Introduction: Each year 1200-1300 patients are diagnosed with head neck cancer. Treatment that involves radiotherapy can cause severe side effects for example trismus that affects quality of life.Purpose: To study health-related quality of life in patients who have undergone radiation treatment for head and neck cancer and participated in a intervention group who received training intended to prevent trismus or in a control group who received standard treatment.Method: This is a prospective study in which data is collected from 66 patients participating in a randomized study aiming to evaluate a training program to prevent trismus. Thirty three participated in the intervention group and thirty three in the control group. Both patient groups assessed health related quality of life (HRQOL) with EORTC QLQ C30 and QLQ-H&N35, at start and end of the radiation treatment, and at 3 and 6-months after completing radiation treatment.Results: There is no difference between the intervention and control groups regarding symptoms, functional status and global health, except for intake of nutritional supplements.  For both groups almost all scales measuring HRQOL deteriorated under the radiation treatment. However, 3 and 6 months after end of radiotherapy HRQOL had improved and had returned to the baseline values.

Home care services have had, and will have a major imortance in the future. More people will be using home care services as a consequence of political strategies but also as an effect of caretakers own wishes. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the factors that are significant for a successful encounter between a caretaker and a caregiver. The study is made as a qualitative analysis of litterature. The data collection was based on Polit and Hungler's model of information retrieval and the data analysis on Graneheim and Lundman's model of analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect that price has on quality expectations and customer satisfaction and how price fits into a customer satisfaction model. An experiment in which participants are subject to scenarios of a high or low quality flight are used to test the hypotheses. The analysis shows that perceived quality has a bigger impact on satisfaction than price. Furthermore, price and quality do not affect customer satisfaction independently of each other. The importance of value compared to quality changes whether the actor is a high or low price actor.

School can be an effective environment for achieving a more equal health among children and adolescents, since many individuals can be reached by the health promoting work in the school. In the year of 2000 a project in Skåne was started for the development of health promoting schools. The health promoting projects however, have shown to be of short duration. So, as an alternative, the integration of the health in school ought to be tried. The aim of this study is to give examples how health promoting schools can strengthen their profile.

- To be trapped in a roller-coaster That ?s how some of the patients are describing the situa- tion of living with heart failure. To be stuck in their home not knowing if they will have to seek care today and not knowing if they will have the energy to attend that birth- day party later this week.Each year 2-3% of the Swedish population are diagnosed with heart failure, which results in 30,000 new individu- als with the disorder. Cardiovascular disease is rapidly in- creasing in the world and before 2030, people with heart failure will increased by 100%. Our improved living condi- tions and better health have allowed us to grow older and made us more dependent on other types of care, care at home.Today the patients are only looking for changes in weight and if they have excessive water in their body.

Background: Basic hygiene is an important measure to prevent healthcare associated infections, save patients? lives, and reduce economic costs for health care. Healthcare associated infections are a threat to patient safety. In community care persons who are the care takers are a risk group and nurses must make sure that basic hygiene procedures are followed.Method: Literature studies with descriptive design, article search in databases Cinahl and PubMed. The results found are based on twelve chosen articles.Aim: To describe factors related to adherence to basic hygiene and how nurses in community care can help to improve compliance with these procedures.Results: In the nursing staff and leadership in health care interest in and the understanding of basic hygiene is described as being of most importance.

The aim of this essay was to describe and interpret the managements and organizations impact regarding the caregivers working conditions. To examine this we used a qualitative method. We completed two group interviews and five individual interviews with a total of fifteen enrolled nurses that worked within elderly care. In our interviews we found that the enrolled nurses felt that the organizations economic interests collided with their personal values regarding good quality elderly care. We also found that the caregivers experienced that they had an impact on their working conditions and that their employer was the main reason for making it possible..

