Bakgrund: Sorg är en normal reaktion i samband med närståendes död. Sorg är inteen sjukdom men kan ge besvär som liknar dem som uppkommer vid sjukdom. Om sorgeninte kan hanteras av personen som drabbas av sorg kan den leda till kompliceradsorg och sorgeprocessen förlängs. Sjuksköterskor som arbetar inom vård och omsorgmöter anhöriga som upplever sorg i samband med närstående döende och död ochbehöver ha kunskap och förståelse för hur deras situation kan vara för att kunna geadekvat stöd för anhöriga i sorg.

Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva anhörigas upplevelser av sorg i samband med vuxen närståendesdöd.

Metod: En allmän litteraturöversikt baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativstudiedesign. Vetenskapliga artiklar söktes fram i databaserna Cinahl Complete, Pub-Med och PsycINFO. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades utifrån kvalitativa kvalitetskriterieroch analysen av studiernas resultat genomfördes utifrån Fribergs analysmetod för litteraturöversikter.

Resultat: Upplevelsen av sorg delas in i två kategorier och tio underkategorier. En känslomässigbelastning och att känna sig vilsen och oviss med underkategorierna Chockoch oförmåga att minnas, Smärta, Ångest och ledsenhet, Skuld och lättnad, Ensamhetoch saknad, Ovisshet samt Vilsenhet. Omgivningens agerande förvärrar och lindrarsorgen med underkategorierna Att mötas av personer som inte förstår, Att få informationsom ger förståelse samt Att få känslomässigt stöd.

Diskussion: Studiens kvalitet diskuteras utifrån trovärdighetsbegreppen tillförlitlighet,verifierbarhet, pålitlighet och överförbarhet. I resultatdiskussionen diskuteras de trecentrala fynden: upplevelser av skuld, ovisshet och betydelsen av känslomässigt stödvid sorg. Fynden diskuteras i relation till personcentrerad vård och sjuksköterskorsbehov av kunskap för att kunna möta personer i sorg.

Andelen äldre personer i Sverige ökar och en del äldre personer drabbas av en eller flera kroniska sjukdomar. Allt fler personer önskar att vårdas hemma vid livets slut och kan då vara i behov av allmän palliativ vård. Vid palliativ vård i livets slutskede är det en eftersträvan att lindra lidande och förbättra livskvaliteten genom att tidigt uppmärksamma och lindra personers fysiska, psykiska, sociala och existentiella problem. Äldre personer i livets slutskede har ofta flera komplexa problem som påverkar varandra. För att lindra lidande behöver sjuksköterskor kunna bedöma och tolka olika problem som äldre personer kan uppleva i livets slutskede. Syftet med studien var att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenhet av att bedöma problem som äldre personer besväras av i livets slutskede inom kommunal hemsjukvård. En kvalitativ metod har använts. Data samlades in med fyra fokusgruppsintervjuer. Totalt deltog 13 sjuksköterskor verksamma inom hemsjukvård från tre olika kommuner i studien. Data analyserades med Kvalitativ innehållsanalys. I resultatet framkom ett övergripande tema: strävan efter kontinuitet för att lära känna personen genom återkommande hembesök underlättar bedömning av problem som behöver tillgodoses i livets slutskede samt kategorierna; att bygga en relation underlättar bedömningen, att samtala för att erhålla information, att observera kroppsspråket skapar en bild och att ta del av andras iakttagelser som stöd. Resultatet visade att relationen till den äldre var viktig för att bedöma den äldres problem och att sjuksköterskor till stor del förlitade sig på sin kliniska blick vid bedömningen. Vidare framkom att sjuksköterskorna sällan använde sig av skattningsinstrument, vilket de uttryckte en önskan att bli bättre på. Slutsatsen är att en ökad användning av skattningsinstrument skulle kunna förenkla bedömning av problem hos äldre personer som sjuksköterskorna inte sedan tidigare har någon relation till. Detta skulle kunna skapa en känsla av trygghet för sjuksköterskorna och stärka dem i deras professionella roll. Användningen av skattingsinstrument skulle kunna öka kvaliteten på den allmänna palliativa vården som utförs i kommunal hemsjukvård. För att sjuksköterskorna ska få stöd i att öka användningen av skattningsinstrument har organisationen en viktig roll för att skapa rutiner och se till att etablerade arbetsformer utvecklas.

Bakgrund: Äldre personer som bor på vård- och omsorgsboende befinner sig i livetsslut och är ofta svårt sjuka. Palliativ vård är ett förhållningssätt som syftar till att förbättralivskvaliteten för patienter och deras familjer i samband med livshotande sjukdom.Förhållningssättet lämpar sig väl att använda vid vård- och omsorgsboende. Syfte:Syftet med studien var att beskriva omvårdnadspersonalens uppfattningar om vad de gör och kan göra för att uppmärksamma och tillgodose äldres behov på vård- ochomsorgsboende utifrån ett palliativt förhållningssätt. Metod: Sju fokusgruppdiskussioner som representerades av omvårdnadspersonal på fyra olika vård- och omsorgsboende genomfördes, sex fokusgruppdiskussioner genomfördes 2010 och en 2017. Intervjuerna analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat:Genom analysen framträdde ett övergripande tema Att möta den äldre utifrån dennes tankar, känslor och värderingar och tre huvudkategorier Att lära känna den äldre, Att sörja för den äldres angelägenheter och Att den äldre ges valmöjligheter. Slutsats: Föratt kunna tillgodose äldre personers behov utifrån ett palliativt förhållningssätt behöver omvårdnadspersonal möta den äldre personen utifrån dennes tankar, känslor och värderingar vilket kräver resurser i form av tid men också handledning i att samtala omexistentiella frågor.

