Background: Heart failure is a complex condition which means that the hearts capacity topump blood is reduced. The aim of this study was to investigate how patients with heartfailure considered their knowledge and the information they received about their disease andself-care.Method: Patients suffering from heart failure, hospitalized at section 30 E (n=13), andpatients visiting the nurse led heart failure clinic (n=4) at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala,were requested to participate in the study. The patients answered questions about knowledgeand information concerning self-care and their disease. Data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0.Results: The patients valued their knowledge about the disease as lower than their knowledgeabout self-care. The study showed that all the patients found the information they hadreceived about their self-care better than the information they had received about theirdisease.

Background Satisfaction of life and wellbeing is shown to be important when the quality of life is to be understood. The nurse has a significant role in the care of the patient and in his/her experience of life. Aim The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of life, from a nurse perspective. Method The text analysis was carried out with qualified attempts, of a book, "Quality of life a challenge for the nurse" (in Swedish) by T. Rustoen, a nurse who also worked as a teacher in Norway. The book describes how quality of life is experienced from the patients and staffs view. Results The text analysis showed that out of the ordinary descriptions of quality of life, the author found four new themes. These themes where; the meaning of solidarity, confidence, activity and meaningfulness in the existence. Conclusion Quality of life is an important word, which means different to different kind of people.

Previous research and patient complaints to the Swedish Patient Support Committee shows that there is a lack of substance in the patient-nurse relationship. This may suggest that it can be difficult for health care to live up to health-care law which requires it to be of good quality, based on dignity and respect and designed so that the patient is an active participant and can make their own decisions when it comes to their health care. For a better understanding of what a dignified patient-nurse relationship is, this study aims to clarify what the patient values as good patient-nurse relationship and describe how they have experienced the patient-nurse relationship during their stay at an emergency care department. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, where the population consisted of patients who were cared for at an emergency care department in the County of Västmanland, Sweden during 2007. The sample consisted of 93 patients which were asked to answer a questionnaire.

The leadership within healthcare is a constantly discussed subject. The discussion today is evolving around the physicians' lack of strive towards becoming managers within healthcare organizations. Furthermore the leadership that the nurse practice when becoming manager is on the other hand not discussed. The purpose of this study is to describe important factors of the leadership the nurse practice upon physicians in a healthcare organization as well as to explain why that is. To fulfill this purpose, we have used a qualitative case study research design including a private Swedish healthcare company.

Palliative care is a care that focuses on providing end of life care but not to delay or hasten death. Despite training, nurses often show a lack of knowledge in attitude, ethics and healthcare issues of palliative care. The nurse in palliative care has a central role in caring of the dying patient and therefore a big responsibility. However, palliative care is a low priority in basic training. The aim of this study is to investigate the roles of nurses in palliative care and if there is a need for increased education in the subject.

Introduction: The complexity of the neonates? way of expressing pain is a difficulttask for the pediatric nurse. The Swedish national guidelines for prevention and treatmentof pain in the newborn infant is suggesting that departments regularly use structuredmethods, such as pain assessment instrument, for the assessment of pain in the neonatalperiod. Previous research shows that pain assessment instruments are only used in abouthalf of all pain assessments in Sweden. Neonate's cannot verbally communicate their pain,and are therefore dependent on the pediatric nurse to acknowledge the pain.

Aim: To evaluate nurse student?s apprehension of an interprofessional seminar as part of training. Method: A descriptive, qualitative study built on the analysis of 43 questionnaires and one group interview with nurse student?s who participated in the seminar. For the analysis of the collected material we used the method of analysis of contents as described by Graneheim and Lundman.

Background: Good quality of communication has a significant role and is essential in the care, and there are many factors that have an impact on the communication between nurse and patient. It is important that the interaction and communication is directed to and focused on understanding in broad sense in order to make sure that the meeting between nurse and care taker will result in something positive. Through a greater understanding the cooperation between nurse and the patient will be facilitated, which will create opportunities for both sides to be part of and contribute to a meaningful rehabilitation.Purpose: The aim of the study is to describe how the elderly patient and the nurse experience the communication within the health care, however also to identify what factors that are essential for an optimal communication.2Method: In this study the method that has been chosen is metasynthesis. The metasynthesis method implies that qualitative studies, that illustrate elderly patients and nurses perceptions and experiences of communication within health care, have systematically been reviewed and compiled to a result.Result: The analysis of the study?s results in a composition that consist of the following three themes; the patients and the nurses perspective on how information should be conveyed, the role of the time aspect in communication and the impact of the attitude on communication.

