Do patients or their physicians more accurately assess long-term risk associated with hypertension? A population-based study.

To compare the assessments of 10-year probability by patients and their physicians of cardiovascular complications of hypertension with actual outcomes. Patients with uncomplicated hypertension treated with at least one antihypertensive drug at inclusion were followed for 10 years through mandatory national health registers. 55 primary health care centres, 11 hospital outpatient clinics in Sweden 848 patient, 212 physicians.

Assessment of hypertensive patients' self-care agency after counseling training of nurses.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess hypertensive patients' self-care agency and any correlation with the patient's lifestyle changes and the nurse's degree of patient centeredness after counseling training.

Data Sources: Nurses in the intervention group (IG; n = 19) working at nurse-led clinics at health centers were trained in patient centeredness (motivational interviewing) and the stages of change model and included 137 patients. Nurses in the control group (CG; n = 14) included 51 patients.

Effects on hypertensive patients' satisfaction with information about their medication after nurses' consultation training.

Background: There is a well-known problem in hypertension care with patients' adherence to treatment. Patients who score high in answering the instrument Satisfaction with Information about Medicine Scale are reported to have greater adherence to their medication.

Aim: To explore how hypertensive patients' satisfaction with information about their medicines was affected by nurses' education in Motivational Interviewing.

Enabling overweight children to improve their food and exercise habits--school nurses' counselling in multilingual settings.

Aims And Objectives: The study aimed at analysing school nurses' counselling of overweight and obese children in settings with many immigrants, focusing on content concerning food and physical activity and how this was communicated.

Background: For people with a predisposition for overweight, the weight control process requires cognitive skills. School nurses' counselling of overweight children has the potential to support this process by enabling personal resources in the children and their families.

Consultation training of nurses for cardiovascular prevention - a randomized study of 2 years duration.

The aim of this study was to increase patients' adherence to the treatment of hypertension through the consultation training of nurses. Thirty-three nurses were included in the study. In the intervention group (IG), 19 nurses took part in a 3-day residential training course on the Stages of Change model, Motivational Interviewing and guidelines for cardiovascular prevention, and recruited 153 patients.

Childhood obesity and prevention in different socio-economic contexts.

Objective: To assess recent trends in obesity, health beliefs, and lifestyles in Swedish schoolchildren, with focus on socioeconomic disparities.

Method: The study was conducted in two areas with high and low socioeconomic status (SES). 340 11-12 year olds participated in three cross-sectional surveys assessing food-related behaviours, physical activity and health beliefs, together with anthropometric examinations.

Evaluation of consultation training in hypertension care.

Background: Nurses in hypertension care play an important role in minimising the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, but this care can be improved.

Aim: To evaluate the content of nurses' consultations with hypertensive patients before and after consultation training.

Methods: Nineteen nurses from a randomised study of nurse-led hypertension clinics at health centres received three days of residential training in patient-centred counselling and cardiovascular prevention.

Misunderstandings in multilingual counselling settings involving school nurses and obese/overweight pupils.

School nurses' counselling is pivotal in stemming the obesity epidemic. Barriers for good counselling such as nurses' misunderstandings and ambiguities when relating to overweight and obesity need to be addressed. In this study, we explored misunderstandings in school nurses' counselling of overweight pupils in multilingual settings, together with how school nurses talk about the condition.

Learning to learn and learning to teach - introduction to studies in higher education.

Background: How students are introduced to their studies will affect the quality of learning. This project deals with tools for lifelong learning to increase students' awareness of learning how to learn. In parallel to an introductory course for students, a course for teachers was given with a focus on tutoring students.

Association of physician's sex with risk factor control in treated hypertensive patients from Swedish primary healthcare.

Objective: To study the association of physician's sex with blood pressure, lipid control, and cardiovascular risk factors in treated hypertensive men and women, stratified for the sex of their physician.

Methods: In a cross-sectional survey of hypertensive patients, 264 primary care physicians (PCPs), 187 men and 77 women from across Sweden, recruited 6537 treated hypertensive patients (48% men) during 2002-2005, consecutively collected from medical records and registered on a web-based form connected to a central database. Patients were included consecutively in the same order as they visited the healthcare centre.

Depression, anxiety, stress, social interaction and health-related quality of life in men and women with unexplained chest pain.

Background: Unexplained chest pain (UCP) is a common reason for emergency hospital admission and generates considerable health-care costs for society. Even though prior research indicates that psychological problems and impaired quality of life are common among UCP patients, there is lack of knowledge comparing UCP patients with a reference group from the general population. The aim of this study was to analyse differences between men and women with UCP and a reference group in terms of psychosocial factors as depression, anxiety, stress, social interaction and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Standard medication information is not enough: poor concordance of patient and nurse perceptions.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to describe patient and nurse perceptions of patient satisfaction with information about the medicines at two heart failure clinics after medication up-titration and information-giving.

Background: Chronic heart failure is a major cause of hospitalization. Poor adherence to medications increases mortality and heart failure-related hospitalizations.

Living with skin diseases and topical treatment: patients' and providers' perspectives and priorities.