Introduction

Palliative care is an approach characterized by a holistic view of the person, which supports the individual for living with dignity and with the best possible level of wellbeing until the end of life. Those who, in practice, provide care in Swedish residential care facilities for older people (RCFs) are nurse assistants (NAs), a work group with limited education. They also often stand alone with difficult decisions with regards to the care provision, as the registered nurse has the role of consultant rather than leader. In an explorative qualitative study we found that NAs experienced that it was difficult to focus on relationship aspects in their work, as the main discourse in the residential care focused on tasks. Palliative care was described as something that was applied only during a short define phase i.e. last days of the residents’ life. These results were used as a basis for development of an intervention focus on a palliative care approach in RCFs. The intervention consisted of study circles with NAs, and workshops together with their leaders, focusing on improvement work.

Aim

To investigate how an intervention focusing on a palliative care approach in RCFs influenced the NAs and their work.

Method

Two quantitative studies, based on a questionnaire, including several measurements, that was answered pre-, and post- intervention and one qualitative study based on individual interviews after the intervention. A total of 75 nurse assistants participated in the intervention and answered the questionnaire at baseline and at two follow-ups, in comparison with 110 nurse assistants who served as controls. 

Results

The evaluation of the intervention showed that the NAs, after the intervention, had increased their focus on the residents’ situation and to a greater extent stated that they focused on the residents’ life stories and on aspects that brought meaning to their lives. The NAs also stated that they experienced less criticism from their superiors as well as from the residents after the intervention. However, the evaluation also showed that the NAs had a more negative view of the leadership, were more critical to the medical and the nursing care, and that their job satisfaction had decreased after the intervention. Interviews after the intervention showed that they, as a result of the intervention, had not only gained increased insight into their own significance in their encounter with residents and their relatives, but also an increased awareness of the needs of the residents and their relatives. The intervention also contributed to an increased openness in the workgroup. However, the nurse assistants also expressed frustration over barriers, primarily in the form of a lack of resources and limited leadership, standing in the way of the implementation of changes.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the NAs, through discussions and reflections over praxis in their ordinary work group, developed an increased awareness about, and focus on relationship aspects. However, in spite of the leaders’ involvement, the intervention was not sufficient for changing the organizational prerequisites for working in line with the palliative care approach. When implementing a palliative care approach in RCFs, more focus on support to the leaders in needed in order to maintain sustainable changes.

The aim of this thesis was to study nurse assistants’ experience of palliative care and to investigate how an intervention with a focus on a palliative care approach in residential care facilities influenced the nurse assistants and their work situation. The thesis is based on two qualitative and two quantitative studies, focusing on nurse assistants working at residential care facilities for older people. The qualitative studies were based on focus-group interviews before the intervention (I) and individual interviews after the intervention (IV). The quantitative studies (II, III) were based on a questionnaire, including several measurements, that was answered pre-, and post- intervention. The intervention consisted of study circles with nurse assistants, and workshops together with their leaders, focusing on improvement work. A total of 75 nurse assistants participated in the intervention and answered the questionnaire at baseline and at two follow-ups, in comparison with 110 nurse assistants who served as controls. The results show that the nurse assistants experienced that it was difficult to focus on “being”, i.e. on relationship aspects in their work, since the main discourse in residential care focused on “doing”, i.e. on task oriented aspects. Palliative care was described as something that was only applied during a short and defined phase, namely the very last days of the residents’ life. The results also show that nurse assistants experienced difficulties facing emotional and existential issues with regards to both the residents and their relatives (I). The results of study I were, in turn, used as a basis for the development of the intervention. The evaluation of the intervention showed that the nurse assistants, after the intervention, had increased their focus on the residents’ situation and to a greater extent stated that they focused on the residents’ life stories and on aspects that brought meaning to their lives (III). The nurse assistants also stated that they experienced less criticism from their superiors as well as from the residents after the intervention (II). However, the evaluation also showed that the nurse assistants had a more negative view of the leadership (II), were more critical to the medical and the nursing care (III), and that their job satisfaction had decreased (II) after the intervention. Interviews after the intervention showed that they, as a result of the intervention, had not only gained increased insight into their own significance in their encounter with residents and their relatives, but also an increased awareness of the needs of the residents and their relatives. The intervention also contributed to an increased openness in the workgroup. However, the nurse assistants also expressed frustration over barriers, primarily in the form of a lack of resources and limited leadership (IV), standing in the way of the implementation of changes. The results indicate that the nurse assistants, through discussions and reflections over praxis in their ordinary work group, developed an increased awareness about, and focus on “being”, i.e. on relationship aspects. However, it would seem that essential prerequisites, such as support from the leaders and sufficient resources for working in line with a palliative care approach, were not provided. When implementing a palliative care approach in residential care facilities, more focus on support to the leaders is needed in order to maintain sustainable changes.

