Tuva Sandsdalen

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Sanaker, Harald & Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen (2026). Physicians’ perspectives of palliative care quality in nursing homes: a cross-sectional study. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. ISSN 0281-3432. 45(1). doi: 10.1080/02813432.2026.2742320. Full text in Research Archive
• Skrede, Marie Birgitte H.; Nordhagen, Malin; Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin & Bååth, Carina [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). Helsepersonells erfaring med kvalitet i palliativ behandling og omsorg under COVID-19 pandemien. Nordisk tidsskrift for helseforskning. ISSN 1504-3614. 22(1). doi: 10.7557/14.8018. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Knowledge of healthcare personnel's experiences with quality in palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to quality improvement. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate healthcare personnel's experiences of palliative care quality by identifying strengths and areas for improvement. This study is part of a Norwegian - Swedish multicenter study (PaQC-C19). In total, 268 participants answered two open-ended questions about strengths and areas for improvement, using the Quality from Patient Perspective instrument for palliative care (QPP-PC). Data was analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The findings showed that healthcare personnel’s endeavor to maintain the palliative care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prerequisites for being able to do this included categories about collaboration, access to resources and support from management. Both strengths and areas for improvement were experienced within these categories. The findings highlighted the importance of systems that support healthcare personnel during pandemics and crises and may be transferred to contexts during ordinary conditions.

• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Jensen, Aasa Serholt; Korup, Aina; Hov, Reidun; Sanaker, Harald & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2025). Patients’ experiences of quality in palliative care and advance care planning in primary care: a qualitative study. BMC Palliative Care. 24(1), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12904-025-01919-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Background Primary healthcare services provide care to patients and their relatives during the late palliative phase in the patients’ home or in facilities such as nursing homes. Patients receiving palliative care may be vulnerable due to the total pain of the situation they are facing, which requires great expertise of healthcare professionals in meeting the patients’ needs. The aim in this study was to explore patients’ experiences of quality in palliative care and advance care planning in primary healthcare services. Methods This study has a qualitative design. Five patients in the late palliative phase in primary care from different municipalities in Norway participated. All participants had experiences across both primary and specialist care settings. Individual interviews were conducted between January 2022 and July 2023. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. The study adheres to the checklist of the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. Results The findings are described in terms of four main themes: (1) trust in supportive clinicians to ease their future path, (2) perceived quality of palliative care depended on the context, (3) advance care planning helped to tidy up important aspects of life, and (4) personalized family support and involvement eased burdens for patients and relatives. Conclusion Patients in late palliative phase and their experiences of palliative care highlight the need for information and support from healthcare professionals, but the organization of primary healthcare settings does not adequately address these needs. A key aspect of quality in care is comprehensive and individualized follow-up throughout the patient’s illness trajectory. Another area that affects the quality of palliative care is the communication skills of healthcare professionals. Care plans for the end- of -life were developed through advance care planning, but the quality of implementation varied in home care. A huge concern for patients in the late palliative phase was if and how their relatives received the support they needed.

• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Hov, Reidun Helene; Sandaker, Harald & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2025). Physicians’ perceptions of the quality of palliative care and of the importance of collaboration in interdisciplinary teams in Norwegian nursing homes. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 18, p. 395–406. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: The palliative phase of a patient’s life is often characterized by disease complexity, increasing the need for holistic care, support for the patient’s relatives, and the up-to-date knowledge of a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Physicians in nursing homes have the main responsibility for providing palliative care to vulnerable and fragile patients. There is limited research uncovering physicians’ experience and perceptions of what is important in this phase of patients’ lives. The aim of the study was thus to investigate physicians’ perceptions of factors that influence the quality of palliative care in Norwegian nursing homes and their descriptions of the importance of the team’s collaboration. Materials and Methods: The study has a qualitative research design based on interviews with twelve nursing home physicians in Eastern Norway. Interviews were conducted between February 2023 to May 2023, analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Three themes describe the content of the findings: i) Comprehensive care plans enhance the quality of palliative care, ii) A collaborative team provides higher-quality care than the sum of its parts, iii) Systemic and environmental factors affect the ability to ensure continuity of care. Conclusion: The physicians in this study expressed that the quality of palliative care in nursing homes depended on comprehensive care plans, including up-to-date knowledge of medical treatment options, partnership with the patient and relatives, and a consistent holistic approach to the patient. The quality also depended on the interdisciplinary team’s collaboration in assessing the patient, observing symptoms, and planning further care and treatment in accordance with patients’ and their relatives’ preferences and wishes. Finally, systemic and environmental factors affected the ability to ensure continuity of care. Further work is needed to ensure that systemic factors enable physicians to deliver high-quality palliative care and that a comfortable physical environment is created in nursing homes

