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Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may lead to significant work limitations, especially in female manual workers. There is scarce evidence on the perspective of female manual workers with CTS. To explore the perspective of female workers who suffer from CTS regarding triggers, coping strategies, and economic impact. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted involving 18 manual workers with CTS diagnosed by the neurology service of a public hospital. Purposive sampling was applied, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and researchers' notes. An inductive thematic analysis was applied to identify themes reflecting the participants' experience. Guba and Lincoln criteria were applied to establish the trustworthiness of the data. The mean age of participants was 40.06 years (SD 9.86). Four themes were identified: (a) coping with work limitations; (b) work activities that aggravate symptoms; (c) relationships at work; and (d) the economic burden of CTS. The effect of work on CTS, daily constraints, work situations that trigger the symptoms, and the strategies used by participants to adapt to their work are described. In addition, they recounted how relationships with managers and coworkers are modified and how CTS affects family finances. The findings describe aggravating factors among working women, coping strategies used, and the social and occupational impact of CTS. • Carpal tunnel syndrome is found in hotel and catering workers, cleaners, shop assistants, and hairdressers. • At work, forced wrist flexion, precise finger movements, gripping, handling tools, and lifting cause pain and limitation in female workers. • Qualitative methodology helps to better understand the work life experience of female manual workers suffering from this peripheral neuropathy. • Women suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome develop strategies to adapt their work. • There is an economic impact on female manual workers with carpal tunnel syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Volunteering is an activity that facilitates social welfare, a sense of connection to others, and the construction of links with other people and the community. Objective: To describe the experience of a group of people with serious mental illness (SMI) who engaged in community volunteer work. Design: Qualitative, phenomenological study using purposeful sampling and an inductive thematic analysis. Setting: Several mental health community centers in Madrid and Catalonia, Spain. Participants: People with SMI engaged in community volunteer work. Outcomes and Measures: In-depth interviews were used to collect data. Results: Two themes, with four subthemes each, emerged from the data: (1) engaging in a meaningful occupation enhances the recovery process (subthemes: undergoing positive experiences, performing or resuming a meaningful occupation, living in the present moment, and relating with one's social and family environment) and (2) a process of mutual support (subthemes: in helping others, you help yourself; helping others on the basis of one's first-person experience; recover before you can help others; and role of professionals in volunteering). Conclusions and Relevance: Volunteering is perceived as a meaningful occupation. Helping others generates a reciprocal benefit that favors the recovery process and contributes to the establishment of personal and social bonds. What This Article Adds: This study provides a basis for understanding the potential of volunteering to be a meaningful occupation in the recovery process of people with SMI. It can help occupational therapy practitioners develop volunteer-based intervention programs that support the recovery process. A qualitative, phenomenological study of people living with SMI in Spain highlights the potential of volunteering to be a meaningful occupation in the SMI recovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among women who have participated in group-based education about the pelvic floor, what are their perceptions of the program and the group format? Exploratory longitudinal qualitative study. Community-dwelling women aged ≥ 18 years who participated in three or four sessions of pelvic floor education in a group format at a university clinic. Semi-structured group or individual interviews were conducted at three time points: 1 week, 3 months and ≥ 5 months after the education activity. Data were inductively content analysed and independently coded, with iterative theme development. Women considered the content and delivery appropriate and useful. New knowledge was assimilated and shared with others, and many tried to adopt pelvic floor muscle training in daily life. The women felt that the education sessions might benefit other women, with and without pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, and that such education would ideally be more widely available. A perception of the value of the education persisted over time, even though maintenance of some health-promoting behaviours, such as pelvic floor muscle training, decreased. The pelvic floor group education sessions appeared to fulfil the purpose of increasing knowledge about pelvic floor (dys)function and applying this in daily life. Overall, the participants, who had completed three or four of the four sessions, found the program to be useful. A unique feature of this study was longitudinal data collection and it seemed that the perception of value persisted over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Purpose Misuse of prescription medication has increased during the last 20 years among adolescents and young adults. We aimed to report the prevalence and factors associated with misuse of tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills (TSSp) in high-school students in Spain. We also analyzed misuse of these drugs during the decade 2004–2014. Methods Nationwide, epidemiological, cross-sectional study on the misuse of TSSp by the Spanish school population. We used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2004 and 2014 Spanish State Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education. A total of 179,114 surveys respondents aged 14–18 years. Estimates and trends of previous 30 days misuse of TSSp. Results The prevalence of TSSp misuse among school population aged 14–18-years increased significantly from 2004 (2.40%) to 2014 (2.96%). The values for consumption were always greater in adolescent girls than boys throughout the study (3.51% vs. 2.18%). The variables associated with a greater probability of TSSp misuse were consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Students who reported consumption of an illicit drug other than marijuana during the previous year are 4.91 times more likely to misuse TSSp (adjusted odds ratio = 4.91; 95% confidence interval, 4.15–5.81). Conclusions We found that misuse of TSSp by adolescents in Spain has significantly increased from 2004 to 2014. Misuse of TSSp was more likely in adolescent girls than Spanish boys. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana consumption are factors associated with the use of TSSp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of the study was to summarize the experiences of African psychiatric nurses in their workplace by examining the findings of existing qualitative studies. Methods Eleven studies published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, between 1998 and 2016, which explored psychiatric nurses' experiences in Africa, were included. Findings After meta-aggregation, five key findings were identified: 1) organization and management, 2) perceptions of professional safety and insecurity, 3) relationship with the patient, 4) emotional experiences and 5) recommendations for improvement. Discussion The findings in this study highlight the stressful nature of the work climate of the psychiatric nurse in South Africa. More focus on improving working conditions and providing support is necessary to increase the quality of care for psychiatric mental health patients and their nurse providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background One of every five children and adolescents in the European Union suffers from behavioural, and emotional disturbances. Objectives To compare factors associated with the quality of life and mental health of immigrant and Spanish children aged 4–14 years both during the years 2006 and 2012 and to evaluate changes over this time period. Design and Methods An epidemiologic age and sex matched case-control study (1:2) was conducted. The study group were 677 immigrant children and 1354 matched Spanish children (controls). This study was conducted using data obtained from the Spanish National Health Surveys done in 2006 and 2012. We used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to obtain the score for variables derived from mental health and the Kidscreen-10 questionnaire to score the Health-Related Quality of Life. Results Spanish girls scored higher in conduct problems (2.04 ± 0.1) and better in problems with peers (1.21 ± 0.08) regarding immigrant girls (1.82 ± 0.12–1.92 ± 0.13 respectively). Concerning total scores, immigrant children obtained significantly lower scores in quality of life (81.29 ± 0.76) and in problems with peers (2.04 ± 0.09) than their matched Spanish children (84.4 ± 0.45 and 1.26 ± 0.06) in 2006. Immigrant children had lower total scores in prosocial behaviour (8.62 ± 0.11) compared to the matched Spanish children (8.92 ± 0.06) in 2012. The total average scores of immigrant children in terms of quality of life, emotional symptoms, behavioural problems, hyperactivity and problems with peers were significantly better in 2012 (86.58; 1.84; 1.46; 3.77 and 1.48 respectively) than in 2006 (81.29; 2.15; 1.90; 4.58 and2.04). Conclusions Immigrant children had a poorer quality of life and mental health than matched Spanish children in 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media provides us with easy access to information. For students, it is an additional learning resource used in different types of theoretical and practical teaching methodologies. The aim of this paper was to describe the perspective of undergraduate nursing students on the use of Instagram during their clinical practicums in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative descriptive and exploratory study based on an interpretative framework. Settings and Participants: First-year undergraduate nursing students at the Universidad Europea de Madrid were included. In-depth interviews and researchers' field notes were used to collect the data. Purposive sampling and inductive thematic analysis were applied. During the interviews, themes such as accompaniment during practicums or training opportunities were identified. The use of Instagram helped students to feel closer to professors, identifying it as an opportunity to remedy the possible lack of connection between theory and practice. Moreover, Instagram helped them build an image of nursing in clinical practicum environments. By using Instagram, undergraduate nursing students were able to better integrate and apply the knowledge acquired at university during their clinical practicums in hospitals. Our results can be applied to future studies on the use of social media platforms as teaching tools in clinical practicum settings and to observe the evolution of the image and role of nursing and its relationship with social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nursing homes, a number of barriers to the expression of sexuality