Palliative needs and illness trajectory associated with metastatic upper gastrointestinal cancer.

Introduction: Patients suffering from metastatic upper gastrointestinal cancer are burdened by physical, social, existential and psychological problems, though documentation of these problems may be insufficient. In Denmark, basic palliative care is fragmented and characterised by quality differences. This challenges cohesive palliative care interventions as patients experience transitions in the course of illness.

Establishment of a nurse-led clinic for late complications after colorectal and anal cancer surgery: a descriptive study.

Purpose: Survival rates after colorectal and anal cancer are increasing and more patients have late complications to treatment. This represents a clinical field under development, and we have established a specialized clinic for late complications after colorectal and anal cancer. With this paper, we want to give our experiences and present the organizational setup with a nurse as the primary contact person.

Motivators for physical activity in patients with minor stroke: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for stroke. However, to encourage physical activity after stroke, it is important to know what motivates the patients. We aimed to explore possible motivators and barriers for physical activity in patients discharged after minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Experiences of Patients Undergoing Bowel Preparation and Colonoscopy: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Colonoscopy remains the reference standard for diagnosing and monitoring colorectal cancer and for diagnosis and surveillance of inflammatory bowel disease. However, there is a limited knowledge of the patients' needs when undergoing colonoscopy and the challenges within in order to reduce the number of cancelled colonoscopies. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of undergoing bowel preparation and colonoscopy.

Association between women's age and stage, morphology, and implantation of the competent blastocyst: a multicenter cohort study.

Objective: To study if the age of women undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment associates with stage, morphology, and implantation of the competent blastocyst.

Design: Multicenter historical cohort study based on exposure (age) and outcome data (blastocyst stage and morphology and initial human chorionic gonadotrophin [hCG] rise) from women undergoing single blastocyst transfer resulting in singleton pregnancy/birth.

Setting: Sixteen private and university-based facilities.

Patients' experiences of abdominal exercises after stoma surgery: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Abdominal exercises are being advocated after stoma surgery and investigated in clinical research. Little is known about the patients' perspective of doing abdominal exercises in the first three months after getting a stoma. The aim of this study was to explore patients' experiences with and attitudes toward abdominal exercises after stoma surgery.

Smoking cessation prolongs survival in female cancer survivors - the Danish nurse cohort.

Purpose: To explore smoking cessation between cancer survivors and cancer-free women, and the potential survival benefits from smoking cessation in cancer surviving women.

Method: We pooled 46,334 responses from the Danish Nurse Cohort. The cohort consists of female nurses, who were invited for surveys in 1993, 1999 and 2009.

Evaluation of abdominal exercises after stoma surgery: a descriptive study.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of exercises for the abdominal muscles in patients after colostomy or ileostomy formation on the following parameters: muscle activity, pain, discomfort, and difficulty of performing the exercises.

Materials And Methods: Patients with a new stoma were divided into groups based on time after surgery: Early group, 0-2 weeks ( = 12); Intermediate group, 2-6 weeks ( = 15); and Late group, 6-12 weeks ( = 10). During a single individual test session, participants in each group performed a different set of 10-11 abdominal coordination and strengthening exercises for the abdominal muscles.

Joint tobacco smoking and alcohol intake exacerbates cancer risk in women- the Danish nurse cohort.

Purpose: To explore separate and combined tobacco and alcohol use and risk of overall, smoking-related, alcohol-related, breast and gynecological cancers in women.

Method: Questionnaires from 19,898 women in The Danish Nurse Cohort in 1993 were linked to registries on hospitalizations, death causes and migration until Dec 2016. Cancer risk by tobacco and alcohol was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models.

Living with a parastomal bulge - patients' experiences of symptoms.

Aims And Objectives: To investigate experienced symptoms of parastomal bulging in relation to an ileostomy or colostomy.

Background: Parastomal bulging is a common complication of stoma formation that can affect patients' physical, psychological and social function. Symptom burdens reported by health professionals vary from asymptomatic to high symptom load; however, patients' experiences of symptoms are lacking.

The Patient-Healthcare Professional Relationship and Communication in the Oncology Outpatient Setting: A Systematic Review.

Background: Today, cancer care and treatment primarily take place in an outpatient setting where encounters between patients and healthcare professionals are often brief.

Objective: The aim of this study was to summarize the literature of adult patients' experiences of and need for relationships and communication with healthcare professionals during chemotherapy in the oncology outpatient setting.

Methods: The systematic literature review was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework, and a systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, and Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence Based Practice Database.

Constipation is casting a shadow over everyday life - a systematic review on older people's experience of living with constipation.

Aims And Objectives: To explore and summarise best evidence of how constipation affects the daily living of older people from their own perspective. Furthermore, to assess how interventions aimed at treating constipation in older people affect patient-reported outcome such as quality of life.

