Background Municipal drinking water contaminated with the parasite Giardia lamblia in Bergen, Norway, in 2004 caused an outbreak of gastrointestinal infection in 2500 people, according to the Norwegian ...

Background Knowledge translation (KT) is a buzzword in modern medical science. However, there has been little theoretical reflection on translation as a process of meaning production in KT. In this paper, ...

Background It has been discussed whether the relationship between a patient on sick leave and his/her general practitioner (GP) is too close, as this may hinder the GP’s objective evaluation of need for ...

Background Peri-conceptional use of folic acid supplements is recommended to prevent neural tube defects. Correct supplement use seems to be less common among ethnic minorities. We examined ethnic differences ...

Background People with deliberate self-poisoning and personality disorders are in increased risk for suicide. Intention and psychiatric features are important factors in a psychiatric evaluation and for ...

Background Medical certificates influence the distribution of economic benefits in welfare states; however, the qualitative aspects of these texts remain largely unexplored. The present study is the first ...

Background Low back pain (LBP) is the most common reported musculoskeletal disorder, with large prevalence numbers and high costs. Focus on early identification of patients at risk of developing chronic LBP ...

Background Various indicators of childhood socioeconomic position have been related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adulthood. We investigated the impact of shared family factors on the educational ...

Background The prevalence of psychotropic drug (PTD) use in NH residents is high, but few have explored prevalence and persistency in PTD in NH residents and factors associated with persistency. This at the ...

This thesis is concerned with knowledge translation in participatory research. The background for the thesis is the concerted efforts within medicine and health care to promote uptake of research-based knowledge in practice, ...

We kindly thank the journal for the opportunity to respond to the recent comments made regarding our manuscript entitled “Acute mountain sickness among tourists visiting the high-altitude city of Lhasa, Tibet, China at ...

Background The effectiveness of complex interventions, as well as their success in reaching relevant populations, is critically influenced by their implementation in a given context. Current conceptual ...

Background Disability in older adults is associated with loss of independence, institutionalization, and death. The aim of this study was to study the association between the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and all-cause ...

Background: Long-term work absence is increasing in Western countries. More people suffer from subjective health complaints, such as musculoskeletal pain and depression-like symptoms. Social rights and benefits are based ...

Background A person’s sense of coherence (SOC) reflects their perception that the world is meaningful and predictable, and impacts their ability to deal with stressors in a health-promoting manner. A valid, ...

Background Patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our aim was to compare CVD risk profiles in patients with IJD, including rheumatoid arthritis ...

Background Associations between shift work (SW) schedules, mental distress and job satisfaction have never been completely described. Aims To examine gender-specific associations of SW with mental distress and job ...

Amyotrofisk lateral sklerose (ALS) er en sykdom som fører til gradvis muskelsvinn. Forventet levetid varierer mellom 2 til 5 år, men enkelte kan leve betydelig lengre. Det er ingen kjent kur. Avhandlingen følger ALS gjennom ...

Background A subgroup of patients continue to report pain with walking 12 months after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The association between walking pain and self-rated health (SRH) after TKA is not known. ...

Background Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder with a prevalence of 6 per 100.000. Despite increasing research activity on HD, evidence on healthcare utilization, patients’ needs ...

Background Several tools have been developed to measure safety attitudes of health care providers, out of which the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) is regarded as one of the most appropriate ones. In ...

Background Polypharmacy and inappropriate drug use is associated with negative health outcomes among older people. Various interventions for improving drug treatment have been evaluated, but the majority ...

Background Innovations in technology have contributed to rapid changes in the way that modern biomedical research is carried out. Researchers are increasingly required to endorse adaptive and flexible ...

Background Persons with dementia have described life in nursing home as difficult and lonely. Persons with dementia often reside in nursing homes for several years; therefore, knowledge is needed about how ...

Background The literature suggests that person-centred care can contribute to quality of life and wellbeing of nursing home residents, relatives and staff. However, there is sparse research evidence on how ...

Background Electronic-health (e-health) provides opportunities for quality improvement of healthcare, but implementation in low and middle income countries is still limited. Our aim was to describe the ...

In her thesis Dignity and indignity experienced by immigrant women on long-term sick leave, Line Nortvedt has studied immigrant women with chronic pain during a rehabilitation period. The main aim of the study was to explore ...

The study objectives were to (a) describe steps and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) from pregnancy and postpartum across ethnic groups, (b) test prognostic factors for early identification of pregnant ...

Background Perinatal mortality according to birth weight has an inverse J-pattern. Our aim was to estimate the influence of familial factors on this pattern, applying a cohort sibling design. We focused on excess mortality ...

Background Patient safety culture concerns leader and staff interaction, attitudes, routines, awareness and practices that impinge on the risk of patient-adverse events. Due to their complex multiple diseases, ...

Aims Despite the success of statins, there remains unmet clinical need in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. New proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduce low-density lipoprotein ...