exist, such as the lack of privacy, certain attitudes on behalf of the staff and the family, the lack of a sexual partner, and physical limitations. The aim of this study was to describe the lived experience of sexuality in elderly Spanish women residing in nursing homes. A qualitative phenomenological approach was followed. Data were collected over an 18-month period between 2013 and 2015. Purposeful sampling was conducted with Spanish residents in nursing homes in Madrid. Data were collected using unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Twenty female residents participated. Three main themes emerged from the data: a) expressing sexuality, b) sexuality as a duty and c) respecting vows. Female residents reported key elements influencing how they manage their sexuality in Nursing Homes. These results serve to improve our understanding regarding the expression of sexuality in older female nursing home residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A qualitative systematic review was conducted to review and explore published qualitative research describing the challenges faced by nurses providing terminal care in intensive care units. Qualitative evidence was considered regarding nurses and terminal care for critical care patients. A search of qualitative research articles published between January 2003 and April 2015 was undertaken. PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, and CINAHL databases were searched. Methodological quality was assessed using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Twenty-two articles were included in the review. Three superordinate themes emerged from the data: (a) the nurse on the intensive care unit: understanding how emotional burden, coping with death, and the nurse's role in the decision-making process may influence end-of-life care; (b) end-of-life care for the critically ill patient: influenced by the presence of academic, health care, and environmental barriers and by facilitators such as communication with the family; and (c) the role of the family within the intensive care unit: the second priority in the care process, although a potential source of stress. Nurses providing end-of-life care in intensive care units face a number of ethical, academic, health care-related, and environmental barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of occupation can lead to boredom, apathy, social exclusion and solitude. Occupation should incorporate meaningful activities. The aim of this study is to describe how Spanish Nursing Home residents experienced and made sense of meaningful activities. A qualitative phenomenological approach was followed. Data were collected over an 18-month period between 2012 and 2014. Purposeful sampling was conducted with Spanish residents in nursing homes in Madrid. Data were collected using unstructured and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using the Giorgi proposal. Thirty-eight residents (20 female and 18 male) participated. Three main themes describing the significance of meaningful activity in nursing homes emerged from the data: Feeling the passage of time, Seeking an occupation, and Living with restrictions. Nursing homes should strive to develop diverse and meaningful activity programs for residents in order to occupy their time and provide them with a greater sense of purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The aim of this case series was to investigate changes in pain and pressure pain sensitivity after manual treatment of active trigger points (TrPs) in the shoulder muscles in individuals with unilateral shoulder impingement. Twelve patients (7 men, 5 women, age: 25 ± 9 years) diagnosed with unilateral shoulder impingement attended 4 sessions for 2 weeks (2 sessions/week). They received TrP pressure release and neuromuscular interventions over each active TrP that was found. The outcome measures were pain during arm elevation (visual analogue scale, VAS) and pressure pain thresholds (PPT) over levator scapulae, supraspinatus infraspinatus, pectoralis major, and tibialis anterior muscles. Pain was captured pre-intervention and at a 1-month follow-up, whereas PPT were assessed pre- and post-treatment, and at a 1-month follow-up. Patients experienced a significant (P < 0.001) reduction in pain after treatment (mean ± SD: 1.3 ± 0.5) with a large effect size (d > 1). In addition, patients also experienced a significant increase in PPT immediate after the treatment (P < 0.05) and one month after discharge (P < 0.01), with effect sizes ranging from moderate (d = 0.4) to large (d > 1).A significant negative association (r s = −0.525; P = 0.049) between the increase in PPT over the supraspinatus muscle and the decrease in pain was found: the greater the decrease in pain, the greater the increase in PPT. This case series has shown that manual treatment of active muscle TrPs can help to reduce shoulder pain and pressure sensitivity in shoulder impingement. Current findings suggest that active TrPs in the shoulder musculature may contribute directly to shoulder complaint and sensitization in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome, although future randomized controlled trials are required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on a study on the severity of carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS) and its relation to cervical range of motion. It compares the amount of motion in women with minimal, mild, and severe CPT to healthy participants and assesses the possibility of cervical spine impairments. A cervical range-of-motion device was used to evaluate the differences among CTS patients and healthy controls. Results showed women with CTS exhibited less cervical range of motion independent of severity subgroups, suggesting that it is common in CTS individuals.

