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Enquadramento: A avaliação do empowerment poderá ser um indicador determinante para a obtenção de ganhos em saúde. Objetivos: Construir e validar uma escala de empowerment individual no contexto da pessoa com doença crónica. Metodologia: O instrumento foi construído e aplicado a uma amostra de conveniência de 271 pessoas com doença crónica, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 65 anos residentes em Lisboa. Para avaliar as propriedades métricas da escala recorreu-se à validação da fiabilidade do instrumento. Resultados: Obteve-se uma escala de 25 itens com 7 dimensões: Autoperceção; Participação nas decisões em saúde; Mestria; Determinação; Identidade; Autonomia e poder; Relação com os profissionais de saúde. A análise fatorial (componentes principais-Varimax) revelou que os que os 25 itens se organizaram em 7 fatores com uma variância explicada total de 65,28% e alfa de Cronbach total de 0,803. Conclusão: A criação de uma medida válida e fiável de empowerment no contexto da doença crónica poderá ajudará os profissionais de saúde a explorar o impacto deste resultado na autogestão dos regimes terapêuticos.

Background: The assessment of empowerment can contribute to obtaining gains in health. Objectives: To develop and validate a scale for assessing the individual empowerment of chronically ill people. Methodology: The instrument was developed and applied to a convenience sample of 271 chronically ill people, between 18 and 65 years old, residing in Lisbon. The validation of the reliability of the instrument was carried out to assess the metric properties of the scale. Results: A 25-item scale was developed with 7 dimensions: Self-perception, Participation in health-related decisions, Mastery, Determination, Identity, Autonomy and power, and Relationship with health professionals. The factor analysis (principal components analysis with Varimax rotation) revealed that the 25 items were organized into seven factors with a total variance explained of 65.28% and a total Cronbach's alpha of 0.803. Conclusion: The creation of a valid and reliable measure of the empowerment of chronically ill people may assist health professionals in exploring the impact of this outcome on treatment regimen self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apesar dos problemas e dos riscos associados à Confusão Aguda (CA), a literatura sugere grandes dificuldades no seu diagnóstico, por parte dos profissionais de saúde, nomeadamente, pelos enfermeiros. O uso de instrumentos de avaliação que, através da aplicação de critérios, permitam uma avaliação rigorosa sistematizada e que conduza a níveis de detecção mais eficazes, torna-se necessário. Com este estudo pretendeu-se traduzir e validar uma escala capaz de diagnosticar a CA de forma a promover a saúde e segurança do doente confuso. Após uma revisão sistemática da literatura optou-se pelo uso da escala NEECHAM Confusion Scale. O processo de tradução utilizado baseou-se no método recomendado pela International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Após a utilização da NEECHAM Confusion Scale observou-se uma elevada consistência interna (Alpha Cronbach=0,913), uma boa correlação com os scores da Escala de Glasgow (r=0,866 p=0,000) e divisão da escala em duas dimensões pela análise das cargas factoriais e pela análise da rotação varimax. Sugerimos e defendemos a importância da utilização da NEECHAM, associada a formação sobre o fenómeno, o que permitirá produzir melhores índices de reconhecimento, ao mesmo tempo que permitirá a validação de intervenções adequadas ao doente confuso.A pesar de los problemas y de los riesgos asociados a la Confusión Aguda (CA), la literatura sugiere grandes dificultades en su diagnóstico, por parte de los profesionales de salud, en particular por parte de los enfermeros. El uso de instrumentos de evaluación que, mediante la aplicación de criterios, permitan una evaluación rigurosa sistematizada y que conduzca a niveles de detección más eficaces es una necesidad. Con este estudio se pretendió traducir y validar una escala capaz de diagnosticar la CA de forma a promover la salud y la seguridad del enfermo con delirium. Tras una revisión sistemática de la literatura se optó por el uso de la escala NEECHAM Confusion Scale. El proceso de traducción utilizado se basó en el método recomendado por la International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Tras la utilización de la NEECHAM Confusion Scale se observó una elevada consistencia interna (Alpha Cronbach=0,913), una buena correlación entre los resultados de la Escala de Glasgow (r=0,866 p=0,000) y división de la escala en dos dimensiones por el análisis de las cargas factoriales y por el análisis de la rotación varimax. Sugerimos y defendemos la importancia de la utilización de la NEECHAM, asociada a formación sobre el fenómeno, lo que permitirá producir mejores índices de reconocimiento, al mismo tiempo que permitirá la validación de intervenciones adecuadas al enfermo con delirium.In spite of the problems and risks associated with acute confusion (AC), studies suggest low rates of recognition by healthcare providers. The use of scales capable of evaluating the phenomenon allows a more systematic and accurate evaluation and establishment of criteria leading to a more efficient detection of AC. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a scale capable of diagnosing AC, in order to promote the healthcare and safety of confused patients. After the scales sistematic review literature, the NEECHAM Confusion Scale was selected. The translation process was based in the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) method. High levels of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha=0,913), good correlation with the Glasgow Scale (r=0,866 p=0,000) were observed after the scale’s use. The division of the scale into two dimensions was observed after analysis of the factor loadings and varimax rotation. We suggest and support the importance of the use of the NEECHAM, associated to education about the phenomenon, will allow the improvement of recognition rates and will also allow the validation of interventions focused on the confused patient.

