Background: Noninvasive telemonitoring (TM) can be used in heart failure (HF) patients to perform early detection of decompensation at home, prevent unnecessary health care utilization, and decrease health care costs. However, the evidence is not sufficient to be part of HF guidelines for follow-up care, and we have no knowledge of how TM is used in the Nordic Baltic region. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe health care professionals (HCPs) perception of and presumed experience with noninvasive TM in daily HF patient care, perspectives of the relevance of and reasons for applying noninvasive TM, and barriers to the use of noninvasive TM. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed between September and December 2016 in Norway and Lithuania with physicians and nurses treating HF patients at either a hospital ward or an outpatient clinic. A total of 784 questionnaires were sent nationwide by postal mail to 107 hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of 43 items with close- and open-ended questions. In Norway, the response rate was 68.7% (226/329), with 57 of 60 hospitals participating, whereas the response rate was 68.1% (310/455) in Lithuania, with 41 of 47 hospitals participating. Responses to the closed questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the open-ended questions were analyzed using summative content analysis. Results: This study showed that noninvasive TM is not part of the current daily clinical practice in Norway or Lithuania. A minority of HCPs responded to be familiar with noninvasive TM in HF care in Norway (48/226, 21.2%) and Lithuania (64/310, 20.6%). Approximately half of the HCPs in both countries perceived noninvasive TM to be relevant in follow-up of HF patients in Norway (131/226, 58.0%) and Lithuania (172/310, 55.5%). For physicians in both countries and nurses in Norway, the 3 most mentioned reasons for introducing noninvasive TM were to improve self-care, to reduce hospitalizations, and to provide high-quality care, whereas the Lithuanian nurses described ability to treat more patients and to reduce their workload as reasons for introducing noninvasive TM. The main barriers to implement noninvasive TM were lack of funding from health care authorities or the Territorial Patient Fund. Moreover, HCPs perceive that HF patients themselves could represent barriers because of their physical or mental condition in addition to a lack of internet access. Conclusions: HCPs in Norway and Lithuania are currently nonusers of TM in daily HF care. However, they perceive a future with TM to improve the quality of care for HF patients. Financial barriers and HF patients condition may have an impact on the use of TM, whereas sufficient funding from health care authorities and improved knowledge may encourage the more widespread use of TM in the Nordic Baltic region and beyond.

A Nordic framework for patient safety knowledge and skills describes the learning objectives for patient safety from the perspective of Nordic societies and healthcare systems. It contains a brief literature review, a summary of best practices of patient safety education, and a review of patient safety education in the Nordics. In addition, it presents eight joint position statements from the participating Nordic authorities. For 15 patient safety competence areas, key components and descriptions are provided. The report can be used in all Nordic countries as a tool for planning and evaluating basic and further education and training of social and healthcare professionals. It encourages sharing experience, good practices, and methods. The report was drafted by a project team of patient safety experts and approved by a steering group of patient safety officials from all Nordic countries.

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how cost control affects physicians’ performance in terms of motivation and dysfunctional behaviour, and their ability to maintain patient safety. In the study, a qualitative method was used and four participants from Danderyd hospital were interviewed with semi-structured questions to gain material to answer the research question. In order to analyse the data, transcriptions of the interviews were made, and a thematic analysis method was used. Based on the analysis, four main themes emerged; Cost control, Motivation, Change in Behaviour and Patient safety.

Among the physicians, results showed that physicians’ performance is negatively affected by cost control, resulting in decreased patient safety. Motivation was found to be indirectly affected and dysfunctional behaviours were found to be negatively affected by cost control. Resulting of cost control, physicians cannot fulfil their ethical obligations and perform more poorly because resources are decreased, primarily due to lack of care beds. Furthermore, the findings indicate that patient safety is negatively affected by the influence of cost control on dysfunctional behaviour. There is no adverse effect of cost control on patient safety when it comes to motivation.

Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is a major health problem commonly requiring healthcare. In Sweden, there is a call from healthcare practitioners (HCPs) for the development, implementation and evaluation of a best practice primary healthcare model for LBP.

Aims (1) To improve and understand the mechanisms underlying changes in HCP confidence, attitudes and beliefs for providing best practice coherent primary healthcare for patients with LBP; (2) to improve and understand the mechanisms underlying illness beliefs, self-care enablement, pain, disability and quality of life in patients with LBP; and (3) to evaluate a multifaceted and sustained implementation strategy and the cost-effectiveness of the BetterBack☺ model of care (MOC) for LBP from the perspective of the Swedish primary healthcare context.

Methods This study is an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 2 trial testing the hypothesised superiority of the BetterBack☺ MOC compared with current routine care. The trial involves simultaneous testing of MOC effects at the HCP, patient and implementation process levels. This involves a prospective cohort study investigating implementation at the HCP level and a patient-blinded, pragmatic, cluster, randomised controlled trial with longitudinal follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months post baseline for effectiveness at the patient level. A parallel process and economic analysis from a healthcare sector perspective will also be performed. Patients will be allocated to routine care (control group) or the BetterBack☺ MOC (intervention group) according to a stepped cluster dogleg structure with two assessments in routine care. Experimental conditions will be compared and causal mediation analysis investigated. Qualitative HCP and patient experiences of the BetterBack☺ MOC will also be investigated.

Dissemination The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Further national dissemination and implementation in Sweden and associated national quality register data collection are potential future developments of the project.

Sveriges hälso- och sjukvården står inför stora förändringar det senaste decenniet med anledning av olika händelser såsom digitaliseringen och pandemier. Covid-19-pandemin har orsakat enorma omställningar de senaste två åren uppger Coronakomissionen (SOU 2021:89) i sin rapport. En av de verksamheter som stod inför stora utmaningar inom hälso- och sjukvården var laboratoriemedicin. Syftet med studien är att belysa första linjens chefers utmaningar inom laboratoriemedicinverksamheteten när det gäller ledarskapet och arbetsmiljöutmaningar och hur dessa hanterades under covid-19-pandemin. Metoden som användes var kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats och datainsamlingen genomfördes i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex första linjens chefer inom laboratoriemedicinverksamheten. Resultatet presenteras i form av kategorier som har kommit fram genom analys av datamaterialet och presenteras utifrån studiens frågeställningar. Studiens resultatvisar att första linjens chefer inom laboratoriemedicinverksamheteten hanterade flera utmaningar under pandemin som bland annat var det stort informationsflödet, bemanningsproblem, arbetsmiljöutmaningar och slitna medarbetarna som behövde stöttas mentalt. Olika strategier har använts av cheferna med stöd av deras chefskollegor samt medarbetarna för att kunna hantera de här utmaningarna. Vidare forskning behövs både för chefers arbetsmiljö i ovan nämnd verksamhet samt för medarbetarnas arbetsmiljö i syfte att kunna belysa ytterligare de problem som finns samt att hitta olika hållbara lösningar.

Background: Approximately 600 people die from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism annually in Sweden. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a widening of the abdominal aorta. If a ruptured aortic aneurysm occurs (RAAA), it is a medical emergency and it is a life-threatening condition. The two interventions used to treat RAAA patients are known as the endovascular strategy (EVAR) and the open repair method (OR). Given the life-threatening nature of RAAA, mortality rates are quite high especially considering that this medical condition affects predominantly the elderly. Determining whether a patient is more suitable for EVAR or OR depends on —among other clinical factors— whether technical expertise and resources are available to perform EVAR. The Swedish Agency for Health and Technology Assessment (SBU) explain that it is currently unclear as to which of the two intervention is the cost-effective alternative in treating RAAA in Sweden. 

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the non-invasive EVAR (endovascular) or traditional surgery known as OR (open repair) is more cost-effective in treating RAAA in Sweden.