           AbstractAims: To explore whether and in that case how nurses question women in the psychiatric care about violence in close relationships and how nurses respond to women who have been exposed to domestic violence.Method: A qualitative descriptive interview study with twelve nurses from four psychiatric wards was carried out in Uppsala. Informants were chosen from a convenient selection. The interviews with semi-structured interview questions were recorded on tape, transcribed and analyzed with content analysis.Results: There is no routine to ask all female patients if they are victims of violence. It happens only in cases where the suspicion arises or is confirmed. It is individually whether and how the nurse asks the woman if she is subjected to violence in a close relationship, depending on patient and nurse.

During one week (9-13 May, 2005) the use of veterinary diets for the hospitalised patients att the University clinic was registered. The animal owners were interviewed by telephone six months later about the feeding after coming home. Four out of ten animal owners answered yes to the question if the veterinarian had asked what food their animal normally consumed. Out of 35 animals, 15 (43%) were prescribed to a veterinary diet. Among cats it was 8 out of 14 (57%) and among dogs it was 7 out of 21 (33%). Four animals out of ten were recommended a veterinary diet when going home, but 20% did not follow the recommendation all the way through and stopped feeding their animal the veterinary diet. Reasons that were given was that the diet didn't last the entire period, that the animal didn't need the diet anymore according to the owner and one dog that became to lean when fed the diet. The diagnosis for these three dogs was vomiting, foreign body in the digestive system and bloody diarrhoea.

To be able to give optimal care to patients in small animal hospitals, we have to have knowledge about how to prevent the spread of infection. An important part in this is hand hygiene routines. We have to clean hands whenever they are visibly dirty, and disinfect them regularly in between. Another important part is the cleaning and disinfection of the environment in the clinic, and also the cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of medical instruments. Other important parts are isolation of patients with known infections, to wear clothes with short sleeves and to wash them at least once daily, to wear gloves, having short nails and not wearing jewelry when working.

Background: Pervious research indicates that communication between patient and nurse has shortcomings. For the nurse, difficulties in care giving may emerge when the nurse and patient cannot understand each other. Research also shows that patients? participation in their care become more difficult by lack of communication. The care giving of patients who speak a different language is seen as a challenge by the nurse.

Introduction: Reversal of a temporary loop-ileostomy is the final step after a long treatment for rectalcancer, an event that the patient has been looking forward to for a long time. Studies have shown that patients often have a significant impact on the bowel function after reversal of the stoma.Aim: To describe how the patient experienced the first time at home after reversal of a temporary loop-ileostomy due to rectalcancer. Method: Qualitative semi-structured interviews, with 15-20 patients who have undergone reversal of a temporary loop-ileostomy due to rectal cancer, will be conducted. The interviewes will be analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Graneheim & Lundman (2004). The patients will be recruited from the colorectal unit at Sahlgrenska University hospital/Östra and from the surgical unit at Kungälvs hospital.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a common disease worldwide. The disease is described as a chronic inflammation that afflicts mainly the joints, the tendrons and the synovial joint. The inflammation breaks down cartilage, ligaments and bone. When the patient gets the diagnosis he/she frequently reacts with chock, denial or/and dissociation. Active support from the nurse can have an important impact on the patient in accepting and processing that he/she suffers from disease.

Background:Existential and spiritual thoughts are a big part of pallative care. The terms existential and spiritual can be understood in many different ways. It may mean thoughts about faith or thoughts concerning life and death. The nurse in palliative care need to have good communication skills, be responsible and be present and supportive in meeting with the patient.Aim:To describe the nurse's experiences of meeting patients' existential and spiritual thoughts in palliative care.Methods:A literature review based on 10 scientific studies have been done. The studies have been downloaded from the following scientific databases; Academic Search preimer, CINAHL Plus with   Full Text, and PubMed.