Background: Constipation is a common and overlooked problem with an impact on everyday life, especially among older people.

Translation of questionnaires measuring health related quality of life is not standardized: a literature based research study.

Introduction: There is growing awareness of the need to explore patient reported outcomes in clinical trials. In the Scandinavian Surgical Outcomes Research Group we are conducting several clinical trials in cooperation between Danish and Swedish surgical researchers, and we use questionnaires aimed at patients from both countries. In relation to this and similar international cooperation, the validity and reliability of translated questionnaires are central aspects.

[One in five surgeons do not wash hands after visiting a toilet - an ethnographic field study].

Introduction: Non-compliance with regard to hand hygiene is a major problem in the health-care system especially among surgeons and anaesthetists. The purpose of this study was to examine the hand hygiene routines after toilet visits among participants attending an international surgical congress.

Methods: An observational study was conducted at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2012 and at the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Congress 2012 as comparison.

Number of published randomized controlled multi center trials testing pharmacological interventions or devices is increasing in both medical and surgical specialties.

Background: In general, there is a need for testing new interventions in large randomized controlled trials. Depending on the research question it may be advantageous to establish multicenter studies as a way of organizing clinical trials in order to increase study power.

Main Objectives: The object of this study was to investigate the development in the organization of multicenter studies, the distribution of studies within different clinical specialties, across continents, and investigate the differences related to testing various interventions.

Patient education after stoma creation may reduce health-care costs.

Introduction: Researchers are urged to include health-economic assessments when exploring the benefits and drawbacks of a new treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the costs associated with the establishment of a new patient education programme for patients with a stoma.

Material And Methods: Following a previous case-control study that explored the effect of patient education for stoma patients, we set out to examine the costs related to such a patient education programme.

Health related quality of life may increase when patients with a stoma attend patient education--a case-control study.

Introduction: Adaptation to living with a stoma is complex, and studies have shown that stoma creation has a great impact on patients' health related quality of life. The objective was to explore the effect of a structured patient education program on health related quality of life. Therefore, we implemented interventions aimed at increasing health related quality of life during and after hospital admission.

Life after stoma creation.

Background: Stoma creation is a surgical operation where the surgeon makes an artificial opening on the abdomen from where the bowel is taken out. It is a radical treatment with permanent physical signs of bodily change. In general, it leads to loss of a central and personal physical function, as well as an alteration in the bodily design.

[Medical writers in medical research].

Larger research units often comprise persons of several professions in order to secure a high level of efficiency and quality in the different tasks. In Denmark, employees with special competencies within the field of writing and publication are rarely used in research units. The purpose of this study was to present the advantages and challenges associated with the involvement of medical writers in academic environments.

A feeling of flow: exploring junior scientists' experiences with dictation of scientific articles.

Background: Science involves publishing results, but many scientists do not master this. We introduced dictation as a method of producing a manuscript draft, participating in writing teams and attending a writing retreat to junior scientists in our department. This study aimed to explore the scientists' experiences with this process.

Spouses of patients with a stoma lack information and support and are restricted in their social and sexual life: a systematic review.

Purpose: A permanent stoma has a large impact on everyday life with several physical, mental, and social impairments for the individual. It seems obvious that if persons with stomas are affected socially by the stoma creation, it is likely that the family and/or relatives will be affected as well. The objective of this systematic review was to explore how stoma creation may affect spouses of patients with stomas.

Learning to live with a permanent intestinal ostomy: impact on everyday life and educational needs.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the impact of a permanent stoma on patients' everyday lives and to gain further insight into their need for ostomy-related education.

Subjects And Setting: The sample population comprised 15 persons with permanent ostomies. Stomas were created to manage colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

Mind-to-paper is an effective method for scientific writing.

Introduction: The problem of initiating the writing process is a well-known phenomenon, especially for young and inexperienced scientists. The purpose of this paper is to present an effective method to overcome this problem and increase writing efficiency among inexperienced scientists.

Material And Methods: Twelve young scientists within the medical/surgical fields were introduced to the mind-to-paper concept.

[Use of focus group interviews in health science].

The focus group interview is a method for examining issues close to the informants' everyday lives. The focus group interview complements and explains results based on quantitative research. However, it may be first choice of method before entering into a quantitative design when faced with relatively unexplored problems.

Early closure of temporary ileostomy--the EASY trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: The objective is to evaluate efficiency based on data on morbidity and mortality, health-related quality of life and healthcare-related costs after early reversal of temporary ileostomy after rectal resection for cancer compared with the standard procedure (late reversal).

Background: Reversal of a temporary ileostomy is generally associated with a low morbidity and mortality. However, ostomy reversal may cause complications requiring reoperation with subsequent major complications, in ranges from 0% to 7-9% and minor complications varying from 4-5% to 30%.