Methods: A Cost-effectiveness analysis with healthcare provider perspective using secondary data from relevant peer-reviewed literature from Sweden, other European countries, Swedvascs' and Socialstyrelsens' registries. The model of choice for this evaluation is a decision tree. The target population is males and females who suffer from RAAA in Sweden ranging from ages 50 – 90+, the majority of which were >65. Two subgroups were analyzed; RAAA patients treated with EVAR  and RAAA patients treated with OR. Total RAAA patients n=178. EVAR n= 73. OR n= 105. The time horizon in the base-case is 90 days. The outcome measures are incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), QALYs and cost/QALY. A one-way deterministic sensitivity analyses, in addition to a probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed in order to assess the level of confidence that may be associated with the conclusion of this economic evaluation

Results: Results from the base-case analysis shows that EVAR's cost per QALY gained is SEK 715,823.82 with an ICER of SEK 1,113,499.44 per QALY gained. Results of the base-case analysis shows that EVAR is not cost-effective when considering the commonly accepted threshold of SEK 500,000 per QALY gained. Results of the deterministic sensitivity analyses show that under all suggested scenarios EVAR was not cost-effective. However, results of the probabilistic sensitivity analysis result shows that there is a considerable uncertainty around the cost-effectiveness of EVAR.

Conclusion: EVAR is not cost-effective with marginal clinical benefits compared to OR. Since it is a high cost intervention which lacks national guidelines from "Socialstyrelsen", individual county councils in Sweden will likely have to make the decision individually if they want to adopt EVAR as a treatment method for RAAA. While RAAA is a very severe health condition it also has a low prevalence in Sweden meaning county councils with larger population centers, budgets and availability of technical expertise/equipment can still introduce EVAR to treat RAAA even if the cost-effectiveness analysis results exceed the commonly accepted threshold value of SEK 500,000 per QALY gained. Due to uncertainties vis-à-vis a lack of more conclusive data in a Swedish context, further investigation is required before recommending EVAR for subsidization. It would however be worth pursuing this end given the promise of EVAR as a non-invasive and more benign treatment method for patients. 

The Linköping burn score has been used for two decades to calculate the cost to the hospital of each burned patient. Our aim was to validate the Burn Score in a dedicated Burn Centre by analysing the associations with burn-specific factors: percentage of total body surface area burned (TBSA%), cause of injury, patients referred from other (non-specialist) centres, and survival, to find out which of these factors resulted in higher scores. Our second aim was to analyse the variation in scores of each category of care (surveillance, respiration, circulation, wound care, mobilisation, laboratory tests, infusions, and operation).

We made a retrospective analysis of all burned patients admitted during the period 2000–15. Multivariable regression models were used to analyse predictive factors for an increased daily burn score, the cumulative burn score (the sum of the daily burn scores for each patient) and the total burn score (total sum of burn scores for the whole group throughout the study period) in addition to sub-analysis of the different categories of care that make up the burn score.

We retrieved 22 301 daily recordings for inpatients. Mobilisation and care of the wound accounted for more than half of the total burn score during the study. Increased TBSA% and age over 45 years were associated with increased cumulative (model R² 0.43, p < 0.001) and daily (model R² 0.61, p < 0.001) burn scores. Patients who died had higher daily burn scores, while the cumulative burn score decreased with shorter duration of hospital stay (p < 0.001).

To our knowledge this is the first long term analysis and validation of a system for scoring burn interventions in patients with burns that explores its association with the factors important for outcome. Calculations of costs are based on the score, and it provides an indicator of the nurses’ workload. It also gives important information about the different dimensions of the care provided from thorough investigation of the scores for each category.

BACKGROUND: This study examined manual therapy business owners' perception of official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their clinics' economic performance, including clinic activity hours and business turnover.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a longitudinal study design, data were collected in November 2021 (baseline), and after three months, six months, and 12 months. Participants were manual therapists who were business owners. A growth curve model was used to analyze differences in clinical activity trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between perceived disruptions in business and turnover. Qualitative text analysis was used to examine participants' responses to open-ended questions concerning economic measures taken to sustain their business during the pandemic.

RESULTS: This study of 443 manual therapy business owners found that clinics were initially active with minimal variation, but activity changed following COVID-19 recommendations. Business owners perceived that the disruptions had no significant impact on turnover during the initial stages of the official recommendations. Economic support and the previous decrease in turnover increased the likelihood of experiencing a decreased turnover at 12 months. Business owners implemented cost-cutting measures and diversified income sources to navigate COVID-19 challenges and sustain their businesses.

CONCLUSION: The official recommendations in Sweden had an impact on manual therapists' businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic lingered. Some business owners were concerned at the early stages about lower turnover but showed financial resilience by cutting costs and finding new revenue sources to overcome COVID-19 challenges.

The aim behind this study was to observe and understand barriers to access the eHealth system equally. The study was conducted in Stockholm based on qualitative data in which semi- structured interviews were conducted among 15 interviewees from different localities of Stockholm. The findings from the collected data revealed that language barriers, lack of knowledge about digital literacy, unawareness of Swedish healthcare services, psychological and social barriers, safety and privacy concerns, and the lack of an e-identification are all major barriers to accessing the eHealth system. From the data, it has also been observed that the main causes of the aforementioned hurdles are based on varied socioeconomic levels, literacy conditions of an individual, cultural background, and age. Another important observation shows that highly qualified people with limited language abilities have a difficult time using eHealth services. 

Keywords 

Ehealth, Covid-19, nudge approach, digital literacy, linguistic skills, Bank ID, 1177.se, Alltid öppet. 

The aim behind this study was to observe and understand barriers to access the eHealth system equally. The study was conducted in Stockholm based on qualitative data in which semi- structured interviews were conducted among 15 interviewees from different localities of Stockholm. The findings from the collected data revealed that language barriers, lack of knowledge about digital literacy, unawareness of Swedish healthcare services, psychological and social barriers, safety and privacy concerns, and the lack of an e-identification are all major barriers to accessing the eHealth system. From the data, it has also been observed that the main causes of the aforementioned hurdles are based on varied socioeconomic levels, literacy conditions of an individual, cultural background, and age. Another important observation shows that highly qualified people with limited language abilities have a difficult time using eHealth services. 

Demands for health care are becoming overwhelming for healthcare systems around the world regarding theavailability of resources, particularly, in emergency departments (EDs) that are continuously open and mustserve immediately any patient who comes in. Efficient management of EDs and their resources is requiredmore than ever. This could be achieved either by optimizing resource utilization or by the improvement ofhospital layout. This paper investigates, through data-driven simulation alternative designs of workflowsand layouts to operate the ED of the Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden. Results are analyzed tounderstand the requirements across the hospital for reduced waiting times in the ED. The main observationrevealed that introducing a new ward dedicated to patients having complex diagnoses with a capacity ofless than 20 beds leads to lower waiting times. Furthermore, the use of data-mining was of great help inreducing the efforts of building the simulation model.

Modeling, one of the main pillars of good scientific research, is a long-standing multidisciplinary activity to understand and analyze complex systems. In this paper, the focus is directed toward conceptual modeling of multi-terminal seaports specialized in handling and treatment of intermodal transport units (ITU). These systems are complex with highly dynamic and stochastic behaviors and actors, therefore, studying them as a coherent whole or just analyzing one part by taking into account the high degree of integration among the different aspects and actors linked by a flow of activities, information, and interactions is a bet lost in advance without a well-defined design process. Several design approaches and methodologies have been proposed over the years, but nonetheless, there is still no agreement on how to conduct modeling of complex systems because they are of different kinds. In this line, this paper proposes a top-down approach for container and Ro-Ro terminals largely inspired by the Unified Process Methodology and refined through several research projects that we have been involved in. It gives some recommendations and guidelines as well as a helpful way to successfully build modular and consistent simulation models. To prove its efficiency, it was applied to a case study and the resulting models were validated by the subject matter's experts.

