Spanish (Spain) validation of a specific symptomatic questionnaire for male patients with nocturia.

OBJECTIVES: To validate in Spanish (Spain) a self-administered questionnaire on the quality of life (QoL) specific to nocturia in an older adult male population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analysed the Spanish version of the ICIQ-Nqol questionnaire (provided by ICIQ who owns the copyright), which meets the translation criteria required by the validation protocol. The study included 69 male patients older than 60 years of age with 1 or more nocturia episodes. The participants completed the questionnaire on two occasions, along with other Spanish-validated questionnaires that measure the QoL related to urinary symptoms. We analysed the internal reliability and consistency, reproducibility, convergent validity and discriminant validity. RESULTS: The study included 69 men, with a mean age of 70.64 years (range, 60-87 years). Both the overall scale and the energy/sleep subscale met the minimum criteria for internal reliability and consistency. A good correlation has been demonstrated between the overall index of the ICIQ-Nqol questionnaire and the other questionnaires included in the study. The reproducibility (test-retest reliability) of both the overall scale and subscales of the ICIQ-Nqol and the other questionnaires was demonstrated. Conclusions The ICIQ-Nqol questionnaire has been shown to be an appropriate instrument for assessing the symptomatic intensity and impact on the QoL of patients with nocturia. This study confirms its validity for a Spanish-speaking male population. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:847-850, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liver transplant patients: their experience in the intensive care unit. A phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: The nurses' knowledge of patients' experiences contributes to gaining a deeper understanding of their health process, which will help to provide a better foundation for nursing care. The patients' experiences in the intensive care unit are singular; liver transplant patients constitute a specific group, because generally their admission to the intensive care unit marks the first step towards recovery of their health after a process in which they have lived in fear because their illness was reaching a more or less terminal stage. AIM: To describe the liver transplant patient's experience in the intensive care unit. DESIGN: Phenomenological descriptive qualitative study. METHOD: In-depth interviews were carried out with a sample of 10 patients. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed using the method devised by Giorgi and modified by Baker. RESULTS: After the data were analyzed, a general description emerged, which includes five themes reflecting the essence of what this group of patients experienced: preconceived ideas marked the way they approached transplant; captured impressions of the intensive care unit's environment and experienced sensations; their perception of the caring behaviour of the nursing staff; support from the social environment (family) and religious beliefs; and their preconceived idea of the intensive care unit contrasted with their lived experience. CONCLUSION: This research enabled us to gain in-depth knowledge of the liver transplant patient's lived experience of the intensive care unit. Nurses can optimize the nursing care plan for this group of patients based on these results. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Awareness of the importance that these participants gave to discomfort caused in their basic needs should lead nurses to pay special attention to the nursing interventions to help with these needs. As a result of this research, nurses and other professionals in the intensive care unit know that patients have an immediate sense of positive change. This enables us to reinforce this perception, reminding them frequently that they have already had their transplant and they are progressing well, thereby aiding their recovery. With regard to the social support of liver transplant patients, nurses must facilitate the presence of family members at the patient's bedside, as participants stated that the only support they needed was that of their family.