Aim: Building strategies for the country-level dissemination of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) to reduce the mortality rate in preterm and low birth weight babies and improve quality of life. KMC is an evidence-based healthcare method for these infants. However, KMC implementation at the global level remains low. Methods: The international network in Kangaroo mother brought 172 KMC professionals from 33 countries together for a 2-day workshop held in conjunction with the XIIth International KMC Conference in Bogota, Colombia, in November 2018. Participants worked in clusters to formulate strategies for country-level dissemination and scale-up according to seven pre-established objectives. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Background
Psoriasis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease prevalent in dermatology. We aimed to understand the perceptions of patients living with psoriasis in relation to their quality of life and to identify aspects to improve it.
Methods
This is qualitative research carried out in a dermatology outpatient clinic of the São Paulo State University (UNESP) medical school, Botucatu, Brazil, with 81 psoriasis patients. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the Discourse of the Collective Subject method (DCS).
Results
Quality of life was linked to well-being, happiness, leisure, good food and financial stability. However, disease symptoms, social and clothing restrictions, impairment of professional activities and the absence of a cure, negatively influenced their perceptions. Suggestions for improvements included an increase of public awareness, stress reduction, disease acceptance and multidisciplinary care.
Conclusion
The meanings of quality of life revealed by the participants are subjective, multidimensional, linked to moments experienced by them and to the health-disease process. Public health policies promoting reduction in social stigma and stress as well as multidisciplinary approaches towards care can contribute to improvements of QoL in psoriasis.
Objetivo: Conhecer como a psoríase interfere na qualidade de vida dos pacientes na percepção de dermatologistas e identificar estratégias para melhoria e reorganização da assistência. Métodos: Pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, realizada em hospital público do interior de São Paulo, no período de dezembro de 2017 a março de 2018, com seis dermatologistas. As entrevistas foram transcritas e analisadas utilizando-se a estratégia metodológica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Resultados: Psoríase é uma doença que inflige prejuízo à qualidade de vida por estar associada a transtornos psicossociais, estigma, vergonha e perda da autoestima. Reduzir lesões e sintomas, melhorar a aparência, disponibilizar medicamento eficaz e oferecer atendimento humanizado são aspectos fundamentais para melhoria da qualidade de vida destes pacientes. Conclusão: Para os profissionais dermatologistas, a psoríase é uma doença crônica, que interfere na qualidade de vida dos pacientes, em virtude do preconceito sentido, dos transtornos psicossociais e sentimentos negativos que afloram, bem como das dificuldades sociais enfrentadas.
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