Services that aim to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) can simultaneously reduce the overall impact of HIV infection in a population while also improving maternal and child health outcomes. By taking a health equity perspective, this retrospective case control study aimed to compare the health status of under-5 children born to HIV-positive and HIV-negative mothers in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Two hundred and thirteen HIV-positive women (cases), and 214 HIV-negative women (controls) participated through interviews regarding their oldest children. Of the children born to HIV-positive mothers, 24% had not been tested, and 17% of those who had been tested were HIV-positive themselves. Only 29% of the HIV-positive children were linked to an ART programme. Unexpectedly, exposed HIV-negative children had fewer reports of perceived poor health as compared to unexposed children. Over 90% of all the children, regardless of maternal HIV status, were breastfed and up-to-date with the recommended immunizations. The high rate of HIV infection among the babies of HIV-positive women along with their low rates of antiretroviral treatment raises serious concerns about the quality of outreach to pregnant women in Tigray Region, and of the follow-up for children who have been exposed to HIV via their mothers.

Objective: This study aims to examine the circumstances associated with patients’ tendencies to recommend a primary care centre, based on four hypotheses, the initial contact’s quality, care relationship continuity, treatment encounter responsiveness and whether the significance of encounter responsiveness differs depending on whether the patient has been seeing a nurse or physician. Design: The study is based on the patient’ self-reported responses, retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Survey. The design is cross-sectional, and data were analysed using a binary logistic regression. Setting: Data were collected from three primary healthcare centres in the region of Västra Götaland, Sweden. Participants: A total of 362 patients (62% females) having visited any of three publicly run healthcare centres in September 2010 constitute the analytical sample. Participants were fairly evenly distributed across all age groups. Main Outcome Measures: Recommendation was captured by patients’ binary responses to the question: Would you recommend the visited primary healthcare centre? Results: The hypotheses involving initial contact quality, care relationship continuity and treatment encounter responsiveness were supported by the analyses. The latter was strongly associated with patient tendency to recommend the primary healthcare centre. However, the profession (nurse or physician) involved in the treatment encounter made no difference for the predictive significance of encounter responsiveness for a patient’s tendency to recommend the healthcare centre. Conclusions: Striving for stable and responsive patient/staff relationships and an open approach towards patients are potentially successful strategies for primary healthcare centres seeking to attract new patients and maintain current ones. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)

Information technology has been suggested to improve patient health outcomes and reduce healthcare cost. This study explored the business model and effects of collaborative innovation between caregivers and patients on healthcare delivery through remote patient monitoring by interviewing caregivers and surveying atrial fibrillation patients. Findings indicate that remote monitoring enhanced early detection of potential risks and quality of clinical decision-making with patients feeling more empowered and involved in their own care. The remote monitoring system which consisted of a home-based ECG and a web-based service and was offered free to patients, brought together caregivers, patients, service provider and the government as actors. The introduction of remote monitoring increased the workload of caregivers and facilitation of timely diagnostics and decision-making were not realized. IT is an enabler of innovation in healthcare, but it must be integrated into work processes with a viable business model to realize potential benefits and sustain it. 

In addition to the immediate physical injuries they suffer, road accident victims may also be subject to ongoing deterioration of their state of health in terms of permanent physical and mental problems, disabilities, etc. These various health shocks entail recourse to care and treatment, the upshot being increases in health expenses. In France little is known about the financial impact of accidents on victims. This paper uses data from a sample of 777 individuals suffering from road accident-induced physical impairment. Information about these individuals includes details of their personal and socioprofessional characteristics, together with data provided by their health insurance offices regarding their use of treatment and their medical expenses. The analysis of these data reveals that the costs incurred by road accident victims are significantly associated with such factors as age, seriousness of impairment, and marital status. Interaction effects are also noted between these explanatory factors: for example, the effect of the seriousness of impairment on the costs involved differs according to the age of the victim.

De studerade enheterna var kliniker för internmedicin, ortopedi och kirurgi vid akutsjukhus i Sverige. Studiernas syfte var att identifiera exogena och endogena determinanter av tillgänglighet till sjukvården. Kvalitativa och kvantitativa analyser av vårdutnyttjande utfördes på nationell och regional nivå av dataaggregering. Studierna utmynnar i slutsatsen att tillgängligheten till akutsjukvården påverkas av exogena faktorer, delvis utanför kontrollen för de professionella inom sjukvården, såsom säsong, fysiskt avstånd och totalt utbud. Organisatoriska egenskaper som tillgången till vårdplatser, sjukhusens och läkarnas specialisering och graden av systemintegration mellan producenter av akutvård har effekter på vårdens kvalitet. Det nya fyndet utgörs av upptäckten av en stark association mellan akuta återinskrivningar och övriga inskrivningar. Sambandet indikerar effekterna av vårdplatsutbudet på totalt slutenvårdsutnyttjande inom internmedicinen. Slutsatserna är som följer:

§ strukturell förändring på systemnivå fungerar som metod för prioritering mellan patientgrupper genom förändrad tillgänglighet;

§ den naturliga och den organisatoriska miljön determinerar servicekvaliteten på akutmottagningar vid sjukhusen och tillgängligheten till det akuta vårdutnyttjandet genom fluktuationer i efterfrågan;

§ den geografiska tillgängligheten samvarierar med utbudet, dvs. överutnyttjandet eller underutnyttjandet som återspeglas i medicinskt utfall;

§ vårdsystemets utfall mätt som akuta återinskrivningar i sluten vård inom internmedicinen (effektiv tillgänglighet) beror på distributionen av vårdens resurser, framförallt fördelningen mellan sluten och poliklinisk vård och det totala utbudet av slutenvårdsplatser;

§ den ökande efterfrågan på akut omhändertagande inom internmedicinen kan härledas till problem i vården av kroniskt sjuka, äldre patienter;

§ informationsöverföring och kommunikation mellan vårdgivare och med patienter varierar i effektivitet beroende på samordning och mekanismer för systemintegration;

§ effektiv tillgänglighet till och ändamålsenlighet i den slutna internmedicinska vården påverkas av läkarnas specialisering.

Det finns uppenbara konflikter mellan tillgänglighet, produktivitet och vårdgivarens ändamålsenlighet. Det fordras större uppmärksamhet på kapaciteten att tillgodogöra sig behandling utöver behov som ett kriterium för prioritering mellan patientgrupper.

This article draws from sociological and socio-legal studies of dispute between patients and doctors to examine how healthcare professionals made sense of patients’ complaints about healthcare. We analyse 41 discursive interviews with professional healthcare staff working in eight different English National Health Service settings to explore how they made sense of events of complaint and of patients’ (including families’) motives for complaining. We find that for our interviewees, events of patients’ complaining about care were perceived as a breach in fundamental relationships involving patients’ trust or patients’ recognition of their work efforts. We find that interviewees rationalised patients’ motives for complaining in ways that marginalised the content of their concerns. Complaints were most often discussed as coming from patients who were inexpert, distressed or advantage-seeking; accordingly, care professionals hearing their concerns about care positioned themselves as informed decision-makers, empathic listeners or service gate-keepers. We find differences in our interviewees’ rationalisation of patients’ complaining about care to be related to local service contingences rather than to fixed professional differences. We note that it was rare for interviewees to describe complaints raised by patients as grounds for improving the quality of care. Our findings indicate that recent health policy directives promoting a view of complaints as learning opportunities from critical patient/consumers must account for sociological factors that inform both how the agency of patients is envisaged and how professionalism exercised contemporary healthcare work.

