Dataset Information

Perceptions, Barriers, and Experiences With Successful Aging Before and After Kidney Transplantation: A Focus Group Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are living longer, often into older age, and commonly pursue kidney transplantation. Successful aging, a multidimensional construct of physical and social wellbeing, has been expanded and adapted for patients with chronic disease. However, perceptions of, barriers to, and experiences with successful aging among adults with ESKD are unclear and likely differ based on whether they have received a kidney transplant.

Methods

Ten focus groups were held with 39 total ESKD patients aged ?50 years (19 transplant candidates, 20 transplant recipients). Transcriptions were analyzed thematically by 2 independent coders using an inductive, constant comparative approach.

Results

The mean age was 64.8 (SD = 7.5); 51% were African American and 64% were males. Six themes were identified: familiarity with successful aging, perceptions of successful aging after ESKD diagnosis, barriers to successful aging, experiences with successful aging among transplant candidates, experiences with successful aging among transplant recipients, and suggested interventions. While all participants sought to achieve successful aging while living with ESKD, experiences with successful aging differed between candidates and recipients. Candidates struggled with the limitations of dialysis; some viewed transplantation as an opportunity to age successfully, while others were resigned to the drawbacks of dialysis. In contrast, transplant recipients were optimistic about their ability to age successfully, believing their transplant facilitated successful aging. Participants believed support groups for adults with ESKD and more thoughtful health care for aging adults would promote successful aging.

Conclusions

Adults with ESKD may benefit from discussions with their clinicians and caregivers about goals, barriers, and strategies regarding successful aging.

SUBMITTER: Van Pilsum Rasmussen SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6930354 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Perceptions, Barriers, and Experiences With Successful Aging Before and After Kidney Transplantation: A Focus Group Study.

Van Pilsum Rasmussen Sarah E SE Warsame Fatima F Eno Ann K AK Ying Hao H Covarrubias Karina K Haugen Christine E CE Chu Nadia M NM Crews Deidra C DC Harhay Meera N MN Schoenborn Nancy L NL Segev Dorry L DL McAdams-DeMarco Mara A MA

Transplantation 20200301 3

<h4>Background</h4>End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are living longer, often into older age, and commonly pursue kidney transplantation. Successful aging, a multidimensional construct of physical and social wellbeing, has been expanded and adapted for patients with chronic disease. However, perceptions of, barriers to, and experiences with successful aging among adults with ESKD are unclear and likely differ based on whether they have received a kidney transplant.<h4>Methods</h4>Ten focu ...[more]

PMID: 31283666

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveTo explore the experiences and perceptions of stillbirth among mothers from a tertiary medical centre in Kano, Northern Nigeria.DesignQualitative, interpretative.SettingTertiary healthcare facility, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital (MMSH), Kano, Northern Nigeria.SampleMothers who had given birth to a liveborn baby at the MMSH in the prior 6 months (n = 31). In order to capture the experiences and perception of stillbirth within this cohort we approached mothers who had in a previous pregnancy experienced a stillbirth. Of the 31 who attended 16 had a previous stillbirth.MethodsSemi-structured Focus Group Discussions, consisting of open-ended questions about stillbirth, beliefs, experiences and influences were held in MMSH, conducted over 1 day.ResultsOur findings highlight that this is a resource-poor tertiary facility serving an ever-growing population, increasing strain on the hospital and healthcare workers. Many of the participants highlighted needing permission from certain family members before accessing healthcare or medical treatment. We identified that mothers generally have knowledge on self-care during pregnancy, yet certain societal factors prevented that from being their priority. Judgement and blame was a common theme, yet a complex area entwined with traditions, superstitions and the pressure to procreate with many mothers described being made to feel useless and worthless if they did not birth a live baby.ConclusionsAs access to healthcare becomes easier, there are certain traditions, family and social dynamics and beliefs which conflict with scientific knowledge and act as a major barrier to uptake of healthcare services. The findings highlight the need for investment in maternity care, appropriate health education and public enlightenment; they will help inform appropriate interventions aimed at reducing stigma around stillbirth and aide in educating mothers about the importance of appropriate health seeking behaviour. Stillbirths are occurring in this area of the world unnecessarily, globally there has been extensive research conducted on stillbirth prevention. This research has highlighted some of the areas which can be tackled by modifying existing successful interventions to work towards reducing preventable stillbirths.

