Introduction: On the surgical wards in most hospitals in Sweden patients with different surgical needs are cared for. Patients with gastrointestinal conditions are, for example, nurtured alongside patients with urological disorders or patients in need of observation for head trauma. When the nurse, in addition to these patients, have to care for patients with palliative care needs can be perceived as problematic for nurse and patient alike.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore nurses' perceptions of care for patients with palliative care needs on an acute surgical ward, based on a person-centered perspective.Method: A focus group interview was conducted with the strategic selection of nurses from two acute surgical wards in a county hospital in western Sweden. The data from the interview were analyzed with qualitative directed, deductive content analysis with person-centered care as a theoretical framework. The theoretical background shows that person-centered care includes partnership, participation and structured documentation.Results: The results of this study show that even a fourth category, organization, emerged and needed to be reported.

 Pain is common among women undergoing first trimester surgical abortions. At the postoperative unit, department of gynaecology, University Hospital, Uppsala, the goal is that 80 % of the women should rate pain as £ 3 on a numeric rating scale (NRS), when leaving the unit.The aim of the study was to investigate how rating was performed at the unit and to investigate patient?s perceptions of pain after having undergone first trimester surgical abortion.20 patients (74%) participated in the study. Ninety percent of the patients rated their pain as NRS £ 3 when leaving the unit. Seven patients (35 %) rated their pain as NRS > 3 directly after operation, and 2 (10 %) patients NRS > 3 when leaving the unit.

Introduction: A big part of the patients that recently has gone through operation at surgical units experiences pain in different scales after their operation. Untreated postoperative pain has been proved in different studies to increase to risk medical complications, longer rehabilitation, more days at the hospital and higher expenses for the hospital. One of the nurses? main tasks is to notice and relieve the pain of the patients. To engage the patients more in the medical process and make the nurses´ work more person-centered could make an impact on the postoperative pain and contribute to a better pain relief.

Introduction: To become acute ill and to be forced to seek treatment involves a difficult but also a vulnerable time for the individual. This acquires a good relationship between the nurse and the patient. At a surgical emergency ward patients with different diagnoses and trauma are treated. What distinguishes this specific type of ward is that care often occurs in a rapid rate and as a patient the environment may be experienced as stressed. The relationship with the nurse at the ward establishes a foundation for how the patient experiences the health care.

Background:In Sweden there are several thousand surgical procedures performed every day. The treatment is expected to be efficient, profitable and safe. Despite that, complications occur in 3-16 % of the surgical procedures. To prevent this, WHO has developed a surgical safety checklist containing safety issues to give the surgery team an opportunity to a last control that everything has been properly done. The profession of the surgical nurse focuses mainly on patient safety especially regarding hygiene and sterility.Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate and describe the perceptions of the perioperative nurses regarding WHO: s surgical safety checklist.Method:To test the suitability of the method a pilot study was performed where tree operating room nurses were interviewed and the data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results: Four categories emerged; Increased patient safety, enhanced team spirit, good planning, stronger professional role.Discussion: The result from the study showed positive perceptions regarding the surgical safety checklist, a fact known from earlier research.Conclusion: The results of the pilot study showed that surgical nurses had good support in their work when the surgical safety checklist was used..

Introduction: Balance between the essential nutritive substances is important for aperson to maintain health. The surgical patient can be stricken with conditions, whichhave a negative impact on this balance and can lead to malnutrition. Working as a nurseit is important to identify patients that are malnourished or is in the risk zone ofmalnourishment since 30 % of all patients in hospitals are malnourished.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the compliance to the guidelines fornutritional assessment and parenteral nutrition on a surgical ward. Also whether thenutritional treatment/-support was reported to the next caregivers if the patient wasmalnourished or was in the risk zone of malnourishment at the time of discharge.Method: 80 patients enrolled on the ward in the beginning of year 2011 were included.Audit of patient records was made according to the hospital guidelines for nutrition andparenteral nutrition and followed a study specific protocol.Results: The examination of the case records showed that the guidelines for nutritionwere partly complied with. Nutritional treatment/-support was reported to the nextcaregivers when needed.