Introduction: Informal caregivers (ICs) play a crucial role in healthcare, particularly in resource-limited settings where they help alleviate staff shortages. Despite their invaluable contributions, the literature on the challenges of ICs remains sparse. This scoping review addresses this gap by exploring the burdens and challenges faced by those engaged in hospital-based informal caregiving in African contexts. The study focuses on ICs in African hospital environments, acknowledging the unique challenges posed by structured hospital settings.

Methods: This scoping review systematically searches relevant literature from 2000 to 2024, concentrating on African hospital settings. Databases including Web of Science, Medline, PsycINFO, SociIndex, CINAHL, Africa-wide, Academic Search Complete, and PubMed were queried. Abstracts were independently assessed for relevance, and potentially eligible studies' full texts were examined by two authors. Papers were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: (1) they reported on the burdens and stress experienced by informal caregivers; (2) they focused on research conducted in Africa; (3) they were published in English; and (4) they were published between January 1, 2000, and August 31, 2024.

Results: The review included 26 eligible studies, with a majority conducted in Nigeria (n=6), followed by four each in South Africa and Uganda. Thirteen studies employed qualitative methods, ten utilized quantitative methods, and three adopted mixed methods. Qualitative approaches were primarily interview-based, with limited use of ethnographic methods or group-based techniques like focus group discussions. Family members, including spouses, parents, siblings, and extended relatives, commonly assumed caregiving roles. The themes include the physical health burden of caregiving, socio-economic challenges, emotional distress and social isolation, and family strain.

Conclusion: This scoping review provides valuable insights into an overlooked aspect of African healthcare, shedding light on the challenges faced by ICs. By addressing this knowledge gap, it lays the groundwork for future research, policy development, and interventions to support informal caregivers in African hospital settings.

Objective To explore communication about medication management during annual consultations in primary care. Design: passive participant observations of primary care consultations.

Setting Two primary care centres in southern Sweden.

Participants Consultations between 18 patients (over the age of 60 years) with chronic diseases and 10 general practitioners (GPs) were observed, audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using content analysis.

Results Four categories emerged: communication barriers, striving for a shared understanding of medication management, evaluation of the current medication treatment and the plan ahead and behavioural changes in relation to medication management. Misunderstandings in communication, failure to report changes in the medication treatment and use of generic substitutes complicated mutual understanding and agreement on continued treatment. The need for behavioural changes to reduce the need for medication treatment was recognised but should be explored further.

Conclusion Several pitfalls, including miscommunication and inaccurate medication lists, for safe medication management were identified. The purpose of annual consultations should be clarified, individual treatment plans could be used more actively during primary care consultations and efforts are needed to improve verbal communication and information continuity.No data are available.

Första linjens chefers har en krävande position då dom ofta behöver förmedla ledningens beslut som dom själva ej beslutat om och samtidigt ha en god relation till sina anställda. Många första linjers chefer väljer att säga upp sig. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur första linjens chefers upplevelser av vad i arbetet inom hälso-och sjukvården skapar psykiska påfrestningar. En allmän litteraturstudie. 10 kvalitativa studier granskades och sammanställdes till ett resultat om 1 huvudtema och 3 subteman. I resultatet presenteras huvudtemat: Svår roll att axla, handlade främst om komplexiteten i rollen som första linjens chef som ofta innebär att behöva stå till svars för både ledningen och medarbetarna. Vidare framkom att första linjens chefer behöver ökat stöd inom administration samt starkare stöd från ledningen. Första linjens chefer ansåg även att dom behöver mer utbildningen inför rollen och då främst inom ekonomi. Första linjens chefer saknar ofta tillräckligt mandat för att genomföra förändringar men behöver frekvent förmedla beslut som dom själva inte har fattat. Första linjens chefer som fått mer stödresurser har visat sig vara mer tillfreds i sin arbetsroll. Mer utbildning är något som sjuksköterskechefer som avslutat sina anställningar önskat att dom erhållit. 

In Somaliland, mental health has been a neglected sector since the inception of the country almost 30 years ago. Only two years ago, there was no office, no staff, and no funding for mental health. Public mental health services were confined to five public in-patient facilities within the regional general hospitals, with a total bed capacity of 216 beds for a population of 4 million people. All the facilities experienced severe shortages of human and material resources, and proper supervision or control by the ministry did not exist. Lack of adequate and good quality-public mental health services has encouraged the opening of a plethora of unregulated private mental health facilities with poor records of human rights and services. One of the major impediments to improving mental health in the country was a lack of financial resources. In recognition of the deteriorating situation of mental health in the country and public pressure to do something about the problem. In late 2020, the government decided to scale up mental health services through khat taxation. Tax collection started in January 2021, and the first funds were released for use in July 2021. A five-year national program on mental health was then launched on August 1, 2021 underpinned by four main objectives: 1) establishment of leadership and governance in mental health; 2) strengthening existing mental health services and their integration into primary health care; 3) development of human resources in mental health; and finally 4) setting up a mental health information and research system. In this paper, we present early program achievements and their relevance to public health for other countries with similar settings looking to improve their mental health through effective mobilization of local resources.

Background: In a great many situations within health care and treatment, children are subjected to unnecessary pain and suffering. When local anaesthetics is to be administered the child can experience this as incomprehensible especially when the nursing staff assures the child that no pain would be felt, only to discover soon after, that it actually did hurt at the moment of anaesthetic infiltration. The soothing of pain during the suturing of wounds in emergency wards can be reduced, ensuring that unnecessary pain in the cafe-and-treatment process is mot meted out to children. In order to prevent this (subjection to unnecessary pain), and by improving accepted practice, it was interesting to investigate whether children felt pain at the time of infiltration anaesthesia following the initial topical anaesthesia. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of introductory topical anaesthesia using Xylocain solution dropped in the wound prior to a definitive infiltration-anaesthesia. An experimental, prospective design was used where children were included in either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group (n=10) were given a Xylocain solution while the control group (n=10) received physiological Sodium solution. Data collection for the study was made by making VAS estimates and by interviews. Result: The study shows that a certain alleviation of pain does occur when using Xylocain but no statistically significant difference exists between the two groups. Irrespective of whether the children received an introductory topical anaesthesia with Xylocain or Sodium solution at the time of infiltration anaesthesia, they expressed pain in connection with infiltration. The study also shows that many children express fear and anxiety. Conclusion: Current research highlights the difficulties involved in offering children a really satisfactory form of pain relief in connection with infiltration anaesthesia and suturing of wounds. It is urgent to throw more light on children’s pain, both from a nursing and from a medical point of view. No statistically significant difference was found in children’s reported pain, after treatment with Xylocain but the solution can have a positive effect at the time of the infiltration jab, but a larger study needs to be done in order to establish this firmly.

Objectives COVID-19 presents challenges to the emergency care system that could lead to emergency department (ED) crowding. The Huddinge site at the Karolinska university hospital (KH) responded through a rapid transformation of inpatient care capacity together with changing working methods in the ED. The aim is to describe the KH response to the COVID-19 crisis, and how ED crowding, and important input, throughput and output factors for ED crowding developed at KH during a 30-day baseline period followed by the first 60 days of the COVID-19 outbreak in Stockholm Region. Methods Different phases in the development of the crisis were described and identified retrospectively based on major events that changed the conditions for the ED. Results were presented for each phase separately. The outcome ED length of stay (ED LOS) was calculated with mean and 95% confidence intervals. Input, throughput, output and demographic factors were described using distributions, proportions and means. Pearson correlation between ED LOS and emergency ward occupancy by phase was estimated with 95% confidence interval. Results As new working methods were introduced between phase 2 and 3, ED LOS declined from mean (95% CI) 386 (373-399) minutes to 307 (297-317). Imaging proportion was reduced from 29 to 18% and admission rate increased from 34 to 43%. Correlation (95% CI) between emergency ward occupancy and ED LOS by phase was 0.94 (0.55-0.99). Conclusions It is possible to avoid ED crowding, even during extreme and quickly changing conditions by leveraging previously known input, throughput and output factors. One key factor was the change in working methods in the ED with higher competence, less diagnostics and increased focus on rapid clinical admission decisions. Another important factor was the reduction in bed occupancy in emergency wards that enabled a timely admission to inpatient care. A key limitation was the retrospective study design.

