Communication about patients during ward rounds and verbal handovers: A gender perspective.

This article investigates gender patterns on how two interprofessional teams communicate about patients in their absence. Thirteen ward rounds and 17 verbal handovers were audio-recorded and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The ward rounds consisted of 1 physician and 2-4 nurses. The verbal handovers consisted of 2-3 nurses and as many assistant nurses. The data were collected at a cardiac clinic at a hospital in southern Sweden. The results indicate that when patients acted according to socially-accepted gender norms, the communication among the interprofessional teams was characterized as 'professional', including communication primarily about the medical situation of the patient and statements of a non-judgmental nature. When patients did not act according to socially-accepted gender norms, the communication among the interprofessional teams switched to become more 'informal', including non-medical oriented statements of a negative nature. When the healthcare workers take the patient's psycho-social condition into account, as advocated by concepts like 'holistic care' and 'patient-centered care', the risk for speculation and arbitrariness may increase, especially within interprofessional teams who hold a nursing responsibility for patients. Establishing more defined guidelines of how non-medical aspects should be dealt with are thus of importance to the development of an equitable provision and delivery of healthcare.

Gendered communicative construction of patients in consultation settings.

This study aimed to explore the communication in consultations between patients and health care staff from a gender perspective. We used 23 tape-recorded consultations between patients with Atrial Fibrillation and 5 nurses and 5 physicians at cardiac outpatient clinics at 6 different hospitals in southern Sweden during autumn 2009 to explore the verbal gendered constructions of patients. Through critical discourse analysis, we revealed that the male patients tended to describe their ailments with performance-oriented statements, whereas the female patients usually used emotional-oriented statements. The staff downplayed the male patients' questions and statements, while they acknowledged concern toward the female patients. Both the patients and the staff made conclusions according to a mutual construction. Male patients were constructed as competent, and female patients as fragile through gender-stereotypical communication. Open-ended statements and questions enabled consultations to be less limited by gender stereotypes.

Inclusion through folk high school in Sweden - the experience of young adult students with high-functioning autism.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide a description of the learning environment at Folk High School for participants with high-functioning autism and to examine their learning experience at Folk High School. METHODS: A qualitative interview study was conducted with 21 participants who were enrolled at Folk High School which had been adapted to suit young adults with high-functioning autism. The interviews were analysed by means of a thematic content analysis which resulted in the identification of 6 themes related to learning experiences at Folk High School. RESULTS: The participants enjoyed themselves and felt secure at Folk High School. They felt that they and their academic endeavours were suitably recognised, acknowledged, and understood. They reported that the teaching was suitably adapted for them and they felt that they could succeed in their studies. A frequent report that they made concerned their experience of clear structures in the teaching process and its predictability. The participants stated that Folk High School has the ability to satisfy each participant's needs, which entailed lower levels of perceived stress than what they had experienced in their previous schooling. The participants experienced personal development during their time at Folk High School. CONCLUSIONS: Folk High School, and its special character, is able to successfully satisfy the needs of participants with high-functioning autism. Many of the participants, for the first time in their lives, experienced a sense of inclusion in an educational system and felt that they could succeed in their studies. However, there exists a risk that they become institutionalised, which entails that the participants function well primarily in Folk High School's safe and caring environment.Implications for rehabilitationA supportive environment including both formal and social learning is paramount for people with high-functioning autism.Individually adapted teaching that is structured and predictable improve the conditions under which they can focus on their studies and enjoy academic success.The teachers' relational competence and ability to show interest in each individual are crucial.Social- and special-pedagogic competencies need to co-exist so as to improve learning conditions.Internship/workplace training can provide an important social learning experience for participants, as they learn about themselves and others and as they develop their social competence.To practice living on one's own is a significant challenge, but it can create opportunities to learn about one's self and to develop a sense of responsibility and other social skills.

Telework and Lifelong Learning.

The increase of telework during the pandemic is predicted to impact working life, not only in terms of a larger number of employees working from home, but more importantly, it may transform the way we conceptualise work. This will in turn impact systems for and participation in lifelong learning. There is a risk for increased social inequalities, as neither telework nor lifelong learning is evenly distributed among workers. Statistics on telework in the EU show that there are differences between age groups, nations, sectors, and professions. If these trends will steer forward, there is a risk of widening gaps between countries, companies, and workers. To establish the current knowledge base, we have gathered literature reviews from several disciplines. One finding is that the previous literature on telework has not included lifelong learning in any form (formal, non-formal and informal). Based on a review of previous studies, we suggest a number of research questions for future research. This is relevant as research about telework and lifelong learning has the potential to contribute to a sustainable working life in terms of providing more flexible arrangements for employees and to support the lifelong learning that takes place in contexts such as the office, home, online meetings, and virtual reality.