Characterization of Photo-Cross-Linked Polyethylene Pipes for Geothermal Energy Storage.

This study investigates the morphology and thermo-mechanical properties of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes for potential use in high-temperature borehole thermal energy storage systems. Particular attention is given to a novel type of PEX pipe produced through photoinitiated cross-linking (PEX-e). Two formulations, PEX-e1 and PEX-e2, were analyzed and compared to peroxide-cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-a) and non-cross-linked bimodal polyethylene (PE100) pipes.

Validity and reliability of the Swedish version of the Visual CARE Measure for assessing children's perceptions of nurses' empathy.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a questionnaire to be used by children with chronic diseases during procedures. Specific research questions were as follows: Is the translated versions reliable? Is there a correlation between VCM and another questionnaire measuring discomfort to enhance the validity of VCM? The three versions of Visual CARE measure (VCM) were translated following the principles of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation of patient-reported outcome measures, according to the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Cognitive debriefing interviews with children, parents, and healthcare professionals were carried out.

Accessing the Lived Experiences of Children with Illness in Sweden for Health Care Research.

Background: Children are a relatively marginalized group when doing research in the context of illness, young children particularly so. This even though children can and should contribute their point of view in providing evidence-based care. This article contributes the experiences of Nurse Researchers in gathering research data in Sweden on the lived experiences of children undergoing needle-related medical procedures, living with home mechanical ventilation or undergoing treatment for cancer.

The development of a decision support tool in the prehospital setting for acute chest pain - a study protocol for an observational study (BRIAN2).

Introduction: Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for contacting the emergency medical services (EMS). It is difficult for EMS personnel to distinguish between patients suffering from a high-risk condition in need of prompt hospital care and patients suitable for non-conveyance. A vast majority of patients with chest pain are therefore transported to the emergency department (ED) for further investigation even if hospital care is not necessary.

Advancing a machine learning-based decision support tool for pre-hospital assessment of dyspnoea by emergency medical service clinicians: a retrospective observational study.

Background: In Sweden with about 10 million inhabitants, there are about one million primary ambulance missions every year. Among them, around 10% are assessed by Emergency Medical Service (EMS) clinicians with the primary symptom of dyspnoea. The risk of death among these patients has been reported to be remarkably high, at 11,1% and 13,2%.

Unravelling the art of developing skilled communication: a longitudinal qualitative research study in general practice training.

Doctor-patient communication is a core competency in medical education, which requires learners to adapt their communication flexibly to each clinical encounter. Although conceptual learning models exist, information about how skilled communication develops over time is scant. This study aims to unpack this process of communication learning and to identify its facilitators.

Patient reported experiences in older adults living with HIV - a scoping review.

Effective antiretroviral therapy has extended the life expectancy of people living with HIV and in Western countries, with 50% of individuals in Western countries now aged 50 or older. The aim was to review empirical research on adults who are 60 years or older on their experiences of living with HIV and their healthcare needs. A scoping review with a systematic literature search in Cinahl, Psycinfo and PubMed was performed in February and March 2022.

Fostering the Conversation About Complementary Medicine: Acceptability and Usefulness of Two Communication-Supporting Tools for Patients with Cancer.

Both patients and providers experience barriers to discussing complementary medicine during oncology consultations. This study describes the development of two communication tools-a question prompt sheet and a visual slideshow-and aims to evaluate their acceptability, perceived usefulness, and intention to use among patients with cancer. Nine (former) patients with breast cancer were involved in the development of the tools as co-researchers.

Exploring the Potential of Syngas Fermentation for Recovery of High-Value Resources: A Comprehensive Review.

Synthesis gas (syngas) fermentation represents a promising biological method for converting industrial waste gases, particularly carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial sources (e.g. steel production or municipal waste gasification), into high-value products such as biofuels, chemicals, and animal feed using acetogenic bacteria.

Decision-making during training of a Swedish navy command and control team: a quantitative study of workload effects.

The study compared two simulation environments for training of Swedish naval Command and Control teams by using indirect measures, including workload, combat readiness, and situation awareness. The literature explains simulation-based training as providing a safe avenue to practice relevant scenarios. Fidelity, the degree of realism in the simulation, and workload, the equilibrium between demands and assigned tasks, are crucial factors examined in this study of low- and high-fidelity naval simulations.

