Towards a set of competencies in palliative care nursing in Spain: what's getting in the way of consensus?

BACKGROUND: Spain currently lacks a competency framework for palliative care nursing. Having such a framework would help to advance this field in academic, governmental, and health management contexts. In phase I of a mixed-methods sequential study, we collected quantitative data, proposing 98 competencies to a sample of palliative care nurses. They accepted 62 of them and rejected 36. METHODS: Phase II is a qualitative phase in which we used consensus techniques with two modified nominal groups to interpret the quantitative findings with the objective of understanding of why the 36 competencies had been rejected. Twenty nurses from different areas of palliative care (direct care, teaching, management, research) participated. We conducted a thematic analysis using NVivo12 to identify meaning units and group them into larger thematic categories. RESULTS: Participants attributed the lack of consensus on the 36 competencies to four main reasons: the rejection of standardised nursing language, the context in which nurses carry out palliative care and other factors that are external to the care itself, the degree of specificity of the proposed competency (too little or too great), and the complexity of nursing care related to the end of life and/or death. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, we propose reparative actions, such as reformulating the competencies expressed in nursing terminology to describe them as specific behaviours and insisting on the participation of nurses in developing institutional policies and strategies so that competencies related to development, leadership and professional commitment can be implemented. It is essential ​​to promote greater consensus on the definition and levels of nursing intervention according to criteria of complexity and to advocate for adequate training, regulation, and accreditation of palliative care expert practice. Locally, understanding why the 36 competencies were rejected can help Spanish palliative care nurses reach a shared competency framework. More broadly, our consensus methodology and our findings regarding the causes for rejection may be useful to other countries that are in the process of formalising or reviewing their palliative care nursing model.

[Living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: The impact of dyspnoea on patients and caregivers]. / Vivir con la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica avanzada: el impacto de la disnea en los pacientes y cuidadores.

AIM: To understand the experiences of patients and caregivers living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the impact of their symptoms and care needs arising from a functional, emotional, and social context. DESIGN: Qualitative study. Phenomenological perspective. Data were collected during 2013-2015. SETTING: Primary, secondary and intermediate care. Osona (Barcelona). PARTICIPANTS: The study included 10 Primary Care patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, their respective 10 caregivers, and 19 primary care professionals, as well as 2 lung specialists, 2 palliative care professionals involved in their care, and one clinical psychologist. METHOD: Theoretical sampling. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews with patients, caregivers, and professionals (47 interviews). RESULTS: The emergent topics identified in patients and caregivers interviews refer to dyspnoea, the predominant symptom without effective treatment and with a major impact on patients and caregivers lives. A symptom with great functional, emotional and social repercussions to which they need to adapt in order to survive. CONCLUSIONS: Beyond pharmacological measures to control respiratory symptoms, proper care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requires understanding of suffering, the losses and limitations that it causes in their lives and those of their caregivers. A palliative, holistic and closer approach to their real experiences, together with an empowerment to adapt to debilitating symptoms, could contribute to a better life in the end-stages of the disease.