Det svenska sjukvården anses ha god hälsovårdsproduktivitet och effektivitet till måttliga kostnader men verkar ha några framtida utmaningar. Sverige går mot den åldrande befolkningen eftersom det kräver utveckling av tekniker och tekniker för medicinsk vård för att ge äldre patienter vård. Detta ökar trycket på sjukvården. Därför ökar antalet patienter på sjukhuset, vilket leder till att patientflödet inom avdelningarna ökar. Dessutom har pandemin ökat antalet personer som läggs in på sjukhus. Som en konsekvens ökar väntetiderna även för fall med hög prioritet.

Skaraborg sjukhusgrupp, SHG och andra allmänna sjukhus fokuserar särskilt på hur man hanterar patientflöde på olika nivåer inom avdelningar och kliniker genom att förbättra patientflödeskvaliteten. Produktion och kapacitetsberedning (PCP) är ett vanligt branschverktyg för att lösa flaskhalsar. Därför måste denna metod i större utsträckning antas inom sjukhuset och inom sjukvården.

Eftersom många patienter från olika specialavdelningar använder Radiologiavdelningens anläggningar är det ofta en "flaskhals" i slutenvården på sjukhus. Dessutom har inflödet av patienter med covid-19 ökat avdelningens arbetsbelastning.

Detta examensarbete syftar till att hjälpa Radiologiavdelningen att förbättra sin produktionsoch kapacitetsplanering för att öka enhetsflödesprestanda. Projektet innebär att stödja nyckelpersoner på avdelningen för att uppskatta efterfrågan för att anpassa olika patientrörelser till utrustning och personal. Förbättrad radiologisk avdelnings flödeseffektivitet kan leda till jämnare och hälsosammare patientflöden runt sjukhuset, vilket minskar "buffertar" hos patienter och längre vistelser på olika specialistkliniker.

Aim: To outline the organisation and responsibility for health and social care provided to older people in Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

Methods: Non-quantifiable data on the care systems were collated from the literature and expert consultations. The responsibilities for primary healthcare, specialised healthcare, prevention and health promotion, rehabilitation, and social care were presented in relation to policy guidance, funding and organisation.

Results: In all three countries, the state issues policy and to some extent co-funds the largely decentralised systems; in Denmark and Sweden the regions and municipalities organise the provision of care services – a system that is also about to be implemented in Finland to improve care coordination and make access more equal. Care for older citizens focuses to a large extent on enabling them to live independently in their own homes.

Conclusions: Decentralised care systems are challenged by considerable local variations, possibly jeopardising care equity. State-level decision and policy makers need to be aware of these challenges and monitor developments to prevent further health and social care disparities in the ageing population.

If we have to document our professional action, will we then only perform the actions that we are supposed to document? This question reflects the content of this chapter. The chapter includes a frame of reference for studying control of professionals in organizations and illustration on different types of professional controls.

This study tackles the critical challenge of medication non-adherence in healthcare by pinpointing indicators related to medication adherence (IRMAs) across 39 European countries and Israel. Utilizing a structured expert survey methodology within the European Network to Advance Best Practices and Technology on Medication Adherence (ENABLE; COST Action CA19132), our research identified key country-specific IRMAs and collected data on these indicators to understand the multifaceted nature of medication adherence. The research was conducted in two phases: firstly, defining key IRMAs through a two-round expert survey, and secondly, gathering country-specific data on these IRMAs through literature reviews and additional expert surveys. The study revealed a diverse range of 26 top-ranked IRMAs, including six related to country characteristics, four to social/economic factors, three each to therapy-related and patient-related factors, one to condition-related factors, and nine to healthcare system-related factors. The availability of country-specific data on these IRMAs varied among the countries, highlighting the need for more comprehensive data collection and research. The findings from this study not only underscore the complexity of predicting medication adherence but also lay the groundwork for developing targeted, country-specific interventions to improve adherence. Moreover, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the importance of understanding the multifaceted nature of medication adherence and offering a valuable resource in formulating targeted health policies to enhance health outcomes and reduce the economic burden associated with medication non-adherence.

I Sverige finns ett gemensamt mål att bedriva en god och lika vård på lika villkor för alla. Vård- och omsorgssektorn står inför stora framtida utmaningar utifrån kompetensförsörjningen för att kunna bedriva en god vård. För att attrahera och behålla arbetskraft är det av stor vikt att prioritera arbetsmiljöarbetet och stärka ledarskapet. Organisationens syn på ledarskap påverkar vilka chefer som rekryteras och förutsättningarna för hur ledarskap skapas och utvecklas. Förstalinje chefer inom vård och omsorg har komplexa uppdrag i jämförelse med chefer inom andra branscher med tanke på storlek på arbetsgrupper, uppdragsbeskrivning, ekonomiska utmaningar och sämre organisatoriskt stöd. Organisationerna inom vård- och omsorg har färdigställd värdegrund som en del av marknadsföringsfilosofi och från ledning önskad organisationskultur, medan arbetsplatser har utvecklat egna kulturer och normer vilket leder till att förstalinje chefer hamnar i svår position då dem ska balansera mellan dessa kulturer. Tidigare forskning har påvisat att hållbart ledarskap har stor vikt för både organisationen, arbetsplatsen och förstalinjens chefer.

Syftet med studien var att med fokus på vård och omsorg, undersöka huruvida det ömsesidiga förhållandet mellan ledarskap, psykologisk trygghet, mångfald organisationskultur och arbetsplatskultur främjar ett hållbart ledarskap.

Metoden som använts är kvalitativ metod, där sex förstalinje chefer från olika delar av vård- och omsorg intervjuats då målet var att undersöka deras upplevelser och erfarenheter för att få en ökad förståelse hur organisationskultur och arbetsplatskultur påverkar och påverkas av ledarskapet. Intervjuerna har analyserats och sammanfattats utifrån följande kategorier: organisationskultur, arbetsplatskultur, psykologisk trygghet samt ledarskap och hållbart ledarskap.

Resultatet har påvisat en betydlig skillnad mellan organisationskulturen och arbetsplatskulturen samt deras påverkan på förstalinje chefer och dennes ledarskap. Vidare, har det påvisat att förstalinje chefer upplever att ledarskapet blir mindre hållbart utifrån organisationskultur, medan mer hållbart utifrån arbetsplatskultur. Förstalinje chefer arbetar i hög grad att implementera en hållbar arbetsplatskultur där de poängterar vikten av ett närvarande och tillitsbaserat ledarskap.

The issue of the inappropriate use of ambulance transport and care has mainly been studied from the professionals’ and caregivers’ perspective, with few studies focusing on the patient and his/her experiences. To further understand whether patients use ambulance care in an inappropriate manner and, if so, why, it is important to obtain an overall picture of the patients’ existential situation at the time they call an ambulance. The aim of this study was to analyse and describe patients’ experiences related to the decision to call an ambulance and the wait for it to arrive. The design was explorative, and twenty informants aged between 34 and 82 years were interviewed. Qualitative content analyses were performed. The findings showed that calling for an ambulance is a major decision that is preceded by hesitation and attempts to handle the situation by oneself. Our conclusion is that the definition of inappropriate use of valuable health care resources should not be based solely on the professionals’ point of view but also take account of the patients’ reactions when they experience a threat to their life and health.

