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Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is more common in Asian-descendent populations, but differences in disease severity are poorly reported. Our study aimed to compare neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia severity between European and Indian subcontinent descendent newborns. We conducted a single-centre retrospective cohort study including newborns admitted with unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (January 2016 to December 2021). Patients were followed during admission, comparing those with European ancestry (control group) and Indian subcontinent ancestry (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal) (study group). The primary outcome was severe hyperbilirubinemia (TSB > 25 mg/dL, phototherapy > 6 h or need for exchange transfusion [ET]), and the secondary was TSB levels. Adjusted analysis for potential confounding factors was performed using binary logistic regression models. Of 110 newborns included, 27 (24.5%) had Indian subcontinent ancestry. Occurrence of TSB > 25 mg/dL was significantly higher in the study group (22.2% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.006), while no differences were noted in exposure to phototherapy > 6 h and ET therapy. Logistic regression models for confounding factors adjustment showed Indian subcontinent ancestry as an independent risk factor for TSB > 25 mg/dL (OR 7.49, CI 95% [1.23-45.50]). The study group revealed also higher absolute values of TSB both at admission (22.0 mg/dL vs. 19.6 mg/dL, p = 0.013) and at discharge (13.6 mg/dL vs. 11.4 mg/dL, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that newborns with Indian subcontinent ancestry might show a higher risk for the development of severe hyperbilirubinemia compared to European ancestry newborns. Implementing earlier treatment thresholds in this subset of patients may help prevent severe hyperbilirubinemia.  What is Known: • Indian subcontinent descendent populations have high incidence of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia but data regarding its severity are scarce. What is New: • This article shows that, compared to European descendent newborns, Indian subcontinent descendent newborns might be at higher risk for severe hyperbilirubinaemia., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: This retrospective study was conducted on already available data and was previously approved by the Institutional Review Board and the Ethics Committee of Saint Joseph Health Local Unit (Unidade Local de Saúde de São José). Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To translate the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) Questionnaire from English to Portuguese (from Portugal) and to validate this instrument of study on the Portuguese population., Design: In this prospective study, a translation from English into Portuguese of the IOI-HA was performed, and linguistic adaptation and counter translation were also accomplished. The data were analysed for internal consistency testing for correlations between each individual item and the total score of the IOI-HA, assessing the Cronbach α and performing test-retest analysis., Setting and Participants: 80 hearing aid users aged 18 years or older were recruited from an ear, nose and throat (ENT) appointment in Coimbra's hospital, Portugal. 84% of the participants were unilateral hearing aid users, whereas 16% were bilateral users., Interventions: The patients volunteered to answer the questionnaire during an ENT appointment. All of the patients had been using the hearing aids for more than 3 years.After the first application of the questionnaire, a new appointment was planned for retesting, within at least 7 days to no more than 60 days. 29 participants answered the questionnaire again according to the same procedure., Results: The mean IOI-HA total score in the study population was 27.33±4.93 (9-35). The mean values obtained for each item of the questionnaire ranged from 3.19 to 4.54. The Cronbach α was 0.838 and the Cronbach α values when the item was removed, were also significantly strong. The test-retest analysis revealed no differences between the paired groups., Conclusions: In the present study a valid and reliable translation and adaptation of the IOI-HA into Portuguese from Portugal is proposed. This tool will be available for clinical assessment of hearing aid users., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Aim: To gain more insight into the magnitude of the problem of pressure ulcer incidence in general wards of a Portuguese hospital., Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of electronic health record database from 7132 adult patients admitted to medical and surgical wards of Aveiro Hospital during 2012. The development of (at least) one pressure ulcer during the length of stay was associated with age, gender, type of admission, specialty units, first Braden Scale score, length of stay, patient discharge outcome and ICD-9 diagnosis., Results: An incidence of 3.4% participants with pressure ulcer category I-IV in inpatient setting during 2012. During the length of stay, 320 new pressure ulcers were developed, most of them category/stage II. The sacrum/coccyx and the trochanters were the most problematic areas., Conclusions: The major risk factor for the development of a new pressure ulcer during the length of stay was the presence of (at least) one pressure ulcer at the first skin assessment. The length of stay itself, age and lower Braden Scale scores of our participants also played an important role in the odds of developing a pressure ulcer. Infectious diseases, traumatism and fractures and respiratory diseases were the ICD-9 diagnoses with higher frequency of participants that developed (at least) one pressure ulcer during the length of stay. It's important to standardize procedures and documentation in all care settings. The documentation of nursing