Awareness of Oral Disorders Among Community-Dwelling Elderly Spaniards

Introduction: Oral status has a clear impact on systemic health, a key component of successful aging. Awareness of oral disorders permits early diagnoses and treatments. This study investigates oral disorders awareness among community-dwelling elders. Methods: Community-based survey through face-to-face interviews undertaken in four cities at busy commercial and administrative areas. Results: A total of 789 people were recruited, mostly nonsmoker (60.3%) males (56.9%) with basic education (65.6%). The most frequently recalled disorder was bruxism, followed by periodontal diseases and ulcerations/aphthae. Caries was mentioned by 3.91%. Dentate participants were more aware of dental-related disorders, such as bruxism ( p = .001) and periodontitis ( p = .010), except for caries ( p = .100). Caries awareness was related to educational level ( p = .018) and smoking ( p = .020), as was oral cancer ( p = .019) with former smokers more aware of this neoplasm. Education was strongly related with periodontal awareness ( p = .001). Conclusion: Awareness of the main oral disorders is worryingly poor among the elderly population and immediate action is required by taking advantage of the position of family nurses in the treatment of systemic chronic disorders and through educational interventions on this population subgroup to ease preventive behaviors, favor early diagnoses, and promote simpler, more effective treatments with a lower financial burden.

Good death and bereavement in a lung cancer patient following meaning-centered couples psychotherapy by a cancer nursing specialist

Objective There are many terminally ill cancer patients who are struggling with the meaning of life, but it cannot be said that their concerns are being adequately addressed. Method From a series of cancer patients undergoing end-of-life care, the case of a patient, who developed incurable lung cancer and, together with his wife, lost the meaning of life and underwent meaning-centered couples psychotherapy once every two weeks to have them consider the meaning of life together, is presented. Results The patient was a 70-year-old man who had been diagnosed with lung cancer and pleural dissemination 14 months earlier. The meaning-centered psychotherapy (MCP) sessions were conducted with the patient and his 70-year-old wife by a cancer nursing specialist who had received extensive training in MCP and had also received 7-year on-going supervision from a Japanese MCP-enlightened psychologist. At the same time, palliative treatment of physical distress was performed. The patient was able to discover the meaning of life as a result of MCP performed by a cancer nursing specialist for him and his spouse who had lost any notion of the meaning of life after being informed that he had terminal cancer at the time of the initial diagnosis. Significance of results Meaning-centered psychotherapy provided to terminal cancer patients by cancer nurses can help patients and their families express their gratitude, thereby achieving a good death for the bereaved family. Nurses are likely to increasingly perform MCP in the future.

Learning needs of health visitors and family nurses in the care of preterm infants in Scotland

In Scotland and across the UK, health visitors and family nurses provide ongoing assessment and care for the preterm infant and their family following discharge from hospital. This study demonstrates that health professionals in Scotland feel underprepared for this responsibility and that the causes of are multifaceted. Practitioners highlight areas of concern that will guide educational providers to consider amendments to their curricula or provision of continuing professional development.

Family and Social Variables Associated with Family Health

The current study examined the interrelationships among potentially relevant family and social factors associated with family health. A cross-sectional study was conducted by collecting demographic information from 432 families, including family typology, family life cycle (FLC), and social status as well as social support and stressful life events (SLEs), with self-perception of family health being measured as a dependent variable. Descriptive analysis of the sample and univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Multivariate analyses showed that the FLC stage of families as launching centers, lower educational level of household heads, and impact of SLEs were negatively associated with family health, whereas adequate perceived social support and the number of close friends and relatives were positively associated with family health. Therefore, these factors must be considered by family nurses to promote family health and prevent family dysfunction.

Family Nursing Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic can affect the health of a family. One of the effects is the change in interaction and communication patterns within a family. Nurses are required to have a perspective on family care needs, so indirectly the role of nurses to provide family care, communication and interaction must be well established. Communication is needed to build family resilience in responding to COVID-19. A literature review was conducted using electronic databases such as ProQuest and Pubmed. The search identified 9 relevant articles on family nursing care; while 2 articles address the main topic, 7 articles and 1 book were considered as supporting data. Family nursing care implements a component such as communication or conversation between nurses and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies emphasize the importance of family nursing care during the pandemic, and stress the need for the nurse to understand and incorporate individual family circumstances into the discussion. This will allow them to help promote the optimal family functioning and protect the health of family members. Keywords: family, household, nursing care, COVID-19 pandemic

THE PRIORITY DIRECTIONS OF INTEGRATION OF OBSTETRICAL AND GYNECOLOGICAL CARE TO THE FEMALE POPULATION OF UKRAINE AT THE PRIMARY LEVEL

The aim: To determine the priority directions for the integration of obstetric and gynecological care for the female population of Ukraine to the primary level of its provision. Materials and methods: Sociological, statistical and bibliosemantic methods were used in the research. The systematic approach was the methodological basis of the study. 79 health care providers, 127 family doctors, 92 doctors of obstetrics and gynecology, and 248 women of reproductive age were interviewed as experts using a special questionnaire. Results: Some priority management and organizational measures that need to be carried out for the effective integration of obstetric and gynecological care to the female population of Ukraine at the primary level of its provision were identified in the research. They include, first of all, the training of family physicians and family nurses to provide medical services to the female population and the coordination of primary care and specialized obstetric and gynecological services. Conclusions: The priority of application of management and organizational measures for the effective integration of obstetric and gynecological care to the female population of Ukraine to the primary level of its provision was determined by an expert way.

The scope of expected nursing advice in primary health care from the patients’ perspective: a qualitative study

Introduction. Nurses’ entitlement to write prescriptions and to provide nursing advice in primary health care can improve the quality of these services. In the process of ensuring the quality of healthcare, the desirable element of its assessment is the patient’s perspective, taking into account his expectations.Aim. Determining the scope of expected nursing advice and learning the opinions of patients regarding the writing of prescriptions by family nurses.Material and methods. A qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview with 37 patients under the care of eight primary health care outpatient clinics from the Podlaskie Voivodeship.Results. The scope of advice expected from a family nurse concerns: dealing with a health problem, lifestyle and prevention, the scope of family nurse care and the operation of the healthcare system. Writing prescriptions by family nurses can improve the functioning of primary health care.Conclusions. Nursing advice perceived by patients is in line with the competences of the family nurse. Opinions on the entitlement of the family nurse to write prescriptions and prescribing medicines vary.