Background The pH of the human gastric mucosa varies around 2.5 so that only bacteria with strong acidic stress tolerance can colonize it. The ulcer causing Helicobacter pylori thrives in the gastric mucosa. ...

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the only disease whose ageadjusted mortality continues to increase. The disease trajectory for the patients involves years of chronic illness, interrupted with ...

Background: Patient experiences are an important aspect of health care quality, but there is a lack of validated instruments for their measurement in the substance dependence literature. A new questionnaire to measure ...

Background Empirical evidence shows that family involvement (FI) can play a pivotal role in the coping and recovery of persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Nevertheless, various studies demonstrate ...

Background Studies of Primary Health Care (PHC) reveal considerable practice variations in terms of the range of services provided. In Norway, general practitioners (GPs) are traditionally expected to perform IUD-insertions ...

Background: Improved communication about childhood vaccination is fundamental to increasing vaccine uptake in low-income countries. Mozambique, with 64% of children fully vaccinated, uses a range of communication interventions ...

Objectives: Poor vitamin D status has been reported to be highly prevalent in many non-western immigrant groups living in Norway and other western countries. However, data on rickets are scarce, and the aim of the current ...

Background: An individualized patient reported outcome (PRO) has recently been recommended within LBP research, but no study has evaluated this instrument with commonly applied PROs. Moreover, the impact of psychological ...

Background The use of coercion is morally problematic and requires an ongoing critical reflection. We wondered if not knowing or being uncertain whether coercion is morally right or justified (i.e. experiencing ...

Almost half of the European Union (EU)’s population is exposed to road traffic noise above levels that constitute a health risk. Associations between road traffic noise and impaired sleep in adults have consistently been ...

Older patients with late-stage COPD: their illness experiences and involvement in decision-making regarding mechanical ventilation and noninvasive ventilation Aims and objectives The aim of this study was twofold: first, ...

Background: Meningococcal colonization is a prerequisite for transmission and disease, but the bacterium only very infrequently causes disease while asymptomatic carriage is common. Carriage is highly dynamic, showing a ...

Background People with morbid obesity (body mass index ≥40) may experience changes in their health after participating in a tailored patient education course. The aims of this study were to assess the ...

Background: Associations between influenza infection and sleep disorders are poorly studied. We investigated if pandemic influenza infection or vaccination with Pandemrix in 2009/2010 was associated with narcolepsy or ...

Background Some previous studies have postulated an association between migraine and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). This study evaluated the association of EDS with migraine and headache frequency in ...

Objective: To explore reasons for attending a general emergency outpatient clinic versus a regular general practitioner (RGP). Design: Cross-sectional study using a multilingual anonymous questionnaire. Setting: Native ...

Background: Attendance to routine cancer screening at repeated intervals is essential for reducing morbidity and mortality of targeted cancers, yet currently defined quality-assurance metrics evaluate coverage within a ...

Background: Patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are thought to incur additional costs for hospitals due to longer stay and contact isolation. The aim of this study was to assess the costs associated with ...

Background People with bipolar disorder often experience ill health and have considerably reduced life expectancies. Suboptimal treatment is common and includes a lack of effective medicines, overtreatment, ...

Patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) need tailored multidisciplinary healthcare to maintain and optimize function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aims of this thesis were to describe the levels and ...

Background Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses with potentially life-threatening consequences. Inpatient treatment is typically required for the most severely ill patients, who are often emaciated ...

Background There is growing evidence suggesting that diabetes mellitus (DM) affects disease presentation and treatment outcome in tuberculosis (TB) patients. This study aimed at investigating the role of ...

Background The association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) is re-emerging worldwide. Recently, the prevalence of DM is increasing in resource poor countries where TB is of high burden. The objective ...

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in the developing world. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment is essential for effective TB control. The aim of this study was to ...

Background Patient participation is required by law in Norway and in several western countries. Current participation ideology is based on individualism, which may conflict with the older generation’s ...

Background Norwegian general practitioners (GPs) consult on a variety of conditions with a mix of patient types. Patients with chronic diseases benefit from appropriate continuity of care and generally visit ...

Background Sick leave rates in Norway and in the Western world in general are quite high, and despite the identification of a wide array of risk factors, much of the individual variation in sick leave remains unexplained. ...

Background Although the “right not to know” is well established in international regulations, it has been heavily debated. Ubiquitous results from extended exome and genome analysis have challenged the ...

Background Personalized medicine (PM) aims to tailor disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to individuals on the basis of their genes, lifestyle and environments. Patient and interest organizations ...

Background General practitioners (GPs) constitute a vital part of a strong primary health care system. We need further knowledge concerning factors that may affect the patients’ experiences in their meetings ...

Background Young patients with acute poisoning by substances of abuse have increased mortality rates in the long term. In Oslo, Norway, most of these patients are treated at the Oslo Accident and Emergency ...

