 495 residents (88.3%). ESBL-positive residents were followed for 2 y with repeated sampling. Two hundred and ninety-six staff members were interviewed and observed regarding familiarity with and adherence to infection control guidelines. Results: No resident was positive for MRSA or VRE. Fifteen of the residents were found to be ESBL-positive. Residents living on wards where ESBL-positive residents were identified had been treated more frequently with antibiotics (42%), compared to those on wards where no residents with ESBL were found (28%; p = 0.02). ESBL-positive Escherichia coli isolates from residents living in adjacent rooms were found to be closely genetically related when analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, indicating transmission between residents. Staff adherence to infection control guidelines sometimes revealed shortcomings, but no significant differences regarding compliance to the guidelines could be found. Conclusion: Carriage of resistant bacteria was uncommon and only ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were identified in Swedish nursing homes. Usage of antibiotics was higher on wards where ESBL-positive residents were detected and there was an indication of transmission of ESBL between residents.

Children's overweight and obesity : local and national monitoring using electronic health records

Aim: To test the feasibility of a system for monitoring childrens obesity and overweight based on data from electronic health records in the school health services. Methods: Data on weight and height from electronic health records at school health services were collected for 10-year-olds in 2003—2004, 2004—2005 and 2005—2006. School health personnel extracted group-level data with a simple program installed on the computer containing the health records. Four Swedish municipalities were included in the study: Karlstad, Umeå, Västerås, and Ystad. Results: The system achieved coverage of 92—96% of all children in 2005—2006. The overall prevalence rates were 4.2% (3.8—4.7%) obese and 22.0% (21.1—23.0%) overweight, including obesity. Conclusions: A system based on electronic health records from the school health services can successfully provide data. The system has practical, economical and ethical strengths.

Team Interactions in Specialized Palliative Care Teams: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND Teamwork is a standard of care in palliative care and that is emphasized by leading organizations. When interdisciplinary teams communicate their varied assessments, outcomes may be more than additive due to the synthesis of information. Interprofessionality does not guarantee multidimensionality in health care interventions, however, and that interprofessional teams promote collaboration may be questioned. AIM The aim was to explore team interaction among team members in specialized palliative care teams. DESIGN Semistructured interviews were conducted with health professionals working in specialized palliative home care teams. The interviews were analyzed by content analysis. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Participants were recruited from specialized palliative care units in Sweden. The 15 interviewees included 4 men and 11 women. Physcians, nurses, paramedical staff, and social workers were included. RESULTS Organizational issues like resources and leadership have a great impact on delivery of care. Competence was mirrored in education, collaboration, approach, and support within the team; while communication was described as key to being a team, resolving conflict, and executing palliative care. CONCLUSION Communication and communication patterns within the team create the feeling of being a team. Team climate and team performance are significantly impacted by knowledge and trust of competence in colleagues, with other professions, and by the available leadership. Proportions of different health professionals in the team have an impact on the focus and delivery of care. Interprofessional education giving clarity on ones own professional role and knowledge of other professions would most likely benefit patients and family caregivers.

Experiences of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease – a qualitative study

BackgroundThe use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is increasing. Although CAM often improves patients’ well-being, it can also lead to side-effects and interactions with conventional medications. Research on patients with IBD in Sweden who have experiences of CAM is sparse. More studies are needed to enhance awareness of and improve communication about CAM. The aim of this study was to describe experiences of CAM in the healthcare context reported by patients with IBD.MethodsFifteen patients with IBD, eight with Crohn’s disease (CD) and seven with ulcerative colitis (UC), were recruited. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted and qualitative content analysis was performed.ResultsThe analysis revealed the theme Knowledge and communication lead to participation in the area of CAM based on three categories; CAM use, Communication and Self-care. Patients with IBD wanted to be asked about CAM to be able to start a dialogue, as some perceived being treated in a disparaging manner and not taken seriously when raising the subject. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) need to be aware of this in order to meet and understand patient needs. Patients with IBD found it easier to communicate about CAM with the IBD nurses than physicians and dietary changes was one important CAM treatment.ConclusionsThe finding that it was easier to discuss CAM with nurses than physicians emphasizes the important role of the IBD nurse in communication and monitoring patients’ CAM use. Patients wanted to be asked about CAM to be able to start a dialogue, as some perceived not taken seriously when raising the subject. Furthermore, HCPs need to understand that many patients with IBD regard dietary changes as an important part of CAM treatment. Further research in these areas is needed.

Category I Pressure Ulcers How Reliable Is Clinical Assessment

INTRODUCTION: Pressure ulcer prevention is an indicator of quality of care. Reliable identification of category i pressure ulcers is essential in prevalence studies and to prevent further tissue damage. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to establish interrater reliability between blanching and nonblanching erythema assessed by 2 independent assessors. The secondary purpose was to investigate potential correlations between risk factors and pressure ulcers. METHOD: Ninety-seven patients 65 years or older with hip fractures were consecutively recruited for this prospective, comparative observation study. Seventy-eight patients completed the study. The sacral area of each patient was visually assessed and a finger-press test was administered to each patient by 2 independent assessors. Kappa statistics were used for analysis. FINDINGS: finger-press tests and visual observation alone were not reliable methods to discriminate between blanching and nonblanching erythema. Forty-seven percent of the patients had a risk score 20 or fewer (high risk for pressure ulcers). Forty-four patients (56%) had pressure ulcers at discharge.