Bakgrund: Negativ arbetsrelaterad stress är ett ständigt problem i flera samhällssektorer, även så i stor utsträckning inom vårdsektorn. Forskning visar att arbetsrelaterad stress inom vården kan utlösas av flera olika faktorer, bland annat en för hög arbetsbelastning. Långvarig negativ stress kan orsaka utmattningssymtom och utbrändhet.

Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka stress relaterad till arbetsbelastningen hos allmänsjuksköterskor som arbetar på sjukhusavdelningar.

Metod: En kvantitativ enkätstudie utfördes på fyra sjukhusavdelningar på ett sjukhus i Södra Sverige. Instrumentet Maslach Burnout Inventory- HSS användes för att mäta respondenternas stress. Resultatet redovisades och analyserades med deskriptiv statistik, regressionsanalys och Spearmans rangkorrelationskoefficient.

Resultat: Resultatet visar att det hos allmänsjuksköterskor finns ett samband mellan arbetsbelastning och stress. Samband uppmättes mellan antal övertidstimmar och utbrändhetsfaktorn ”Otillräcklighet” (p < 0,05), samt mellan känslan av att vara överarbetad och utbrändhetsfaktorn ”Emotionell utmattning” (p < 0,01).  Resultatet visar också att bakgrundsfaktorer som kan kopplas  till privatlivet spelar en mindre roll för sjuksköterskornas upplevda arbetsstress och att det huvudsakligen är arbetsrelaterade faktorer som påverkar upplevelsen av stress.

Slutsats: Den undersökta populationen lider av stressfaktorer kopplade till arbetsbelastning och låg arbetstillfredsställelse och majoriteten av den undersökta populationen löper en risk att drabbas av utbrändhet. För att bibehålla god vårdkvalité, eller förbättra den ytterligare, bör åtgärder för att sänka arbetsbelastningen och öka arbetstillfredställelsen ses över.

Statistik visar att ransomware har ökat lavinartat de senaste åren, inte minst under den rådande Covid-19-pandemin. Cyberkriminella har kommit att utnyttja sjukhus runt om i världen som redan är överbelastade med att ta hand om patienter svårt sjuka i Covid-19.

I denna uppsats undersöks det hur de svenska sjukhusen upplever och hanterar det ökade hotet av ransomware. Den utgörs av en litteraturstudie och några djupintervjuer. Litteraturstudien görs för att utforska fenomenet ransomware och ta reda på varför ransomware är en framgångsrik metod för kriminella att använda vid utpressning. Syftet är även att undersöka hur svenska sjukhus förhåller sig till att hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn har blivit attraktiva mål för cyberangrepp. I intervjustudien undersöks sjukhusens IT-säkerhet för att kartlägga om de är tillräckligt motståndskraftiga mot ransomware-angrepp. Intervjusvaren diskuteras och analyseras mot bakgrund av litteraturen. Slutsatsen av denna analys ligger till grund för åtgärdsförslag.

Resultatet visar att sjukhusen/regionerna som tillfrågats har en bra IT-säkerhet. De mest centrala säkerhetsmekanismerna för verksamheterna är deras backup- och återställningsrutiner i kampen mot ransomware. Diskussionen i arbetet sammanfogar resultatet från både litteraturstudien och intervjustudien som genomförts. Utifrån diskussionen dras sedan slutsatsen att regionerna som tillfrågats har bra säkerhet och uppfyller de flesta av rekommendationer som publicerats av svenska myndigheter. Inte desto mindre resulterar studien i några uppslag till förbättringar i säkerhetsrutiner.

Introduction: In orthognathic surgery, understanding the patients motives for treatment is a key factor for postoperative patient satisfaction and treatment success. In countries/systems where orthognathic surgery is funded by public means, patients are referred mainly due to functional problems, although studies of quality of life related changes after treatment indicate that psychosocial and aesthetic reasons might be equal or more important for the patient. There is no available validated condition specific instruments in the Swedish language for quality of life evaluation of patients with dentofacial deformities. Aims/objectives: Cross cultural translation and adaptation of the English-language instrument Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) into Swedish. Methods: OQLQ was translated into Swedish. A total of 121 patients in four groups were recruited and the Swedish version of the OQLQ (OQLQ-S) was tested by psychometric methods. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validity was evaluated by face, convergent and discriminant validity. Results/findings and conclusions: OQLQ-S is reliable and showed good construct validity and internal consistency and can be used in a Swedish speaking population as a complement to clinical variables to evaluate patients with dentofacial deformity.

Many long-term sick-listed individuals move from vocational rehabilitation to pension, rather than reaching the goal of return to work. There is thus reason to consider whether rehabilitation resources are being used optimally. Individuals receiving disability pensions are consuming financial and personnel resources at the insurance offices and also consume a large amount of health care. The general objective of the study was to evaluate the proportion of individuals granted vocational rehabilitation but then obtaining temporary or permanent disability pensions. All persons receiving any kind of rehabilitation and attending one of six local national insurance offices in a county in Sweden in 1998 and 1999 were studied. A 2-year follow-up was carried out to assess changes in status among those who had received temporary disability pensions. Of all individuals receiving rehabilitation, 46.2% ended up with a disability pension allowance. In addition, a large portion of the temporary disability pensions was transformed to permanent disability pensions within 2 years. For clients with a temporary disability pension, the rate of resuming work was close to nil. Among rehabilitation measures, investigation showed the lowest figures of work resumption while job training showed the best outcome in this respect. The study concluded that a large portion of the financial and personnel resources allocated by the national insurance offices to rehabilitation resulted in disability pensions.

Background: Registered nurses’ work-related stress, dissatisfaction and burnout are some of the problems in the healthcare and that negatively affect healthcare quality and patient care. A prerequisite for sustained high quality at work is that the registered nurses are motivated. High motivation has been proved to lead to better working results. The theory of inner work life describes the dynamic interplay between a person's perceptions, emotions and motivation and the three key factors for a good working life: nourishment, progress and catalysts. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore registered nurses’ workday events in relation to inner work life theory, to better understand what influences registered nurses to remain in work. Design: A qualitative explorative study with an ethnographic approach. Methods: Participant observation over four months; in total 56 h with 479 events and 58 informal interviews during observation; all registered nurses employed at the unit (n = 10) were included. In addition, individual interviews were conducted after the observation period (n = 9). The dataset was analysed using thematic analysis and in the final step of the analysis the categories were reflected in relation to the three key factors in theory of inner work life. Results: Nourishment in a registered nurse context describes the work motivation created by the interpersonal support between colleagues. It was important to registered nurses that physicians and colleagues respected and trusted their knowledge in the daily work, and that they felt comfortable asking questions and supporting each other. Progress in the context of registered nurses’ work motivation was the feeling of moving forward with a mix of small wins and the perception of solving more complex challenges in daily work. It was also fundamental to the registered nurses’ development through new knowledge and learning during daily work. Catalysts, actions that directly facilitate the work, were highlighted as the possibility to work independently along with the opportunity to work together with other registered nurses. Conclusion: This study has a number of implications for future work and research on creating an attractive workplace for registered nurses. Working independently, with colleagues from the same profession, integrated with learning, visible progress, and receiving feedback from the work itself, contribute to work motivation. 

There is currently a shortage of registered nurses (RNs) and high turnover of RNs, both nationally and internationally. Work motivation is an important part of a healthy work environment and something we need to know more about from an RN perspective.

