The Dutch version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire is an appropriate instrument for measuring patients' perceptions in acute low back pain patients, showing acceptable internal consistency and reliability. Concurrent validity is adequate, however, the instrument may be unsuitable for detecting changes in low back pain perception over time.
LINK
Purpose: To support family caregivers of persons post-stroke adequately from the start and to develop self-management interventions, we aim to gain a better understanding of family caregivers experiences at the time of acute care and therefore achieve a better understanding of how they manage their new situation. Methods and Materials: We chose a qualitative descriptive methodology using individual semi-structured interviews with eleven family caregivers of persons post-stroke. We conducted interviews retrospectively, between 2 and 10 months post-stroke, and analysed transcripts using thematic analysis. Results: The themes (1) being in survival mode, (2) feeling supported by family and friends, (3) feeling left alone by the treatment team and (4) insisting on information emerged from the data. Conclusion: During acute care, many self-management skills are required from family caregivers but are just starting to be developed. This development can first be observed as co-management with the social network and is often combined with shared decision-making. Information-sharing, foundational for developing self-management, is essential for family caregivers and should be supported proactively by health professionals from the beginning. Further, from the start, health professionals should raise awareness about role changes and imbalances of activities among family caregivers to prevent negative influences on their health.
Background Having a partner is associated with better prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, the influence of partners on modification of patients’ lifestyle-related risk factors (LRFs) is unclear. Therefore, we studied the influence of partners and the level of partner participation on LRF modification in patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or revascularization. Methods The RESPONSE-2 trial was a community-based lifestyle intervention trial comparing nurse-coordinated referral to a comprehensive set of lifestyle interventions (physical activity, weight reduction and/or smoking cessation) to usual care. In the current analysis, we investigated the association of having a partner on the improvement in >1 LRF without deterioration in other LRFs at 12 months follow-up. Secondary, the influence of the level of partner participation (participating partner, non-participating partner and no partner) in the intervention group was studied. Results In total 824 individuals (411 intervention, 413 control) were included in the analysis. The presence of a partner was comparable in both groups (intervention 74%, control 69%). In the intervention group, 48% of partners participated in the lifestyle interventions. Overall, having a partner was positively associated with improvement in LRFs (odds ratio (OR) 2.57 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57 – 4.21), p<0.001). In the intervention group, having a participating partner was also positively associated with improvement in LRFs compared to patients without a partner (OR 2.45 95% CI 1.25 – 4.79, p=0.009). When analysed the influence of partners on LRFs separately, patients with a participating partner were most successful in reducing weight compared to patients without a partner (OR 2.71 95% CI 1.16 – 6.36, p=0.02). Conclusion Having a partner is associated with improvement on LRFs in patients after ACS or revascularization. Moreover, patients with participating partners in the lifestyle programs were most successful in LRF modification. Involvement of partners in lifestyle interventions should be considered in routine practice.