Introduction: The palliative care approach aims to integrate psychosocial and existential aspects as well as relationship aspects in the care and can be used in all care contexts. In residential care, nurse assistants (NAs) are the ones who are closest to the residents, but have limited prerequisites to work in accordance with the palliative care approach. We aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention applying a palliative care approach in residential care, on NAs experience of care provision and caring climate.

Method: In this quasi-experimental study we evaluated the intervention involving NAs (n=75) and their leaders (n=9), focusing on emotional, existential and relationship aspects within the palliative care approach, in comparison with controls (n=110). Data consisted of a questionnaire that the NAs answered at three time points.

Results: In the intervention group, effects were seen concerning the NAs reports of the care provision in that they focused more on to ease for residents to narrate about their lives, and on communication with residents in what gives them meaning in life. In the intervention group effects were also seen in that the NAs rated the residents medical and nursing care needs being less met at the facility after the intervention. No effects were seen concerning the caring climate or the possibilities to provide a more person-centered care.

Conclusion: The intervention seemingly facilitated for the NAs to focus on relationship aspects with the residents. But the intervention was not sufficient to change the organizational prerequisites for the staff to provide a more person-centered care.

Background

A palliative care approach aims to integrate psychosocial and existential as well as relationship aspects in the care and is an approach that can be used in residential care. Nurse assistants are the ones who are closest to the residents but have limited prerequisites for working in accordance with the palliative care approach. We aimed to investigate the effects on nurse assistants' experiences of care provision and the caring climate of an intervention applying a palliative care approach in residential care.

Methods

An intervention involving nurse assistants (n = 75) and their leaders (n = 9), in comparison with controls (n = 110), was evaluated using a questionnaire at three points in time.

Results

In the intervention group, positive effects were seen concerning the nurse assistants' reports of the care provision in that they focused more on the residents' stories about their lives and on communicating with the residents about what gave meaning to their lives. Also, negative effects were seen when the nurse assistants rated that the residents' needs for medical and nursing care had not been met at the facility directly after the intervention. No effects were seen concerning the caring climate or the prerequisites of providing more person-centred care.

Conclusion

The intervention seemed to have encouraged the nurse assistants to focus on relationship aspects with the residents. So as not to jeopardise the NAs' well-being and to support NAs in keeping themselves involved in existential issues, their support most certainly needs to be continuous and ongoing. However, in spite of the leaders' involvement, the intervention was not sufficient for changing the organisational prerequisites for more person-centred care.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate the effects of an intervention that applies a palliative care approach in residential care upon nurse assistants' level of strain, job satisfaction, and view of leadership.

Method: A quasi-experimental, pretest and posttest design was used. Study circles with workshops involving nurse assistants (n = 75) and their superiors (n = 9) focusing on emotional and existential issues in palliative care were evaluated using a questionnaire answered by the nurse assistants at baseline (November 2009), post-intervention (May 2010), and six-month follow-up (November 2010) in comparison with controls (n = 110).

Results: Directly after the intervention, the job satisfaction of the nurse assistants decreased and they perceived the leadership more negatively than before the intervention. Six months later, strain as a result of criticism from residents and their superiors and having difficulty in balancing emotional involvement had decreased.

Significance of results: The intervention initially seemed to decrease the well-being of the nurse assistants, which could be the result of their increased awareness of the residents' and relatives' needs, in combination with limited support. More emphasis should be placed on the role of leadership when implementing changes in practice.

Background: Patient-reported outcome measurements are important for measuring changes in patients’ health over time, evaluating the quality of care given, and improving the quality of care service. The Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) is one such measure, capturing clinically important physical, psychological, social, and existential aspects of patients’ palliative care needs. When patients are unable to complete the IPOS questionnaire themselves with or without assistance, a staff version is also available.

Aim: To translate and culturally adapt the IPOS Patient and Staff versions for use in the Swedish context.

Method: The process comprised forward and backward translations, cultural adaptation, and expert group reviews. To validate the resulting Swedish version of IPOS, cognitive interviews were conducted with 13 patients and 15 staff from various care contexts.

Preliminary results: The Swedish expert group changed some words and grammar due to minor discrepancies in the back translation process. The participants in the cognitive interviews responded positively overall to the questionnaire. Deteriorating health and not having Swedish as the native language did not cause problems in completing the questionnaire. After the first round of cognitive interviews, problematic questions and answer options were rephrased, and redundant text was deleted.

Conclusion: The Swedish IPOS (Patient and Staff versions) has been validated linguistically and culturally, and is now available for clinical use. The next final step in the validation process will be to test the psychometric performance of the Swedish questionnaires.

BACKGROUND: To expand our clinical and scientific knowledge about holistic outcomes within palliative care, there is a need for agreed-upon patient-reported outcome measures. These patient-reported outcome measures then require translation and cultural adaptation, either from country-specific languages to English, or the other way around. The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) to the Swedish care context.

