The aim of this undergraduate thesis was to explore how the welfare officers at palliative units in Stockholm respond to the patients? thoughts and experiences during the last phase of life, as well as exploring their picture of the patients experiences. The research questions of the study were:? How do the welfare officers relate to the patients? experience of their death? ? In what way do the welfare officers respond to the dying patient and his or her experiences?? What knowledge/experience do the welfare officers have and what knowledge/experience do they consider is needed in their profession?To answer the research questions a qualitative method was used where five welfare officers in three different palliative units were interviewed. The empirical material was analysed through meaning concentration and are presented using exact quotations.

The study aims to analyze conceptions of death and dying at a clinic for palliative care, using a constructivist perspective and a discourse analytical approach. The empirical material consists of interviews with staff members, documents and photographs of the environment, taking both space and materiality into account. I conclude that the studied practice is mainly characterized by a tension between a caring discourse and a medical discourse..

The aim of this study was to elucidate day surgery patients´ subjective experiences of postoperative pain after orthopedic and abdominal surgery and if there was any difference in the experience according to sex and age.Selection was not random and the study included 87 patients. Data were collected from patient questionnaires. VAS method was applied in the questionnaire to measure patients´ pain.The outcomes of the study show that there was no significant difference between women´s and men´s experiences of pain during days 1-7.It was found that patients undergoing orthopedic surgery had significantly more pain on day 7 compared to those patients who underwent abdominal surgery.There was a significant negative correlation between age and perceived pain on day 7.Patients in day surgery group had significantly less pain on day 7 compared with day 1.The patients who have undergone orthopedic surgery and younger patients had more pain on day 7 while the patients in day surgery group had a pain level decreased gradually and on day 7 was the lowest.It appears that pain relief on day 7 of younger patients and patients who have undergone orthopedic surgery is an area that can be improved..

To receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can lead to a tremendous change in a person?s life. Thoughts regarding death may cause a personal crisis which can have negative influences on the patient?s social, mental and spiritual state. Most people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in a late stage of the disease.

The aim of this study was to explore whether the patients? expectations of physiotherapy correspond with the physiotherapists? view of their own professional role. Two separate questionnaires were used, one to the patients and one to the physiotherapists, which questions were able to compare. Totally 41 patients and 6 physiotherapists answered the questionnaires. The low number of answers from the physiotherapists made it impossible to fulfil the purpose.

 Background: Euthanasia means help to die. Some terminally ill patients wish for euthanasia. Purpose: Illuminating terminally ill patients' desire for voluntary euthanasia. Method: A general literature study. Seven articles were reviewed and analyzed.

Background: Delirium is a common condition among elderly patients who are being treated in a hospital environment. However, a large number of patients are wrongly diagnosed. The highest risk categories to develop delirium are elderly people and postoperative patients. By understanding the patients´ experiences the nurse can formulate the care to make it easier for the patient. Aim: The aim of the literature review was to illuminate elderly patients´ experiences of delirium in connection with a hospital visit.

The aim of this study was to investigate for how long patients fast before thoracic surgery, plastic surgery and ear, nose and throat surgery, at the University hospital of  Uppsala, and what knowledge patients have about fasting and how they get affected by it. 30 patients were interviewed, 10 patients at each ward, according to a questionnaire. Data processing was performed with SPSS. There was no difference in fasting time for solids between the wards but the mean fasting time was 14 hours. In the thoracic ward patients fasted from liquids considerably longer than in the other wards.

Sometimes relatives have taken me on one side and told me they cannot bear it any more:"Isn't there something you can do to end it all?"More often requests for euthanasia have come from those who are ill. I remember visiting a man with lung cancer. He asked his wife to leave the room. As she closed the door he leaned over and grabbed my arm.

Bakgrund Varje människa är unik med behov som varierar och ändras över tid. I vården av den döende människan syftar vården till att lindra och stötta i stället för att bota. Viktigt som sjuksköterska är att ha en helhetssyn som utgår från den döendes subjektiva uppfattning om vad en god död är. Begreppet god död är abstrakt och öppet för tolkning men flera gemensamma aspekter om vad en god död är tas upp i litteraturen. Dessa var; relation, kommunikation, lindrat lidande, värdighet samt avslut.Syfte Syftet var att undersöka vilka faktorer som sjuksköterskor och döende patienter uppfattar bidrar till en god död.Metod Studien grundade sig på nio kvalitativa artiklar och en litteraturstudie som tagits fram genom sökningar i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL.Resultat Resultatet visade att det som sjuksköterskor och döende patienter uppfattade som en god död bestod av flera olika faktorer.

This is a study of the importance of culture for persons who are in their terminal stage of life. The purpose of my study is to find out if culture, particularly literature, can be a comfort for persons who are about to die. The study is based on interviews with people who are working in the palliative team at Norra Älvsborgs Länssjukhus (NÄL) in Trollhättan. It is also based on study of literature. It is literature about hospital library, culture in hospital treatment, palliative care, bibliotherapy and ?own stories? from dying persons.

Background: During the 1980s, the fear of HIV spread over the world. Health professionals'attitudes to patients with HIV, was negatively impacted because of their fear to be infected.Patients with HIV have therefore,during disease history's first two decades, experienced stigma and discrimination in the response from health professionals. Because of the increasing knowledge of HIV it is of interest to study patients' contemporary experiences of the encounter with health professionals. Aim:To explore how patients with HIV experiencing the meeting with health professionals. Method:Literature study with seven qualitative and three quantitative articles.

Background: Suicidal patients feelings and experiences of the psychiatric service can be a decisive moment of the following treatment. Although suicide is a common problem all over the world we know very little about the feelings that the patients are feeling in residential psychiatric care. Purpose: The aim of this litterature studie was to describe suicidal patients feelings and experiences of the psychiatric service. Method: Literature study was conducted through a search of articles in different databases. The data has been done as an overview and the data has been analysed with content analysis.

Background: Several patients wish to die at home and relatives often become thecaregivers. This task can be a burden and the opportunity for the patient to die at homecan be overshadowed by obligations and responsibilities. Participation of relatives isoften the prerequisite to offer palliative care in the home environment. The purpose: The purpose of the study was to illuminate relatives? need of support during palliativecare in the home based care.

It?s known that the drug information patients get at discharge from hospital is often insufficient. Patients? ignorance of which drug they use and how to take them can lead to drug related problems, can cause suffering and heavy expenses.The aim of this study was to shed light on the patients? understanding for drug information, which was given at discharge from hospital. The literature survey was used as a method and based upon a systematic choice of scientific articles, which were found in different databases during the period of April 1 to May 31, 2008.