0000000000321214
AUTHOR
Luis Carlos Escobar Pinzon
Factors influencing place of death in Germany.
Abstract Context Knowledge about factors influencing the place of death may be very useful for the planning of public health strategies to improve the situation of terminally ill patients. Objectives The aim of our study was to determine where people died in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in 2008. We further wanted to detect which factors had an influence on the place of death. Methods Our cross-sectional survey was based on a random sample of 5000 inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate who had died between May 25, 2008 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these randomly drawn deceased persons were interviewed by means of a written survey. Results After removing duplicates, 4967…
Preference for place of death in Germany.
Dying in the preferred place is considered a key requirement for a "good death." The aims of our study were to explore preferred places of death of deceased people and their bereaved relatives in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). We further wanted to assess the congruence between preferred and actual place of death.The cross-sectional study was based on a random sample of 5000 inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) who died between May 25 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these deceased persons were interviewed by a written survey.After removing duplicates, 4967 questionnaires were sent out, 3832 delivered, and 1378 completed, yielding a response rate of 36.0%. Regarding the deceased, …
Commuting Accidents in the German Chemical Industry
Due to accident severity and the extent of claim payments commuting accidents are a significant expense factor in the German industry. Therefore the aim of the present study was the identification of risk factors for commuting accidents in a German chemical company. A retrospective analysis of commuting accidents recorded between 1990 and 2003 was conducted in a major chemical company in Germany. A logistic regression-model was calculated in order to determine factors influencing the duration of work inability as a result of commuting accidents. The analysed data included 5,484 employees with commuting accidents. Cars (33.1%) and bicycles (30.5%) were the most common types of vehicles used …
Dying in Germany--unfulfilled needs of relatives in different care settings.
Abstract Context The integration of family members in the dying process and the recognition of their special needs are important factors for the development of high-quality palliative care. Objectives This study aimed to explore important needs and personal experiences of relatives at the end of life, and to detect differences in these needs and experiences for various care settings. Methods Our cross-sectional survey was based on a random sampling of 5000 inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) who died between May 25 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these randomly drawn deceased persons were interviewed by a written survey. Results A total of 1378 questionnaires were completed (res…
Belastungsfaktoren von Pflegekräften in der spezialisierten Palliativversorgung – Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Studie
Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Für Deutschland liegen keine Studien und kein Erhebungsinstrument vor, welches die Belastungen von Pflegekräften in der spezialisierten Palliativversorgung auf Palliativstationen, Hospizen und der spezialisierten ambulanten Palliativversorgung (SAPV) vergleichend erhebt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, die gemeinsamen Belastungen dieser Pflegekräfte zu explorieren. Methode Es wurden 10 Interviews mit Fachleuten unterschiedlicher Disziplinen in der Palliativversorgung durchgeführt und mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet. Ergebnisse Es wurden Belastungen, die aufgrund einer mangelhaften flächendeckenden Versorgung der SAPV in Rheinland-Pfalz entste…
Identification of possible risk factors for alcohol use disorders among general practitioners in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY Research on alcohol use disorders among physicians has been scarce in Germany. The aim of our study was to identify possible risk factors for alcohol use disorders among general practitioners (GPs) working in the outpatient sector in the federal German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (RP). METHODS An anonymous survey was carried out between June and July 2009. 2,092 practice-based GPs in the federal German state of RP were asked to take part in the cross-sectional study via postal mail. The CAGE screening tool was used in its German version (CAGE-G) to screen for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Moreover, possible risk factors such as work stress (effort-reward imbalance), s…
The Mental Health of Primary Care Physicians in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Physicians are subject to intense occupational stress (e1– e3), and long-term stress harms their well-being. Health impairments such as high blood pressure (e4), burnout syndrome (e5, e6), depression (1– 3), and substance dependencies (e2, e7) have been linked to occupational stress. One established approach to the assessment of occupational stress is the so-called occupational gratification crisis model (4, 5), according to which stress arises when persistent hard work (effort) does not yield a corresponding gratification (reward). Another important component of this model is a personality-based tendency to devote excessive effort to work, to the individual’s own detriment (“overcommitment…
Einflussfaktoren auf chronische Rückenschmerzen bei Pflegekräften in der Altenpflege in Rheinland-Pfalz
Zusammenfassung Einleitung Die vorliegende Studie ermittelt die Lebenszeitprävalenz chronischer Rückenschmerzen bei Altenpflegekräften in rheinland-pfälzischen Einrichtungen und identifiziert potentielle Einflussfaktoren. Methodik Im Rahmen einer Querschnittserhebung wurden 155 Pflegekräfte aus 5 Altenpflegeeinrichtungen untersucht und schriftlich befragt. Ausschnitte aus verschiedenen standardisierten Fragebögen wurden mit eigenen Fragen kombiniert und ergänzt durch eine körperliche Untersuchung mit 2 standardisierten Belastungstests. Die Daten wurden deskriptiv und bivariat sowie mittels binärlogistischer Regressionsanalyse ausgewertet. Ergebnisse Die Pflegekräfte waren zu 83,8% weiblich,…
Symptom prevalence in the last days of life in Germany: the role of place of death.
Investigations have shown that symptom prevalence varies according to the place of death. We sought to assess the symptom prevalence of chronically ill people in Germany and how this prevalence differs depending on the place of death. We sent questionnaires to 5000 bereaved people in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany), whose relatives died between May 25 and August 24, 2008. In all, 3832 questionnaires were delivered and 1378 completed (response 36.0%). Most decedents had moderate-to-severe weakness (94.5%), fatigue (93.5%), need for help in daily activities (87.9%), and appetite loss (87.4%). Pain and dyspnea were most severe in hospitals; fatigue, confusion/disorientation, and problems with w…
Biological monitoring of welders exposed to aluminium
To evaluate an adequate strategy for biological monitoring of aluminium (Al), a group of 62 Al welders (age in 1999: 23-51 years, median 35 years) was surveyed annually from 1999 to 2003 by determination of pre- and post-shift Al in urine and plasma. Biomonitoring was supplemented by personal air measurements of the total dust concentration. The welders' internal exposure was compared to the exposure of 60 non-exposed assembly workers (age in 1999: 21-51 years, median: 36 years) who were surveyed in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Having a nearly constant dust exposure, median concentrations of Al in urine (Al in plasma) of the welders decreased from 40.1 microg/g to 19.8 microg/g creatinine (8.7 to 4…
Dying With Dementia
Advanced dementia is increasingly being regarded as a terminal disease (1, 2). Studies in English-speaking countries have led to the conclusion that the palliative care of patients with dementia at the end of their lives is now inadequately adapted to their special needs, not only for those dying at home, but also for those dying in hospitals and nursing homes (3, 4). Insufficient symptom control, failure to recognize that the patient is dying, and unnecessary and stressful interventions such as artificial nutrition or physical restraints are common (5, 6). Most of the pertinent studies in Germany have looked only at the symptom burden of persons dying of cancer in palliative care facilitie…
The relationship between workload and burnout among nurses: The buffering role of personal, social and organisational resources
Workload in the nursing profession is high, which is associated with poor health. Thus, it is important to get a proper understanding of the working situation and to analyse factors which might be able to mitigate the negative effects of such a high workload. In Germany, many people with serious or life-threatening illnesses are treated in non-specialized palliative care settings such as nursing homes, hospitals and outpatient care. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the buffering role of resources on the relationship between workload and burnout among nurses. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was applied. The questionnaire included parts of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Qu…