Self-managing physical and mental health: A qualitative study on older adults' views and support needs in the Netherlands.

To help older adults stay healthy and independent, different stakeholders have developed self-management programmes that aim to support older adults in maintaining or improving physical and mental health. These programmes do not always match older adults' needs and preferences. The aim of this study was to gain insight into independently living older adults' views and support needs in self-managing physical and mental health. A qualitative study was performed to collect data. Sixteen independently living older adults from the eastern part of the Netherlands were recruited through purposive sampling. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. The results demonstrate that older adults who live independently believe that maintaining physical and mental health is an important pre-condition for remaining independent and living a meaningful life. They are positive about their health, tend to keep on going with an optimistic attitude and choose activities that suit them regarding type and intensity. The older adults believe deterioration is a normal part of getting older. They focus on preservation and adapt to their natural decline. However, some older adults struggle with their deterioration but prefer self-management rather than seeking professional support. To reach the target group, it has been suggested that nurses and other healthcare professionals tailor their support to the way older adults view and manage the maintenance of both physical and mental health.

Barriers to ideal palliative care in multiple care settings: the nurses' point of view.

BACKGROUND: Nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNA) have a crucial role in 24/7 continuity of palliative care for many vulnerable patients and families, however, their perspective has been largely omitted in reported barriers to palliative care. AIM: To describe barriers to ideal palliative care that are specific to nurses and CNAs working in all care settings. METHODS: A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to members of the Dutch Nurses' Association. FINDINGS: Almost 50% of the participating 2377 nurses and CNAs experienced more than five barriers to ideal palliative care in their work situation; nurses and CNAs employed in regional hospitals, mental healthcare and nursing home settings encountered more barriers than those working in other settings. CONCLUSION: The three most common barriers were: lack of proactive care planning, lack of internal consultation possibilities and lack of assessment of care recipients' preferences and needs for a seamless transition to another setting.

Nurse-led follow-up at home vs. conventional medical outpatient clinic follow-up in patients with incurable upper gastrointestinal cancer: a randomized study.

CONTEXT: Upper gastrointestinal cancer is associated with a poor prognosis. The multidimensional problems of incurable patients require close monitoring and frequent support, which cannot sufficiently be provided during conventional one to two month follow-up visits to the outpatient clinic. OBJECTIVES: To compare nurse-led follow-up at home with conventional medical follow-up in the outpatient clinic for patients with incurable primary or recurrent esophageal, pancreatic, or hepatobiliary cancer. METHODS: Patients were randomized to nurse-led follow-up at home or conventional medical follow-up in the outpatient clinic. Outcome parameters were quality of life (QoL), patient satisfaction, and health care consumption, measured by different questionnaires at one and a half and four months after randomization. As well, cost analyses were done for both follow-up strategies in the first four months. RESULTS: In total, 138 patients were randomized, of which 66 (48%) were evaluable. At baseline, both groups were similar with respect to clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and health-related QoL. Patients in the nurse-led follow-up group were significantly more satisfied with the visits, whereas QoL and health care consumption within the first four months were comparable between the two groups. Nurse-led follow-up was less expensive than conventional medical follow-up. However, the total costs for the first four months of follow-up in this study were higher in the nurse-led follow-up group because of a higher frequency of visits. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that conventional medical follow-up is interchangeable with nurse-led follow-up. A cost utility study is necessary to determine the preferred frequency and duration of the home visits.