Explaining variance in health literacy among people with type 2 diabetes: the association between health literacy and health behaviour and empowerment.

Background: To reflect the health literacy (HL) skills needed for managing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in everyday life, HL in people with T2DM should be measured from a broader perspective than basic skills, such as proficiency in reading and writing. The HLS-Q12, based on the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47), assesses four cognitive domains across three health domains. International studies on people with T2DM show inconsistent results regarding the association between HL and general health and the association between HL and glycaemic control.

Development and Validation of the Ambulance Nurse Competence Scale.

Introduction: In recent decades, major competency shifts have taken place in prehospital care in Sweden because staffing ambulances with registered/specialized nurses has become a priority. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new instrument to measure the self-reported professional competency of specialist ambulance nursing students and registered/specialist nurses working in prehospital care.

Methods: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design to evaluate psychometric properties of a new instrument.

Workplace bullying among healthcare professionals in Sweden: a descriptive study.

Workplace bullying is a taboo event which occurs worldwide, although the prevalence varies significantly between and within countries. Nurses have been regarded an occupational risk group for bullying at the work place. Bullying in health and social care contexts is sometimes reported as frequent and, other times, as not occurring, which sparked our interest in mapping the occurrence of bullying in the health and social care system in Sweden.

Validating the Functional, Communicative, and Critical Health Literacy Scale Using Rasch Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Background And Purpose: The functional, communicative, and critical health literacy (FCCHL) scale is widely used for assessing health literacy (HL) in people with chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Despite related subscales, researchers continue to apply a consecutive modeling approach, treating the three subscales as independent. This article studies the psychometric characteristics of the FCCHL by applying multidimensional modeling approaches.

Managing bullying in Swedish workplace settings: A concealed and only partially acknowledged problem.

Aim: The purpose of this article was to explore workplace routines and strategies for preventing and managing bullying in the context of health and elderly care.

Background: Bullying is a serious problem in workplaces with consequences for the individual, the organisation and the quality of care.

Method: Open-ended interviews were conducted with 12 participants, including managers and specialists within one hospital and three municipalities.

Establishing the HLS-Q12 short version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire: latent trait analyses applying Rasch modelling and confirmatory factor analysis.

Background: The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) is widely used in assessing health literacy (HL). There has been some controversy whether the comprehensive HLS-EU-Q47 data, reflecting a conceptual model of four cognitive domains across three health domains (i.e.

Validating the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire in people with type 2 diabetes: Latent trait analyses applying multidimensional Rasch modelling and confirmatory factor analysis.

Aim: To validate the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The HLS-EU-Q47 latent variable is outlined in a framework with four cognitive domains integrated in three health domains, implying 12 theoretically defined subscales. Valid and reliable health literacy measurers are crucial to effectively adapt health communication and education to individuals and groups of patients.

A Healthy Person: The Perceptions of Indonesian and Scandinavian Nursing Students.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate how nursing students in Indonesia and Scandinavia characterize a healthy person. Two hundred thirty-two nursing students from Indonesia, 50 students from Sweden, and 119 students from Norway participated by answering an open-ended question. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify patterns of health in a cultural and national context.

Preventive Strategies and Processes to Counteract Bullying in Health Care Settings: Focus Group Discussions.

The aim of the present study was to explore preventive strategies and processes to counteract bullying in workplaces. Data were collected by individual interviews and focus group discussions at one hospital and two nursing home wards for elderly, a total of 29 participants. In the analysis of the interviews we were inspired by constructivist grounded theory.

Disaster nursing: Self-reported competence of nursing students and registered nurses, with focus on their readiness to manage violence, serious events and disasters.

The World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses recognises the importance of nurses' involvement in disaster preparedness and response. The aim of this study was to describe and compare self-reported disaster nursing competence (DNC) among nursing students (NSs) and among registered nurses (RNs) with professional experience. Further to investigate possible associations between self-reported DNC and background factors.

Adjusting to future demands in healthcare: Curriculum changes and nursing students' self-reported professional competence.

Background: Nursing competence is of significant importance for patient care. Newly graduated nursing students rate their competence as high. However, the impact of different designs of nursing curricula on nursing students' self-reported nursing competence areas is seldom reported.

The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale: Self-reported competence among nursing students on the point of graduation.

Background: International organisations, e.g. WHO, stress the importance of competent registered nurses (RN) for the safety and quality of healthcare systems.

Formal caregivers' perceptions of quality of care for older people: associating factors.

