ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality during childhood. AIM: This study was conducted to describe the primary management and classification of children admitted to the emergency department for head trauma. SERIES: All children (0-15 years) with a history of head injury who were admitted to the outpatient emergency department at a single paediatric trauma centre in the Stockholm region during 1 month were included. RESULTS: There were 242 children (137 girls and 105 boys; mean age 5.3+/-4.4 years) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Based on the Scandinavian Head Injury Classification, 73% were classified as minimal, 17% mild and 2% moderate head injury. This classification seemed to be more accurately reflective than the ICD-10-based classification in the management of the children with head trauma.
Subject(s)
Craniocerebral Trauma/classification , Craniocerebral Trauma/therapy , Injury Severity Score , Severity of Illness Index , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Craniocerebral Trauma/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
This article explores how a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients perceived their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in relation to their coping capacity expressed as sense of coherence. The emphasis was on gender differences. The sample consisted of 55 women (29%) and 134 men (71%), receiving outpatient medical care in a hospital. Self-report instruments, the health index, the HIV symptom scale, the well-being scale, the sense of coherence (SOC) scale and the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction were used. Disease status (HIV CDC classification, absolute CD4+ lymphocyte count and HIV/RNA) was also measured, and demographic data were collected. The total sample scored significantly worse self-rated health and weaker SOC than healthy controls. The HIV-infected women were significantly younger than the men (p < 0.0001). The majority of the women (60%) were infected by heterosexual transmission and of the men (58%) by homosexual/bisexual contacts. In the univariate analysis the women scored significantly less positive well-being (p < 0.05), weaker SOC (p < 0.05), and less social support (p < 0.01) than the men despite less advanced disease. Multiple regression analyses revealed that SOC was the strongest predictor of subjective HRQOL in both genders. The results suggest that health professionals who individualize their care of HIV-infected patients should try to be sensitive to the different ways in which men and women express their HRQOL.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , HIV Infections/psychology , Quality of Life , Sex Characteristics , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Case-Control Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/transmission , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Regression Analysis , Self Disclosure , Social Support , Surveys and Questionnaires , SwedenABSTRACT
A qualitative study was conducted to explore how a group of HIV-infected gay men experienced their encounters with the health care community and to develop a theoretical understanding of the care given from the patient's perspective. Ten HIV-infected gay men were recruited from an outpatient clinic in a city in the southeastern part of the United States. Collection and analysis of data was conducted with a qualitative approach using a constant comparative method. The themes summarizing the findings were integration, recognition, security, availability of facilities, and confirmation. These themes contain both negative and positive experiences and conceptualize different needs from a patient's perspective. The role of the nurses' attitudes to and perceptions of gay HIV-infected men was emphasized.