In Sweden surgical treatment of vocal fold lesions in children is fairly uncommon. At Falun hospital they have adapted a more generous attitude towards phonosurgery of children?s vocal folds. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate surgical treatment of organic vocal fold lesions in children and to assess the phonosurgical patient utility. The study was carried out at the Ear-, Nose- and Throat clinic, Falun hospital, Sweden.

Background: For an individual a surgery may involve strains and risks. Many patients experience a loss of its own identity and often an inability to control the situation while going through a surgical operation. Fear of pain or to not wake up from the anesthetic or that the surgery will fail are worrying factors that some people experiences. Purpose: The purpose was to describe patients? perceptions of preoperative information in connection to elective surgeries.

Background: In Sweden it is a legal right for patients to have the possibility to participate in their own care. Several studies highlight the importance of a good relationship, good communication and good cooperation in order to increase a sense of security and thus the possibility of participation. One way to increase patients' ability to influence and participate can be to adapt person-centered care. This moves the focus from the patient's illness to the patient and his/her resources. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe patients' experiences of the possibility to actively participate in decisions regarding its care and treatment at surgical wards.

Aim: On the basis of the Swedish 2012 National Patient Survey and its open answers, study how patients experienced the quality of care during hospitalization in a surgical divisionMethod: In this study, 306 patients' responses was compiled and analyzed by qualitative content analysis and reported descriptively in running text.Results: The way patients were treated by staff was experienced by respondents mainly as positive. The staffs? courteous and sympathetic attitudes were appreciated. The food that was served was described as substandard, distasteful and dull. The cleanliness of the hospital departments were reported to be inadequate, particularly in washrooms.

Elective joint surgery increases for every year and the operations are associated with postoperative pain. Postoperative pain is a well known phenomenon and pain physiology and analgesics are well known by caregivers, but the significance of the interaction between patient and caregiver is not illuminated. There are still patients experiencing unnecessary postoperative pain. Among patients in elective surgery, 25% runs a risk for underestimated pain. The aim of the study was to describe patient?s experiences of nursing interaction in the context of postoperative pain during hospitalisation after going through knee- or hiparthropasty.

Introduction. Infection Prevention is one of the surgical nurses' main responsibilities. One of the steps which patients undergo in this purpose before surgery is the preoperative skin desinfektion. Background. The patient washes the day before surgery with Descutan cutaneous sponge 4 %, a sponge containing chlorhexidine.

Elective joint surgery increases for every year and the operations are associated with postoperative pain. Postoperative pain is a well known phenomenon and pain physiology and analgesics are well known by caregivers, but the significance of the interaction between patient and caregiver is not illuminated. There are still patients experiencing unnecessary postoperative pain. Among patients in elective surgery, 25% runs a risk for underestimated pain. The aim of the study was to describe patient?s experiences of nursing interaction in the context of postoperative pain during hospitalisation after going through knee- or hiparthropasty.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine if a pre- and post-operative difference could be seen in self-reported pain disability and self-efficacy among patients undergoing surgery as treatment for spinal disc herniation in order to improve process of rehabilitation.Method: A quantitative and descriptive design was used. 10 patients awaiting surgical treatment for spinal disc herniation were included at Akademiska sjukhuset (The Academic Hospital) in Uppsala. Participation was voluntary and the selection was made by convenience. Data was collected using The Pain Disability Index and Self-Efficacy Scale by which the patient would estimate how hindered they felt because of their pain in everyday activities and their self-efficacy to perform everyday activities. This was done the day before surgery and two weeks after surgery.

The aim of this study was to investigate the intraoperative surgical stress response in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy and to compare acepromazine and medetomidine as premedications. 15 dogs diagnosed with pyometra were used in this study. Blood pressure and heart rate were used as parameters to measure surgical stress response. The surgery was divided into four phases. Phase 0 was the period 10 minutes before the skin incision, phase 1 was skin incision and opening of abdomen, phase 2 was manipulation of uterine horns, ligation and transection of mesovarium and phase 3 was ligation of cervix, removal of organs and closing the abdomen. The results showed that phase 2 was the most intense phase of surgical stress, regardless of which premedication the dogs received. When acepromazine and medetomidine were compared the results showed that within phase 3, all dogs that were given medetomidine had higher blood pressure compared to dogs that were given acepromazine. The dogs that were given acepromazine had higher heart rate than the dogs that were given medetomidine in phase 0, phase 2 and phase 3. .