Cuidadores familiares de pessoas com demência: Tradução, adaptação e validação da Escala de Limites Ambíguos / Family caregivers of people with dementia: Translation, adaptation, and validation of the Boundary Ambiguity Scale / Cuidadores familiares de personas con demencia: Traducción, adaptación y validación de la Escala de Límites Ambiguos

Resumo Enquadramento: Cuidar de pessoas com demência (PcD) é gerador de stresse entre cuidadores familiares (CF). Uma das situações geradoras desse stresse é a perda ambígua (PA). Objetivos: Traduzir, adaptar e validar a Escala de Limites Ambíguos (ELA) para português europeu e determinar as caraterísticas psicométricas da ELA. Metodologia: Estudo metodológico a partir de uma amostra de 88 CF de PcD. A consistência interna (CI) avaliada com o Coeficiente de Ômega de McDonald ((), a validade de constructo através da análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) e a validade de critério com a Escala de Perceção de Stresse (EPS). Resultados: A ELA apresentou validade conteúdo excelente. A AFE determinou um modelo de dois fatores, explicando 44% da variância, ( de 0,72. Os CF que residem com a PcD apresentam maior PA (t = 2,823, p < 0,01). Correlação significativa positiva e moderada entre a ELA e a EPS (r s = 0,578, p < 0,01). Conclusão: A ELA é um instrumento com propriedade psicométrica de CI e validade aceitáveis para a avaliação da PA.

Abstract Background: Caring for people with dementia generates stress among family caregivers. One of these stressor events is ambiguous loss. Objectives: To translate, adapt, and validate the Boundary Ambiguity Scale (BAS) into European Portuguese and assess its psychometric properties. Methodology: Methodological study with a sample of 88 family caregivers of people with dementia. Internal consistency was assessed using McDonald's omega coefficient ((). Construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and criterion validity through the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: The BAS showed excellent content validity. The EFA revealed a two-factor model, explaining 44% of variance, and a ( of 0.72. Family caregivers who live with people with dementia had greater ambiguous loss (t = 2.823, p < 0.01). A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was found between the BAS and the PSS (r s = 0.578, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The BAS has acceptable validity and internal consistency for assessing ambiguous loss.

Resumen Marco contextual: El cuidado de personas con demencia (PcD) genera estrés entre los cuidadores familiares (CF). Una de las situaciones que generan este estrés es la pérdida ambigua (PA). Objetivos: Traducir, adaptar y validar la Escala de Límites Ambiguos (ELA) al portugués europeo y determinar las características psicométricas de la ELA. Metodología: Estudio metodológico basado en una muestra de 88 CF de PcD. La consistencia interna (CI) se evaluó mediante el coeficiente omega de McDonald ((), la validez de constructo mediante el análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y la validez de criterio mediante la Escala de Percepción del Estrés (EPS). Resultados: La ELA presentó una validez de contenido excelente. El AFE determinó un modelo de dos factores, que explican el 44% de la varianza, ( de 0,72. Los CF que residen con PcD presentan mayor PA (t = 2,823, p < 0,01). Correlación significativa positiva y moderada entre la ELA y la EPS (r s = 0,578, p < 0,01). Conclusión: La ELA es un instrumento con propiedades psicométricas de CI y validez aceptables para la evaluación de la PA.

Environmental Awareness for Patients with COPD Undergoing Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Is It of Added Value?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is impacted by exposure to environmental contaminants. Improving health literacy on this topic might help to optimize health outcomes. We aimed to design and deliver a health-education session about the impact of environmental contaminants on respiratory symptoms and explore participants' perceptions on such session. Patients with COPD were recruited from a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program. Two focus groups were first conducted to explore knowledge amongst the group. Then, the session was designed and delivered, and three focus groups were conducted to obtain feedback from participants. Data were analyzed thematically by two independent researchers. Thirty-one patients (71 ± 8 years old, FEV1 = 47.6 ± 16.8% predicted; 74.2% male) were included. Prior to the session, participants recognized the importance of this topic and described avoidance strategies to deal with symptom triggering due to air pollution. After the session, participants had their knowledge validated, kept some avoidance strategies, but also adapted some "unavoidable" activities of daily living. Patients with COPD value education on this topic, and PR offers a friendly environment to discuss prevention and management strategies. Contents of the session are provided to help deliver these sessions. Future studies could investigate the effectiveness of this intervention on self-management and exacerbations of COPD.