METHODS: Swedish versions of IPOS Patient and IPOS Staff were developed and culturally adapted using recommended guidelines including cognitive interviews with patients (n = 13) and staff (n = 15) from different care contexts including general and specialised palliative care.

RESULTS: The comprehension and judgement difficulties identified in the pre-final patient and staff versions were successfully solved during the cognitive interviewing process. IPOS was well accepted by both patients and staff, none of the questions were experienced as inappropriate, and all questions were judged important.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we translated and culturally adapted the patient and staff versions of IPOS, and demonstrated face and content validity and acceptability of the scale through cognitive interviewing with patients and staff within residential care facility, surgical and specialised palliative home care units. Cognitive interviewing in parallel with patients and staff in rounds, with tentative analysis in between, was a suitable method for identifying and solving challenges with comprehension and evaluation in the pre-final version of IPOS. The Swedish IPOS is now available for use in a variety of clinical care settings.

OBJECTIVE: Homecare workers play a pivotal role in palliative care, but research on their experiences is limited. The aim of this study was to describe how homecare workers in Sweden experience their work in palliative homecare.

METHOD:This qualitative study used open-ended interviews with a purposive sample of 15 homecare workers. The data was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: One main theme emerged from the analysis: upholding an ideal image of palliative work. This had four subthemes: doing good; doing their best work; feeling work satisfaction; and facing difficulties.

CONCLUSION: Palliative care performed by homecare workers is demanding. Homecare workers need more practical support and would benefit from a care model that involves working with registered nurses, as a team, to provide humanistic care to dying patients and their relatives.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate how people with incurable cancer experienced soft massage in a palliative care setting in which massage was used as an established and integrated part of the nursing care. To reach a deep understanding of the experiences of receiving soft massage a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach was chosen. The study was based on interviews with eight patients in an advanced home care setting who had all received soft massage as part of their daily care. Soft massage was experienced by the informants as a way to find inner peace. During the massage the patients felt dignified, while memories from past massage sessions were about becoming free. These experiences of dignity and freedom brought hopes for the future. The conclusion is that soft massage ought to be offered in the ordinary palliative care. More research is needed to understand what is needed to integrate and establish methods such as soft massage in the palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care should be provided, irrespective of setting to all patients facing a life-threatening illness and to their families. The situation and needs of older people differ from those of younger people since they often have several co-existing diseases and health complaints. This implies an extensive need for care and for longer periods of palliative care. The main providers of palliative care for older people are nurse assistants, who are also those with the shortest education. AIM: The aim of this study was to illuminate nurse assistants' experience of palliative care for older people in residential care. DESIGN: The study had an explorative, descriptive design. SETTINGS: Thirteen residential care units in three different districts in a large city in southern Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five nurse assistants selected to represent variations in age, gender workplace and work experience. METHODS: Data were collected from six focus-group interviews and subjected to content analysis to gain an understanding of the phenomenon. RESULTS: The nurse assistants described palliative care as a contrast to the everyday care they performed in that they had a legitimate possibility to provide the care needed and a clear assignment in relation to relatives. Palliative care also meant having to face death and dying while feeling simultaneous that it was unnatural to talk about death and having to deal with their own emotions. They emphasised that they were in need of support and experienced leadership as invisible and opaque, but gained strength from being recognized. CONCLUSION: In order to support nurse assistants in providing high quality end-of-life care, more focus is needed on the trajectory of older peoples' dying, on the importance of involving relatives throughout the period of care provision, and on support when encountering death and dying. There is also a need for engaged care leaders, both registered nurses and managers, to recognize the work of nurse assistants and to support care provision for older people within the framework of palliative care philosophy.

Background.  Nurse assistants working in residential care facilities need support to ensure that they provide high-quality care for the residents and support for relatives, from admission to bereavement.

Aim.  The aim was to describe the nurse assistants’ experience of how an intervention with a palliative care approach, had influenced them in their work in residential care for older people.

Participants.  Fourteen nurse assistants working in three different municipal residential care facilities.

Methods.  Data were collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews following an intervention consisting of study circles combined with workshops. The data were analysed using content analysis.

Result.  The nurse assistants felt that, through the intervention, they had gained insight into their understanding of the importance of quality of care. This included an increased awareness of, and respect for, residents’ and relatives’ needs, and an increased understanding of the importance of the outcome of encounters with residents and their relatives. After the intervention, they also felt there was increased openness and understanding between colleagues. However, the nurse assistants also expressed frustration over obstacles to implementing a palliative care approach, such as lack of resources and supportive leadership.

Conclusion.  The nurse assistants felt that the intervention was positive and encouraged them to provide more person-centred care within the framework of a palliative care approach. Although the intervention was intended to involve and support the management, it was not sufficient. Nurse assistants described lack of resources and supportive leadership. There is, therefore, a need to place greater emphasis on leadership and their support of nurse assistants so that they can provide high-quality care.

Implications for practice.  To support nurse assistants in the provision of care, clear leadership and opportunities to discuss and reflect on issues associated with care, including systematic improvement work in practice, appear to be essential to ensure high-quality care.

