When the care giver needs care

Case studies are used to illustrate family dysfunction that can occur when the wife and/or mother who has assumed the role of primary care giver is diagnosed and treated for cancer. These women were treated by the liaison psychiatrist and social workers at a large cancer center. The cases are discussed from a framework of family systems theory. Treatment implications for social workers in health care are also presented.     

Long-term care in the Danish health care system

Because of a declining birth rate and increased life expectancy, emphasis in the Danish health care system has shifted from child care to care of the elderly. The author examines the social, medical, governmental, and financial implications of this shift, focusing on an experimental scheme in the rural community of Skaevinge. By shifting from institutional to community-based services, the Skaevinge project created a new interdisciplinary structure that turned a nursing home into apartments and introduced 24-hour services for the entire community.     

Contraceptive care in the VA health care system

BackgroundLittle is known about contraceptive care within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of documented contraception by race/ethnicity within the VA and to examine the association between receiving primary care in women's health clinics (WHCs) and having a documented contraceptive method.Study DesignWe examined national VA administrative and pharmacy data for 103,950 female veterans aged 18–45 years who made at least one primary care clinic visit in 2008. Multivariable regression models were used to examine the associations between race/ethnicity and receipt of care in a WHC with having a method of contraception while controlling for confounders.ResultsOnly 22% of women veterans had a documented method of contraception during 2008. After adjusting for potential confounders, Hispanic and African–American women were significantly less likely to have a method compared to whites [odds ratio (OR): 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76–0.88 and OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.81–0.89, respectively]. Women who went to WHCs were significantly more likely to have a method of contraception compared to women who went to traditional primary care clinics (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.97–2.14).ConclusionsOverall contraceptive prevalence in the VA is low, but receiving care in a WHC is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of having a contraceptive method.     

Cultural and religious aspects of care in the intensive care unit within the context of patient-centred care

On January 31, 2007, Ontario's Critical Care Strategy hosted a workshop for healthcare providers examining cultural and religious perspectives on patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU). The workshop provided an opportunity for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) to engage service providers and discuss important issues regarding cultural and religious perspectives affecting critical care service delivery in Ontario. While a favourable response to the workshop was anticipated, the truly remarkable degree to which the more than 200 front-line healthcare providers, policy developers, religious and cultural leaders, researchers and academics who were in attendance embraced the need for this type of dialogue to take place suggests that discussion around this and other "difficult" issues related to care in a critical care setting is long overdue. Without exception, the depth of interest in being able to provide patient-centred care in its most holistic sense--that is, respecting all aspects of the patients' needs, including cultural and religious--is a top-of-mind issue for many people involved in the healthcare system, whether at the bedside or the planning table. This article provides an overview of that workshop, the reaction to it, and within that context, examines the need for a broad-based, non-judgmental and respectful approach to designing care delivery in the ICU. The article also addresses these complex and challenging issues while recognizing the constant financial and human resource constraints and the growing demand for care that is exerting tremendous pressure on Ontario's limited critical care resources. Finally, the article also explores the healthcare system's readiness and appetite for an informed, intelligent and respectful debate on the many issues that, while often difficult to address, are at the heart of ensuring excellence in critical care delivery.     

Informal care: the views of people receiving care

Informal care is perceived to be the best option for people who require assistance to look after themselves. National and international studies of informal care have focused on the carer, not on the care provided, or the needs and experiences of the care recipients. In the present study, 55 people receiving informal care (21 males and 24 females, mean age = 67.6) were surveyed to determine the type of assistance that they receive, perceptions of the quality of their care, feelings about being looked after by a carer and their perceptions of the services which would be useful. A random sample of 531 households were selected as part of a larger study into informal care in the west of Ireland. A total of 98 carers were identified and 55 of the people they looked after were well enough to participate in the study. Over two-thirds of carers assisted with household chores (e.g. cleaning, preparing meals and shopping). Other activities which carers assisted with included keeping the person safe from household accidents (62%), personal care (42%), and dressing and undressing (31%). Whilst most were very satisfied with the quality of care, a minority reported dissatisfaction, and stated that their carer showed signs of anger and frustration. Common concerns related to the health of the carer, their safety when the carer is not available and the cost of being cared for. Financial support for the person receiving care and the carer were the main priorities for these individuals. The present study points to a need for greater involvement of care recipients in planning services relating to informal care, and support and access to health professionals for people receiving care. People receiving care are also concerned about the level of financial support for themselves and their carers.     

Difficulties experienced by the patient care team at the intensive care unit

This interpretative case study aimed to identify the difficulties experienced by the patient care team while working at the Intensive Care Unit. Data were collected through participant observation and semistructured interviews with doctors, nurses and nurse's aides. Two major categories emerged from the data analysis: Care delivery in intensive care-- "it is difficult to deal with death and inform the patient's family" and care delivery in intensive care-- "the lack of material resources and the difficulty to work in a team". The difficulties are related to the contact with family members, dealing with death and the lack of material resources, and particularly with the relation between team members. Therefore, teams need to promote opportunities and discussions to reflect on the technical, scientific and ethic aspects of care for critical patients as well as family members, with a view to better care quality and interpersonal relations.     

Spiritual care, pastoral care, and chaplains: trends in the health care literature

This study analyzes trends in the health care literature based on electronic searches of MEDLINE between the years 1980 and 2006. The search terms used were "spiritual care," "pastoral care," and "chaplain.*" The results document an expected surge in the rate of English-language journal articles about spiritual care beginning in the mid 1990s. Although the rate of articles about pastoral care was several times higher than that for spiritual care over much of the study period, there was a steady decline in articles about pastoral care during the past 10 years. These two trends produced a convergence in the rates, so by 2006 the rate of published articles on pastoral care (21.1 per 100,000) was less than twice as high as that on spiritual care (13.3 per 100,000). The rate of articles about chaplains rose moderately but significantly from 9.6 per 100,000 in the years 1980-1982 to 12.2 per 100,000 in the years 2004-2006. Increasing interest in spiritual care was evident in nursing, mental health, and general health care journals, being most pronounced in nursing. Declining interest in pastoral care was also most pronounced in nursing. This article discusses some implications of and responses to these trends.