Psychometric properties of the German version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in sarcoidosis.

Background: Cough is one of the most common symptoms in general and pulmonary medicine with profound negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL). The Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) is a validated HRQL questionnaire, yet a validated German version of the LCQ is not available and it has never been tested in a cohort with sarcoidosis.

Objectives: To translate the LCQ into German and determine its psychometric properties.

Factors influencing hospitalized patients' perception of individualized nursing care: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Individualized care is a cornerstone of patient-centered nursing care. To foster individualized care, influencing factors should be known. The aim of this study was to identify the individual and organizational factors influencing hospitalized patients' perception of individualized care.

Barriers and Facilitators to Palliative Care of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure in Germany: A Study Protocol.

Background: Despite its high prevalence, similar symptoms and symptom burden, people suffering from chronic heart failure receive less palliative care than patients with malignant diseases. Internationally, numerous barriers to palliative care of patients with chronic heart failure are known, however, there are no credible data regarding barriers and facilitators to palliative care of people suffering from chronic heart failure available for Germany.

Design And Methods: Tripartite study.

The reciprocal effect of pain catastrophizing and satisfaction with participation in the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with chronic back pain.

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the reciprocity between pain catastrophizing, social participation and quality of life outcomes (pain intensity, pain disability, negative affectivity) in patients with low back pain in a multidisciplinary pain treatment.

Methods: Patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation were surveyed at the beginning and two weeks after the end of rehabilitation. N = 262 low back pain patients participated (mean age: 52.

Is the quality of primary healthcare services influenced by the healthcare centre's type of ownership?-An observational study of patient perceived quality, prescription rates and follow-up routines in privately and publicly owned primary care centres.

Background: Primary healthcare in Sweden has undergone comprehensive reforms, including freedom of choice regarding provider, freedom of establishment and increased privatisation aiming to meet demands for quality and availability. In this system privately and publicly owned primary care centres with different business models (for-profit vs non-profit) coexist and compete for patients, which makes it important to study whether or not the type of ownership influences the quality of the primary healthcare services.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study (April 2011 to January 2014) the patient perceived quality, the use of antibiotics and benzodiazepine derivatives, and the follow-up routines of certain chronic diseases were analysed for all primary care centres in Region Västra Götaland.

Adolescent and parental perceptions about asthma and asthma management: a dyadic qualitative analysis.

Background: Considering that asthma management is a family affair - with specific challenges in adolescence - a better understanding of both adolescent and parental perspectives on asthma and its treatment are needed as these constructs may substantially account for variation in illness-related behaviour and functioning. The present study aimed to (1) explore adolescents' and caregivers' perceptions about asthma and asthma management and (2) examine congruence and dissimilarities within the adolescent-caregiver dyads.

Methods: Data collection was conducted separately for adolescents and caregivers using a focus group approach for the adolescents and telephone interviews for parental data collection.

The German version of the Individualized Care Scale - assessing validity and reliability.

Aim: To assess validity and reliability of the German version of the Individualized Care Scale (ICS).

Background: Individualized nursing care plays a pivotal role in establishing patient-centered care. To assess individualized nursing care and to compare it in different settings and countries, valid and reliable instruments are needed.

Communication preferences of chronically ill adolescents: development of an assessment instrument.

The purpose of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a patient-oriented, theory-based questionnaire to capture the communication preferences of chronically ill adolescents in provider-patient interaction. In a qualitative prestudy, patients were asked to express their preferences in focus groups. From those results and relying on previous research findings, we generated questionnaire items and in a second pretest, examined them in 1-to-1 cognitive interviews for comprehensibility and acceptance.

Web-based interventions for comorbid depression and chronic illness: a systematic review.

Web-based interventions offer potential benefits for managing and treating depression in the context of chronic physical illness, however their use with this population has yet to be quantitatively assessed. The present systematic review examined the biopsychosocial data from 11 independent studies (N = 1348 participants), including randomised controlled and quasi-experimental designs most commonly performed with diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Study quality was evaluated using the Downs and Black (1998) index, with most studies being statistically underpowered although internal validity was demonstrated.

Effects of a hospital-based education programme on self-care behaviour, care dependency and quality of life in patients with heart failure--a randomised controlled trial.

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a nurse-led, hospital-based heart failure specific education session with a three-month telephone follow-up on self-care behaviour, care dependency and quality of life for patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: Patient education in patients with heart failure is able to promote heart failure-specific self-care, to reduce mortality, morbidity and rehospitalisation rates and to enhance quality of life, especially if heart failure education is embedded in a multidisciplinary approach. Evidence of the effect of a nurse-led self-care education, quality of life and care dependency in addition to standard medical treatment in Germany is lacking.

Illness and treatment perceptions of patients with chronic low back pain: characteristics and relation to individual, disease and interaction variables.

The significance of various cognitive and psychosocial factors in the development, progression and persistence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) is well demonstrated. However, only a few studies have addressed CLBP patients' cognitive representations or beliefs about their disease and its treatment. The present study aimed to: (1) describe the illness and treatment beliefs of patients with CLBP, e.

Communication preferences in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: descriptive results and patient characteristics as predictors.

Background: Communication with patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is often considered difficult. The primary objective of this explorative study was to describe the communication preferences of FMS patients in comparison with other chronic diseases, and the secondary objective was to identify patient-related predictors of those communication preferences.

Methods: A total of 256 FMS patients were asked to fill out the KOPRA [(Kommunikationspraeferenzen), communication preferences of patients with chronic illness] questionnaire at the beginning of their rehabilitation, answering questions about their communication preferences.