School can be an effective environment for achieving a more equal health among children and adolescents, since many individuals can be reached by the health promoting work in the school. In the year of 2000 a project in Skåne was started for the development of health promoting schools. The health promoting projects however, have shown to be of short duration. So, as an alternative, the integration of the health in school ought to be tried. The aim of this study is to give examples how health promoting schools can strengthen their profile.

In the nurse's profession ulcer care is a common nursing intervention. Being inserted in methods of treatment and updated with evidence-based knowledge is therefore an important part of the nurse's work. Chronic ulcers are expensive for health care and occupy a lot of time. Knowledge is therefore important for ulcer healing, for the patient comfort and to reduce costs. The aim of the study was to illustrate the nurse's knowledge of nursing interventions of chronic ulcer.

Most of the people in today's society have at least some knowledge about Alzheimer's disease to some extent. When a person with Alzheimer's disease is being taken care of at home, the relatives have to change their own priorities and readapt themselves to the existing situation. The primary aim of this study is to describe how the relatives experience their own situation in life. The secondary aim of this study is to describe how the relatives understand their own relation with the health care authorities concerning the help and support issues. The authors have realized this study using the analytic inductive method and have interviewed four informants using a semi structured interview guide.

SAMMANFATTNING En bristfällig munvård kan leda till olika sjukdomstillstånd. En god munvård är en viktig del i det fysiska och psykiska välbefinnandet. Allt fler äldre personer behåller idag sina egna tänder. De som inte kan sköta sin egen munvård p.g.a. sjukdom eller åldrande behöver därför hjälp.

The overriding purpose of this graduate thesis is to evaluate if municipalities and county councils can deviate from the legislation of public procurement during procurement of customer choice agreements within the health and social care area. The intention of this Quasi-market is to provide the users with competition in terms of quality rather then the general principal rule of economic value.My conclusion results in a legal situation without rules of general procedure. So far the authorities make their own regulation in the field of customer choice agreements. The problem lies within the authorization of new contractors and their right to make an appeal against resolutions made by the authorities social care divisions.One solution is to legislate within the present law of public procurement. Another way to solve the problem is to create a lex specialis apart from the present public procurement regulation..

Background: Relatives are those persons who are closest to the patient, regardless of relationship and included into the patient´s life world. When a person is in a palliative stage this affects not only the patient but also the relatives, as it implies such a big change in life for all. The nurse has an important role for both the patient and the relatives. Aim: The aim is to highlight the relative´s needs of support for palliative care. Method: A literature review based on previous research. Ten articles were found, nine with a qualitative approach and one with both qualitative and quantitative approach. Results: The analysis resulted in six themes, these were the result of the study. The six themes were, ?to be seen an confirmed?, ?good communication?, ?continuous information?, ?availability and continuity?, ?to participate? and ?to share responsibility with the staff?. Conclusion: As a nurse we come in contact with relatives of patients in a palliative setting in any form.

Female genital mutilation is an ancient custom, practiced mainly in African countries. For several years, Africans has immigrated to Sweden and many of the women are genitally mutilated or circumcised. The aim of this study was to bring some clarity to the attitudes and experiences regarding female genital mutilation among those who are affected. Articles for this literature review were searched for in international databases, and in the university library database. The outcome of this study shows that health care staff is in need of greater knowledge about this custom, in order to be able to handle the situation appropriately.

  Aim. The aim of the study was to describe how nurses in home care experience to pursue palliative care in ordinary housing. Methods. The study had a descriptive design with qualitative approach and was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 14 nurses in home health care from two medium-sized Swedish municipalities. The material was analyzed with manifest and latent content analysis. Findings. The underlying theme that emerged in the study was: Working with palliative care in the patient´s own homes is positive but challenging. Informants describe among other things that they perceived palliative home care as meaningful and that relatives have a central role in the palliative home care since they are close to the patient around the clock. The stress that emerges from the heavy work load and the long geographic distances are described as strenuous and to affect the care in a negative way. Informants describe the home environment as challenging as it is often not adapted for care and the collaboration with the palliative team is described to be experienced as both positive and negative.