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Larsson, Maria & Johansson, Christina Melin [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2025). ‘Striving to achieve control’. Registered nurses’ experiences of palliative care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic – a qualitative study. BMC Palliative Care. 24(21). doi: 10.1186/s12904-024-01644-8. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Hov, Reidun Helene; Sandaker, Harald; Jensen, Åsa Serholt; Korup, Aina & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2024). Physicians' understandings and experience of advance care planning in Norwegian nursing homes: a qualitative study. BMC Palliative Care. 23(158), p. 1–10. doi: 10.1186/s12904-024-01481-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Advance care planning is a way of facilitating conversations with patients about future health care, values, and preferences at end of life. Nursing home physicians have the medical responsibility and the main obligation to facilitate planned meetings with patients. Although there has been a great deal of focus on establishing advance care planning in Norwegian nursing homes, it has yet to be widely implemented. Stated reasons are that the work routines in a nursing home do not include such meetings or that implementation seems complex due to frail patients. The aim of this study is thus to explore how physicians understand and experience advance care planning and follow-up of care plans in Norwegian nursing homes. Methods The study has a qualitative research design with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach based on interviews of twelve nursing home physicians working in community care. Interviews were conducted in February 2023 to May 2023, using a semi-structured interview guide. All interviews were recorded on audio files, transcribed, and analyzed using structural text analysis. Results The findings are presented based on the following themes: (1) advance care planning is a dialog and a process, (2) advance care planning implies clarifying mutual expectations, and (3) advance care planning that brings relief and hope to patients is a medical art. Conclusions Advance care planning is a complex and dynamic process that implies medical treatment, decisions on treatment level, pain relief, and formulation of care plans where the patient’s self-determination and personal values are respected. It implies an ongoing dialogue between physicians, patients, and their relatives about values such as dignity, self-understanding, social relations, and existential questions at end of life. Advance care planning requires a holistic approach that meets patients’ psychological and existential needs such as comfort, trust, hope, and respect as well as their preferences and concerns.

• Nysæter, Toril Merete; Olsson, Cecilia; Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Hov, Reidun Helene & Larsson, Maria (2024). Family caregivers’ preferences for support when caring for a family member with cancer in late palliative phase who wish to die at home – a grounded theory study. BMC Palliative Care. 23. doi: 10.1186/s12904-024-01350-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Family caregivers are essential in end-of-life care for cancer patients who wish to die at home. The knowledge is still limited regarding family caregivers needs and preferences for support and whether the preferences change during the patient’s illness trajectory. Therefore, the aim was to explore family caregivers’ preferences for support from home care services over time when caring for a family member with cancer at the end of life who wished to die at home. Methods A qualitative method was applied according to Grounded Theory. Data was collected longitudinally over the illness trajectory by means of repeated individual interviews (n = 22) with adult family caregivers (n = 11). Sampling, data collection and data analysis were undertaken simultaneously in line with the constant comparative method. Results The findings are captured in the core category “hold out in duty and love”. The categories “having control and readiness for action” and “being involved in care” describe the family caregivers’ preferences for being prepared and able to handle procedures, medical treatment and care, and to be involved by the healthcare personnel in the patient’s care and decision making. The categories “being seen and confirmed” and “having a respite” describe family caregivers’ preferences for support according to their own needs to be able to persevere in the situation. Conclusion Despite deterioration in the patient’s illness and the increasing responsibility family caregiver struggle to hold out and focus on being in the present. Over time together with deterioration in the patient’s illness and changes in the situation, they expressed a need for more intense and extensive support from the home care services. To meet the family caregivers’ preferences for support a systematic implementation of a person-centred care model and multicomponent psycho- educational interventions performed by nurses can be proposed. Moreover, we suggest developing a tool based on the conceptual model generated in this study to identify and map family caregivers’ needs and preferences for support. Such a tool can facilitate communication and ensure person-centred interventions.

• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Olsson, Cecilia & Tillfors, Maria [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2023). Health Care Personnel’s Perspectives on Quality of Palliative Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 16, p. 2893–2903. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S419442. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: The provision of high-quality palliative care is challenging, especially during a pandemic like COVID-19. The latter entailed major consequences for health care systems and health care personnel (HCP) in both specialist and community health care services, in Norway and worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore how the HCP perceived the quality of palliative care in nursing homes, medical care units, and intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design. A total of 290 HCP from Norway participated in the study (RR = 25.8%) between October and December 2021. The questionnaire comprised items concerning respondents’ demographics and quality of care, the latter measured by the short form of the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective—Palliative Care instrument, adapted for HCP. The STROBE checklist was used. Results: This study shows that the HCP scored subjective importance as higher in all dimensions, items and single items than their perception of the actual care received. This could indicate a need for improvement in all areas. Information about medication, opportunity to participate in decisions about medical and nursing care and continuity regarding receiving help from the same physician and nurse are examples of areas for improvement. Conclusion: Study results indicate that HCP from nursing homes, medical care units, and intensive care units perceived that quality of palliative care provided was not in line with what they perceived to be important for the patient. This indicate that it was challenging to provide high-quality palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Nysæter, Toril Merete; Olsson, Cecilia; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Larsson, Bodil Wilde; Hov, Reidun & Larsson, Maria (2022). Preferences for home care to enable home death among adult patients with cancer in late palliative phase - a grounded theory study. BMC Palliative Care. 21(1), p. 49–49. doi: 10.1186/s12904-022-00939-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: The wish to be cared for and to die at home is common among people with end‑stage cancer in the western world. However, home deaths are declining in many countries. The aim of this study was to explore the preferences for home care over time to enable home death among adult patients with cancer in the late palliative phase. Methods: A qualitative method was applied according to grounded theory (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Data was collected using individual interviews (n= 15) with nine adult patients. One to two follow up interviews were conducted with four patients. Sampling, data collection and constant comparative analysis were undertaken simultaneously. Results: The findings are presented as a conceptual model of patients’ preferences for care to enable home death. The core category “Hope and trust to get the care I need to die at home” showed that the preference to die at home seemed stable over time and did not change with deterioration in health status and progression in illness. Five categories were related to the core category. The categories “being in the present”, “be safe and in charge” and “be seen and acknowledged” describe the patients’ preferences to live a meaningful life until death and be the same person as always. These preferences depended on the categories describing characteristics of healthcare personnel and the organisation of care: “reliable, compassionate and competent healthcare personnel” and “timely, predictive, continuous and adaptive organisation”. Conclusion: An important preference over time was to be here and now and to live as meaningful a life as possible until death. Moreover, the patients preferred to retain control over their lives, to be autonomous and to be seen as the person they had always been. To achieve this, person‑centred care provided by healthcare personnel with competence, skills and enough/ample time were required. In addition, home care needed to be organised in a way that ensured continuity and predictability. Systematic implementation of a person‑centred care model and the use of advanced home care plans with continued re‑evaluation for patients’ preferences of home care were proposed measures to enable home death. Keywords: Patients’ preferences, Cancer, Palliative care, End‑of‑Life (EOL) Care, Home death, Grounded Theory

• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Anderzén-Carlsson, Agneta & Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene (2022). Public health nurses’ experiences working with children who are next of kin: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research. 22:1427, p. 1–10. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08841-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background There are a substantial number of children who are the next of kin of parents suffering from illness or substance abuse. These children can experience emotional and behavioral problems and may need support from professionals. In Norway, the specialist health service in hospitals is required to have a designated practitioner in each department to ensure support for and follow up of children who are next of kin; however, this is not regulated by law in the health care in the municipalities. The aim of this study was to explore public health nurse’s experiences working with children who are next of kin. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 public health nurses working in the child health clinic and the school health service in four municipalities. Data were analysed using content analysis. Reporting of this study is conducted in accordance to COREQ’s checklist. Results The analysis resulted in one main theme: ‘Lack of guidelines and routines among public health nurses working with children who are next of kin’. The main theme consisted of four categories: (1) identifying children who are next of kin are incidental; (2) public health nurses must be observant and willing to act; (3) communication is an important tool; and (4) follow up over time is not always provided. Conclusion The public health nurses experienced uncertainty concerning how to identify and follow up children who are next of kin but were vigilant and willing to act in the children’s best interest. Doing so necessitated collaboration with other professionals. The need for guidelines around the role and responsibilities for the public health nurse were emphasized. The knowledge provided by the current study offers valuable insight into strengths and limitations in the support of children who are next of kin and can inform stakeholders in organizing sustainable support for this group.