Motivational interviewing interactions and the primary health care challenges presented by smokers with low motivation to stop smoking: a conversation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that one third of smokers have low motivation to stop smoking. The purpose of the study was to use Conversational Analysis to enhance understanding of the process in Motivational Interviewing sessions carried out by primary care doctors and nurses to motivate their patients to quit smoking. The present study is a substudy of the Systematic Intervention on Smoking Habits in Primary Health Care Project (Spanish acronym: ISTAPS). METHODS: Motivational interviewing sessions with a subset of nine participants (two interview sessions were conducted with two of the nine) in the ISTAPS study who were current smokers and scored fewer than 5 points on the Richmond test that measures motivation to quit smoking were videotaped and transcribed. A total of 11 interviews conducted by five primary health care professionals in Barcelona, Spain, were analysed. Qualitative Content Analysis was used to develop an analytical guide for coding transcriptions. Conversation Analysis allowed detailed study of the exchange of words during the interaction. RESULTS: Motivational Interviewing sessions had three phases: assessment, reflection on readiness to change, and summary. The interaction was constructed during an office visit, where interactional dilemmas arise and can be resolved in various ways. Some actions by professionals (use of reiterations, declarations, open-ended questions) helped to construct a framework of shared relationship; others inhibited this relationship (focusing on risks of smoking, clinging to the protocol, and prematurely emphasizing change). Some professionals tended to resolve interactional dilemmas (e.g., resistance) through a confrontational or directive style. Interactions that did not follow Motivational Interviewing principles predominated in seven of the interviews analysed. CONCLUSIONS: Conversational analysis showed that the complexity of the intervention increases when a health professional encounters individuals with low motivation for change, and interactional dilemmas may occur that make it difficult to follow Motivational Interview principles. Incorporating different forms of expression during the Motivational Interviewing could help to build patient-centred health care relationships and, for patients with low motivation to stop smoking, offer an opportunity to reflect on tobacco use during the office visit. The study findings could be included in professional training to improve the quality of motivational interviewing.

Tobacco cessation among smokers under substance use treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis: study protocol and pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of people with a substance use disorder (SUD) are smokers. Starting SUD treatment offers the opportunity to also quit smoking. The ACT-ATAC project aims to identify the predictors associated with smoking cessation among persons treated for alcohol and/or cannabis use disorder in Barcelona. This manuscript reports its methodology and the experience of carrying it out during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Mixed methods project with three substudies. Substudy 1 (S1) comprises heterogeneous discussion groups among clinicians. S2 has two prospective cohorts composed of smokers under treatment for alcohol and/or cannabis use disorder and the clinicians in charge of these patients. Participating smokers will be followed for 12 months and interviewed about their substance use and the tobacco cessation services received using the Spanish version of the users' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Services (S-KAS) scale. The clinicians will be asked about their self-reported practices in smoking cessation using the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (S-KAP) scale. S3 comprises heterogeneous discussion groups with smokers. Data will be triangulated using qualitative and quantitative analyses. To facilitate the recruitment process, the researchers have introduced several strategies (design clear protocols, set monthly online meetings, extend the project, provide gift cards, etc.). DISCUSSION: The results of S1 were used to develop the questionnaires. S2 required some adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the follow-up interviews being conducted by phone instead of face-to-face, and the recruitment rhythm was lower than expected. Recruitment will last until reaching at least 200-250 users. The fieldwork could not have been possible without the collaboration of the ACT-ATAC team and the introduction of several strategies. Trial registration The ACT-ATAC project has been successfully registered at Clinicaltrials.gov [NCT04841655].

[The extent of the implementation of reproductive health strategies in Catalonia (Spain) (2008-2017)]. / Alcance de la implementación en Cataluña de las estrategias de salud reproductiva (2008-2017).

OBJECTIVE: We analyse how reproductive health strategies have been incorporated into the everyday activities of the services and the resulting transformation of professional and user practices. METHOD: Cartographic research taking a multi-sited ethnographic approach that seeks to reveal the processes of transformation. Data generation techniques featuring participant observation and situated interviews. Discourse analysis of the text corpus using three analytical axes based on three main lines of action promoted by the strategies. RESULTS: We identified transformations in: 1) demedicalisation: an increase in midwives' know-how and autonomy, changes in episiotomy practice and the facilitation of bonding practices; 2) warmth of care: incorporation of women's needs and expectations and improvements in the comfortableness of birth settings, especially in assistance at physiological birth; and 3) participation: actions that foster shared decision-making and the involvement of the persons accompanying women in labour. CONCLUSIONS: Above all, transformation is visible in the incorporation of new attitudes, sensibilities and practices that have developed around the old structures, especially during physiological childbirth. The more technological areas have been less permeable to change. Risk management in decision-making and addressing diversity are identified as areas where transformation is less evident.