Objectives: Relationship-centred care stresses the importance of taking both patients' and health-care providers' values, expectations and preferences into account to improve health outcomes. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify patients' and providers' views and experiences of skin disease and topical treatment.

Methods: Two types of focus group were used: (i) patients with chronic dermatological diseases and (ii) doctors, nurses and pharmacists working in dermatological care.

Outcomes following a programme for lifestyle changes with people with hypertension.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of using a structured nursing intervention programme in hypertension care.

Background: Counselling on lifestyle changes to address hypertension helps patients reduce risk factors such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, overweight, dyslipidemia, negative stress and physical inactivity.

Design: The study was performed as a pre-test-post-test study.

Unexplained chest pain in relation to psychosocial factors and health-related quality of life in men and women.

Background: Unexplained chest pain is a frequent and increasingly common complaint among patients admitted to Emergency Departments. Previous studies have defined unexplained chest pain as non-cardiac or non-coronary artery disease, i.e.

Knowledge of reproductive physiology and hormone therapy in 53- to 54-year-old Swedish women: a population-based study.

Objective: To investigate knowledge of hormone therapy (HT), reproductive physiology, and menopause in a population of 53- to 54-year-old women. Further aims were to determine whether the knowledge differed between users and nonusers of HT and between groups with different levels of education.

Design: In 2003, all 53- and 54-year-old women (N = 1,733) in Linköping, Sweden, were sent a questionnaire containing questions about reproductive physiology related to menopause and HT.

Making sense of blood pressure values in follow-up appointments for hypertension.

Background: Although there are effective ways of treating hypertension, only a minority of all hypertensive people reach target blood pressure levels. This may be a function of how patients and physicians put measured values into context when they decide if the blood pressure is well controlled or too high.

Methodology: Qualitative analysis of audio-taped follow-up appointments for hypertension between 51 outpatients and their 11 physicians.

Women's conception of the menopausal transition--a qualitative study.

Aim: To explore, with a qualitative approach, whether the conception of menopause varies between women seeking medical advice because of climacteric symptoms and, if so, to describe these different conceptions.

Background: For many women, the menopausal transition is a troublesome period of life, often associated with decreased well-being and a number of symptoms. Besides the hormonal changes, many other factors such as psychological, sociological and lifestyle factors affect how women perceive their menopause.

Coping strategies, stress, physical activity and sleep in patients with unexplained chest pain.

Background: The number of patients suffering from unexplained chest pain (UCP) is increasing. Intervention programmes are needed to reduce the chest pain and suffering experienced by these patients and effective preventive strategies are also required to reduce the incidence of these symptoms. The aim of this study was to describe general coping strategies in patients with UCP and examine the relationships between coping strategies, negative life events, sleep problems, physical activity, stress and chest pain intensity.

The role of dermatologists, nurses and pharmacists in chronic dermatological treatment: patient and provider views and experiences.

Effectively co-ordinated treatment support from healthcare providers (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) may improve patients' adherence to treatment. The objective of this study was to identify patients' and providers' perceptions of the roles of different healthcare providers in dermatological treatment. Focus groups were used in two types of fora: patients with chronic dermatological diseases (n =2x6) and healthcare providers (n =2x6), including doctors, nurses and pharmacists working in dermatological care.

To follow or not to follow dermatological treatment--a review of the literature.

Creams, ointments and solutions applied to the skin surface by patients as part of a daily routine might be expected to provide a more variable dosage than do standard tablets. However, adherence to treatment in dermatology has been little studied. This article reviews recent publications in the field.

Counselling on lifestyle factors in hypertension care after training on the stages of change model.

Background: In assisting the nurse's counselling on lifestyle changes in hypertension care a behaviour model can be used.

Aim: To analyse the effects of nurses' training on the use of the stages of change model when counselling hypertensive patients to perform lifestyle changes.

Methods: As part of a randomised, controlled trial, 19 nurses belonging to the intervention group took part in video-recorded consultation training with simulated patients.

Changes in women's attitudes towards and use of hormone therapy after HERS and WHI.

Objectives: To assess changes in women's attitudes towards risk and benefits of, and use of hormone treatment in the menopausal transition (HT) before and after Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) and the oestrogen and progestin trial of Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

Methods: Postal questionnaires to all women 53 and 54 years of age in a Swedish community in 1999 (n=1.760) and 2003 (n=1.

Evaluation of doctoral nursing programs - a review and a strategy for follow up.

Enhancing and assuring the quality of doctoral nursing programs is currently of major concern to promote growth in quality and quantity of research in nursing. The aims of the paper were to review the literature about evaluation of higher education with focus on doctoral programs in nursing, and to present a strategy to evaluate a doctoral nursing program. A search of literature in relevant databases was done using the keywords doctoral program, evaluation, nursing, program evaluation and higher education.

To follow dermatological treatment regimens--patients' and providers' views.

Adherence to long-term therapy for chronic illness is on average 50%. However, regarding adherence to dermatological treatment the existing literature is limited. The aim of the study was to acquire an understanding of issues associated with adherence to dermatological therapy.