• Olsson, Cecilia; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Larsson, Bodil Wilde; Eriksson, Eva; Rognsvåg, Mikaela & Larsson, Maria (2021). Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of palliative care quality in a combined acute oncology-palliative care unit: A cross-sectional study. The Nordic Journal of Nursing Research (NJNR). ISSN 2057-1585. 41(3), p. 121–130. doi: 10.1177/2057158521997389. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It is a challenge to ensure high-quality palliative care. The aim was to investigate the perceptions of health care professionals (HCPs) working in a combined acute oncology-palliative care unit regarding the quality of the palliative care received by the patients and how important the care was to the patients. A Swedish total-survey cross-sectional study including 41 HCPs (54% response rate) was conducted with the 52 items Quality from the Patient’s Perspective – Palliative Care instrument, answered in two different ways: as actual care received and subjective importance. The STROBE-checklist was used. The areas for improvements were related to symptom relief, spiritual and existential needs, information, patient participation, continuity of care, care planning, cooperation and coordination of care, as subjective importance scores were higher than corresponding scores for care received (p ≤ .025). Providing high-quality palliative care alongside curative treatments for cancer patients is known to be challenging and could explain the results in this study. Implementation of a person-centred palliative care model based on the hospice philosophy could be a solution.

• Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene; Anderzén-Carlsson, Agneta; Opheim, Elin & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2021). Community-based support for children who are next-of-kin for a parent experiencing illness or disability – a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research. 21(1). doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07270-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Introduction Children who are next-of-kin, for a parent who experience illness or disability, need support. In Norway, guidelines, routines and structured approaches in the community health services are lacking regarding involving children in the care of a parent and for services when supporting children as next-of-kin. Additionally, no existing international review has focused on support from community health and social services for children who are next-of-kin to a parent regardless of the specific illness or disability. Aims This scoping review examined the current knowledge regarding the types of community health and social services support to children 0 to 17 years old living with a parent experiencing illness or disability. The review also identified children’s support preferences and needs. Methods The scoping review involved five stages; identifying research question; identifying relevant articles; selecting articles; charting the data and finally, collating, summarizing and reporting the results. Results Articles which included community health and social services interventions and children’s preferences or needs for support were included. The foci of interventions included preventive education, peer support, psychosocial support, and interventions focusing on family communication and recovery planning. Articles focusing on children’s preferences or need for support described their wish to be recognized as a next-of-kin, having someone to talk to and professional and peer support. Conclusion The review highlighted the importance of children receiving support according to their preferences. It is important to elicit children’s voices, to ensure community health and social services are developed for and tailored to this population.

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2020). Development of a short form of the questionnaire quality from the patient’s perspective for palliative care (QPP-PC). Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 13, p. 495–506. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S246184. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: Patients’ views on quality are important to improve person-centered palliative care. There is a lack of short, validated instruments incorporating patients’ perspectives of the multidisciplinary palliative care services. The aim of this study was to develop a short form of the instrument Quality from the Patient’s Perspective for Palliative Care (QPP-PC) and to describe and compare patients’ perceptions of the subjective importance (SI) of care aspects and their perceptions of care received (PR). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Norway including 128 patients (67% response rate) in four palliative care contexts. The QPP-PC, based on a person-centered theoretical framework, incorporating the multidisciplinary palliative care, comprises 4 dimensions; medical–technical competence, physical–technical conditions, identity-oriented approach and sociocultural atmosphere, 12 factors (49 items) and 3 single items. The instrument measures SI and PR. Development of the short form of the QPP-PC was inspired by previously published methodological guidelines. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s α were used. Results: The short form of QPP-PC consists of 4 dimensions, 20 items and 4 single items. Psychometric evaluation showed a root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) value of 0.109 (SI). Cronbach’s α values ranged between 0.64 and 0.85 for most dimensions on SI scales. Scores on SI and PR scales were mostly high. Significantly higher scores for SI than PR were present for the identity-oriented approach dimension, especially on items about information. Conclusion: RMSEA value was slightly above the recommended level. Cronbach’s α was acceptable for most dimensions. The short form of QPP-PC shows promising results and may be used with caution as an indicator of person-centered patient-reported experience measures evaluating the multidisciplinary palliative care for patients in a late palliative phase. However, the short version of QPP-PC needs to be further validated using new samples of patients.