Background Internationally, clinical ethics support has yet to be implemented systematically in community health and care services. A large-scale Norwegian project (2007–2015) attempted to increase ethical ...

Background High blood pressure (BP) is the leading risk factor for global disease burden, contributing to 7% of global disability adjusted life years. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibiting bioactive peptides have ...

Background Both vitamin D and iron deficiencies are widespread globally, and a relationship between these deficiencies has been suggested. However, there is a paucity of randomised controlled trials assessing ...

Background Over the last few decades, the world of health care has seen a growing productivity, amassing an increasing amount of research evidence. Clinical practice guidelines incorporating not only the best available ...

Background Treatment costs of induced abortion complications can consume a substantial amount of hospital resources. This use of hospitals scarce resources to treat induced abortion complications may affect ...

Background: Chronic illness is a risk factor for low self-esteem, and the research literature needs to include more studies of self-esteem and its development in chronic illness groups using longitudinal and comparative ...

Background Physical activity may reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, compared to non-pregnant women, a lower proportion of pregnant women meet the physical activity guidelines. Our ...

Background The double burden of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant public health problem in low and middle income countries. However, despite the known synergy between the two ...

This thesis is investigating if the risk of childhood leukemia and cancer in the central nervous system (CNS) increases in relation to high levels of indoor radon concentrations at home or low parental socioeconomic status. ...

Background In 2003, the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) was introduced in China to re-establish health insurance for the country’s vast rural population. In addition, the coverage of NCMS has been ...

Background As part of the research project “End-of-life Communication in Nursing Homes. Patient Preferences and Participation”, we have studied how Advance Care Planning (ACP) is carried out in eight Norwegian ...

Background Family members are important for support and care of their close relative after severe traumas, and their experiences are vital health care quality indicators. The objective was to describe the ...

Background The King’s Obesity Staging Criteria (KOSC) comprises of a four-graded set of health related domains. We aimed to examine whether, according to KOSC, patients undergoing bariatric surgery differed ...

Background Asymptomatic carriage has been recognised as an important risk factor for infection caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. A 14% global prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL) ...

Background Multi-morbidity, poly-pharmacy and cognitive impairment leave many old patients in a frail condition with a high risk of adverse outcomes if proper health care is not provided. Knowledge about ...

Background The wide use of healthy persons as kidney donors calls for awareness of risks associated with donation. Live kidney donation may impair quality of life (QOL) and result in fatigue. Long-term data ...

Surgical site infections (SSIs) constitute about one quarter of all healthcareassociated infections in Norway and are associated with a substantial cost for hospitals, patients and the community. Surveillance with feedback ...

Background Armed conflict has been described as creating a public health problem and an important contributor to the social and political determinants of health and a driver of poverty and health inequity. Of the armed ...

Background. Two undeniable challenges facing modern medicine are the increasing problems of antimicrobial resistance and the lack of new antibiotics to combat infections. Alone these problems are serious, but the synergy ...

Background A diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors (NET) provides challenges to patients and clinicians due to physical side effects of and mental response to treatment resulting in increased perceived stress. ...

Background Psychosis can be associated with acute recreational drug and novel psychoactive substance (NPS) toxicity. However, there is limited data available on how common this is and which drugs are most ...

Background Ethically challenging critical events and decisions are common in nursing homes. This paper presents nursing home doctors’ descriptions of how they include the patient and next of kin in end-of-life ...

Background Caring for people with dementia living in their own homes is a challenging care issue that raises ethical dilemmas of how to balance autonomy with their safety and well-being. The theoretical ...

This project aimed to assess the associations between various hearing disorders in childhood and hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness in adulthood. Especially, we examined childhood otitis media and childhood sensorineural ...

Background Norway has extensive and detailed legal requirements and guidelines concerning involvement of next of kin (NOK) during involuntary hospital treatment of seriously mentally ill patients. However, ...

Objective: In nursing education, nurses are trained to perceive their patients as whole persons with mind, body, and spirit. This relates to the professional ideal of holism. This article focuses on how basic nursing ...

Background To investigate ethnic differences in vitamin D levels during pregnancy, assess risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and explore the effect of vitamin D supplementation in women with deficiency ...

Background Nursing home (NH) patients have complex health problems, disabilities and needs for Advance Care Planning (ACP). The implementation of ACP in NHs is a neglected research topic, yet it may optimize ...

Background There is a lack of validated instruments for detection of depression in ethnic minority adolescent patients in primary care. This study aimed to compare a subgroup of the bilingual, ethnic minority ...

Objectives This pilot study aimed to describe the sleep of partners and other family caregivers prior to and in the first year after a hospice patient's death. The study also evaluated the feasibility of the study protocol ...

Background Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive neurological disease causing muscle wasting, gradual paralysis, respiratory failure. MND care is demanding, complex and involves a variety of care ...