Fatigue and Hepatitis C: a focus group study

Fatigue is often undiagnosed by health professionals as it is still seen as a nonspecific symptom without standard evaluations and effective treatments. Fatigue is present across many different diseases and has a profound effect on the quality of life of patients. However, it is still difficult to measure because of the lack of specificity of currently used self-report instruments. Patients with chronic hepatitis C infection, (HCV), experience fatigue as one of the most debilitating symptoms. The purpose of this study was to explore the types and dimensions of fatigue experienced by patients with HCV, identify specific terms they use to describe fatigue and assess how it influences everyday activities. Sixteen individuals with HCV (56% female, aged 58.1 ± 3.7 years) participated in three focus group sessions. The focus group sessions lasted between 60 and 90 minutes and were digitally recorded via audiotapes. Recorded focus groups’ audiotapes were analyzed through thematic analyses. The analysis suggested two primary categories of fatigue experiences. These were: capacity and engagement in activity. Capacity refers specifically to an individual’s sense of how much energy they have to do life activities or their maximum ability to produce energy. The word energy is the ability to perform work and includes one’s ability to access or utilize, expend, and restore it. The phrase engagement in activity, comprised two domains: initiation (getting started or being motivated) and personal satisfaction (value of the activity). This investigation helped to identify important domains of fatigue experienced by those with HCV. The findings augment our current understanding of fatigue for this group because the domains of fatigue and the terms used to describe it are not commonly represented in the most frequently used fatigue assessments.

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Health professionals perception and beliefs about drug- related problems on polymedicated older adults- a focus group study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01972-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ana Isabel Plácido ◽

Maria Teresa Herdeiro ◽

João Lindo Simões ◽

Odete Amaral ◽

Adolfo Figueiras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Focus Group ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Drug Related Problems ◽

Focus Group Study ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Improve Compliance ◽

Group Sessions ◽

Professional Perception

Abstract Background Polymedicated older patients are at greater risk of suffering from adverse events. For this reason, the detection of both inappropriate polypharmacy and polypharmacy-associated Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) are essential to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults and to reduce healthcare costs. This work aims to explore health professionals’ perceptions and opinions about polypharmacy and the handling of medicines by polymedicated older adults. Methods Thirteen focus groups with 94 health professionals (20 community pharmacists, 40 general practitioners and, 34 nurses) were conducted in primary healthcare centers of the center region of Portugal. Participants were asked to discuss their perceptions and beliefs concerning DRPs in polymedicated older adults. The sessions were audiotaped. After the transcription and coding of focus group sessions, a thematic analysis was done. Results The following four main themes emerged from the 13 focus group sessions: poor compliance and polypharmacy- A perpetuated vicious cycle, organization of the healthcare system, interaction and communication between the health professionals, and strategies to prevent inappropriate polypharmacy. Conclusions The lack of both an efficient network of information and Interaction and communication between Health professionals makes the detection and/ or prevention of polypharmacy in older adults difficult. The implementation of new models to manage and/or prevent polypharmacy based on health professional perception and beliefs is essential to prevent DRPs and improve compliance among older adults.

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Health Professionals Perception And Beliefs About Drug- Related Problems on Polymedicated Older Adults- A Focus Group Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-52187/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ana Isabel Plácido ◽

Maria Teresa Herdeiro ◽

João Lindo Simões ◽

Odete Amaral ◽

Adolfo Figueiras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Focus Group ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Drug Related Problems ◽

Focus Group Study ◽

Improve Compliance ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Group Sessions ◽

Professional Perception

Abstract Background: Polymedicated older patients are at greater risk of suffering adverse events. For this reason, the detection of both inappropriate polypharmacy and polypharmacy-associated drug-related problems (DRPs) are essential to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults and to reduce healthcare costs. This work aims to explore health professionals’ perceptions and opinions about polypharmacy and the handling of medicines by polymedicated older adults.Methods: Thirteen focus groups with 94 health professionals (20 community pharmacists, 40 general practitioners and 34 nurses) were conducted in primary healthcare centers of the region center of Portugal. Participants were asked to discuss their perceptions and beliefs in relation to DRPs in polymedicated older adults. The sessions were audiotaped. After the transcription and coding of focus group sessions, a thematic analysis was done.Results: The following four main themes emerged from the 13 focus group sessions: poor compliance and polypharmacy- a vicious cycle perpetuated by the behaviour of older adults, organization of the healthcare system, communication among health professionals, and strategies to prevent inappropriate polypharmacy.Conclusion: The lack of both an efficient network of information and communication among health professionals makes the detection and/ or prevention of polypharmacy in older adults difficult. The implementation of new models to manage and/or prevent polypharmacy based on health professional perception and beliefs is essential to prevent DRPs and improve compliance among older adults.

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If You Don’t Eat Meat… You’ll Die. A Mixed-Method Survey of Health-Professionals’ Beliefs

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11123028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 3028

Author(s):

Patrick McHugh ◽

Morgen Smith ◽

Nicholas Wright ◽

Sarah Bush ◽

Sue Pullon

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Common Chronic Disease ◽

Group Data ◽

Overwhelming Evidence ◽

Focus Group Data ◽

Good Nutrition ◽

Spreadsheet Software

Despite an ever-increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and overwhelming evidence that good nutrition improves outcomes it is difficult to know whether this evidence is reaching the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether health professionals in Tairāwhiti have sufficient nutrition education for their roles in health education and promotion and whether nutrition beliefs held by health professionals were consistent with current literature. A particular interest was to enlist views on the harms, benefits, and possible barriers to following plant-based diets. A mixed-methods study involving health professionals completing a questionnaire and a subsequent focus group to collect data was used. Survey data were analysed using spreadsheet software, and thematic content analysis of focus group data was undertaken. Participants provided nutrition advice 2.4 times per day. Almost half of practitioners considered their nutrition knowledge to be inadequate, and most made poor use of references for provision of information. Plant-based diets were generally viewed as beneficial to health, improve quality of life, be filling, but were perceived as not as easy to follow. This study is in keeping with previous research that the health workforce would benefit from more formalised nutrition education and competencies to address common chronic disease.

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How Happy Are Equine Athletes? Stakeholder Perceptions of Equine Welfare Issues Associated with Equestrian Sport

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11113228 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 3228

Author(s):

Tamzin Furtado ◽

Liane Preshaw ◽

Jo Hockenhull ◽

Jennifer Wathan ◽

Janet Douglas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Real Life ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Stakeholder Perceptions ◽

General Management ◽

Equestrian Sport ◽

Group Sessions ◽

Equine Welfare ◽

And Training

The international governing body for equestrian sports, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), states that the welfare of the horse must be paramount and never subordinated to competitive or commercial influences. However, there is growing unease about welfare issues from both within and outside the sport. The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of current welfare issues within equestrian sport, determine whether there is scope for change, and explore attitudes towards welfare assessment. Participants (n = 48) from equestrian sport (n = 38) and animal welfare research (n = 10) attended a workshop that included welfare-related presentations and focus group sessions. The focus group sessions were recorded, anonymised and analysed using thematic analysis. Conflict between the demands of competition and the needs of the horse was identified as a key welfare challenge. Although the physical health of equine athletes is closely monitored, horses’ psychological needs are sometimes overlooked. Participants recognised that improving competition practices may not be as impactful as improving the general management and training of horses. The term “quality of life” was considered preferable to “welfare”, which had negative connotations. Participants appreciated the idea of incorporating formal welfare assessments into their training and competition plans but stated that existing tools are rarely used and are not deemed feasible for real-life conditions.

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