• Skavern, Hege Jansen; Sandsdalen, Tuva & Skaug, Marit Aralt (2020). Virtual Reality som et tilbud til pasienter etter kirurgi Erfaringer fra en pilotutprøving. Nordisk sygeplejeforskning. ISSN 1892-2678. 10(1). doi: 10.18261/issn.1892-2686-2020-01-02. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bakgrunn: Det er økende interesse for å undersøke om Virtual Reality (VR) er egnet som avledning eller distraksjonsterapi ved smerter. Hovedmålet med denne studien var 1) å innhente praktiske erfaringer med tilrettelegging og bruk av VR i en sykehusavdeling, 2) å undersøke hvordan pasienter opplevde VR-tilbudet, og om VR-opplevelsen påvirket pasientens smerteopplevelse. Metode: Studien har et kvalitativt, beskrivende forskningsdesign, og ble gjennomført i to trinn. Det første trinnet (1) beskriver innhenting av forskernes praktiske erfaringer med utprøving av teknisk utstyr og virtuelt miljø i en sykehusavdeling. Det andre trinnet (2) beskriver innhenting av erfaringer med et tilbud om VR fra pasienter ved en ortopedisk avdeling. Utvalget her var syv smertepåvirkede postoperative pasienter. Datamaterialet ble analysert ved hjelp av innholdsanalyse. Resultater: Trinn 1) HTC Vive VR og VR-filmen the Blu fra Wevr ble valgt for videre utprøving på pasientene. Trinn 2): Følgende fire hovedkategorier beskrev pasientenes opplevelse med VR: Positiv sanseopplevelse;- en mental og kroppslig velvære som varte i flere timer. Smerteopplevelse under VR;- pasientene opplevde at VR gav smertelindring. Erfaring med kvalme eller ubehag;- VR-opplevelsen ga ikke kvalme og ubehag. Egenskaper ved VR-miljøet;- filmen opplevdes som interessant og beroligende, og gav en altoppslukende opplevelse av å være i en annen verden. Konklusjon: Pilotutprøvingen viser at VR kan se ut til å være et ikke-medikamentelt alternativ som sykepleiere kan tilby pasienter med postoperative smerter. Selv om denne studien viser lovende resultater, må VR videre testes ut i større intervensjonsstudier på ulike pasientgrupper og pasientsituasjoner. Det er også behov for å finne og utprøve mer brukervennlig utstyr. Nøkkelord: distraksjon, kvalitativ studie, pasient-opplevelser, smertelindring, voksen

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Larsson, Bodil Wilde & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen (2019). Patients’ Perceptions Of The Quality Of Palliative Care And Satisfaction – A Cluster Analysis. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 12, p. 903–915. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S220656. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: Palliative care services are multidisciplinary, and the quality needs to be evaluated from the patients’ perspectives. The aim was to explore the patient profiles in palliative care with respect to patients’ perception of the quality of palliative care received and patient satisfaction, and to describe and compare person-related and organization-related conditions that characterize the patient profiles. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study, including 140 patients from four different multidisciplinary palliative care contexts in Norway, was conducted in 2014. The Quality from the Patient’s Perspective questionnaire for Palliative Care, which is based upon a person-centered theoretical model, was used. Satisfaction was measured by the Emotional Stress Reaction questionnaire. Person- and organization-related conditions were measured. Hierarchical cluster analysis, ANOVA, Pearson Chi-Square Test and ANCOVA were used. Results: Three unique patient clusters with different patterns of perceptions of quality of care and satisfaction were identified; Cluster 1 (41%) had the best perception of care quality and were more satisfied, Cluster 2 (34%) had better perceptions of care quality and were most satisfied and Cluster 3 (25%) had worst perceptions of care quality and were less satisfied. The clusters were characterized by person-related conditions (eg, patients’ sense of coherence and perceptions of subjective importance of the quality) as well as organization-related conditions (eg, physicians’ competence and type of care services). Conclusion: The results can be used by multidisciplinary healthcare personnel to tailor quality work and improve person-centered care in palliative care contexts. Improvement initiatives should focus on implementing a person-centered approach, increasing the palliative care competence of the personnel and facilitate specialized palliative care services in the homecare context. Keywords: emotional stress reaction questionnaire, ESRQ, patient satisfaction, quality of healthcare, quality from the patients’ perspective specific for palliative care, QPP-PC