Project description:The 6-month exclusive breastfeeding rate in the Northeast region of Thailand has recently significantly decreased in contrast to all other regions in Thailand. The factors that have influenced this decrease remain unknown. Hence, it is suggested that an investigation into factors that could improve or hinder EBF for 6 months in Northeast Thailand may be required to inform the development of relevant interventions to improve this situation. This study aimed to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to providing exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months in Northeast Thailand among breastfeeding mothers.Six focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 30 mothers aged 20 to 40 years who had children aged between 4 and 6 months and were currently breastfeeding or had breastfeeding experience. Participants were recruited through self-selection sampling from Khonkaen hospital (urban), Numphong hospital (peri-urban) and private hospitals (urban) in Khonkaen, Thailand. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data.Five main themes, with 10 sub-themes, were identified as either facilitators (+) or barriers (-), or in some cases, as both (+/-). Breastfeeding knowledge, perceptions, maternal circumstances, support, and traditional food were the main identified themes. Mother's breastfeeding knowledge, intention to breastfeed, and social media were perceived as facilitators. Perceptions, employment, and formula milk promotion were perceived as barriers. Family, healthcare, and traditional food were perceived as both facilitators and barriers. The perception that social media was a way to access breastfeeding knowledge and support mothers in Northeast Thailand emerged as a new facilitating factor that had not previously been identified in Thai literature relating to facilitators and barriers to exclusive breastfeeding. Intention to breastfeed, family support, healthcare support and traditional food were mentioned by all groups, whereas mothers from urban areas specifically mentioned mother's breastfeeding knowledge, social media and employment sub-themes. Only mothers from the peri-urban area mentioned formula milk promotion and only mothers who had delivered in public hospitals mentioned the perceptions sub-theme.Knowledge about these facilitators and barriers may inform the design and development of specific and relevant interventions to improve the 6-month exclusive breastfeeding rate in the Northeast region of Thailand and be useful in other contexts. Social media emerged as a newly perceived facilitator in the Thai context and may be a useful inclusion in a 6-month exclusive breastfeeding intervention model.

Project description:Background and objectivesPatients with kidney failure report a high symptom burden, which likely increases while on dialysis due to physical and mental stressors and decreases after kidney transplantation due to restoration of kidney function.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsWe leveraged a two-center prospective study of 1298 kidney transplant candidates and 521 recipients (May 2014 to March 2020). Symptom scores (0-100) at evaluation and admission for transplantation were calculated using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short-Form Survey, where lower scores represent greater burden, and burden was categorized as very high: 0.0-71.0; high: 71.1-81.0; medium: 81.1-91.0; and low: 91.1-100.0. We estimated adjusted waitlist mortality risk (competing risks regression), change in symptoms between evaluation and transplantation (n=190), and post-transplantation symptom score trajectories (mixed effects models).ResultsAt evaluation, candidates reported being moderately to extremely bothered by fatigue (32%), xeroderma (27%), muscle soreness (26%), and pruritus (25%); 16% reported high and 21% reported very high symptom burden. Candidates with very high symptom burden were at greater waitlist mortality risk (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 2.62). By transplantation, 34% experienced an increased symptom burden, whereas 42% remained unchanged. The estimated overall symptom score was 82.3 points at transplantation and 90.6 points at 3 months (10% improvement); the score increased 2.75 points per month (95% confidence interval, 2.38 to 3.13) from 0 to 3 months, and plateaued (-0.06 points per month; 95% confidence interval, -0.30 to 0.18) from 3 to 12 months post-transplantation. There were early (first 3 months) improvements in nine of 11 symptoms; pruritus (23% improvement) and fatigue (21% improvement) had the greatest improvements.ConclusionsAmong candidates, very high symptom burden was associated with waitlist mortality, but for those surviving and undergoing kidney transplantation, symptoms improved.

