PharmActa: Personalized pharmaceutical care eHealth platform for patients and pharmacists.

Community pharmacists are critically placed in the patient care chain being an extended frontline within primary healthcare networks across Europe. They are trained to ensure safe and effective medication use, a crucial and responsible role, extending beyond the common misconception limited to just providing timely access to medicines for the population. Technology-wise, eHealth being committed to an effective, networked, patient-centered and accessible healthcare would prove a real asset in this direction by achieving improved therapy adherence with better outcomes and direct contribution to a cost-effective healthcare system. In this work, we present PharmActa, a personalized eHealth platform that addresses key features of pharmaceutical care and enhances communication of pharmacists with patients for optimizing pharmacotherapy. PharmActa empowers patients by providing pharmaceutical care services, such as drug interactions tools, reminders for assisting adhesion and compliance, information regarding adverse drug reactions, as well as pharmacovigilance along with related tools for healthcare management. In addition, it allows the pharmacists to review the medication history in order to provide personalized pharmaceutical care services; thus enhancing their role as healthcare providers. Finally, a mechanism allowing such a system to be interconnected with a developed medical repository following European and International interoperability standards, is also presented. Thus far, the evaluation results presented in this work indicate that PharmActa can be of great benefit to healthcare professionals, especially pharmacists and patients.

Informing cancer patient based on his type of personality:The self-sacrificing patient.

Imparting the bad news has become a hard task for the doctor, and is usually perceived as unpleasant by the patient to whom the bad news is revealed. It is vital that the physician's approach be tailored to the cancer patient's personality. Gathering by the informing process protocols already suggested the hardest step for the doctors to take is empathic understanding which, presupposes tailoring to the individual's needs. The aim of this article was to describe the self-sacrificing type of personality thoroughly, so that any physician can make a diagnosis and tailor the information strategy to their needs. As method of research was used the qualitative method through groups with doctors and nurses, while research within groups lasted for 5 years. Assessing the denial mechanism is hard for a person that regards disease as punishment and propitiation. The physician must mobilize his countertransference, the sense he gets from the discussions with the patient and their overall communication. If he finds that the patient has self-control, then the approach of imparting the news resembles that of the controlling-orderly personality. If he ascertains that the patient has a lasting embarrassment, he should be more careful and impart the news gradually, his approach resembling that of the dependent person.

Informing cancer patient based on his type of personality: the uninvolved - aloof patient.

Communicating bad news is often part of a doctor's task. By bad news we mean information which is received as unpleasant by the patient who feels that it can have an unwanted effect in his life. It appears that the way each patient assesses bad news is associated with his personality type, his individual character traits and the adoption of an empathic approach is vital within a therapeutic relationship. The aim of this article was to describe the uninvolved-aloof character or type of personality thoroughly so that any therapist can make a diagnosis and tailor the information strategy to the patient's needs. As method of research was used the qualitative method through groups with doctors and nurses, while research within groups lasted for 5 years. Assessing the denial mechanism may present the hardest task since the patient does not give any hint to the doctor as to how he feels. The degree of informing should be not as much as for the controlling-orderly person but more than the dependent person's, about "average" to "small". Informing Family: He accepts the family's involvement. Relatives need to be alerted about the patient's fragility.

Anxiety and depression symptoms in family members of ICU patients

Objective: This study investigated symptoms of anxiety and depression in relatives of patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit and determined whether these symptoms were associated to the seriousness of the patients' condition. Metodology: A total of 102 patients' relatives were surveyed during the study. They were given a self-report questionnaire in order to assess demographic data, anxiety and depression symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety and depression were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Patient's condition was evaluated with A.P.A.CH.E II Score. Results: More than 60% of patients' relatives presented severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. No relation was found between symptoms of anxiety and depression of the relatives of patients and patients' condition of health. On the contrary, these feelings used to exist regardless of the seriousness of patient's condition. Conclusions: The assessment of these patients is recommended in order serious problems of anxiety and depression to be prevented.

Objetivo: El presente estudio se propuso investigar los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión en familiares de pacientes que fueron admitidos en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y se determinó si estos síntomas se asociaron con la gravedad de la condición del paciente. Metodología: Durante este estudio se encuestó un total de 102 familiares de pacientes, a quienes se les solicitó diligenciar un cuestionario auto-administrado para estimar aspectos sociodemográficos y síntomas de ansiedad y depresión. Los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión fueron evaluados con la Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). La condición del paciente fue evaluada con el A.P.A.CH.E II Score. Resultados: Más del 60% de los familiares encuestados presentaron síntomas severos de ansiedad y depresión. No se encontró relación entre los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión de los familiares de los pacientes y el estado de salud de éstos. Por el contrario, aquellas sensaciones solían darse con independencia de la gravedad de la condición del paciente. Conclusiones: Se recomienda la evaluación de estos pacientes para evitar problemas serios de ansiedad y depresión.

Objetivo: O presente estudo pesquisou os sintomas de ansiedade e depressão em familiares de pacientes que foram admitidos na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva e se determinou se esses sintomas se associaram com a gravidade da condição do paciente. Metodologia: Durante este estudo se inquiriu um total de 102 familiares de pacientes, a quem se solicitou diligenciar um questionário auto-administrado, para estimar aspectos sociodemográficos e sintomas de ansiedade e depressão. Os dados sobre sintomas de ansiedade e depressão foram processados usando a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A condição do paciente foi avaliada com o A.P.A.CH.E II Score. Resultados: Mais de 60% dos familiares questionados apresentaram sintomas severos de ansiedade e depressão. Não se encontrou relação entre os sintomas de ansiedade e depressão dos familiares dos pacientes e o estado de saúde deles. Pelo contrário, essas sensações com frequência se apresentavam com independência da gravidade da condição do paciente. Conclusões: Recomenda-se a avaliação destes pacientes para evitar problemas sérios de ansiedade e depressão.