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Hov, Reidun & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2017). The relationships between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients' perceptions of palliative care quality. BMC Palliative Care. 16, p. 1–13. doi: 10.1186/s12904-017-0240-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Little is known about the combination of person- and organization- related conditions and the relationships with patients’ perspectives of care quality. Such a combination could contribute knowledge reflecting the complexity of clinical practice, and enhance individualized care. The aim was to investigate the relationships between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients’ perceptions of palliative care quality. Methods A cross-sectional study, including 191 patients in the late palliative phase (73% response rate) admitted to hospice inpatient care (n = 72), hospice day care (n = 51), palliative units in nursing homes (n = 30) and home care (n = 38), was conducted between November 2013 and December 2014, using the instrument Quality from the Patients’ Perspective specific to palliative care (QPP-PC). Data were analysed, using analysis of covariance, to explore the amount of the variance in the dependent variables (QPP-PC) that could be explained by combination of the independent variables – Person- and organization-related conditions, − while controlling for differences in covariates. Results Patients scored the care received and the subjective importance as moderate to high. The combination of person- and organization - related conditions revealed that patients with a high sense of coherence, lower age (person – related conditions) and being in a ward with access to and availability of physicians (organization-related condition) might be associated with significantly higher scores for the quality of care received. Gender (women), daily contact with family and friends, and low health-related quality of life (person-related conditions) might be associated with higher scores for subjective importance of the aspects of care quality. Conclusion Healthcare personnel, leaders and policy makers need to pay attention to person- and organization-related conditions in order to provide person-centered palliative care of high quality. Further studies from palliative care contexts are needed to confirm the findings and to investigate additional organizational factors that might influence patients’ perceptions of care quality.

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2016). Patients' perceptions of palliative care quality in hospice inpatient care, hospice day care, palliative units in nursing homes and home care: a cross-sectional study. BMC Palliative Care. 15(79). doi: 10.1186/s12904-016-0152-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Patients’ perceptions of care quality within and across settings are important for the further development of palliative care. The aim was to investigate patients’ perceptions of palliative care quality within settings, including perceptions of care received and their subjective importance, and contrast palliative care quality across settings. Method: A cross-sectional study including 191 patients in late palliative phase (73 % response rate) admitted to hospice inpatient care, hospice day care, palliative units in nursing homes, and home care was conducted, using the Quality from the Patients’ Perspective instrument-palliative care (QPP-PC). QPP-PC comprises four dimensions and 12 factors; “medical–technical competence” (MT) (2 factors), “physical–technical conditions” (PT) (one factor), “identity–orientation approach” (ID) (4 factors), “sociocultural atmosphere” (SC) (5 factors), and three single items (S); medical care, personal hygiene and atmosphere. Data were analysed using paired-samples t-test and analysis of covariance while controlling for differences in patient characteristics. Results: Patients’ perceptions of care received within settings showed high scores for the factors and single items “honesty” (ID) and “atmosphere” (S) in all settings and low scores for “exhaustion” (MT) in three out of four settings. Patients’ perceptions of importance scored high for “medical care” (S), “honesty” (ID), “respect and empathy” (ID) and “atmosphere” (S) in all settings. No aspects of care scored low in all settings. Importance scored higher than perceptions of care received, in particular for receiving information. Patients’ perceptions of care across settings differed, with highest scores in hospice inpatient care for the dimensions; ID, SC, and “medical care” (S), the SC and “atmosphere” (S) for hospice day care, and “medical care” (S) for palliative units in nursing homes. There were no differences in subjective importance across settings. Conclusion: Strengths of services related to identity–orientation approach and a pleasant and safe atmosphere. Key areas for improvement related to receiving information. Perceptions of subjective importance did not differ across settings, but perceptions of care received scored higher in more care areas for hospice inpatient care, than in other settings. Further studies are needed to support these findings, to investigate why perceptions of care differ across settings and to highlight what can be learned from settings receiving high scores.

