Encounters between medical specialists and patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms; influences of communication on patient outcomes and use of health care: a literature overview.

Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) burden patients and health services due to large quantities of consultations and medical interventions. The aim of this study is to determine which elements of communication in non-psychiatric specialist MUPS care influence health outcomes. Systematic search in PubMed, PsycINFO and Embase.

Cancer genetic counseling: communication and counselees' post-visit satisfaction, cognitions, anxiety, and needs fulfillment.

Little is known about the relation between communication during cancer genetic counseling and outcome. We assessed associations between counselor-counselee communication and counselee satisfaction, cognitions, anxiety, and fulfillment of major needs, corrected for pre-visit levels as appropriate. In total 171 consecutive new counselees, mainly referred for breast or colon cancer, received pre- and post-visit questionnaires assessing needs/fulfillment, knowledge, perceived control (PPC), anxiety (STAI), and satisfaction.

Nursing assistants' behaviour during morning care: effects of the implementation of snoezelen, integrated in 24-hour dementia care.

Aim: This paper reports an investigation of the effects of the implementation of snoezelen, or multisensory stimulation, on the quality of nursing assistants' behaviour during morning care.

Background: Nursing assistants in long-term dementia care are often unaware of the impact of their behaviour on patient functioning. Snoezelen is a psychosocial intervention that might improve the quality of caregiver behaviour by combining a person-centred approach with the integration of sensory stimuli.

The perceived personal control (PPC) questionnaire as an outcome of genetic counseling: reliability and validity of the instrument.

The perceived personal control (PPC) questionnaire was developed by Berkenstadt and colleagues as an outcome measure for the evaluation of the process of genetic counseling. The present study aimed to further assess the psychometric properties of a Dutch version of the instrument. Data were used from two samples.

The effects of the implementation of snoezelen on the quality of working life in psychogeriatric care.

Background: Dementia among nursing home residents is often accompanied by high care dependency and behavioral disturbances, resulting in an increased workload for the caregivers. Snoezelen, integrated into 24-hour dementia care, is an approach that might improve the quality of working life of dementia caregivers. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of integrated snoezelen on work-related outcomes (workload and psychological outcomes) of caregivers in psychogeriatric nursing homes.

Effects of snoezelen, integrated in 24 h dementia care, on nurse-patient communication during morning care.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of snoezelen, integrated in 24-hour care, on the communication of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and demented nursing home residents during morning care.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was conducted, comparing sic psychogeriatric wards, that implemented snoezelen, to six control wards, that continued in giving usual care. Measurements were performed at baseline and 18 months after a training 'snoezelen for caregivers'.

Tailoring communication in cancer genetic counseling through individual video-supported feedback: a controlled pretest-posttest design.

Objectives: To assess the influence of a 1-day individual video-feedback training for cancer genetic counselors on the interaction during initial visits. Feedback was intended to help counselors make counselees' needs more explicit and increase counselors' sensitivity to these.

Methods: In total 158 counselees, mainly referred for breast or colon cancer and visiting 1 of 10 counselors, received a pre- and post-visit questionnaire assessing needs (fulfillment).

Initial cancer genetic counseling consultation: change in counselees' cognitions and anxiety, and association with addressing their needs and preferences.

The fulfillment of counselees' expectations in cancer genetic counseling and how this affects the outcome of counseling have received little attention so far. This study investigates how the initial consultation influences counselees' cognitions and anxiety, whether counselors address counselees' prior needs and preferences during the visit, and whether addressing needs is associated with a more positive outcome of the visit. One hundred twenty-eight affected and unaffected counselees from families with no known mutation, who were seen by one of fourteen counselors, participated.

Behavioral and mood effects of snoezelen integrated into 24-hour dementia care.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of snoezelen, integrated in 24-hour daily care, on the behavior and mood of demented nursing home residents.

Design: Quasiexperimental pre- and posttest design.

Setting: Twelve psychogeriatric wards of six nursing homes, spread over different parts of the Netherlands.

The implementation of snoezelen in psychogeriatric care: an evaluation through the eyes of caregivers.

Many intervention studies lack an investigation of the extent to which the intervention was implemented as intended, which makes outcome measures difficult to interpret. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the implementation process of snoezelen in 24-h dementia care. The intervention in each of six experimental wards comprised training sessions in 'snoezelen for caregivers', evaluated using a questionnaire.