Äldre personer i ordinärt boende som befinner sig i livets slut har behov av palliativvård för att ges förutsättningar att leva med värdighet och välbefinnande. Hemtjänstpersonal är undersköterskor och vårdbiträde som till stora delar utförden praktiska omvårdanden vid vård i livets slut till äldre personer i ordinärt boende. Sjuksköterskan är ytterst ansvarig för att den äldre får den vård som behövs och har därmed också ett ansvar att ge personalen det stöd som behövs för god palliativvård. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vara ett stöd till hemtjänstpersonal i samband med allmän palliativ vård till äldre personer i livets slutskede. Datainsamlingen bestod av 19 individuella intervjuer som analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. I resultatet framkom kategorierna; Indirekt stöd och Direkt stöd. Det indirekta stödet handlade om att vara tillgänglig, att samverka med andra professioner och organisationer samt att kommunicera och bekräfta hemtjänstpersonalen. Det direkta stödet handlade om att vara delaktig i det direkta patientarbetet och att ”ta” svåra samtal med närstående. Det framkom att sjuksköterskan alltid upplever sig tillgänglig via telefon för hemtjänstpersonalen i samband med vård i livets slutskede. Något regelbundet strukturerat direkt eller indirekt stöd verkar inte till att förekomma i någon större utsträckning.

Det blir allt fler äldre personer i samhället idag eftersom vi lever längre. Ett större antaläldre personer kan innebära att fler närstående blir involverade i den äldre personenslivssituation och vård. Den personcentrerade omvårdnadsmodellen visar att närståendeär en viktig resurs för den äldre och för den äldres välbefinnande. Idag ska närståendekunna vara ett naturligt inslag i vården av den äldre personen. Sedan år 2009när nya bestämmelsen i Socialtjänstlagen kom, har vården ett ansvar att ge närståendestöd och vägledning. Detta leder till att en dialog mellan vårdpersonal och närståendeär betydande för att främja den äldres hälsa, men också för att främja närståendes delaktighetoch välbefinnande. Syftet med studien var att undersöka närståendes upplevelserav att ha en äldre person vid ett vård- och omsorgsboende. Studien har en kvalitativstudiedesign. Tre fokusgruppsintervjuer och två enskilda intervjuer genomfördesmed sammanlagt 26 närstående till en äldre person på ett vård- och omsorgsboende.Intervjuerna analyserades med en konventionell innehållsanalys. Ett gott bemötandeoch en öppen kommunikation med vårdpersonalen gjorde att de närstående kände sigvälkomna och sedda som en viktig del i vården. Närstående upplevde trygghet då desjälva och den äldre personen kände sig hemmastadda på vård- och omsorgsboendet.Slutsats: Personalen har en betydelsefull roll för närståendes välbefinnande och delaktigheti vården på ett vård- och omsorgsboende.

Äldre personers omvårdnadsbehov blir alltmer komplexa och majoriteten av de äldreönskar att få vård i hemmet den sista tiden i livet och att få lov att dö hemma. Vård aväldre personer med komplexa omvårdnadsbehov och vård i livets slut ställer särskildakrav på omvårdnadspersonal. Syftet med studien var att beskriva omvårdnadspersonalsupplevelser av att möta döende äldre personer inom hemvården. En kvalitativintervjustudie med induktiv ansats har använts för insamling av data. Tio semistruktureradeintervjuer genomfördes i en kommun i nordöstra Skåne som inkluderadehemvårdsområden både på landsbygd och i stadskärna. Resultatet består av följandekategorier: Att vara betydelsefull, Att känna sig otillräcklig, Att känna olust, Att kännalättnad och Att känna sorg och saknad. Omvårdnadspersonal behöver adekvat stödbåde från sjuksköterskan och från det tvärprofessionella teamet samt från organisationoch ledning. För att personalen ska kunna tillgodose döende äldres behov krävsresurser såsom stöd, handledning och ökat kunskapsstöd. Detta behövs för att personalenska kunna utföra god vård men även kunna bearbeta känslor för att utveckla ettempatiskt förhållningssätt när de möter döende äldre personen i hemmet.

The aim of this study was to explore patients' experiences of using the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) during specialized palliative home care. The study adopted a qualitative approach with an interpretive descriptive design. Interviews were performed with 10 patients, of whom a majority were diagnosed with incurable cancer. Our findings suggest that the use of IPOS as a basis for conversation promotes safe care by making the patients feel confident that the care provided was adapted to them which gives them a sense of safety. IPOS facilitated discussions between patients and nurses about care needs. The patients believed that using IPOS enabled reflection on their well-being and life situation. In conclusion, the study finds that using IPOS is beneficial and provide ways to enable person-centered care and with advantage could be used in specialized palliative home care. The results may help overcome barriers and facilitate the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). To enable the use of PROMs such as IPOS in palliative home care, nurses need education and opportunities to develop routines that enable patients' voice to be heard and thereby compose a basis for care.

