[Prediction of cancer incidence and prevalence in Iceland up to the year 2040 - Icelandic Cancer Registry and Research Center].

Introduction: A large increase in new cancer cases is predicted worldwide, due to population growth, ageing and increased cancer risk. The age distribution of the Icelandic population is different from the other Nordic countries. The purpose of this study was to predict the number of new cancer cases in Iceland and other Nordic countries, and cancer survivors in Iceland, up to the year 2040.

[Cancer registration in Iceland for 70 years - incidence, mortality and survival].

Introduction: The Icelandic Cancer Registry (ICR) was founded seventy years ago by the Icelandic Cancer Society. In 2007 the ICR became one of the health registers of the Directorate of Health. In this paper we present cancer incidence, mortality, and survival in Iceland over 70 years.

Supportive Digital Health Service During Cancer Chemotherapy: Single-Arm Before-and-After Feasibility Study.

Background: Digital supportive cancer care is recommended to improve patient outcomes. A portal was designed and embedded within the electronic medical record and public health portal of Iceland, consisting of symptom and needs monitoring, educational material, and messaging.

Objective: This study aims to assess (1) portal feasibility (adoption, engagement, usability, and acceptability), (2) potential predictors of usability and acceptability, and (3) the potential impact of the portal on patient-reported outcomes.

A population based study of the prevalence of pain in Iceland.

Prevalence estimates of pain differ depending on how it is defined and measured and on the populations studied. It has been estimated that on a given day, as many as 30-44% of the general population experience some kind of pain. Information about the prevalence of pain in Iceland is not available.

The effectiveness of the Pain Resource Nurse Program to improve pain management in the hospital setting: A cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: The Pain Resource Nurse program is a widely disseminated, evidence-based, nursing staff development program, designed to improve pain management in hospitals. The program has shown promising results, but has never been tested with a rigorous research design.

Objectives: Our objective was to test the effectiveness of the Pain Resource Nurse program.

A multicenter study of attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management and their relationship to pain, analgesic use, clinical, and demographic variables, as well as QOL, in a large sample of patients receiving strong opioids for pain in three European countries.

Methods: Participants in the present study were 555 patients with cancer, 18 years and older recruited from six centers in Germany, Iceland, and Norway. All had received strong opioids for at least 72 h.

Determinants of Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain among Nurses in a University Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the primary determinants of knowledge and attitudes regarding pain among nurses in a hospital setting. All registered nurses employed at participating units at a university hospital were invited to participate. Information on work experience, education, and hospital unit was evaluated using a questionnaire.

Patients' Experiences With Multiple Myeloma: A Meta-Aggregation of Qualitative Studies.

Problem Identification: To systematically review qualitative evidence regarding patients' experiences of living with multiple myeloma. The main objective was to gain structured understanding of this experience, which is a prerequisite for advancing nursing care and ensuring it is effective.
.

Patients' Perception of Chronic-Pain-Related Patient-Provider Communication in Relation to Sociodemographic and Pain-Related Variables: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study.

Pain is a personal experience and patient-provider communication therefore an essential part of diagnosis and treatment where the patient's perspective needs to be central. The aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to investigate chronic-pain-related patient-provider communication in the context of sociodemographic variables, pain variables, perceived outcome of care, and satisfaction with health care providers. A postal questionnaire measuring socio-demographic variables, pain characteristics, pain-related health care utilization and patient-provider communication was sent to a sample of 4,500 individuals randomly drawn from the national population of Iceland.

Changes in attitudes, practices and barriers among oncology health care professionals regarding sexual health care: Outcomes from a 2-year educational intervention at a University Hospital.

Purpose: To examine the attitudes, practices and perceived barriers in relation to a sexual health care educational intervention among oncology health care professionals at the Landspítali-National University Hospital of Iceland.

Methods: The design was quasi experimental, pre - post test time series. A comprehensive educational intervention project, including two workshops, was implemented over a two year time period.

Psychometric Properties of the Icelandic Version of the Revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale.

Context: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is a symptom assessment tool commonly used in both research and clinical practice. A revised version of the tool (ESAS-r) was published in 2011.

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties and feasibility of the Icelandic version of ESAS-r.

Symptoms and functional status of palliative care patients in Iceland.

Background: Palliative care patients experience many debilitating symptoms and functional loss, but few longitudinal studies on the subject are available.

Aims: To assess the symptoms and functional status of patients admitted to specialised palliative care, to investigate whether changes occur over the admission period, and to establish whether symptoms and physical and cognitive function differ, based on the service setting. In addition, to participate in the development of the interRAI Palliative Care instrument (interRAI PC).