Adaption of a trigger tool to identify harmful incidents, no harm incidents, and near misses in prehospital emergency care of children.

Background: The emergency medical service (EMS) addresses all chief complaints across all ages in various contexts. Children in EMS present a particular challenge due to their unique anatomical and physical properties, which require specific training that EMS clinicians often report lacking. This combination exposes children to incidents threatening patient safety.

Healthcare Experiences and Needs of Older Adults Living With HIV: A Qualitative Study.

Aim: To explore the healthcare experiences and needs of older adults living with HIV in Sweden.

Design: A phenomenological study using qualitative thematic analysis.

Methods: Data were gathered through semistructured qualitative interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.

Textile Recycling: Efficient Polyester Recovery from Polycotton Blends Using the Heated High-Ethanol Alkaline Aqueous Process.

Textile production has doubled in the last 20 years, but only 1% is recycled into new fibers. It is the third largest contributor to water pollution and land use, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of clean water pollution. A key challenge in textile recycling is blended yarns, such as polycotton blends, which consist of polyester and cotton.

Health promoting resources and lifestyle factors among higher education students in healthcare and social work programmes: a survey with a longitudinal multicentre design.

Background: It has been suggested that the university environment, to improve students' health status and educational outcomes, should be based on a health promoting approach. More knowledge is needed about health promoting resources and lifestyle factors that may be of value for students in higher education and their future work-life balance. The aim of this study was to explore health-promoting resources, general health and wellbeing, and health promoting lifestyle factors among fourth and final semester students in higher education in healthcare and social work.

Unscheduled home consultations by registered nurses may reduce acute clinic visits.

Background: To effectively utilize available healthcare resources, integrated care models are recommended. According to such model's, registered nurses have the potential to increase patient access to health care services and alleviate organizational workload. Studies on acute home consultation assessments by registered nurses are sparse.

Looking beyond the eyes of the patient: The importance of effective communication in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: Patients with exudative and nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can experience physical, mental, social, administrative or financial burden that are associated with the treatment of this progressive chronic disease. The role of healthcare providers in supporting patients who experience high treatment burden can be important, especially when it comes to effective communication. Despite previous research underlining the need to improve patient-provider communication in AMD care, patient experiences with communication, and how these are related to perceived treatment burden, remain underexplored.

Clinical Frailty Scale score is a predictor of short-, mid- and long-term mortality in critically ill older adults (≥ 70 years) admitted to the emergency department: an observational study.

Background: The estimated prognos of a patient might influence the expected benefit/risk ratio of different interventions. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score as an independent predictor of short-, mid- and long-term mortality in critically ill older adults (aged ≥ 70) admitted to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center, observational study, involving critically ill older adults, recruited consecutively in an ED.

Communication and information about complementary medicine in a Dutch oncology setting: Interviewing patients and providers on their experiences and needs.

Background: Complementary medicine such as yoga, massage and art therapy has become increasingly popular among patients with cancer. However, the topic remains under-discussed during oncology consultations: patients seem hesitant to disclose complementary medicine use, and healthcare providers lack resources to discuss complementary medicine. This study aims to gain an understanding of how to improve communication and information provision in oncological settings about complementary medicine by assessing the experiences and needs of patients and healthcare providers.

Stimulating ambulance specialist nurse students' ethical reflections by high-fidelity simulation.

Ethical competence in professional practice can be considered essential among nurses and nurses in ambulance care encounter ethical dilemmas frequently. To enhance ethical competence among students in the ambulance specialist nursing program, high-fidelity simulation scenarios including ethical dilemmas were introduced as a learning activity. The research aim was to investigate the usefulness of high-fidelity simulation in ambulance specialist nurse education to teach ethical reasoning when caring for children.

Occupational therapists' perspectives on welfare technologies for dementia: exploring recommendation frequencies - a pilot study.

Background: Occupational therapists have long been recognized for their expertise in welfare technology use, particularly in the context of dementia care. Despite this advanced training, however, there is often a gap between their knowledge of available technologies and the frequency with which they recommend these tools to individuals with dementia.

Aims/objectives: This study explores the perspectives of occupational therapists on the recommendations of welfare technologies for individuals with dementia.