Search

This essay aims to make a brief comparative analysis of the Southern European countries of Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal with regard to the socio-economic and health effects caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and by the control and mitigation policies implemented by their respective governments. It presents a brief contextualization of the structural characteristics of these socio-economic effects and propagation routes of these effects of COVID-19. It also describes some governmental steps toward mitigation along with control measures during and after the pandemic. The first-order effects can be reflected in an excess mortality rate; for the second-order effects the focus is on young people and non-COVID people; and, finally, third-order effects refer to macroeconomic indicators, such as household consumption and public debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal Health NPEPS is the property of Journal Health NPEPS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Enfermagem Referência is the property of Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Enfermagem Referência is the property of Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Notas Económicas: Revista da Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra is the property of Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Most people would prefer to die at home as opposed to hospital; therefore, understanding mortality patterns by place of death is essential for health resources allocation. Aim: We examined trends and risk factors for hospital death in conditions needing palliative care in a country without integrated palliative care. Design: This is a death certificate study. We examined factors associated with hospital death using logistic regression. Setting/participants: All adults (1,045,381) who died between 2003 and 2012 in Portugal were included. We identified conditions needing palliative care from main causes of death: cancer, heart/cerebrovascular, renal, liver, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases, dementia/Alzheimer's/senility and HIV/AIDS. Results: Conditions needing palliative care were responsible for 70.7% deaths (N = 738,566, median age 80); heart and cerebrovascular diseases (43.9%) and cancer (32.2%) accounted for most. There was a trend towards hospital death (standardised percentage: 56.3% in 2003, 66.7% in 2012; adjusted odds ratio: 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.04). Hospital death risk was higher for those aged 18-39 years (3.46, 3.25-3.69 vs aged 90+), decreasing linearly with age; lower in dementia/Alzheimer's/senility versus cancer (0.13, 0.13-0.13); and higher for the married and in HIV/AIDS (3.31, 3.00-3.66). Effects of gender, working status, weekday and month of death, hospital beds availability, urbanisation level and deprivation were small. Conclusion: The upward hospital death trend and fact that being married are risk factors for hospital death suggest that a reliance on hospitals may coexist with a tradition of extended family support. The sustainability of this model needs to be assessed within the global transition pattern in where people die. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has a strong negative impact on the quality of life of patients. The Psoriatic Arthritis Quality of Life (PsAQoL) questionnaire is a disease-specific instrument developed to measure the quality of life in patients with PsA. The aims of this study were to culturally adapt the questionnaire for Portugal and evaluate its reliability and validity in patients with PsA. The original UK English version of the PsAQoL was translated into Portuguese by a bilingual and lay panel. Structured cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted with ten PsA patients. The Portuguese PsAQoL was subsequently applied to PsA patients followed at the Rheumatology Department of Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, E.P.E. To assess reproducibility, 30 patients with PsA completed the Portuguese PsAQoL on two occasions, 2 weeks apart. A larger sample was recruited to determine internal consistency and construct validity. The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used as a comparator instrument. Translation and adaptation were successful. Cronbach´s alpha for the Portuguese version of the PsAQoL was 0.91 and the test-retest reliability was 0.93. The PsAQoL could distinguish between groups of patients defined by self-reported general health status, self-reported severity of PsA and flare of arthritis. There was a positive correlation between the total score of the PsAQoL and each of the sections of the NHP. The Portuguese version of the PsAQoL was found to be relevant, understandable and easy to complete, reliable and valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jornal de Pediatria is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Outcome measurement plays an increasing role in improving the quality, effectiveness, efficiency and availability of palliative care. Aim: To provide expert recommendations on outcome measurement in palliative care in clinical practice and research. Methods: Developed by a European Association for Palliative Care Task Force, based on literature searches, international expert workshop, development of outcome measurement guidance and international online survey. A subgroup drafted a first version and circulated it twice to the task force. The preliminary final version was circulated to wider expert panel and 28 international experts across 20 European Association for Palliative Care member associations and the European Association for Palliative Care Board of Directors and revised according to their feedback. The final version was approved by the European Association for Palliative Care Board for adoption as an official European Association for Palliative Care position paper. Results: In all, 12 recommendations are proposed covering key parameters of measures, adequate measures for the task, introduction of outcome