Quality pain management practices in a university hospital.

Despite available guidelines and efforts to improve pain management, pain remains prevalent in hospitals. The aim of this study was to explore whether pain management practices in a university hospital were in line with guidelines on acute, geriatric, and cancer pain. This was a descriptive, correlational, and point-prevalence study conducted at a university hospital with 282 adults, who were hospitalized for 24 hours and were alert and able to participate.

In the shadow of death: existential and spiritual concerns among persons receiving palliative care.

This study explores existential and spiritual concerns from the perspective of people receiving palliative care. It examines the meaning of these concerns, their influence on people's lives and investigates the connections between them. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with ten persons.

Predictors for chronic pain-related health care utilization: a cross-sectional nationwide study in Iceland.

Background: Individuals with chronic pain are among the most frequent users of health care. Still, a significant percentage does not utilize health care for pain. A range of factors predict chronic pain-related health care utilization.

Quality pain management in the hospital setting from the patient's perspective.

Background: Pain management is a crucial issue for patients, and patients' perception of care is an important quality outcome criterion for health care institutions. Pain remains a common problem in hospitals, with subsequent deleterious effects on well-being.

Objectives: To assess the epidemiology of pain (frequency, severity, and interference), patient participation in pain treatment decisions, and patient satisfaction with care in a hospital setting.

Quality Pain Management in Adult Hospitalized Patients: A Concept Evaluation.

Aim: To explore the concept of quality pain management (QPM) in adult hospitalized patients.

Background: Pain is common in hospitalized patients, and pain management remains suboptimal in some settings.

Design: A concept evaluation based on Morse et al.

The relationship between chronic pain pattern, interference with life and health-related quality of life in a nationwide community sample.

To establish the scope of the problem of chronic pain in the population, we need to extend the focus on prevalence, the most frequently studied factor. Among other important factors is the complex relationship between the temporal characteristics of pain and their impact on peoples' lives. The purpose of the present study was to describe the characteristics of chronic pain, including pattern, severity, location, spread, and duration, in a population-based sample and to investigate the relationships between pain pattern and impact on the individual's life measured by interference with life and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

[Diabetes of type 1, pregnancy and glycemic control].

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes has wide-ranging effects for expectant mothers and their unborn children. Optimal blood sugar control minimizes complications for both. We assessed maternal and neonatal outcome in relation to glycemic control.

Evaluating the quality of pain management in a hospital setting: testing the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the revised American Pain Society patient outcome questionnaire.

Pain management is an important aspect of providing quality health care, and monitoring patient-related outcomes is a recommended quality improvement practice. Valid and reliable tools are needed for this purpose. The American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ) is widely used to measure quality of pain management.

"To cherish each day as it comes": a qualitative study of spirituality among persons receiving palliative care.

Purpose: Spirituality is one of the main aspects of palliative care. The concept is multidimensional and encompasses the existential realm as well as value-based and religious considerations. The aim of this study was to explore spirituality from the perspective of persons receiving palliative care and examine their experience of spirituality and its influence on their lives and well-being.

Pain and other symptoms and their relationship to quality of life in cancer patients on opioids.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess pain, other symptoms and QOL, and the relationship between these variables, among cancer patients on strong opioids.

Methods: The study was cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational. A convenience sample of 150 cancer patients, ≥18 years, all on strong opioids for ≥ 3 days was recruited.

Validation of the patients' perceived involvement in care scale among patients with chronic pain.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the Modified Patients' Perceived Involvement in Care Scale (M-PICS), I-PICS, an instrument measuring patients' perceptions of pain-related communication with health care providers (HCP).

Methods: The M-PICS was translated into Icelandic according to standard procedures for forward and backward translation. The questionnaire consisted of 20 items measuring four constructs: (i) the degree to which the HCP was perceived as controlling the information-exchange process; (ii) to what extent patients sought or shared information with their HCP; (iii) patients' perceived encouragement to raise questions and discuss their symptoms with their health care provider and (iv) patients' perceived participation in decision-making during the health care visit.

Family members of cancer patients: Needs, quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Background: Family members of cancer patient's have multiple needs, many of which are not adequately met. Unmet needs may affect psychological distress and quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to assess needs and unmet needs, QOL, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the relationship between those variables in a large sample of family members of cancer patients in different phases of illness.

Quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and depression of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy: longitudinal study.

The overall survival gain of cancer chemotherapy is estimated to be small, and some claim that it rarely improves quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this population-based study was to describe QOL and symptoms of anxiety and depression, over time, in a group of Icelandic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Quality of life was measured with the Icelandic version of Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System, Short Form (CARES-SF), and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with the Icelandic version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).