Are there specific health-related factors that can accentuate the risk of suicide among men with prostate cancer?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore if there were some specific factors pertinent to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) that could affect self-experienced suicide ideation in men with prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: Questionnaires containing 45 items were distributed to members of the Swedish Prostate Cancer Federation in May 2012. Out of 6,400 distributed questionnaires, 3,165 members (50 %) with PCa completed the questionnaires. Those members expressed their experienced HRQoL and experienced suicide ideation using VAS-like scales as well as multiple-choice questions. Both descriptive and analytical statistical methods were employed. A regression model was used to explore the relationship between experienced health-related quality of life and experienced suicide ideation. RESULTS: Generally, the respondents rated their self-experienced health-related quality of life as good. About 40 % of the participants had experienced problem with incontinence, and 23 % had obstructions during miction. About 7 % of the respondents experienced suicidal ideation, at least sometime. The regression model showed statistically significant relationships between suicide ideation, on the one hand, and lower self-rated health-related quality of life (P < 0.001), physical pain (P = 0.04), pain during miction (P = 0.03), and low-rated mental / physical energy (P = 0.03), on the other. CONCLUSION: It is quite necessary to know which specific disease and treatment-related problems can trigger suicide ideations in men with prostate cancer and to try to direct treatment, care, and psychosocial resources to alleviate these problems in time.

Patient-centred care in type 2 diabetes - an altered professional role for diabetes specialist nurses.

Little research has been done to try to understand how patient-centred care is understood and practised by healthcare professionals specialising in patients with diabetes. Experiences from patient-centred practices need to be highlighted as a way of motivating diabetes specialist nurses to take a patient-centred approach. The aim of this study was to describe diabetes specialist nurses' experiences of practising patient-centred care in the context of a type 2 diabetes intervention. The study design was descriptive and used qualitative methods. Focus group interviews complemented by individual semi-structured interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The main theme of the diabetes specialist nurses' experiences of practising patient-centred care was an altered professional role. The main theme was based on two themes: ambivalence towards practising patient-centred care and enriched relationships with the patients. The ambivalence towards practising patient-centred care was based on the three subthemes: a position of withdrawn expertise, inconvenience of changing routines and insights that patient-centred care is difficult but possible. Their experiences of enriched relationships with patients were based on the two subthemes: courage to discuss the severity of diabetes and increased engagement in patients' daily lives. The diabetes specialist nurses' experiences with practising patient-centred care included doubts about their ability to practise in such a way and about the feasibility of such care. At the same time, their enriched relationships with patients were seen as an opportunity to engage in patients' lives. Training and support for practising patient-centred care may improve diabetes specialist nurses skills in patient-centred care and self-management support in type 2 diabetes.

The influence of a person-centred psychosocial unit climate on satisfaction with care and work.

AIM: To describe nurses' satisfaction with care and work and to explore the extent to which a person-centred unit climate influenced this satisfaction. BACKGROUND: Although the concept of person-centred care is used to describe high-quality care, there is a shortage of studies exploring the relationship between person-centredness and nurses' satisfaction with care and work in acute care settings. METHODS: Registered nurses within a university hospital in Sweden (n = 206) completed the Satisfaction with Nursing Care and Work Assessment Scale and the Person-centred Climate Questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional explorative study. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were satisfied with the care and work situation. Nurses with more than 9 years of work experience were more satisfied with care and work, and there were a significant association between a person-centred psychosocial climate of units and nurses' satisfaction with care and work. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided evidence for a significant association between person-centredness and the satisfaction with care and work of nurses in acute care environments. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Promoting and implementing a person-centred philosophy of care can be one way to improve nurses' satisfaction with care and work.