Kidney transplantation reduces dependence on dialysis, yet recipients’ adaptation is rarely examined through a theoretical framework. Using Roy's Adaptation Model as a deductive lens and template analysis, this qualitative study explored how 13 recipients in a Brazilian public transplant ward, 11 within 70 days of surgery, described adaptation. Participants reported restored urine output, release from haemodialysis and hopes of paid work, alongside postoperative pain, complications, lost friendships and concern about graft loss. They also described reliance on medication, a distant referral centre, municipal transport and social protection benefits. The accounts support an exploratory proposition: dependence was reconfigured rather than removed.
Professional identity development is central to nursing education, yet the relationship between educational completion, professional capability, and identifying as a professional at graduation remains less clear. This qualitative study explored how 13 nursing students approaching graduation in Estonia understood professional nursing and made sense of their professional identity development. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in Estonia and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes concerned understanding the professional nurse; becoming a nurse through learning, practice, relationships, and life experience; and professional self-understanding at graduation. Professional identity was understood as integrating knowledge, relational sensitivity, responsibility, and reflection. Educational completion and situated professional capability did not always coincide with a stable sense of being a professional nurse. This tension was interpreted as transitional professional self-understanding, an interpretative refinement that highlights uneven alignment between perceived readiness, situated professional capability, and professional self-identification at the threshold of practice.
As many patients prefer to die at home, nurses play a key role in supporting family caregivers and coordinating end-of-life care. This study explored nurses’ experiences of supporting family caregivers in home-based end-of-life care. Nine home care nurses were individually interviewed. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach and reported according to COREQ. Three themes were identified and interpreted through the analysis: Guest and Professional Caregiver in the Home , Identifying Family Caregivers’ Needs Through Dialogue and Attunement , and Navigating Emotional Burden in End-of-Life Care . Nurses in home-based end-of-life care navigate a dual role as both guest and professional caregiver, fostering close relationships with patients and families that provide meaning but also involve significant emotional boundary work and risk of strain.
Perioperative hypothermia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Systematic temperature monitoring is considered important for early detection of hypothermia and timely intervention, yet incidence remains high. This study examined monitoring practices across the perioperative course. We conducted a 1-week retrospective observational study of 1261 patients undergoing surgery lasting more than 30 min. Temperature monitoring data, including hypothermia incidence and the use of monitoring devices, were extracted from electronic records. Only 11.1% of patients had complete temperature documentation across all stages, and hypothermia was frequently recorded. Preoperative temperature measurements were documented in 31.8% of patients with an average 7 h delay between ward measurement and arrival in the operating theatre, potentially limiting clinical utility of these measurements. Intraoperative monitoring occurred in 26.1% of patients and in 29.0% at the post-anesthesia care unit. We found intraoperative hypothermia in 38% of patients. The most commonly used device preoperatively was an infrared aural canal thermometer, and in the operating theatre, the most common device was urinary catheter-based invasive temperature monitoring. These findings indicate suboptimal continuity of temperature monitoring across the perioperative pathway. Our findings highlight opportunities to improve the consistency of perioperative temperature monitoring and warrant further research into factors influencing current practice.
In nursing homes, function-focused care aims to support older people's functioning and activity by promoting participation in everyday life. Digital gaming is one potential tool within this approach, but little is known about its use in staff-led daily practice. This study aimed to describe staff's experiences of the benefits of digital gaming for older people's functioning and activity, as well as its suitability for nursing home settings. Eighteen staff members participated in semi-structured focus group interviews following a 3-month digital gaming intervention. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. The study was reported according to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. According to staff, digital gaming was perceived to support older people's functioning and activity through both short- and long-term benefits. Digital gaming was perceived as a useful tool for supporting function-focused activities and meaningful daily life. To maximise benefits, attention should be paid to organisational support and to staff competence in using technology to comprehensively support the functioning of older people.
