Irma Casas García

Impact of personalized in-home nursing care plans on dependence in ADLs/IADLs and on family burden among adults diagnosed with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE The study aims to assess the impact of personalized in-home nursing care plans on the degree of dependence among adult patients with schizophrenia, and on family burden. DESIGN AND METHODS This is a randomized controlled study with 94 participants: The experimental group received a personalized in-home nursing care plan. The comparison group got a standard care at its mental health center. FINDINGS The pretest-posttest multivariate analysis of covariance revealed statistically significant group differences (p = .003). The help received the positive activity and the degree of independence in the experimental group improved mainly due to intervention. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS A personalized in-home nursing care plan improves the degree of independence of people diagnosed with schizophrenia living in the community and reduces the burden perceived by the family.

Factores asociados y análisis descriptivo de la endocarditis infecciosa adquirida en el entorno hospitalario de un centro terciario de referencia

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this study was to evaluate associated factors, clinical features and prognosis of healthcare-related infective endocarditis cases compared with community-acquired and intravenous drug user-related episodes. Changes in the distribution of healthcare-related infective endocarditis were also analysed over time in our setting. METHODS A prospective, observational, comparative study was performed. We included all the cases of infective endocarditis from January 2003 to June 2010, which were then classified into 2 groups: group 1: community-acquired and intravenous drug user origin, and group 2: nosocomial and non-nosocomial healthcare-related cases. The episodes were classified into 2 periods: period I: January/2003-June/2006 and period II: July/2006-June 2010. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS A total of 212 cases were included (group 1: 138, group 2: 74). The variables of age (risk ratio 1.026; 95%CI, 1.003 to 1.049), Charlson index (risk radio 1.242; 95%CI, 1.067 to 1.445), and previous heart surgery (risk ratio 2.522; 95%CI, 1.353 to 4.701) were independently associated with healthcare-related infective endocarditis on multivariate analysis. A non-significant increase was observed in healthcare-related cases of infective endocarditis in period II (40/104; 38.4% vs. 34/108; 31.4%). CONCLUSIONS The recent increase in healthcare-related infective endocarditis seems to be associated with the use of invasive procedures in elderly patients with prosthetic cardiac valve, and those with a greater number of underlying diseases, especially patients with chronic renal failure on haemodialysis.

Prevalencia de tuberculosis en una población procedente de Kosovo acogida en Cataluña

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of tubeculosis (TB) among refugees is high. The goal was to detect TB active cases in a group of refugees from Kosovo and to describe the prevalence of TB infection. PATIENTS AND METHOD: 222 people sheltered in Catalonia, Spain, were tested for TB using the Mantoux method and a chest x-ray. The odds ratio (OR) was adjusted by the age of presenting a positive PPD test for different diameters of induration according to the previous BCG vaccination history. RESULTS: No cases of active TB were detected and 82% of the population was found to be vaccinated with BCG. The OR of presenting a positive PPD was higher, and statistically significant, in vaccinated subjects compared to non-vaccinated ones for indurations >= 5 mm and >= 10 mm (OR: 4.5 and 3.6 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: BCG-vaccinated subjects from this population can be considered to be infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis as long as the induration is higher than 15 mm.