Experiences and needs of partners as informal caregivers of patients with major low anterior resection syndrome: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: After treatment, many rectal cancer survivors are confronted with ongoing bowel problems, called low anterior resection syndrome. The cancer diagnosis and treatment poses a burden on informal caregivers and results in higher levels of psychological distress and loneliness which is persistent after treatment as well. Our study aimed to investigate the experiences and needs of partners as informal caregivers of patients with major low anterior resection syndrome. METHODS: A ground theory study was conducted. Semi-structured interviews with partners as informal caregivers of patients with major low anterior syndrome were performed in three hospitals between 2017 and 2019. In the first phase, maximum variation sampling was used and later theoretical sampling. Data analysis was done using the constant comparative method and investigators triangulation. RESULTS: Twenty partners as informal caregivers were interviewed until data saturation. Low anterior resection syndrome of their partner was overwhelming and they failed to live a normal life. They had the feeling that they stood at the side-line and partly because of that felt lonely. Partners experienced three levels of loneliness: because of their changed own life, the changed life of their partner and the changed life in the environment. CONCLUSION: Low anterior resection syndrome has a large impact on the lives of partners as informal caregivers and induces loneliness at three levels. It is key that the HCPs of the interdisciplinary team understand this impact. A clinical nurse specialist/oncology nurse navigator could help in alleviate that burden by addressing both patients' and partners' needs.

The trajectory of hope and loneliness in rectal cancer survivors with major low anterior resection syndrome: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Rectal cancer survivors are often confronted with long-term bowel function impairment, called low anterior resection syndrome. This has a large impact on patients' lives. The aim was to explore the experiences of patients with major low anterior resection syndrome with a specific focus on hope and loneliness. METHODS: A grounded theory approach was used. Individual semi-structured interviews (n = 28) were performed between 2017 and 2019. Patients were recruited in three hospitals and a call was distributed in two patients' organizations. During data analysis, the constant comparative method and investigators' triangulation was used. RESULTS: Hope was important at different stages in the trajectory. After treatment patients hoped to pick up their previous life. Confrontation with low anterior resection syndrome was unexpected and patients hoped to manage it through trial and error. They lost hope if further improvement was absent. At that turning point some tried to accept the new lifestyle, others pushed their boundaries and some opted for a permanent stoma. Loneliness presented itself in several layers. Patients experience loneliness due being toilet-bound, changes in their lives and activities outside their homes and the impact on their family life. CONCLUSION: Assessment of the impact on patients' lives and tailored counselling is possible if healthcare professionals gain more insight into the different layers of loneliness and where the patient is located in the trajectory of hope.

[A practical program for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy]. / Un modèle pratique pour l'antibiothérapie parentérale ambulatoire.

Some infections require prolonged parenteral antimicrobial therapy, which can be continued in an outpatient setting. The Ghent University Hospital has fifteen years of experience with Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy [OPAT) in the patient own home setting. As a quality improvement initiative, this process was critically reviewed in a multidisciplinary approach. Several challenges and barriers were identified, including regulatory obstacles for OPAT in Belgium, such as Lack of uniformity in ambulatory reimbursement of parenteral antimicrobials. There is no financial incentive for the patient with OPAT, as costs for the patient of outpatient therapy can be higher as compared with hospitalization. Other barriers include delayed approval of the certificate for reimbursement, low availability of medicines in the community pharmacies and limited knowledge of the medical devices for administration in ambulatory setting. All critical steps in the revised OPAT program are summarized in a flowchart with a checklist for all stakeholders. Firstly, a list with specific criteria to include patients in an OPAT program is provided. Secondly, the Multidisciplinary Infection Team received a formal mandate to review all eligible OPAT patients. In order to select the most appropriate catheter a decision tree was developed and standardized packages with medical devices were developed. Thirdly, patients receive oral and written information about the treatment with practical and financial implications. Fourthly, information is provided towards the general practitioners, community pharmacists and home care nurses. Standardization of the OPAT-program aims at improving quality and safety of intravenous antimicrobial therapy in the home setting.

Naturally occurring persistent and asymptomatic infection of the guttural pouches of horses with Streptococcus equi.

During an outbreak of strangles on a farm with approximately 1500 horses, the spread of Streptococcus equi infection was monitored by repeated nasopharyngeal swabbing and culture. In order to control the infection and prevent new introductions of strangles on to the premises, a system of quarantine and swabbing of cases and all incoming animals was instituted. Long-term carriage of the organism was detected in four clinically healthy convalescent animals, and in two of 350 new ponies; it persisted for between seven and 39 months, but it was detected only intermittently by the culture of swabs which was a much less sensitive method than the culture of guttural pouch lavages taken by endoscopy (45 per cent v 88 per cent sensitivity, respectively, for any single sample). Repeated swabs were often negative for several weeks between positive samples. Nonetheless, in all but one of the long-term carriers, S equi was detected by culture of repeated swabs taken over a period of less than two to three months. Infection was detected unilaterally in the guttural pouches of five of the carriers and was accompanied by large numbers of neutrophils in the lavage samples whether or not there was empyema. Abnormalities of the affected guttural pouches were detectable by radiography but only after the instillation of contrast medium. The study indicated that clinically healthy long-term carriers of S equi present a serious risk of spreading strangles, particularly because they may be detected only by repeated nasopharyngeal swabbing over two to three months.