International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being最新文献

Purpose: This study aims to explore ethical challenges potentially arising from a problem-solving intervention with workplace involvement (PSI-WPI) in primary health care (with first-line manager involvement) for employees on sickness absence due to common mental disorders.

Methods: A qualitative design guided by the theoretical framework for systematic identification of ethical aspects of healthcare technologies. Semi-structured interviews were performed with coordinators (n = 6), employees (n = 13), and first-line managers (n = 8). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret themes.

Results: A main theme was identified "the workplace and healthcare hold different organizational value logics" and four sub-themes: "the PSI-WPI challenged the organizational goals and values of the workplace and healthcare", "the PSI-WPI challenged organizational values on fairness", "the PSI-WPI challenged the professional roles of first-line managers and rehabilitation coordinators" and "the PSI-WPI introduced a need for the employee to juggle the employee and patient roles".

Conclusion: Different organizational value logics, values, and goals can introduce ethical challenges. We advise clarifying stakeholders' roles and preparing employees and managers for the return to work process by providing sufficient information. The ethical challenges and suggested measures to minimize them, should be considered when planning return to work interventions that involve several stakeholders.

Purpose: To describe experiences of fear, coping, and support in 10-17-year-old children under treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

Methods: A longitudinal descriptive qualitative design was adopted. Ten children participated in one to three interviews each (24 interviews in all). Interviews were analysed using a matrix-based qualitative method.

Results: The variety of fears described related to uncertainty, pain and medical procedures, bodily changes and loss of control, complications, professionals' attitudes, affected school results, and social isolation. Children used various strategies to deal with fear: some more general, to cope with the whole situation, and others more related to specific events such as treatment and tests. The most reported strategies we labelled Accepting the situation, Positive thinking, and Being an active agent. Less favourable strategies were also reported. Health care professionals, families, and friends offered valuable, but different kinds of, support.

Conclusions: Children aged 10 to 17 undergoing treatment for ALL experience various fears. Each experience is individual and changes over time, but there are common patterns. Most children used problem-solving or emotional-regulation strategies, but withdrawal was also reported. Even children who can deal with fear need support from their health care professionals, families, and friends.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection poses a significant threat to the immune system, compromising the body's ability to combat diseases and infections. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia reported an HIV incidence rate of 3 cases per 10,000 individuals. This study aimed to gain insight into the lived experience of Saudi patients living with HIV.

Methods: Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 16 HIV patients (10 men, 6 women) between January 2023 and May 2023.

Results: Thematic data analysis highlighted three overarching themes and four subthemes. "Fear of the Future" encompassed subthemes including the fear of infecting a family member, fear of marriage, fear of employment recruitment, and fear of scandals. "Hopelessness" reflected the profound emotional state experienced by patients. "Overcoming Adversity" captured the resilience and strength demonstrated by individuals facing the challenges of living with HIV.

Conclusion: Saudi patients diagnosed with HIV encounter numerous obstacles in their daily lives. The fear of the future, including concerns such as infecting family members, marriage prospects, employment opportunities, and potential social repercussions, significantly impacts their overall well-being. By understanding the lived experience of HIV patients in Saudi Arabia, healthcare providers and policymakers can better support and enhance the quality of life for this population.

Introduction: Studies of older women's life transitions is rare but gains relevance as the aging population, with older women as the majority, expands.

Purpose: To explore the meaning of a good life for older widows with extensive home care needs.

Materials and methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with eleven women, aged 80 and over (82-95 years, mean 90) residing at home with extensive care needs (≥4 daily sessions, averaging 2.5-6 hours, mean 3). Data were analysed by reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: The theme "This Day in My Home, the frame of my life" reflects the women's experience of a good life. A good day imbued them with hope, trust and security, carrying them forward with the assurance that night would usher in a new day. However, there were moments when life was merely about navigating daily challenges. During such days, the women felt trapped in time, unsafe and lonely.

Conclusion: A day at home may seem static, yet it mirrors life's dynamism, evolving with shifting circumstances. Older widows navigate challenges while maintaining their sense of self, independence, and connection to home. These findings have implications for aged care, recognizing the multifaceted aspects of life and the centrality of home.

Purpose: This article describes intensive care nurses` experiences of using communicative caring touch as stroking the patient`s cheek or holding his hand. Our research question: "What do intensive care nurses communicate through caring touch?"

Methods: In this qualitative hermeneutically based study data from two intensive care units at Norwegian hospitals are analysed. Eight specialist nurses shared experiences through individual, semi-structured interviews.

Results: The main theme, Communicating safety and presence has four sub-themes: Amplified presence, Communicating security, trust and care, Creating and confirming relationships and Communicating openness to a deeper conversation. Communicative caring touch is offered from the nurse due to the patient`s needs. Caring touch communicates person-centred care, invites to relationship while respecting the patient's dignity as a fellow human being. Caring touch conveys a human initiative in the highly technology environment.

Conclusion: Caring touch is the silent way to communicate care, hope, strength and humanity to critical sick patients. This article provides evidence for a common, but poorly described phenomenon in intensive care nursing.