Background: Pain is usually present in critically ill patients, with an impact on their overall health status. For this reason, pain management is essential, involving pain assessment, observation and treatment using appropriate assessment scales/indicators for identifying pain intensity and assessing the effectiveness of the interventions. Objective: To identify the scales/indicators to be used for assessing pain in critically ill patients. Methodology: Integrative literature review through the search for published and gray literature in the MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Results: We found 34 documents, and selected 7 final documents for data extraction and analysis. Conclusion: The BPS, BPAS and CPOT are considered to be the most suitable pain assessment instruments for critically ill patients. The pain indicators found were pupil diameter variation, ventilator asynchrony, restlessness and body movements, facial expressions and vocalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical framework: Coping with death allows dealing with death on a daily basis and is a key measure to assess the impact of professional training on the topic. Objectives: To translate and validate the Coping with Death Scale (Bugen, 1980-81) into Portuguese among Portuguese nurses. Methodology: Exploratory study of translation/back-translation, followed by psychometric analysis in a sample of 107 nurses working in oncology services. Results: The scale showed high internal consistency (α = 0.89). Following the study on validity, four items from the original version were deleted, and the two-factor solution was maintained (coping with one’s own death and coping with the death of others). No gender differences were found. Nurses with training in palliative care had higher levels of coping. Conclusion: The Portuguese version is useful to understand how healthcare professionals cope with death and assess the effectiveness of training in coping with death and dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accidental falls remain the most reported incidents in hospital settings. This is a quality and safety issue for the patient which needs to be addressed by the hospital organisation. Nurses need to assess the risk of falling using scales. However, nurses are sometimes unsure of what is the most appropriate tool. Objective: To provide information on the two most commonly used scales for assessing the risk of falling, i.e., the St Thomas’s Risk Assessment Tool in Falling Elderly Inpatients (STRATIFY) and the Morse Fall Scale (MFS). Main topics for analysis: The fall risk assessment tools which were the subject of more systematic reviews and prospective validation in two or more cohorts, with appropriate tests to predict their validity, were analysed. The review concluded that both scales identify patients who are at risk of falling based on their intrinsic or clinical characteristics. Conclusion: Hospitals should use scales which have already been developed and tested for data comparison. These scales should be culturally and linguistically adapted, and validated for the Portuguese language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accidental falls remain the most reported incidents in hospital settings. This is a quality and safety issue for the patient which needs to be addressed by the hospital organisation. Nurses need to assess the risk of falling using scales. However, nurses are sometimes unsure of what is the most appropriate tool. Objective: To provide information on the two most commonly used scales for assessing the risk of falling, i.e., the St Thomas’s Risk Assessment Tool in Falling Elderly Inpatients (STRATIFY) and the Morse Fall Scale (MFS). Main topics for analysis: The fall risk assessment tools which were the subject of more systematic reviews and prospective validation in two or more cohorts, with appropriate tests to predict their validity, were analysed. The review concluded that both scales identify patients who are at risk of falling based on their intrinsic or clinical characteristics. Conclusion: Hospitals should use scales which have already been developed and tested for data comparison. These scales should be culturally and linguistically adapted, and validated for the Portuguese language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be successful, organizations must institute processes that guarantee self-reflection and self-evaluation. Evaluation of schools must be understood as a process that aims to submit the school to a deep analysis, with the intention of introducing improvements in all aspects of its functioning. The data collected must allow identification of what the school already does well and the weaker areas to be improved. With regard to the importance of quality evaluation in Coimbra's Nursing School (ESEnfC), we have validated some of the opinion scales used to survey the quality teaching-learning process. The results suggest that the scales can be considered satisfactory for gathering that information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of patient satisfaction with care received during hospitalization continues to be necessary for healthcare organizations. However, there are still few instruments which allow evaluation of this satisfaction in the Portuguese population. The aim of the current paper is to contribute to the validation and use of the EORTC IN-PATSAT 32 in the Portuguese population. The questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample 254 cancer patients on the day of hospital discharge from a surgical unit at a national oncology centre. The results confirm the high internal consistency of the total scale and each of its dimensions, and the robustness of its construction, and this allows us to affirm its validity and reliability. We also highlight the fact that patients were satisfied with the care received during hospitalization, and that no relationship was found between patient satisfaction, length of hospitalization and various socio-demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]