Project description:BackgroundBreast cancer (BC) and related treatment are associated with the risk of developing a wide range of persistent disabling impairments. Despite extensive research in the field and an enhanced focus on BC rehabilitation, up to 34-43% of these patients are at risk of developing chronic distress. In addition, it is known that these patients repeatedly report unmet needs, which are strongly associated with reduced quality of life. However, despite knowledge that patients' needs for support during BC rehabilitation varies greatly, individualized rehabilitation is often lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to explore health care professionals' (HCPs) experiences of current rehabilitation practice and describe current barriers and facilitators for individualized rehabilitation for patients following BC treatment.MethodsA total of 19 HCPs were included, representing various professions in BC care/rehabilitation within surgical, oncological and specialized cancer rehabilitation units at a university hospital in Sweden. Five semi structured focus group interviews were conducted and inductively analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.ResultsThree categories were captured: (1) varying attitudes towards rehabilitation; (2) incongruence in how to identify and meet rehabilitation needs and (3) suboptimal collaboration during cancer treatment. The results showed a lack of consensus in how to optimize individualized rehabilitation. It also illuminated facilitators for individualized rehabilitation in terms of extensive competence related to long-term experience of working with patients with BC care/rehabilitation. Further, the analysis exposed barriers such as a great complexity in promoting individualized rehabilitation in a medically and treatment-driven health care system, which lacked structure and knowledge, and overarching collaboration for rehabilitation.ConclusionThis study suggests that the cancer trajectory is medically and treatment-driven and that rehabilitation plays a marginal role in today's BC trajectory. It also reveals that structures for systematic screening for needs, evidence-based guidelines for individualized rehabilitation interventions and structures for referring patients for advanced rehabilitation are lacking. To enable optimal and individualized recovery for BC patients', rehabilitation needs to be an integrated part of the cancer trajectory and run in parallel with diagnostics and treatment.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:This study explored UK public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN:This qualitative study comprised five focus groups, carried out online during the early stages of the UK's stay at home order ('lockdown'), and analysed using a thematic approach. SETTING:Focus groups took place via online videoconferencing. PARTICIPANTS:Participants (n=27) were all UK residents aged 18 years and older, representing a range of gender, ethnic, age and occupational backgrounds. RESULTS:Qualitative analysis revealed four main themes: (1) loss-participants' loss of (in-person) social interaction, loss of income and loss of structure and routine led to psychological and emotional 'losses' such as loss of motivation, loss of meaning and loss of self-worth; (2) criticisms of government communication-participants reported a lack of trust in government and a lack of clarity in the guidelines around social distancing and isolation; (3) adherence-participants reported high self-adherence to social distancing guidelines but reported seeing or hearing of non-adherence in others; (4) uncertainty around social reintegration and the future-some participants felt they would have lingering concerns over social contact while others were eager to return to high levels of social activity.Most participants, and particularly those in low-paid or precarious employment, reported feeling that the social distancing and isolation associated with COVID-19 policy has had negative impacts on their mental health and well-being during the early stages of the UK's 'lockdown'. CONCLUSIONS:A rapid response is necessary in terms of public health programming to mitigate the mental health impacts of COVID-19 social distancing and isolation. Social distancing and isolation 'exit strategies' must account for the fact that, although some individuals will voluntarily or habitually continue to socially distance, others will seek high levels of social engagement as soon as possible.

Project description:BACKGROUND: In Ontario, Canada, enteric case investigators perform a number of functions when conducting telephone interviews including providing health education, collecting data for regulatory purposes ultimately to prevent further illness, enforcement, illness source attribution and outbreak detection. Information collected must be of high quality as it may be used to inform decisions about public health actions that could have significant consequences such as excluding a person from work, recalling a food item that is deemed to be a health hazard, and/or litigations. The purpose of this study was to describe, from the perspectives of expert investigators, barriers experienced and the techniques used to overcome these barriers during investigation of enteric disease cases. METHODS: Twenty eight expert enteric investigators participated in one of four focus groups via teleconference. Expert investigators were identified based on their ability to 1) consistently obtain high quality data from cases 2) achieve a high rate of completion of case investigation questionnaires, 3) identify the most likely source of the disease-causing agent, and 4) identify any possible links between cases. Qualitative data analysis was used to identify themes pertaining to successful techniques used and barriers experienced in interviewing enteric cases. RESULTS: Numerous barriers and strategies were identified under the following categories: case investigation preparation and case communication, establishing rapport, source identification, education to prevent disease transmission, exclusion, and linking cases. Unique challenges experienced by interviewers were how to collect accurate exposure data and educate cases in the face of misconceptions about enteric illness, as well as how to address tensions created by their enforcement role. Various strategies were used by interviewers to build rapport and to enhance the quality of data collected. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the perspectives of expert enteric disease case investigators on successful interview techniques and barriers experienced during enteric case investigation. A number of recommendations could improve the process of enteric case investigation in the Ontario context which include formal training and development of resource materials pertaining to interviewing, standardized interviewing tools, strategies to address cultural and language barriers, and the implementation of the single interviewer approach.

Dataset Information

Perceptions, Barriers, and Experiences With Successful Aging Before and After Kidney Transplantation: A Focus Group Study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Perceptions, Barriers, and Experiences With Successful Aging Before and After Kidney Transplantation: A Focus Group Study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets