The prevalence of dementia as a disease has increased worldwide with advancing age and growing population numbers, affecting whole families. However, most previous research does not separate the spouses or cohabitants from the adult children, but instead regards all next of kin involved in the everyday care of the person suffering from dementia as caregivers. This has made it difficult to find previous research regarding what it means to be an adult child of a person with dementia, and as such, the aim of this study is to explore that topic. The method used was narrative interviews analysed using phenomenological hermeneutics. Our comprehensive understanding showed that to be an adult child of a person with dementia means being burdened with the responsibility to act on behalf of the diseased parent despite a deep sense of grief and loss, which leads to frustration and despondence. The adult children's existence and reality are threatened not only by the loss of the parent but also by the possibility that one day they too may inherit the disease. This could be compared to a psychic crisis, which is defined as a situation that leads to radical changes in the afflicted person's relationship to life and reality, or, simply, “an upset in a steady state”. The findings suggest that adult children of people with dementia are in need of support for a substantial period of time in order to adapt to the fact that they have lost a parent who is still alive. They also need information about the disease and the process of diagnosis and treatment to feel more a part of the process, as well as understand the behavior and needs of their parent.

Findings suggest that structured support groups are a good way to encourage discussions, allow persons with dementia to express themselves and support healthy ageing among partners.

ObjectiveTrauma is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in modern society, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are the single leading cause of mortality among young adults. Pre-hospital acute care management has developed during recent years and guidelines have shown positive effects on the pre-hospital treatment and outcome for patients with severe traumatic brain injury. However, reports of impacts on improved nursing competence in the ambulance services are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate if increased nursing competence level has had an impact on pre-hospital assessment and interventions in severe traumatic brain-injured patients in the ambulance services.MethodA retrospective study was conducted. It included all severe TBI patients (>15 years of age) with a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of less than eight measured on admission to a level one trauma centre hospital, and requiring intensive care (ICU) during the years 2000–2009.Results651 patients were included, and between the years 2000–2005, 395 (60.7%) severe TBI patients were injured, while during 2006–2009, there were 256 (39.3%) patients. The performed assessment and interventions made at the scene of the injury and the mortality in hospital showed no significant difference between the two groups. However, the assessment of saturation was measured more frequently and length of stay in the ICU was significantly less in the group of TBI patients treated between 2006–2009.ConclusionGreater competence of the ambulance personnel may result in better assessment of patient needs, but showed no impact on performed pre-hospital interventions or hospital mortality.

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Background: Health care’s rapid transition from in-person visits to digital care meetings has challenged nurses to find new, sustainable ways of using digital technology.Methods: The aim was to describe nurses’ experiences with person-centred care and competence in digital care meetings over time. In this study, a qualitative longitudinal descriptive explorative design was used, and 16 individual interviews were carried out with nurses. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was used in this study.Results: The results were presented in four themes: being open to change and new ways of working with patients; struggling to handle requirements; developing new ways of working and focusing on patients despite the distance.Conclusions: The Digital Competence in Care course helped develop nurses’ skills and the practice of digital care meetings. Training in digital care theory increased nurses’ competence and facilitated the creation of new knowledge. The nurses’ professional role was strengthened by having increased power in decision-making and the ability to participate in changing work routines. Digital care meetings were shown to be distance bridging and complementary to physical care meetings contributing to person-centred care. The increased availability of health care via digital means has affected the consumption of care and tailored education needs for nurses must be met by nursing education programs. Digital care is accessible, efficient and enables care regardless of geographical conditions, its innovative development needs to be based on science and experience and nurses are key personnel in this process. Trial registration: Not applicable.