Background: Despite the growing number of studies concerning quality of care for older people, there is a lack of studies depicting factors associated with good quality of care from the formal caregivers' perspective. The aim was to describe formal caregivers' perceptions of quality of care for older people in the community and explore factors associated with these perceptions. In total, 70 nursing assistants, 163 enrolled nurses and 198 registered nurses from 14 communities in central Sweden participated in the study.

Hazardous alcohol use in general psychiatric outpatients.

Background: Hazardous alcohol use in psychiatric patients may increase the risk of the development of a substance use disorder and negatively affect the course of the psychiatric disorder.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of hazardous alcohol and drug use in a Swedish psychiatric outpatient population with particular focus on hazardous alcohol consumption and assess relationships of hazardous alcohol use to sex, age and psychiatric diagnosis.

Methods: General psychiatric outpatients, n = 1,679, completed a self-rating Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Nurse Competence Scale--psychometric testing in a Norwegian context.

The aim was to test the construct validity of the Nurse Competence Scale. The Nurse Competence Scale has been used in hospital settings for various purposes in several countries. Despite this, confirmatory factor analyses are scarcely reported.

Implementation of patient-focused care: before-after effects.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an organizationally oriented, patient-focused care (PFC) model's effects on care quality and work climate.

Design/methodology/approach: The study has a before-after (PFC implementation) design. The sample included 1,474 patients and 458 healthcare providers in six participating wards before and after PFC implementation, plus five additional randomly chosen wards, which only featured in the post-assessment.

Academic learning for specialist nurses: a grounded theory study.

The aim was to explore the major concerns of specialist nurses pertaining to academic learning during their education and initial professional career. Specialist nursing education changed in tandem with the European educational reform in 2007. At the same time, greater demands were made on the healthcare services to provide evidence-based and safe patient-care.

Satisfactory reliability among nursing students using the instrument PVC ASSESS to evaluate management of peripheral venous catheters.

Purpose: Nursing students should be given opportunities to participate in clinical audits during their education. However, audit tools are seldom tested for reliability among nursing students. The aim of this study was to present reliability among nursing students using the instrument PVC assess to assess management of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) and PVC-related signs of thrombophlebitis.

Development and validation of a new tool measuring nurses self-reported professional competence--the nurse professional competence (NPC) Scale.

Objectives: To develop and validate a new tool intended for measuring self-reported professional competence among both nurse students prior to graduation and among practicing nurses. The new tool is based on formal competence requirements from the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare, which in turn are based on WHO guidelines.

Design: A methodological study including construction of a new scale and evaluation of its psychometric properties.

Caregivers in older peoples' care: perception of quality of care, working conditions, competence and personal health.

The aim was to describe and compare nursing assistants', enrolled nurses' and registered nurses' perceptions of quality of care, working conditions, competence and personal health in older peoples' care. Altogether 70 nursing assistants, 163 enrolled nurses and 198 registered nurses completed a questionnaire comprising Quality from the Patient's Perspective modified for caregivers, Creative Climate Questionnaire, Stress of Conscience Questionnaire, items on education and competence and Health Index. The caregivers reported higher perceived reality of quality of care in medical-technical competence and physical-technical conditions than in identity-oriented approach and socio-cultural atmosphere.

Newly graduated nurses' perception of competence and possible predictors: a cross-sectional survey.

The aim of this study was to describe newly graduated nurses' own perception of competence and to identify possible predictors influencing their perceptions. The target population included nurses who graduated from nursing colleges in June 2006. Data collection was carried out from October 2006 until April 2007 using the Nurse Competence Scale (NCS), the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, and the Research Utilization Questionnaire.

Mental distress and subsequent use of psychotropic drugs among adolescents-a prospective register linkage study.

Purpose: To investigate the association between mental distress, other factors, and subsequent use of psychotropic drugs in adolescents aged 15-16 years.

Methods: This study is based on information retrieved from the Norwegian Youth Health Surveys (2000-2003) and linked to prescription data from the Norwegian Prescription Database (2004-2009). The study population included 11,620 adolescents aged 15-16 (87% response rate) years.

Cost-effectiveness evaluation in Sweden of escitalopram compared with venlafaxine extended-release as first-line treatment in major depressive disorder.

Objectives: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major public health concern associated with a high burden to society, the health-care system, and patients and an estimated cost of €3.5 billion in Sweden. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of escitalopram versus generic venlafaxine extended-release (XR) in MDD, accounting for the full clinical profile of each, adopting the Swedish societal perspective, and identifying major cost drivers.