Health-related quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation, before and after treatment.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and many AF patients experience a significantly impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). AF is also associated with a high risk of stroke and death. Many pharmacologic treatments for AF are ineffective and may have adverse effects. New methods, such as pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), have been developed to treat AF. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the HRQOL issues in severe symptomatic AF patients before and after pulmonary vein isolation. Methods: Forty patients treated with PVI were included of which 36 concluded the study with the self-reported HRQOL questionnaires before and once after PVI. A standardized control group was used. Results: Compared to the control group the HRQOL before PVI was significantly lower in all domains except for bodily pain. The preoperative scores were compared with the scores obtained at the follow-up. All subscales of the SF-36 significantly improved after the PVI except for bodily pain, which remained unaltered. Conclusion: HRQOL is improved in AF patients with severe symptoms after PVI intervention.

Promoting reflection by using contextual activity sampling : a study on students' interprofessional learning

Abstract Students’ engagement and reflection on learning activities are important during interprofessional clinical practice. The contextual activity sampling system (CASS) is a methodology designed for collecting data on experiences of ongoing activities by frequent distribution of questionnaires via mobile phones. The aim of this study was to investigate if the use of the CASS methodology affected students’ experiences of their learning activities, readiness for interprofessional learning, academic emotions and experiences of interprofessional team collaboration. Student teams, consisting of 33 students in total from four different healthcare programs, were randomized into an intervention group that used CASS or into a control group that did not use CASS. Both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) data were collected. The results showed that students in the intervention group rated teamwork and collaboration significantly higher after than before the course, which was not the case in the control group. On the other hand, the control group reported experiencing more stress than the intervention group. The qualitative data showed that CASS seemed to support reflection and also have a positive impact on students’ experiences of ongoing learning activities and interprofessional collaboration. In conclusion, the CASS methodology provides support for students in their understanding of interprofessional teamwork.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Swedish patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a controlled study.

Background There is an increasing interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with chronic diseases, including those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients may turn to CAM when conventional therapies are inadequate or associated with side effects for symptomatic relief or to regain control over their disease. The objectives were to explore CAM use and perceived effects in IBD patients in comparison with a control group. Methods A cross-sectional, multicenter, controlled study was carried out. IBD patients were invited from 12 IBD clinics in Sweden. Controls were selected randomly from a residence registry. A study-specific questionnaire was used for data collection. Results Overall, 48.3% of patients with IBD had used some kind of CAM during the past year compared with 53.5% in controls (P=0.025, adjusted for age, sex, geographic residence, and diet). The most frequently used CAM among IBD patients was massage (21.3%), versus controls (31.4%) (adjusted P=0.0003). The second most used CAM was natural products, 18.7% in IBD patients versus 22.3% of the controls (unadjusted P=0.018). In all, 83.1% of the patients experienced positive effects from CAM and 14.4% experienced negative effects. Conclusion Overall, 48.3% of Swedish IBD patients used some kind of CAM and controls used CAM significantly more. Natural products were used by one-fifth of the patients and even more by controls. This is notable from a patient safety perspective considering the possible risks of interactions with conventional medication. In all, 40% of the patients reported adverse events from conventional medicine. Patients experienced predominantly positive effects from CAM, and so did controls.

Translation and cultural adaptation of research instruments – guidelines and challenges: an example in FAMCARE-2 for use in Sweden

Background: Assessing and evaluating health care is important, and an abundance of instruments are developed in different languages. Translating existing, validated instruments is demanding and calls for adherence to protocol. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the FAMCARE-2 scale for use in Sweden. Methods: Traditional back-translation and the decentering stance were utilized and assessed. Experts in palliative care clinic and research were involved; the FAMCARE-2 instrument was discussed with family caregivers and content validity was assessed by experienced health professionals. Results: Significant discrepancies were not revealed by back-translation. Using the decentering stance gave reliable structure and opportunities for reflection throughout the translation process. Discussion: Translating an existing instrument into a second language requires interpretation and adaptation more than a naive translation. The back-translation process may be enhanced if the decentering stance is adopted.

Objective evaluation by reflectance spectrophotometry can be of clinical value for the verification of blanching/non blanching erythema in the sacral area

Early detection of non blanching erythema (pressure ulcer category I) is necessary to prevent any further skin damage. An objective method to discriminate between blanching/non blanching erythema is presently not available. The purpose of this investigation was to explore if a non invasive objective method could differentiate between blanching/non blanching erythema in the sacral area of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. Seventy‐eight patients were included. The sacral area of all patients was assessed using (i) conventional finger‐press test and (ii) digital reading of the erythema index assessed with reflectance spectrophotometry. The patients were examined at admission and during 5 days postsurgery. Reflectance spectrophotometry measurements proved able to discriminate between blanching/non blanching erythema. The reliability, quantified by the intra‐class correlation coefficient, was excellent between repeated measurements over the measurement period, varying between 0·82 and 0·96, and a significant change was recorded in the areas from day 1 to day 5 (P < 0·0001). The value from the reference point did not show any significant changes over the same period (P = 0·32). An objective method proven to identify early pressure damage to tissue can be a valuable tool in clinical practice.