The article discusses a study that compared the amount of forward head posture (FHP) and cervical range of motion between patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The study assessed FHP and cervical range of motion to 25 women with CTS and 25 matched healthy women. To assess FHP, pictures of the lateral view of the subject were used while a CROM device was used to assess cervical range of motion. The results revealed that patients with mild CTS exhibited a greater FHP and less cervical range of motion.

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of qualified nurses in Spain. As a result, the government authorized the hiring of senior students. To explore the perspectives of a group of final-year nursing students who were hired on the basis of a relief contract for health professionals during the first COVID-19 outbreak, regarding their learning process and their mixed role as students and novice nurses. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted. The Nursing Department of the European University of Madrid, and the Red Cross College of Nursing. Eighteen nursing students were recruited, aged between 18 and 65 years old, enrolled in the fourth year of Nursing Studies and who were hired under a relief contract for health professionals during the pandemic. Purposive sampling was used. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out using a question guide. Interviews were conducted in a private video chat room platform. Also, a thematic, inductive analysis was performed. This study was conducted according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Four specific themes emerged: a) The students' role during the relief contract; b) The learning process during the pandemic; c) Barriers to learning; and d) A unique learning opportunity. The students had an undefined mixed role, which hindered their skills and activities. Learning was self-directed, sometimes through trial and error, and through experiencing critical events. Time constraints and having to learn under pressure were experienced as difficulties for learning. Nevertheless, this was a unique professional learning opportunity. The students learned to be organized and effective, acknowledge their limitations, gain confidence, face their fears, and mature. These results can help inform nurse training programs and improve the organization and incorporation of nurses in health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. • The first wave of COVID-19 caused a shortage of qualified nurses in Spain. • The government authorized the recruitment of nursing students in their final year. • Nursing students fulfilled a mixed role between a student and novice nurse. • The learning process was erratic, unorganized, lonely and self-taught. • The students have learned and matured professionally, although in an unsuitable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To propose an integrative model for post-COVID symptoms by considering the absence/presence of previous symptomatology. We searched different databases for original articles and reviews on post-COVID symptoms. The first consideration is to define which symptoms are of "new-onset" (symptoms never experienced by a patient before COVID-19 and experienced the first time after) and which symptoms are "exacerbated" (symptoms experienced by a patient prior to COVID-19 but aggravated later) after infection. The second consideration includes defining "persistent" (symptoms experienced at the acute phase and continuing after without remission period) and "delayed-onset" (symptoms not experienced at the acute phase of the infection but appearing after a "latency period"). This model integrates predisposing individual factors, biological factors associated to the severity of disease, hospitalization/treatment factors, and outbreak surrounding factors which may promote post-COVID. Since current literature on post-COVID is heterogeneous, this integrative model could help to a better characterization of long-COVID. • Post-COVID symptoms can be new-onset or exacerbatted-related. • Post-COVID symptoms can be persistent or delayed in reltion to the acute phase. • Several factors must be integrated into the proposed post-COVID symptoms model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]