Investigation on the quality of life and demands of family members of patients with mental disorders in hospice care / 四川精神卫生

ObjectiveTo investigate the quality of life and demands of family members of patients with mental disorders in hospice care， in order to create a better medical care environment for patients to meet their demands. MethodsA total of 205 family members of patients with mental disorders in hospice care were consecutively sampled from two special psychiatric hospitals in Deyang city with convenient sampling method. The Chinese version of WHO Quality of Life-BREF （WHOQOL-BREF） and Critical Care Family Needs Inventory （CCFNI） were used to assess the quality of life and demands of family members. ResultsAmong the patients' family members， WHOQOL-BREF scored （68.08±9.98） in the physiological field， （63.82±9.39） in the psychological field， （70.73±12.61） in the social relations field， and （64.24±11.87） in the environmental field. Compared with the domestic general population， there were significant differences in other fields except the physiological field （t=3.066， 9.845， 16.109， P<0.01）. In CCFNI， the score of condition assurance factor was （3.20±0.41）， information support was （2.86±0.50）， proximity to patients was （2.79±0.46）， self comfort was （2.35±0.47）， and medical staff support was （2.60±0.44）. ConclusionThe quality of life of the family members of patients with mental disorders in hospice care may be higher than that of the general population， and their demands mainly focus on the condition assurance and information support.

Novel Cost-Effective Tubular Port Based on Glove and Syringe for Endoscopic Surgery of Intracerebral Hematomas.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hematomas (ICH) is a common disease in the developing countries, and minimally invasive transportal resection of ICH is a widely accepted surgical technique. Many port systems are available, but most are disposable and expensive. We present a safe and cost-effective glove-syringe substitute for endoscopic hematoma evacuation, suitable for developing countries such as China. METHODS: A port substitute of different sizes and lengths was constructed using sterile gloves and syringes, commonly found in a surgical environment. RESULTS: We successfully performed endoscopic hematoma removal in 7 patients including 1 cerebellar hemorrhage case and the remaining 6 supratentorial basal ganglia cases (1 patient taking oral aspirin). Bipolar electrocoagulation was used to control bleeding from the ruptured blood vessels. There were no postsurgical complications. CONCLUSIONS: The glove-syringe port is a convenient, safe, and cost-effective tubular port system for endoscopic surgery of ICH. Such ports can be used as substitutes when commercial sleeves are unavailable, especially in rural areas and developing countries.