Palliative care in the pre-hospital service in Brazil: experiences of health professionals

Background An integrated care network between emergency, specialized and primary care services can prevent repeated hospitalizations and the institutionalized death of terminally ill patients in palliative care (PC). To identify the perception of health professionals regarding the concept of PC and their care experiences with this type of patient in a pre-hospital care (PHC) service in Brazil. Methods Study with a qualitative approach, of interpretative nature, based on the perspective of Ricoeur’s Dialectical Hermeneutics. Results Three central themes emerged out of the professionals’ speeches: (1) unpreparedness of the team, (2) decision making, and (3) dysthanasia. Conclusions It is necessary to invest in professional training associated with PC in the home context and its principles, such as: affirming life and considering death as a normal process not rushing or postponing death; integrating the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient and family care, including grief counseling and improved quality of life, adopting a specific policy for PC that involves all levels of care, including PHC, and adopt a unified information system, as well as more effective procedures that favor the respect for the patients’ will, without generating dissatisfaction to the team and the family.

Exclusive breastfeeding and professionals from the family health strategy

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the perception of health professionals about exclusive breastfeeding in Family Health Strategy units in the city of Macaé. Methods: qualitative study carried out in four units of the Family Health Strategy in the city of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro. Thirty health professionals were interviewed from March to May 2019. Textual contents were processed in the IRaMuTeQ® software by the Descending Hierarchical Classification. Results: professionals use different strategies for actions to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in prenatal consultations, but social and cultural determinants are important issues that interfere in this process, the involvement of the family being essential for the success of this practice. Final Considerations: health professionals, including nurses, need training and qualification to strengthen the support and social network of pregnant women and insert the family in the different strategies used to improve adherence to exclusive breastfeeding.

Understanding the Interactions of Happiness, Self-Rated Health, Mental Feelings, Habit of Eating Healthy and Sport/Activities: A Path Model for Abu Dhabi

Understanding the interactions between happiness, self-perception of health, healthy eating behaviors, physical activities, and psychological feelings or symptoms of mental health provides necessary inputs for social policymaking. Using data from the second cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey, this study examined a path analysis of Abu Dhabi residents’ nature of assimilations between these variables. The results point to the significant association between happiness and self-rated health. In addition, the results portray significant direct paths to happiness from three mental feeling variables—"feeling calm and peaceful”, “having lots of energy”, and “feeling downhearted and depressed”. The variable of “often feeling rushed or pressed for time” shows a direct path to self-rated health only. Eating healthy food is significantly associated with both happiness and self-perception of health. In addition, “often doing physical activities” positively influences happiness. The present study enhances and refines policymakers’ understanding of the considered factors on happiness and self-rated health with further elaborations of the mediating roles of specific well-being determinants. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Elderly and Senile Chronic Constipation: an Expert Consensus

Aim. An appraisal of practitioners with chronic constipation management details in older and senile adults.Key points. Chronic constipation is a common issue in geriatrics. Aside to age-related physiological bowel disfunction, a higher constipation incidence is conditioned by declined physical activity and frailty, polypharmacy and a series of secondary constipation-developing chronic states and diseases. Chronic constipation is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and complications, impaired general perception of health and pain, growing alarm and depression, and reduced quality of life. The treatment tactics in chronic constipation is cause-conditioned and should account for the patient’s history and therapy line, overall clinical condition, cognitive status and functional activity level. An essential baseline aspect of constipation management is apprising the patient and his family of the underlying factors and methods for non-drug and drug correction. An higher-fibre diet is recommended as first measure, with osmotic laxatives added and titrated to clinical response if none observed towards the non-drug and high-fibre regimens. Stimulant laxatives and prokinetics should be recommended in patients reluctant to fibre supplements and osmotic laxatives. Subsidiary correction includes biofeedback, transanal irrigation, acupuncture, foot reflexology and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation.Conclusion. Elderly and senile chronic constipation is a prevalent multifactorial state requiring an efficient management via assessment and correction of total risk factors and consistent use of non-medication and drug therapies.

Perception of Health Care Worker about Uptake of Influenza Vaccine in COVID-19 Era

Background: Considering the important role of health workers in increasing seasonal influenza vaccination coverage and the similarity of seasonal influenza to COVID -19, it is important to increase vaccination rates to reduce the risk of both diseases. Objective: In this study, we aim to investigate how health workers perceive the importance of influenza vaccination, especially in the era of COVID -19. Results: The study involved 316 health workers from Abha in 2021, most of them were physicians, male and young. Participants agreed that influenza can be a serious illness and that the vaccine is very safe. Most HCWs would have preferred to inform their patients about the vaccine. This result changes if the patient disagrees with the COVID -19 vaccine. Conclusion: Despite the low rate of seasonal influenza vaccination, there is a need to recruit health workers to increase this rate, especially in the Covid 19 era.

Level of physical activity and quality of life associated with health in Paraguay adults

Studies have shown that the performance of scheduled physical activity is positively related to a higher quality of life related to health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of physical activity according to the quality of life in the adult population of Paraguay in the period from November to December 2020. A descriptive, analytical cross-sectional design study, which included 211 adults of both sexes. Sociodemographic data such as age, sex and origin were collected, as well as data on physical activity (IPAQ/METS questionnaire) and quality of life (EuroQol-5D questionnaire). The predominant sex was female (89%), 53.5% resided in Gran Asunción and the average age was 34.6±10.6. The level of physical activity was mostly moderate (36.5%). The quality of life index was 0.67±0.15 and the perception of health was 79.12±18.35. Within the dimensions of quality of life, it was observed that 23% had moderate pain or discomfort and that 33% had moderate depression or anxiety. Significant differences were found between the level of physical activity and the quality of life index and the perception of health. The level of physical activity is a determinant of health-related quality of life, the greater the intensity of physical activity, the better the quality and perception of health indices in adults.

Quality of life in people with Type 2 diabetes; a study in a multi-ethnic clinical trial population

Background: The long-term burden of self-management in type 2 diabetes can impact quality of life. Aims: To examine associations between demographic and clinical factors, anxiety/depression and perception of health in people with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Retrospective analyses of anonymised data from completed clinical trials provided by the diabetes subsection of Virtual International Cardiovascular and Cognitive Trials Archive (VICCTA). Data on demographics, polypharmacy, HbA1c, anxiety/depression (EQ-5D-3L) and perception of health (EQ-5D-3L VAS) were extracted. Regression analyses explored associations amongst polypharmacy, HbA1c and quality of life (anxiety/depression and health perception) at baseline. Results: In 2783 participants with type 2 diabetes (median age 66 years (IQR 61–70), n=1,595 (57%) male), female sex and Caucasian/European ethnicity were each associated with increased anxiety/depression and lower EQ-5D-3L VAS scores. Following adjustment for covariates, each additional prescribed medication was associated with increased anxiety/depression: OR 1.09 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.14; p<0.001) and lower VAS scores: B= −1.06 (95% CI −1.37 to −0.75, p<0.001)). Conclusion: Demographic factors and polypharmacy are associated with anxiety/depression and lower health perception.