measurement into practice, and national and international outcome comparisons and benchmarking. Compared to other recommendations, the White Paper covers similar aspects but focuses more on outcome measurement in clinical care and the wider policy impact of implementing outcome measurement in clinical palliative care. Patient-reported outcome measure feedback improves awareness of unmet need and allows professionals to act to address patients’ needs. However, barriers and facilitators have been identified when implementing outcome measurement in clinical care that should be addressed. Conclusion: The White Paper recommends the introduction of outcome measurement into practice and outcomes that allow for national and international comparisons. Outcome measurement is key to understanding different models of care across countries and, ultimately, patient outcome having controlled for differing patients characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Enfermagem Referência is the property of Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Background: Patients’ falls are the most commonly reported safety incident in hospitals. Falls have clear consequences on the patient, family and health professionals. Prevention interventions should be prescribed based on each patient’s fall risk assessment. This assessment may be performed using scales such as the Morse Fall Scale (MFS). Despite being used in several hospitals, this scale was never formally validated until now. Objectives: To assess the degree of reproducibility of the MFS in hospital settings and examine its validity through correlations with other measuring instruments. Methodology: The study was conducted in two hospitals in the Lisbon area using a sample composed of 120 nurses, who applied the MFS to 200 patients. Each patient was assessed three times with the MFS by three different nurses. A total of 600 assessments were performed. Results: The Portuguese version is semantically and culturally equivalent to the original, with good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.838 and interobserver agreement between 0.615 and 0.964, assessed using the mean kappa coefficient) and satisfactory convergent validity. Conclusion: The Portuguese version is recommended for use in hospital context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In an international context of cost reduction, it is necessary to measure nursing outcomes with reliable and valid instruments to produce indicators of effectiveness, improve the quality of care and ensure accountability. Aim: To validate the International Resident Assessment Instrument - Acute Care (InterRAI-AC) for the Portuguese population. Methodology: Longitudinal, descriptive and correlational study. Data were collected between March and July 2012 by nurses of 26 medical and surgical services of four hospitals in the Central Region of Portugal. The sample was composed of 1764 patients hospitalized for a period equal to or greater than three days. All ethical procedures were observed. Results: The instrument has proved to be valid and reliable, and can be used to obtain data for different purposes: quality indicators; care planning; evidence base for decision-making, among others. Conclusion: The main barrier identified was the time required for its completion, but it proved to be a key tool in the process of collecting information on patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Reumatológica Portuguesa is the property of Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The need to obtain efficiency gains and to focus practice on obtaining value has influenced research in the area of nursing environment and nursing outcomes. The conclusions reached in those studies highlight the need for better nurse/patient ratios, better qualified nurses, and greater involvement of nurses in decision-making and in clinical management, which will lead to increased levels of productivity and satisfaction and, consequently, better patient outcomes and better organization. The study and creation of favourable practice environments may play a fundamental role on that. Practice environments have been studied since the 1980s (Lake, 2002) with the aim of better understanding their effect on nursing professionals and on patient outcomes. More recently, focus has also been put on their connection to patient safety. Aim: To translate and validate the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) for producing a Portuguese version of the scale ready to be used for the assessment of nursing practice environments in Portugal. Methodology: Translation, cultural validation and back-translation were achieved with the collaboration of a group of nurses and nursing teachers. The psychometric validation of the Portuguese version was reached by extracting the principal components using a varimax rotation (construct validity). The analysis of the criterion validity was carried out through correlation using Barton's Job Satisfaction Scale and scale reliability was assessed through the analysis of internal consistency using Cronbach's Alpha. An electronic version of the instrument was created and given to a sample of nurses who were members of the National Board for Nursing and who were invited to fill out the scale via email. A total of 418 responses were received. Results: The analysis identified an eight-factor solution which, following a deeper semantic analysis resulted in seven subscales. The scale's global internal consistency was 0.892, with the subscales' alpha varying from 0.693 to 0.822 Conclusions: The results obtained shows that the Portuguese version of the PES-NWI is useful in assessing nursing practice environments. Implementing this scale, it is possible to identify the environments in an organization which are more favourable to the quality of the service provided and of nursing care, as well as their correlations with patient outcomes. By using its subscales it is possible to identify the areas where improvements can be initiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]