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2015). Patients' preferences in palliative care: A systematic mixed studies review. Palliative Medicine. ISSN 0269-2163. 29(5), p. 399–419. doi: 10.1177/0269216314557882. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: It is necessary to develop palliative care to meet existing and future needs of patients and their families. It is important to include knowledge of patient preferences when developing high-quality palliative care services. Previous reviews have focused on patient preferences with regard to specific components of palliative care. There is a need to review research on patient’s combined preferences for all elements that constitute palliative care. Aim: The aim of this study is to identify preferences for palliative care among patients in the palliative phase of their illness, by synthesizing existing research. Data sources: Studies were retrieved by searching databases – the Cochrane Library, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Sociological Abstracts – from 1946 to 2014, and by hand searching references in the studies included. Design: A systematic mixed studies review was conducted. Two reviewers independently selected studies for inclusion and extracted data according to the eligibility criteria. Data were synthesized using integrative thematic analysis. Results: The 13 qualitative and 10 quantitative studies identified included participants with different illnesses in various settings. Four themes emerged representing patient preferences for care. The theme ‘Living a meaningful life’ illustrated what patients strived for. The opportunity to focus on living required the presence of ‘Responsive healthcare personnel’, a ‘Responsive care environment’ and ‘Responsiveness in the organization of palliative care’. Conclusion: The four themes may be useful for guiding clinical practice and measurements of quality, with the overall goal of meeting future needs and improving quality in palliative care services to suit patients’ preferences.

• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Rystedt, Ingrid; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2015). Patients’ perceptions of palliative care: adaptation of the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective instrument for use in palliative care, and description of patients’ perceptions of care received. BMC Palliative Care. doi: 10.1186/s1204-015-0049-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Instruments specific to palliative care tend to measure care quality from relative perspectives or have insufficient theoretical foundation. The instrument Quality from the Patient’s Perspective (QPP) is based on a model for care quality derived from patients’ perceptions of care, although it has not been psychometrically evaluated for use in palliative care. The aim of this study was to adapt the QPP for use in palliative care contexts, and to describe patients’ perceptions of the care quality in terms of the subjective importance of the care aspects and the perceptions of the care received. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2013 and December 2014 which included 191 patients (73 % response rate) in late palliative phase at hospice inpatient units, hospice day-care units, wards in nursing homes that specialized in palliative care and homecare districts, all in Norway. An explorative factor analysis using principal component analysis, including data from 184 patients, was performed for psychometric evaluation. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and paired t-tests were used to describe patients’ perceptions of their care. Results: The QPP instrument was adapted for palliative care in four steps: (1) selecting items from the QPP, (2) modifying items and (3) constructing new items to the palliative care setting, and (4) a pilot evaluation. QPP instrument specific to palliative care (QPP-PC) consists of 51 items and 12 factors with an eigenvalue ≥1.0, and showed a stable factor solution that explained 68.25 % of the total variance. The reliability coefficients were acceptable for most factors (0.79–0.96). Patients scored most aspects of care related to both subjective importance and actual care received as high. Areas for improvement were symptom relief, participation, continuity, and planning and cooperation. Conclusion: The QPP-PC is based on a theoretical model of quality of care, and has its roots in patients’ perspectives. The instrument was developed and psychometrically evaluated in a sample of Norwegian patients with various diagnoses receiving palliative care in different care contexts. The evaluation of the QPP-PC shows promising results, although it needs to be further validated and tested in other contexts and countries