Purpose: This paper examines the subjective experience of medical interventions on intersex bodies to reduce cancer risk.

Methods: Twenty-five individuals with intersex variations took part in semi-structured interviews, analysed through thematic discourse analysis.

Results: Intersex bodies were positioned as inherently sick and in need of modification, with cancer risk legitimating surgical and hormonal intervention. This resulted in embodied shame, with negative impacts on fertility and sexual wellbeing. However, many participants resisted discourses of bio-pathologisation and embraced intersex status. Some medical interventions, such as HRT, were perceived to have increased the risk of cancer. Absence of informed consent, and lack of information about intersex status and the consequences of medical intervention, was positioned as a human rights violation. This was compounded by ongoing medical mismanagement, including health care professional lack of understanding of intersex variations, and the objectification or stigmatization of intersex people within healthcare. The consequence was non-disclosure of intersex status in health contexts and lack of trust in health care professionals.

Conclusions: The legitimacy of poorly-evidenced cancer risk discourses to justify medical intervention on intersex bodies needs to be challenged. Healthcare practitioners need to be provided with education and training about cultural safety practices for working with intersex people.

Purpose: To examine patients' experiences of receiving care on an ICU for COVID-19 and the subsequent rehabilitation process.

Methods: An explorative and inductive design was used. Participants were recruited from two university hospitals in Sweden. Patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19 from March 2020 to April 2021, who enrolled in the ICU follow-up, and understood and spoke Swedish were invited to participate. In total, 20 participants completed a semi-structured interview, of whom 18 were included in the thematic analysis.

Results: The analysis resulted in two themes: "An isolated world with silver linings" and "Recovery in the wake of the pandemic". Findings show that patients cared for on an ICU for COVID-19 during the pandemic felt safe but experienced a sense of vulnerability. After discharge, physical rehabilitation was a slow process with frustrating day-to-day fluctuations. Mentally, participants felt isolated, fatigued, and emotionally sensitive. Patients reported that love and support from family and friends were crucial for the recovery process.

Conclusions: This study highlights the challenges of recovering from COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of continued support from health care, public services, family and friends. It provides important insights into patients' experiences and can inform future healthcare strategies and policies.

This article outlines the use of a co-design methodological approach aimed at optimizing perioperative care experiences for ethnically diverse older adults and their family carers. The research involved three phases. In Phase 1, the foundation was established with the formation of a Core Advisory Group comprising key informants, including health consumers. This initial phase focused on forming relationships and conducting a literature review to inform subsequent stages of the research. Phase 2 progressed to data collection, where a qualitative survey on perioperative experiences was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were held with patients, their family carers, and perioperative staff. Phase 3 advanced the co-design process through a workshop involving patients, family carers, perioperative staff, and key stakeholders. Workshop participants collaborated on potential practice changes, proposing strategies for future clinical implementation. While data analysis and reporting for Phases 2 and 3 are forthcoming, the continued involvement of the Core Advisory Group ensures ongoing consensus-building on health consumer needs. This methodology article adopts a prospective stance, with findings to be presented in subsequent scholarly works. Use of this methodology will help to determine how the use of a co-design approach may impact the development of culturally responsive perioperative nursing care for those from ethnically diverse communities.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the experiences of care, psychosocial support, and psychosocial wellbeing among patients treated for COVID-19 in intensive care 12 to 18 months after discharge.

Methods: This study used a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 20 adult patients treated for COVID-19 12 to 18 months after being discharged from a university hospital in Sweden. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Findings: The participants were severely affected by COVID-19 both during the hospital stay and afterwards. They experienced overwhelming fears and uncertainties related to their wellbeing and possibility to recover. The care was described chaotic with staff that were stressed; however, the efforts of the staff during this strenuous circumstance were still positively acknowledged. Difficulties to stay in touch with family and friends due to visiting restrictions affected the patient's psychosocial wellbeing.

Conclusion: Contracting COVID-19 in the beginning of the pandemic was a stressful event. Being seen and heard is of importance as it has the possibility to create a feeling of security and being cared for despite unclarities about treatment and illness trajectory. Accordingly, healthcare staff play an important role for the psychosocial wellbeing of patients treated for COVID-19.

Background: The growing number of lightly or non-sedated patients who are critically ill means that more patients experience the noisy and stressful environment. Live music may create positive and meaningful moments.

Purpose: To explore non-sedated patients' experiences of patient-tailored live music interventions in the intensive care unit.

Design: A qualitative study using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Data were collected at two intensive care units from September 2019 to February 2020 exploring 18 live music interventions performed by music students from The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark.

Methods: Observations of live music interventions followed by patient interviews. All data together were analysed using Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was used.

Results: Five themes emerged: 1) A break from everyday life, 2) A room with beautiful sounds and emotions, 3) Too tired to participate, 4) Knowing the music makes it meaningful and 5) A calm and beautiful moment.

Conclusion: Patient-tailored live music to awake patients is both feasible and acceptable and perceived as a break from every-day life in the ICU.

Implications for practice: Supporting health and well-being by bringing a humanizing resource into the intensive care setting for patients and nurses to enjoy.