Influence of Social Determinants, Lifestyle, Emotional Well-Being and the Use of Unconventional Therapies in Breast Cancer Progression in a Cohort of Women in Barcelona: Protocol for the DAMA Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Breast cancer survivors face numerous problems, especially after completing the first year of intense treatment. We present the protocol for an ongoing study to analyze the impact of a series of factors on breast cancer survival related to lifestyle, emotional well-being, and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). OBJECTIVE: We aim to analyze the influence of social determinants, lifestyle changes, emotional well-being, and use of CAM in the progression of breast cancer in women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2003 and 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: We will perform a mixed cohort study (prospective and retrospective) of women diagnosed with breast cancer, created using a convenience sample in which we study the evolution of the disease (relapse, death, or remaining disease-free). Once identified, we sent the women information about the study and an informed consent form that they are required to sign in order to participate; a total of 2235 women were recruited. We obtained the following information from all participants: sociodemographic profile via a phone interview, and a self-administered survey of information about the study's objectives (lifestyles, emotional well-being, health care services, and the use of CAM). Lastly, we examined clinical records to obtain data on the tumor at the time of diagnosis, the treatment received, the occurrence of relapses (if any), and the tumor typology. We present data on the women's social profile based on descriptive data obtained from the telephone interview (welcome survey). RESULTS: Based on the welcome survey, which was completed by 2712 women, 14.42% (391/2712) of respondents were <50 years of age, 45.50% (1234/2712) were between 50 and 65 years of age, and 40.08% (1087/2712) were >65 years of age. A total of 43.69% (1185/2712) belonged to the highest social classes (I and II), 31.27% (848/2712) to the middle class (III), and 23.49% (637/2712) to the working classes (IV and V). Approximately 22.71% (616/2712) lived alone, 38.31% (1039/2712) lived with one person, and 38.97% (1057/2712) lived with two or more people. CONCLUSIONS: We obtained information from a large cohort of women, but this study has limitations related to the convenience sampling strategy, one of which is reduced representativeness. Conversely, being a self-administered survey, the study introduces biases, especially from respondents that answered on paper. However, the information that the study provides will serve as the basis for designing future interventions aimed at improving the knowledge gaps indicated for women with breast cancer.

Alcance de la implementación en Cataluña de las estrategias de salud reproductiva (2008-2017) / The extent of the implementation of reproductive health strategies in Catalonia (Spain) (2008-2017)

Objetivo: Analizar la implementación de las estrategias de salud reproductiva en las actividades cotidianas de los servicios y la transformación de las prácticas de profesionales y usuarias. Método: Investigación cartográfica de tipo etnográfico multilocal orientada a captar los procesos de transformación. Técnicas de generación de datos: observación participante y entrevistas situadas. Análisis del discurso del corpus textual a partir de tres líneas de acción promovidas por las estrategias. Resultados: Se observan elementos de transformación en: 1) desmedicalización: aumento de la competencia y autonomía de la matrona, cambios en las episiotomías y facilitación de prácticas de vínculo; 2) calidez en la atención: incorporación de las necesidades y expectativas de la mujer y mejoras en la confortabilidad de los espacios en partos fisiológicos; y 3) participación: acciones que favorecen la toma de decisiones compartida y mayor implicación de la persona acompañante. Conclusiones: La transformación se visibiliza sobre todo en la incorporación de nuevas actitudes, nuevas sensibilidades y nuevas praxis que empiezan alrededor de las viejas estructuras, especialmente en la atención al parto fisiológico. Los espacios más tecnificados han sido menos permeables al cambio. La gestión del riesgo en la toma de decisiones y el abordaje de la diversidad se identifican como campos en los que la transformación es menos evidente