OBJECTIVE: Implementation of patient-reported outcome measures for patients with palliative care needs is characterized by both enablers and barriers. The ways in which healthcare professionals experience the use of assessment tools is important. Our aims were to explore factors contributing to or hindering patients with palliative care needs in assessing their symptoms with the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS) and to explore healthcare professionals' experiences of the use of IPOS in acute care settings.

METHOD: Data were collected as a part of the evaluation of the feasibility of an implementation strategy for introducing IPOS. Data from three participating acute care units were included. We used descriptive and analytical statistics; a qualitative content analysis was also performed.ResultA total of 309 patients were eligible to be offered assessment of symptoms with IPOS. Of these 69 (22%) had completed IPOS. A significant positive association was found between healthcare professionals' participation in training sessions and completed IPOS. The experiences of IPOS were split into two categories: "IPOS acting as a facilitator" and "barriers to the use of IPOS." The use of IPOS was described as contributing to person-centered care of patients with palliative care needs and inspiration to improved routines. Healthcare professionals' feelings of uncertainty about how to approach severely ill patients and their family members appear to have hindered their use of IPOS.Significance of resultsWe found an association between healthcare professionals' participation in training sessions and patients who completed IPOS, indicating the need for a high degree of attendance at the training to achieve successful implementation. The healthcare professionals expressed feelings of insecurity concerning the use of IPOS indicating a need for further education and clinical support in its use of IPOS. Nevertheless, use of IPOS was considered to contribute to improved care of patients with palliative care needs.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of studies indicate benefits of physiotherapy for patients in palliative care, for symptom relief and wellbeing. Though physiotherapists are increasingly acknowledged as important members of palliative care teams, they are still an underutilized source and not fully recognized. The aim of this study was to explore the variety of activities described by physiotherapists in addressing the needs and problems of patients and their families in specialized palliative care settings.

METHODS: Using a free-listing approach, ten physiotherapists working in eight specialized palliative care settings in Sweden described as precisely and in as much detail as possible different activities in which patients and their families were included (directly or indirectly) during 10 days. The statements were entered into NVivo and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Statements containing more than one activity were categorized per activity.

RESULTS: In total, 264 statements, containing 504 varied activities, were coded into seven categories: Counteracting a declining physical function; Informing, guiding and educating; Observing, assessing and evaluating; Attending to signs and symptoms; Listening, talking with and understanding; Caring for basic needs; and Organizing, planning and coordinating. In practice, however, the activities were intrinsically interwoven. The activities showed how physiotherapists aimed, through care for the body, to address patients' physical, psychological, social and existential needs, counteracting the decline in a patient's physical function and wellbeing. The activities also revealed a great variation, in relation not only to what they did, but also to their holistic and inseparable nature with regard to why, how, when, where, with whom and for whom the activities were carried out, which points towards a well-adopted person-centred palliative care approach.

CONCLUSIONS: The study provides hands-on descriptions of how person-centred palliative care is integrated in physiotherapists' everyday activities. Physiotherapists in specialized palliative care help patients and families to bridge the gap between their real and ideal everyday life with the aim to maximize security, autonomy and wellbeing. The concrete examples included can be used in understanding the contribution of physiotherapists to the palliative care team and inform future research interventions and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Post-treatment, patients suffer from side effects and have various rehabilitation needs, which means that individualization is fundamental for optimal rehabilitation. This systematic review (SR) of SRs aims to evaluate the current evidence on rehabilitation interventions in female patients following BC treatment.

METHODS: Full-text SRs published in English from 2009 were searched in Embase, PubMed, Cinahl Complete, PsycINFO, AMED, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library.

INCLUSION CRITERIA: SRs of randomized or non-randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of rehabilitation interventions in women following BC treatment. All outcomes were considered. Methodological quality was evaluated using the AMSTAR 2 tool and interrater agreement was evaluated. Out of 1269 citations retrieved, 37 SRs were included.

RESULTS: Five rehabilitation areas were identified: exercise and physical activity (PA), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), yoga, lymphoedema treatment, and psychosocial interventions. The most solid evidence was found in exercise/PA and yoga. Exercise interventions improved outcomes such as shoulder mobility, lymphoedema, pain, fatigue and quality of life (QoL). Effects of yoga were shown on QoL, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms. The effect of CAM was shown on nausea, pain, fatigue, anger and anxiety but these results need to be interpreted with caution because of low methodological quality in included studies in the SRs. Among the lymphoedema treatments, positive effects were seen for resistance training on volume reduction and muscle strength and psychosocial interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy had positive effects on QoL, anxiety, depression and mood disturbance.

CONCLUSIONS: This SR of SRs show solid positive effects of exercise/PA and yoga for women following BC treatment, and provides extended knowledge of the effects of CAM, yoga, lymphoedema treatment and psychosocial interventions. It is evident that more than one intervention could have positive effects on a specific symptom and that the effects depend not only on intervention type but also on how and when the intervention is provided. The results can be used as a foundation for individualized rehabilitation and aid health care professionals in meeting patients' individual needs and preferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ( CRD42017060912 ).