interventions is vital to evaluate the impact of evidence-based nursing., (Copyright © 2016 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The Morse Fall Scale is used in several care settings for fall risk assessment and supports the implementation of preventive nursing interventions. Our work aims to analyze the Morse Fall Scale scores of Portuguese hospitalized adult patients in association with their characteristics, diagnoses and length of stay., Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of Morse Fall Scale scores of 8356 patients hospitalized during 2012. Data were associated to age, gender, type of admission, specialty units, length of stay, patient discharge, and ICD-9 diagnosis., Results: Elderly patients, female, with emergency service admission, at medical units and/or with longer length of stays were more frequently included in the risk group for falls. ICD-9 diagnosis may also be an important risk factor., Conclusions: More than a half of hospitalized patients had "medium" to "high" risk of falling during the length of stay, which determines the implementation and maintenance of protocoled preventive nursing interventions throughout hospitalization. There are several fall risk factors not assessed by Morse Fall Scale. There were no statistical differences in Morse Fall Scale score between the first and the last assessment., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To analyze the first pressure ulcer risk and skin assessment records of hospitalized adult patients in medical and surgical areas of Aveiro Hospital during 2012 in association with their demographic and clinical characteristics., Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of electronic health record database from 7132 adult patients admitted to medical and surgical areas in a Portuguese hospital during 2012. The presence of (at least) one pressure ulcer at the first skin assessment in inpatient setting was associated with age, gender, type of admission, specialty units, length of stay, patient discharge and ICD-9 diagnosis., Results: Point prevalence of participants with pressure ulcer category/stage I-IV of 7.9% at the first skin assessment in inpatient setting. A total of 1455 pressure ulcers were documented, most of them category/stage I. The heels and the sacrum/coccyx were the most problematic areas. Participants with pressure ulcer commonly had two or more pressure ulcers., Conclusions: The point prevalence of participants with pressure ulcer of our study was similar international literature. The presence of a pressure ulcer at the first skin assessment could be an important measure of frailty and the participants with pressure ulcer commonly had more than one documented pressure ulcer. Advanced age or lower Braden Scale scores or Emergency Service admission were relevant variables for the presence of (at least) one pressure ulcer at the first skin assessment in inpatient setting as well as respiratory, infectious or genitourinary system diseases., (Copyright © 2016 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Psoriasis is a chronic and immune-mediated skin disease with a considerable negative impact on quality of life. The link between psoriasis, especially guttate psoriasis, and streptococcal infections, namely tonsillitis, has been studied for several years. Some authors have also suggested an association with other types of psoriasis, such as plaque psoriasis, which is the most common. The role of tonsillectomy in the treatment of plaque psoriasis is not consensual. This case report aims to discuss this topic. The authors intend to highlight the growing evidence of a relationship between plaque psoriasis and an infectious pathology of the otolaryngology area. A clinical case of severe chronic plaque psoriasis with exacerbations linked to acute tonsillitis is described. The case was recalcitrant to dermatological treatment and tonsillectomy was included in the treatment options. After surgery, the skin disease was evidently controlled and significant improvement on the patient's quality of life was also evident., (2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Aims: To translate and adapt the Coma Recovery Scale - Revised to Portuguese using the ICNP® (International Classification of Nursing Practice) terminology and to determine if it can be administered reliably across examiners., Background: Assessment tools for the person in a coma can contribute to the planning, implementation and evaluation of care. It also strengthens the autonomy and responsibility of nurses, contributing to the safety, quality and satisfaction of those who deliver and receive care. This allows the sharing of information amongst healthcare professionals and supports decision-making within a multidisciplinary team., Methods: A convenience sample of 20 patients admitted to an intensive care unit constituted the study participants. The data were collected during 2009. The instrument was administered by the same two raters in all the patients on two consecutive days. The total and subscale score agreement was then examined, using inter-rater and test-retest analyses. The intercorrelation dependencies between the subscales were also analysed., Results: The results of the analyses suggest that the instrument can be used reliably, even when there are some patient fluctuations. The correlation of the subscale scores was high and better than the results presented for the original Coma Recovery Scale - Revised, indicating that this scale is a homogeneous measure of neurobehavioural function., Conclusion: The new instrument can be administered reliably by trained examiners and produces a high degree of reproducibility in scores between raters over repeated assessments. We believe that assessment tools that can assess the communication ability of patients will be relevant to evaluating the continuity of care, and promote the effectiveness of care., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)