Objective: We analyse how reproductive health strategies have been incorporated into the everyday activities of the services and the resulting transformation of professional and user practices. Method: Cartographic research taking a multi-sited ethnographic approach that seeks to reveal the processes of transformation. Data generation techniques featuring participant observation and situated interviews. Discourse analysis of the text corpus using three analytical axes based on three main lines of action promoted by the strategies. Results: We identified transformations in: 1) demedicalisation: an increase in midwives' know-how and autonomy, changes in episiotomy practice and the facilitation of bonding practices; 2) warmth of care: incorporation of women's needs and expectations and improvements in the comfortableness of birth settings, especially in assistance at physiological birth; and 3) participation: actions that foster shared decision-making and the involvement of the persons accompanying women in labour. Conclusions: Above all, transformation is visible in the incorporation of new attitudes, sensibilities and practices that have developed around the old structures, especially during physiological childbirth. The more technological areas have been less permeable to change. Risk management in decision-making and addressing diversity are identified as areas where transformation is less evident

Borderline intellectual functioning: consensus and good practice guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: The Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) is conceptualized as the frontier that delimits "normal" intellectual functioning from intellectual disability (IQ 71-85). In spite of its magnitude, its prevalence cannot be quantified and its diagnosis has not yet been defined. OBJECTIVES: To elaborate a conceptual framework and to establish consensus guidelines. METHOD: A mixed qualitative methodology, including frame analysis and nominal groups techniques, was used. The literature was extensively reviewed in evidence based medical databases, scientific publications, and the grey literature. This information was studied and a framing document was prepared. RESULTS: Scientific publications covering BIF are scarce. The term that yields a bigger number of results is "Borderline Intelligence". The Working Group detected a number of areas in which consensus was needed and wrote a consensus document covering the conclusions of the experts and the framing document. CONCLUSIONS: It is a priority to reach an international consensus about the BIF construct and its operative criteria, as well as to develop specific tools for screening and diagnosis. It is also necessary to define criteria that enable its incidence and prevalence. To know what interventions are the most efficient, and what are the needs of this population, is vital to implement an integral model of care centred on the individual.

Vivir con la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica avanzada: el impacto de la disnea en los pacientes y cuidadores / Living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the impact of dyspnoea on patients and caregivers

OBJECTIVO: Conocer las experiencias de pacientes y cuidadores que conviven con la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica avanzada, el impacto de sus síntomas y las necesidades de atención que generan en su contexto funcional, emocional y social. DISEÑO: Estudio cualitativo. Perspectiva fenomenológica. Recogida de datos durante 2013-2015. EMPLAZAMIENTO: Atención primaria, hospitalaria e intermedia. Osona (Barcelona). PARTICIPANTES Y/O CONTEXTOS: Diez pacientes de atención primaria con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica avanzada, 10 cuidadores principales respectivos y 19 profesionales de atención primaria, 2 neumólogos, 2 de cuidados paliativos, implicados en su atención y un psicólogo clínico. MÉTODO: Muestreo teórico. Entrevistas semiestructuradas y en profundidad a pacientes, cuidadores y profesionales (47 entrevistas). RESULTADOS: Las temáticas emergentes identificadas en las entrevistas de pacientes y cuidadores hacen referencia a la disnea, síntoma predominante sin un tratamiento efectivo y con un gran impacto en la vida de pacientes y cuidadores. Un síntoma con gran repercusión funcional, emocional y social al que es necesario adaptarse para sobrevivir. CONCLUSIONES: La atención adecuada de los pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, más allá de las medidas farmacológicas para controlar los síntomas respiratorios, pasa por la comprensión del sufrimiento, las pérdidas y las limitaciones que provoca en sus vidas y las de sus cuidadores. Un abordaje paliativo, holístico y cercano a sus vivencias reales, junto al empoderamiento para la adaptación a los síntomas debilitantes, podría contribuir a una vida mejor en la etapa final de la enfermedad