The overarching aim of this thesis was to enhance our understanding of the organisational and social workplace factors that contribute to an attractive environment for RNs, by exploring factors associated with work motivation. Four research questions were posed. (i) What factors create the conditions for motivation in RNs’ daily work? (ii) What role does social support in the workplace play in RNs’ work motivation? (iii) What role does the opportunity to work with relevant tasks play in RNs’ work motivation? (iv) Are there differences between healthcare settings regarding RNs’ social support, illegitimate tasks, and associations with work motivation? Four empirical studies were performed to answer these questions. Two were qualitative studies based on an ethnographic approach and two were quantitative cross-sectional studies based on a stratified national sample of RNs. The results of the qualitative studies indicate that crucial factors for RNs' work motivation include a friendly and permissive atmosphere in daily work. Visible progress and receiving feedback from the work itself also positively contributed to motivation. Additionally, RNs' opportunities to learn and support each other through ongoing communication during daily work tended to have a positive impact on work motivation. Effective collaboration between physicians and RNs with mutual respect, understanding of each other's competencies, and creating an environment where RNs could seek clarification were also central to work motivation. The quantitative studies revealed that the opportunity for social support from the immediate manager or co-workers was significant for dimensions related to RNs’ work motivation and the willingness to stay in the workplace. The associations differed in strength between healthcare settings. Furthermore, the results indicated that a factor in RNs' work motivation was the ability to work with tasks perceived as relevant, not illegitimate. However, the results highlighted that a significant portion of RNs performed illegitimate tasks, and that illegitimate tasks were more prevalent for RNs in home healthcare than those in primary care and hospitals. This is something to consider as more complex care is being conducted outside of hospitals. The thesis adds new knowledge that can be useful to the development of attractive workplaces, which could contribute to more RNs choosing to remain in their position for a longer period.

Introduction: To understand any possible healthcare system benefits and changes of behavior for the patients with the change in prescription co-payment in Sweden we aimed to provide an update on the trends of EAI dispensings and hospitalizations for the Swedish paediatric population (ages 0-19 years), from 2018 to 2022, including by sex and geographic region. Methods: Using publically-available, population-level aggregate data from Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare, we extracted information on annual epinephrine (ATC C01CA24) dispensings per 1,000 inhabitants from 2018 to 2023, overall, as well as stratified by sex, age groups and geographic region; and on inpatient stays 2018-2022 (ICD-10 code T78), anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions, per 100,000 individuals. We compared these estimates to those for adults ages 18 + years, for whom prescription co-payments remained in place. Results: EAI dispensings remained stable for children and adults across the study period, with the exception of statistically significant decreases amongst dispensings for children across all ages in 2021 (6.65/1,000) and 2022 (7.37/1,000), compared to 2018 (8.63/1,000) (each year p = 0.03 compared to 2018 dispensings). National EAI dispensings did not statistically significantly differ from 2018 (8.63/1,000) to 2023 (6.70/1,000) amongst children. EAI dispensings for children ages 5 + years consistently exceed dispensings for adults per 1,000 inhabitants; only children aged 0-4 years had proportionately fewer dispensings. Children ages 0-4 years tended to be hospitalised more often than older children, albeit these differences were not statistically significant (all p &gt; 0.97). Conclusion: Subsequent to the removal of out-of-pocket costs for EAI, dispensings did not increase for children, although more EAI were dispensed to children from age 5 years, compared to younger children. Allergy-related hospitalisations were highest amongst children ages 0-4, lower amongst children ages 5-14 years, and again higher amongst those ages 15-19 years.

Background: The demography of the world is changing as the population is ageing. Because of this change to a higher proportion of older people, the WHO has called for improved palliative care for older persons. A large number of all deaths in the industrialised world occur while older people are living in nursing homes and therefore a key question becomes how the principles of palliative care can be implemented in that context. The aims of this study are: a) to describe a model of an educational intervention with the goal of implementing knowledge-based palliative care in nursing homes, and b) to describe the design of the evaluation of the effectiveness regarding the implementation of knowledge-based palliative care. Methods/design: A complex intervention is evaluated by means of a cross-over design. An educational intervention concerning palliative care consisting of five seminars during 6 months for staff and managers has been developed and conducted in 20 nursing homes in two counties. Before the intervention started, the feasibility was tested in a pilot study conducted in nursing homes not included in the main study. The intervention is evaluated through a non-randomized experimental design with intervention and control groups and pre- and post-assessments. The evaluation includes older persons living in nursing homes, next-of-kin, staff and managers. Data collection consists of quantitative methods such as questionnaires and register data and qualitative methods in the form of individual interviews, focus-group interviews and participant observations. Discussion: The research will contribute to new knowledge about how to implement knowledge-based palliative care in a nursing home setting. A strength of this project is that the Medical Research Council framework of complex intervention is applied. The four recommended stages, Development, Feasibility and piloting, Evaluation and Implementation, are combined for the educational intervention, which functions as a strategy to achieve knowledge-based palliative care in the nursing homes. Implementation is always a question of change and a good theoretical understanding is needed for drawing valid conclusions about the causal mechanisms of change. The topic is highly relevant considering the worlds ageing population. The data collection is completed and the analysis is ongoing.

Purpose To investigate the impact of rehabilitation measures on work ability and return to work (RTW), specifically the association between workplace rehabilitation/supportive conditions at work and work ability and RTW over time, among women on long-term sick leave. Methods Questionnaire data were collected (baseline, 6 and 12 months) from a cohort of women (n = 324). Linear mixed models were used for longitudinal analysis of the repeated measurements of work ability index (WAI), work ability score and working degree. These analyses were performed with different models; the explanatory variables for each model were workplace rehabilitation, supportive conditions at work and time. Results The individuals provided with workplace rehabilitation and supportive conditions (e.g. influence at work, possibilities for development, degree of freedom at work, meaning of work, quality of leadership, social support, sense of community and work satisfaction) had significantly increased WAI and work ability score over time. These individuals scored higher work ability compared to those individuals having workplace rehabilitation without supportive conditions, or neither. Additionally, among the individuals provided with workplace rehabilitation and supportive conditions, working degree increased significantly more over time compared to those individuals with no workplace rehabilitation and no supportive conditions. Conclusion The results highlight the importance of integrating workplace rehabilitation with supportive conditions at work in order to increase work ability and improve the RTW process for women on long-term sick leave.

We all need to start where we are and also wanting to go further all the time. This is the essence in quality improvement. The leader and the teachers must own this attitude themselves in order to have the ability to be trustworthy for the students. There is evidence in the literature about the impact of education on the professional attitude and role. This means that it is important to work with better professional development for better outcomes in the faculty.

One starting point for us in the planning of our different programs are that improvement knowledge will be a streak through the whole education in order to establish a professional attitude of daily inspiration to produce the best practise. We have applied all curricula to Boologna declaration and in this system progression in learning is a key point. We have four levels in the basic education (3-years education which lead to Bachelor degree) where we start to introduce 1) Concepts and models in health improvement. Then let our students make a 2) Personal improvement in their everyday life. Later in the education we teach about 3) Evidence practise and systematic literature reviews. Finally the students are 4) Making health improvements in collaboration with the staff during one clinical education.

All educational programmes on basic level since 2007 include aim descriptions about quality improvement. The aim of the learning is to have the competence to initiate and participate in work about health care improvements.

Finally, besides the mentions aspects in improvement education there are some other factors that needs for better system performance.

Background: Home oxygen therapy (HOT) improves survival in patients with hypoxaemic chronic respiratory disease. Most patients evaluated for HOT are former or active smokers. Oxygen accelerates combustion and smoking may increase the risk of burn injuries and fire hazards; therefore, it is considered a contraindication for HOT in many countries. However, there is variability in the practices and policies regarding this matter. This multidisciplinary Swedish taskforce aimed to review the potential benefits and risks of smoking in relation to HOT, including medical, practical, legal and ethical considerations.

