Aims and objectives. To describe the intensive care unit patients' perceptions about the importance of their different needs and how their needs are met in Estonian hospitals, and to determine the correlations between the patients' perceptions and their demographic characteristics and background variables. Background. Meeting needs of patients in intensive care unit is important for avoiding unpleasant experiences and providing patient-centred care. Design. A descriptive questionnaire survey. Methods. The study was performed in sixteen intensive care units (ICUs) in six acute care hospitals in Estonia. Data were collected over six months in 2008 using the structured five-point scale questionnaire Needs of Adult Patients in Intensive Care Unit. The Convenience sample consisted of The adult patients discharged from ICUs to hospital wards able to answer the questionnaire (n = 166). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and statistical tests. Results. Patients' needs varied and were sometimes unmet. The most important needs were physical comfort and feeling safe. Privacy, involvement of family and friends and being involved in decision-making were less important. The more important a need was perceived to be, the better it was met. The need for physical comfort was met best, involvement in decision-making worst. Patients with lower educational level and unscheduled patients agreed more that their needs were met. The better the patients considered their condition when leaving the ICU, the more they agreed that their needs were met. Conclusions. The findings provide a basis for understanding the needs of critically ill adults in Estonian ICUs to provide them more patient-centred care and improve their psychological well-being and quality of life after discharge. Relevance to clinical practice. Identifying and acknowledging the personal needs of patients in intensive care unit is important. When meeting the patients' needs, their individual characteristics should be taken into consideration.

The aim of the study was to explore how far the perceptions of care of nurses in Finland take into account the preferences of the older patient and the patient's family members and to evaluate related background factors. The data were collected by questionnaire with nurses (n=167) working in a geriatric hospital. The questionnaire contained items about shared decision-making, attitudes to nursing patients, assessment of patients' functional ability and need for care, goal-setting, evaluation of outcomes and discharge planning. This study showed that taking into account the preferences of the patient and the patient's family members regarding the patient's care was challenging for the nurses in practice. About one-third of the nurses reported making the decisions on a patient's care themselves and not respecting patient autonomy in situations where patients are not able to assess their own situation. In addition, the nurses reported asking for the views of patients less frequently than those of family members when assessing and setting patient care goals. In practice, nurses need to be aware of this, during the transition from routine-centred care to patient-centred care.

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This paper presents baseline data on attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients and homophobic levels among nursing students in three Baltic Sea countries: Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. The aim is to describe and compare nursing students' attitudes in these three countries and to explore how attitudes towards HIV/AIDS correlate with background variables. The total sample comprised 471 nursing students. The respondents demonstrated average attitude scores towards patients with HIV/AIDS and rather positive attitudes towards homosexually oriented patients. Significant country differences were found, with Finnish nursing students showing the most positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS patients and homosexually oriented patients. Previous experience of HIV/AIDS patients was the single factor with the greatest positive impact on nursing students' attitudes. Nursing students' willingness to provide care for an HIV/AIDS patient was associated with a positive attitude towards these patients. Length of employment experience correlated negatively with general attitude, and older nursing students with more work experience showed a more negative attitude towards homosexual patients. Proper education to achieve a sound knowledge base and good nursing skills promotes a more positive attitude to HIV/AIDS. It is important that nursing students are sensitive and show respect for the patient's human dignity. There is need for greater harmonization of education in the three countries.