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) and related treatment are associated with the risk of developing a wide range of persistent disabling impairments. Despite extensive research in the field and an enhanced focus on BC rehabilitation, up to 34-43% of these patients are at risk of developing chronic distress. In addition, it is known that these patients repeatedly report unmet needs, which are strongly associated with reduced quality of life. However, despite knowledge that patients' needs for support during BC rehabilitation varies greatly, individualized rehabilitation is often lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to explore health care professionals' (HCPs) experiences of current rehabilitation practice and describe current barriers and facilitators for individualized rehabilitation for patients following BC treatment.

METHODS: A total of 19 HCPs were included, representing various professions in BC care/rehabilitation within surgical, oncological and specialized cancer rehabilitation units at a university hospital in Sweden. Five semi structured focus group interviews were conducted and inductively analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: Three categories were captured: (1) varying attitudes towards rehabilitation; (2) incongruence in how to identify and meet rehabilitation needs and (3) suboptimal collaboration during cancer treatment. The results showed a lack of consensus in how to optimize individualized rehabilitation. It also illuminated facilitators for individualized rehabilitation in terms of extensive competence related to long-term experience of working with patients with BC care/rehabilitation. Further, the analysis exposed barriers such as a great complexity in promoting individualized rehabilitation in a medically and treatment-driven health care system, which lacked structure and knowledge, and overarching collaboration for rehabilitation.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the cancer trajectory is medically and treatment-driven and that rehabilitation plays a marginal role in today's BC trajectory. It also reveals that structures for systematic screening for needs, evidence-based guidelines for individualized rehabilitation interventions and structures for referring patients for advanced rehabilitation are lacking. To enable optimal and individualized recovery for BC patients', rehabilitation needs to be an integrated part of the cancer trajectory and run in parallel with diagnostics and treatment.

To avoid discomfort, health care professionals may hesitate to pursue conversations about end of life with patients. Certain tools have the potential to facilitate smoother conversations in this matter. The objective was to explore the experiences of patients in palliative care in using statement cards to talk about their wishes and priorities. Forty-six cards with statements of wishes and priorities were developed and tested for feasibility with 40 participants, who chose the 10 most important cards and shared their thoughts about the statements and conversation. Data from individual interviews and field notes were analyzed using content analysis. One category describes practical aspects of using the cards including the relevance of the content and the process of sorting the cards. The second category describes the significance of using the cards including becoming aware of what is important, sharing wishes and priorities, and reflecting on whether wishes and priorities change closer to death. The cards helped raise awareness and verbalize wishes and priorities. All statements were considered relevant. The conversations focused not only on death and dying, but also on challenges in the participants' current life situation. For the most ill and frail participants, the number of cards needs to be reduced.

There are many instruments assessing the wellbeing of staff, but far from all have been psychometrically investigated. When evaluating supportive interventions directed toward nurse assistants in residential care, valid and reliable instruments are needed in order to detect possible changes. The aim of the study was to investigate validity in terms of data quality, construct validity, convergent and divergent validity and reliability in terms of the internal consistency and stability of the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Psychosocial Aspects of Job Satisfaction, the Strain in Dementia Care Scale (SDCS), and the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ) in a residential care context. The psychometric properties of the instruments were investigated in terms of data quality, construct validity, convergent and divergent validity and reliability, including test-retest reliability, in a residential care context with a sample consisting of nurse assistants (n=114). The four instruments responded with different psychometric-related problems such as internal missing data, floor and ceiling effects, problems with construct validity and low test-retest reliability, especially when assessed on the item level. These problems were however reduced or disappeared completely when assessed for total and factor scores. From a psychometric perspective, the SDCS seemed to stand out as the best instrument. However, it should be modified in order to reduce floor effects on item level and thereby gain sensitivity. The Job Satisfaction Questionnaire seemed to have problems both with the construct validity and test-retest reliability. The final choice of instrument must, however, be made dependent on what one intends to measure.

Bakgrund: Vid sjukdom och inte minst vid obotlig svår sjukdom aktualiseras existentiella frågor, tankar på livet och döden. Starka känslor och existentiella tankar som leda till existentiellt lidande om patienten inte ges möjlighet till att få uttrycka sina tankar och känslor. För patienter kan det vara viktigt att få prata om sina tankar på livet och döden med sjuksköterskor och annan vårdpersonal. Trots denna kunskap framkommer det att patienter upplever att de har få möjligheter att diskutera sådana tankar med vårdpersonalen. Det finns således behov av kunskap om vad som främjar och hindrar vårdpersonal att hålla existentiella samtal med patienter.

Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskor och omvårdnadspersonals erfarenheter av att samtala om existentiella frågor med vuxna patienter som erhåller palliativ vård.

Metod: En allmän litteraturöversikt baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar över studier med en kvalitativ design. Vetenskapliga artiklar söktes systematiskt i databaserna Cinahl och PubMed och resulterade i 10 artiklar. Studiernas resultat analyserades induktivt enligt Fribergs analysmodell.

Resultat: Resultatet består av kategorierna Betydelsefulla aspekter inför samtalet och Betydelsefulla aspekter under samtalet. Underkategorier till betydelsefulla aspekter inför samtalet var: Avskildhet och tid, Utbildning och kompetens och Relationen med patienten. Underkategorier till betydelsefulla aspekter under samtalet var: Mod och rädsla, Lyhördhet och Vana och självkännedom.