Methods: The taskforce of the Swedish Respiratory Society comprises 15 members across respiratory medicine, nursing, medical law and ethics. HOT effectiveness and adverse risks related to smoking, as well as practical, legal and ethical considerations, were reviewed, resulting in five general questions and four PICO (population–intervention–comparator–outcome) questions. The strength of each recommendation was rated according to the GRADE (grading of recommendation assessment, development and evaluation) methodology.

Results: General questions about the practical, legal and ethical aspects of HOT were discussed and summarised in the document. The PICO questions resulted in recommendations about assessment, management and follow-up of smoking when considering HOT, if HOT should be offered to people that meet the eligibility criteria but who continue to smoke, if a specific length of time of smoking cessation should be considered before assessing eligibility for HOT, and identification of areas for further research.

Conclusions: Multiple factors need to be considered in the benefit/risk evaluation of HOT in active smokers. A systematic approach is suggested to guide healthcare professionals in evaluating HOT in relation to smoking.

The present study proposed a new instrument for the assessment of the current faculty development programs at Iranian medical universities. Although the literature concerning the subject of faculty development activities has already identified strengths and weakness of such programs, it is still questionable whether these activities can be assessed using a pedagogical and managerial comprehensive approach. Therefore, it was determined to develop an instrument to examine faculty development activities that address all components of programs from planning and implementing to evaluating phases, with the possibility of utilizing this instrument as a tool to assess faculty development activities.

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a critical component of delivering safe, effective and high -quality healthcare services, and eliminating avoidable healthcare -associated infections (HAIs) in health facilities, predominantly in populationdense settings such as Bangladesh.

Aim: Our study aimed to assess the effect of an integrated intervention package in improving the IPC level of the health facilities in Bangladesh.

Methods: We conducted a pre -post intervention study in six district hospitals (DHs) and 13 Upazila Health Complexes (UHCs) in the six districts of Bangladesh. Baseline and endline assessments were conducted between March and December 2021 using the adapted World Health Organization Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (WHO-IPCAF) tool. The IPCAF score, ranging from 0-800, was calculated by adding the scores of eight components, and the IPC promotion and practice level was categorized as Inadequate (0 -200), Basic (201-400), Intermediate (401-600) and Advanced (601-800). The integrated intervention package including IPC committee formation, healthcare provider training, logistics provision, necessary guidelines distribution, triage/flu corners establishment, and infrastructure development was implemented in all facilities.

Results: The average IPCAF score across all the facilities showed a significant increase from 16% (95% CI: 11.5-20.65%) to 54% (95% CI: 51.4-57.1%). Overall, the IPCAF score increased by 34 percentage points (P<0.001) in DHs and 40 percentage points (P<0.001) in UHCs. Following the intervention, 12 (three DHs, nine UHCs) of 19 facilities progressed from inadequate to intermediate, and another three DHs upgraded from basic to intermediate in terms of IPC level.

Conclusion: The integrated intervention package improved IPCAF score in all facilities.

Improved sanitation is indispensable to human health. However, lack of access to improved sanitation remains one of the most daunting public health challenges of the twenty-first century in Bangladesh. The aim of the study was to describe the trends in access to improved sanitation facilities following the inequity gap among households in different socioeconomic groups in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017-18 were extracted for this study. Inequity in access to improved sanitation was calculated using rich-poor ratio and concentration index to determine the changes in inequity across the time period. In Bangladesh, the proportion of households with access to improved sanitation increased steadily from 25.4% to 45.4% between 2007 and 2014, but slightly decreased to 44.0% in 2017-18. Age, educational status, marital status of household head, household wealth index, household size, place of residence, division, and survey year were significantly associated with the utilisation of improved sanitation. There is a pro-rich situation, which means that utilisation of improved sanitation was more concentrated among the rich across all survey years (Concentration Index ranges: 0.40 to 0.27). The government and other relevant stakeholders should take initiatives considering inequity among different socioeconomic groups to ensure the use of improved sanitation facilities for all, hence achieving universal health coverage.

Background: District hospitals (DHs) provide secondary level of healthcare to a wide range of population in Bangladesh. Efficient utilization of resources in these secondary hospitals is essential for delivering health services at a lower cost. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the technical efficiency of the DHs in Bangladesh. Methods: We used input-oriented data envelopment analysis method to estimate the variable returns to scale (VRS) and constant returns to scale (CRS) technical efficiency of the DHs using data from Local Health Bulletin, 2015. In this model, we considered workforce as well as number of inpatient beds as input variables and number of inpatient, outpatient, and maternal services provided by the DHs as output variables. A Tobit regression model was applied for assessing the association of institutional and environmental characteristics with the technical efficiency scores. Results: The average scale, VRS, and CRS technical efficiency of the DHs were estimated to 85%, 92%, and 79% respectively. Population size, poverty headcount, bed occupancy ratio, administrative divisions were significantly associated with the technical efficiency of the DHs. The mean VRS and CRS technical efficiency demonstrated that the DHs, on an average, could reduce their input mix by 8% and 21% respectively while maintaining the same level of output. Conclusion: Since the average technical efficiency of the DHs was 79%, there is little scope for overall improvements in these facilities by adjusting inputs. Therefore, we recommend to invest further in the DHs for improvement of services. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) should improve the efficiency in resource allocation by setting an input-mix formula for DHs considering health and socio-economic indicators (e.g., population density, poverty, bed occupancy ratio). The formula can be designed by learning from the input mix in the more efficient DHs. The MoHFW should conduct this kind of benchmarking study regularly to assess the efficiency level of health facilities which may contribute to reduce the wastage of resources and consequently to provide more affordable and accessible public hospital care.

Continuous positive airway pressure is a common and effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, but adherence remains an issue. Both obstructive sleep apnea and oral diseases are associated with cardiovascular diseases, and as oral dryness contributes to treatment abandonment, oral health is of importance for this patient group. The aim was therefore to explore how persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea experience situations associated with their oral health, and which actions they take to manage these. An explorative and descriptive design was adopted using the critical incident technique. Based on a purposeful selection, 18 adults with long-term experience of continuous positive airway pressure-treatment were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Both negative and positive situations were described. Negative situations consisted of challenges with breathing, including mouth-breathing, choking sensations, problems with night-time and daytime oral dryness, changes in the saliva composition, and deteriorating oral health. Positive situations included experiences of reduced mouth-breathing and oral dryness. The situations were often successfully managed by mimicking daytime movements, changing sleeping position, adjusting the CPAP-device and mask, increasing oral hygiene efforts, drinking water, using a humidifier or chinstrap, or contacting their oral healthcare clinic. Long-term experience of persons with continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea regard situations and actions from everyday life. Successful management can contribute to long-term adherence and decrease negative effects on oral health. More interdisciplinary collaborations could enable identification and adequate recommendations for persons who experience negative situations during their continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

In this paper the nature of user involvement in a co-design process will be explored. The outlines of a research project aiming at developing support systems for self-care inpatients suffering from chronic heart failure will be presented. The project is planned to perform a co-design effort where users (patients and healthcare professionals) will be given the opportunity to influence the development of support systems. We will discuss a number of possibilities and challenges that lie in the design of this kind of project and also some findings from its early stages. This report presents the experiences of users’ input, which are discussed in the context of previous research on benefits of user contributions in systems development.

In this paper the nature of user involvement in a co-design process will be explored. The outlines of a research project aiming at developing support systems for self-care inpatients suffering from chronic heart failure will be presented. The project is planned to perform a co-design effort where users (patients and healthcare professionals) will be given the opportunity to influence the development of support systems. We will discuss a number of possibilities and challenges that lie in the design of this kind of project and also some findings from its early stages. This report presents the experiences of users’ input, which are discussed in the context of previous research on benefits of user contributions in systems development.