AIM: To understand the experiences of patients and caregivers living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the impact of their symptoms and care needs arising from a functional, emotional, and social context. DESIGN: Qualitative study. Phenomenological perspective. Data were collected during 2013-2015. SETTING: Primary, secondary and intermediate care. Osona (Barcelona). PARTICIPANTS. The study included 10 Primary Care patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, their respective 10 caregivers, and 19 primary care professionals, as well as 2 lung specialists, 2 palliative care professionals involved in their care, and one clinical psychologist. METHOD: Theoretical sampling. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews with patients, caregivers, and professionals (47 interviews). RESULTS: The emergent topics identified in patients and caregivers interviews refer to dyspnoea, the predominant symptom without effective treatment and with a major impact on patients and caregivers lives. A symptom with great functional, emotional and social repercussions to which they need to adapt in order to survive. CONCLUSIONS: Beyond pharmacological measures to control respiratory symptoms, proper care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requires understanding of suffering, the losses and limitations that it causes in their lives and those of their caregivers. A palliative, holistic and closer approach to their real experiences, together with an empowerment to adapt to debilitating symptoms, could contribute to a better life in the end-stages of the disease

Borderline Intellectual Functioning: Consensus and good practice guidelines

Introducción: El funcionamiento intelectual límite (FIL) se conceptualiza actualmente como la barrera que separa el funcionamiento intelectual «normal» de la discapacidad intelectual (CI 71-85). A pesar de su magnitud, su prevalencia no puede ser cuantificada y no se ha operativizado su diagnóstico. Objetivos: Elaborar un marco conceptual para el FIL y establecer directrices de consenso que permitan la aplicación de una atención integral centrada en la persona. Metodología: Se utilizó una metodología mixta cualitativa que combinaba un análisis del marco conceptual con el desarrollo de grupos nominales. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica extensiva en bases de datos de evidencia médica, publicaciones científicas y literatura gris. Se estudió la información encontrada y se redactó un documento de marco conceptual sobre el FIL. Resultados: Las publicaciones centradas en el colectivo de personas con FIL son escasas. El término que mayor número de publicaciones arrojó fue «Borderline Intelligence». Se detectaron una serie de temas sobre los que era necesario alcanzar un consenso y se redactó un documento con las conclusiones del grupo de trabajo. Conclusiones: Es necesario establecer un consenso a nivel internacional sobre el constructo del FIL y sus criterios operativos, y desarrollar instrumentos específicos de detección y diagnóstico. También es necesario elaborar criterios que permitan calcular su incidencia y prevalencia. Saber qué intervenciones son las más adecuadas y cuáles son las necesidades de atención que presenta este colectivo es de vital importancia para implementar un modelo de atención integral centrado en la persona(AU)

Introduction: The Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) is conceptualised as the frontier that delimits ‘‘normal’’ intellectual functioning from intellectual disability (IQ 71-85). In spite of its magnitude, its prevalence cannot be quantified and its diagnosis has not yet been defined. Objectives: To elaborate a conceptual framework and to establish consensus guidelines. Method: A mixed qualitative methodology, including frame analysis and nominal groups techniques, was used. The literature was extensively reviewed in evidence based medical databases, scientific publications, and the grey literature. This information was studied and a framing document was prepared. Results: Scientific publications covering BIF are scarce. The term that yields a bigger number of results is ‘‘Borderline Intelligence’’. The Working Group detected a number of areas in which consensus was needed and wrote a consensus document covering the conclusions of the experts and the framing document. Conclusions: It is a priority to reach an international consensus about the BIF construct and its operative criteria, as well as to develop specific tools for screening and diagnosis. It is also necessary to define criteria that enable its incidence and prevalence. To know what interventions are the most efficient, and what are the needs of this population, is vital to implement an integral model of care centred on the individual(AU)

Análisis de redes de mujeres inmigradas en Cataluña: papel de las asociaciones en el mentenimiento de su salud / Network analize of immigrant womem and Catalonia: the role of association to mantain women health

The situation of immigration both in Spain and Catalonia has changed dramatically in the recent years. Oneof the main changes is the increase of women who emigrate. The goal of the present article is to analyze therole of associations in order to maintain women health in Catalonia. The methodological techniques wereinterviews and a social network analyze. Results show that the associations are close strong nodes that give emotional and instrumental support to the immigrant women and that they constitute a key element for thesuccess of their migration project, for their accommodation in the receptor country and for their health.

Fomentando la inclusión de los mayores en los ensayos clínicos. Resultados del estudio PREDICT / No disponible

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