Improving access to community-based pulmonary rehabilitation: 3R protocol for real-world settings with cost-benefit analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has demonstrated patients' physiological and psychosocial improvements, symptoms reduction and health-economic benefits whilst enhances the ability of the whole family to adjust to illness. However, PR remains highly inaccessible due to lack of awareness of its benefits, poor referral and availability mostly in hospitals. Novel models of PR delivery are needed to enhance its implementation while maintaining cost-efficiency. We aim to implement an innovative community-based PR programme and assess its cost-benefit. METHODS: A 12-week community-based PR will be implemented in primary healthcare centres where programmes are not available. Healthcare professionals will be trained. 73 patients with CRD and their caregivers (dyads patient-caregivers) will compose the experimental group. The control group will include dyads age- and disease-matched willing to collaborate in data collection but not in PR. Patients/family-centred outcomes will be dyspnoea (modified Medical Research Council Questionnaire), fatigue (Checklist of individual strength and Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy - fatigue), cough and sputum (Leicester cough questionnaire and Cough and sputum assessment questionnaire), impact of the disease (COPD Assessment Test), emotional state (The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), number of exacerbations, healthcare utilisation, health-related quality of life and family adaptability/cohesion (Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scale). Other clinical outcomes will be peripheral (biceps and quadriceps-hand held dynamometer, 1 or 10 repetition-maximum) and respiratory (maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures) muscle strength, muscle thickness and cross sectional area (biceps brachialis, rectus femoris and diaphragm-ultrasound imaging), exercise capacity (six-minute walk test and one-minute sit to stand test), balance (brief-balance evaluation systems test) and physical activity (accelerometer). Data will be collected at baseline, at 12 weeks, at 3- and 6-months post-PR. Changes in the outcome measures will be compared between groups, after multivariate adjustment for possible confounders, and effect sizes will be calculated. A cost-benefit analysis will be conducted. DISCUSSION: This study will enhance patients access to PR, by training healthcare professionals in the local primary healthcare centres to conduct such programmes and actively involving caregivers. The cost-benefit analysis of this intervention will provide an evidence-based insight into the economic benefit of community-based PR in chronic respiratory diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov U.S. National Library of Medicine, on 10th January, 2019 (registration number: NCT03799666 ).

Tratamento näo operatório do trauma esplênico na contusäo abdominal / Nonoperative treatment of blunt splenic trauma

Analisamos sete casos de rotura do baco devido contusao abdominal, submetidos inicialmente a tratamento nao operatorio. Todos apresentavam-se sem lesao associada grave e mantinham-se hemodinamicamente estaveis.A suspeita diagnostica inicial foi feita pela historia de trauma localizado na base toracica esquerda e hipocondrio esquerdo, assim como por sinais radiologicos indiretos de trauma esplenico. Para confirmacao diagnostica e acompanhamento, utilizamos a ultrasonografia, a cintiligrafia e a tomografia computadorizada. Na impossibilidade de utilizacao de imediato da ultra-sonografia, a puncao abdominal foi util no diagnostico do hemoperitonio. O lavado peritoneal seriado e importante na certeza de cessacao do sangramento e para afastar lesoes associadas, atraves de dosagens de enzimas, leucocitos e pesquisa de fibras vegetais. Os sinais vitais, o hematocrito e o perimetro abdominal foram monitorizados. Prescrevemos repouso absoluto por sete dias e alta hospitalar apos o l3. dia. Apenas um paciente necessitou cirurgia por rotura de hematoma peri-esplenico, sem maior morbidade. Constatamos a seguranca do tratamento nao operatorio do hemoperitonio resultante de rotura esplenica na contusao abdominal, em casos selecionados

Volvo gástrico agudo associado a hérnia paraesofageana / Acute gastric volvulus associated with paraesophageal hernia

É relatado um caso de volvo gástrico agudo em associaçäo a hérnia paraesofageana, onde descreve-se a pouca freqüência da patologia, sua abordagem cirúrgica e aspectos da classificaçäo. Ressalta-se a tríade de sintomas que pode definir essa entidade e o excelente resultado obtido com o tratamento precoce