Diskussion: Studiens trovärdighet diskuteras utifrån begreppen tillförlitlighet, verifierbarhet, pålitlighet och överförbarhet. Studiens huvudfynd var att sjuksköterskor och undersköterskors erfarenheter var att det behövs tid, tillräckligt med utbildning och mod för att genomföra existentiella samtal. För att kunna utveckla mod behöver de känna stöd från kollegor och från organisationen, men även få möjlighet att reflektera över sina egna förmågor. De behöver också utbildning i samtalsmetodik för att öka sitt självförtroende att genomföra samtal, samt tillräckligt med tid för att genomföra existentiella samtal med patienterna på ett tillfredställande sätt. Att kunna samtala med patienter om existentiella frågor är väsentligt för att ge en personcentrerad omvårdnad. Utbildning i existentiella samtal och praktisk träning bör därför ingå som en naturlig del i grundutbildningen för sjuksköterskor. Slutsatsen är att både tid, utbildning och mod behövs för att existentiella samtal ska bli av.

OBJECTIVES: This study illuminated the meanings of existential loneliness (EL) as narrated by frail older people.

METHOD: Data were collected through individual narrative interviews with 23 people 76-101 years old receiving long-term care and services. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed, including a naïve reading and two structural analyses as a basis for a comprehensive understanding of EL.

RESULT: Four themes were identified related to meanings of EL: (1) being trapped in a frail and deteriorating body; (2) being met with indifference; (3) having nobody to share life with; and (4) lacking purpose and meaning. These intertwined themes were synthesized into a comprehensive understanding of EL as 'being disconnected from life'.

CONCLUSION: Illness and physical limitation affects access to the world. When being met with indifference and being unable to share one's thoughts and experiences of life with others, a sense of worthlessness is reinforced, triggering an experience of meaninglessness and EL, i.e. disconnection from life. It is urgent to develop support strategies that can be used by health care professionals to address older people in vulnerable situations, thereby facilitating connectedness.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care focuses on identifying, from a holistic perspective, the needs of those experiencing problems associated with life-threatening illnesses. As older people approach the end of their lives, they can experience a complex series of problems that health-care professionals must identify and document in their patients' records. Documentation is thus important for ensuring high-quality patient care. Previous studies of documentation in older people's patient records performed in various care contexts have shown that such documentation almost exclusively concerns physical problems. This study explores, in the context of Swedish specialised palliative care, the content of documentation in older people's patient records, focusing on documented problems, wishes, aspects of wellbeing, use of assessment tools, interventions, and documentation associated with the person's death.

METHODS: A retrospective review based on randomly selected records (n = 92) of older people receiving specialised palliative care, at home or in a palliative in-patient ward, who died in 2017. A review template was developed based on the literature and on a review of sampled records of patients who died the preceding year. The template was checked for inter-rater agreement and used to code all clinical notes in the patients' records. Data were processed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: The most common clinical notes in older people's patient records concerned interventions (n = 16,031, 71%), mostly related to pharmacological interventions (n = 4318, 27%). The second most common clinical notes concerned problems (n = 2804, 12%), pain being the most frequent, followed by circulatory, nutrition, and anxiety problems. Clinical notes concerning people's wishes and wellbeing-related details were documented, but not frequently. Symptom assessment tools, except for pain assessments, were rarely used. More people who received care in palliative in-patient wards died alone than did people who received care in their own homes.

CONCLUSIONS: Identifying and documenting the complexity of problems in a more structured and planned way could be a method for implementing a more holistic approach to end-of-life care. Using patient-reported outcome measures capturing more than one symptom or problem, and a systematic documentation structure would help in identifying unmet needs and developing holistic documentation of end-of-life care.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe how EL was eased, as narrated by frail older people.

BACKGROUND: Existential loneliness (EL) is an unavoidable part of the human condition. It is a complex phenomenon that has been described as disconnection from life. If EL is acknowledged in the care of older people, the experience of EL can be reduced.

DESIGN: In this qualitative study, we used an exploratory and descriptive design.

METHODS: The study was based on 22 narrative interviews with frail older people, 76 to 101 years old, who were receiving long-term care and services. We analysed the data using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS: Being acknowledged by others, that is, being the focus of others' concern, eased the experience of EL, as did encountering intimacy and having meaningful exchanges of thoughts and feelings. Further, EL was pushed into the background and eased when participants could bracket negative thoughts and feelings, that is, when they could adjust and accept the present situation, view life in the rear-view mirror, be in contact with spiritual dimensions and withdraw and distract themselves.

CONCLUSION: Existential loneliness can be eased by experiencing meaningful togetherness with others and oneself when something else comes to the forefront, pushing EL to the background. Frail older peoples' opportunities to ease EL may be facilitated by health care staff (HCS) providing person-centred care and create possibilities for solitary time and meaningful togetherness.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: If frail older people's ongoing processes of adjusting and accepting their situation are understood and confirmed by people in their environment, for example, by nurses, family and friends, the experience of living a meaningful life can be supported, which, in turn, can ease EL.