View all works in NVA

• Olsson, Cecilie; Tillfors, Maria; Boström, Hanna; Vanberg, Charlotta Dagobert; Kling, Elisabeth & Granrud, Marie Dahlen [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). LACK OF PERSON-CENTREDNESS IN END-OF-LIFE HOSPITAL CARE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A patient record review study. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Olsson, Cecilia; Tillfors, Maria; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Österlind, Jane & Johansson, Christina Melin [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Palliativ vård under COVID-19 pandemin. Arbetsmiljöns betydelse för vårdpersonalens hälsa och vårdens kvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Anderzén-Carlsson, Agneta; Dangmann, Cecilie Ruud & Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene (2025). ”Alla tror att alla vet… i verkligheten är det ingen som vet”: Norska helsesykepleiers arbete med att identifiera och följa upp barn som är anhöriga. In Brolin, Rosita; Gough, Ritva; Magnusson, Lennart & Hanson, Elizabeth (Ed.), Barn är anhöriga - vågar vi lyssna på dem?. Nationellt kompetenscentrum anhöriga (Nka) og Linnéuniversitetet. ISSN 9789187731884. p. 603–618. Full text in Research Archive
• Naguleswaran, Denusha & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2025). Sykepleieres erfaringer med unødvendige reinnleggelser av geriatriske pasienter fra kommunal korttidsavdeling til sykehus. Nordisk tidsskrift for helseforskning. ISSN 1504-3614. 21(2). doi: 10.7557/14.7605. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is an increasing number of geriatric patients being readmitted from municipal services to the hospital. Readmissions that could have been avoided can be a burden for this patient group and the importance of preventing this is highlighted in key documents and previous research. This makes it necessary to identify experiences that can help reduce unnecessary readmissions. This study explores the experiences of nurses in municipal short-term wards with unnecessary readmissions of geriatric patients and supports previous research on this. Data was collected by individual semi-structured interviews with six nurses at two different municipal short-term wards. Findings that emerged were; «The hospital discharges patients too without plan for follow-up», «Patients with complex needs require advanced follow-up» and «Good interdisciplinary cooperation is important». The findings revealed that there are several factors that can contribute to increased unnecessary readmissions. Improvement measures should be aimed at these in both hospitals and municipal short-term wards.

• Larsson, Maria; Olsson, Cecilia; Appelgren, Jari; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2025). Stress of conscience in healthcare personnel caring for patients at the end of life during the covid-19 pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Olsson, Cecilia; Boström, H; Vanberg, C Dagobert; Kling, E; Tillfors, Maria & Bååth, Carina [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2025). Bristande personcentrering vid vård i livets slut i Värmland - en journalgranskningsstudie under covid-19 pandemin. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Olsson, Cecilia; Appelgren, Jari; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2025). Stress of Conscience in healthcare personnel working in palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Johansen, Hege Fosseng; Myren, Marit Dølgaard; Sandsdalen, Tuva & Kirkevold, Øyvind (2024). Implementering av personsentrert omsorg iinstitusjon i kommunehelsetjenesten. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Steigen, Anne Mari & Finbråten, Hanne Søberg (2024). Skjermbruk fra vugge til grav – digitalisering og helse i et livsløpsperspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Hov, Reidun Helene; Sandaker, Harald; Jensen, Åsa Serholt; Korup, Aina & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2024). Legers forståelse og erfaring med forhåndssamtaler i norske sykehjem- en kvalitativ studie- PALCARE prosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Hov, Reidun Helene; Sandaker, Harald; Jensen, Åsa Serholt; Korup, Aina & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2024). Legers forståelse og erfaring med forhåndssamtaler i norske sykehjem- en kvalitativ studie- PALCARE prosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Larsson, Maria & Melin-Johansson, Christina [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2024). Healthcare personnels’ experiences of palliative care quality during Covid-19 pandemic – a cluster analysis of data from a multicentre study. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Hov, Reidun Helene; Sandaker, Harald; Jensen, Åsa; Korup, Aina & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2024). Legers forståelse og erfaring med forhåndssamtaler i norske sykehjem- en kvalitativ studie - PALCARE prosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Olsson, Cecilia; Appelgren, Jari; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Samvetsstress hos vårdpersonal som vårdat patienter vid livets slutskede under Covid-19 pandemin: En tvärsnittsstudie. Cancervården. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødbehr, Liv Skomakerstuen; Jensen, Åsa Serholt; Hov, Reidun Helene; Korup, Aina; Sandaker, Harald & Sandsdalen, Tuva (2024). Forhåndssamtaler som gir håp og lettelse er en medisinsk kunst. Sykehjemslegers erfaringer med forhåndssamtaler. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Olsson, Cecilia; Appelgren, Jari; Bååth, Carina; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Stress of Conscience in healthcare personnel caring for patients at the end of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Olsson, Cecilia & Tillfors, Maria [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Health Care Personnel’s Perspectives on Quality of Palliative Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic A Cross-Sectional Study. Full text in Research Archive
• Melin-Johansson, Christina; Olsson, Cecilia; Larsson, Maria; Tillfors, Maria; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Palliative care in Sweden and Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic - a combination of a inductive and deductive content analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Melin-Johansson, Christina; Olsson, Cecilia; Larsson, Maria; Tillfors, Maria; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Palliativ vård i Sverige och Norge under Covid-19-pandemin - en kombination av en induktiv och deduktiv innehållsanalys. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Tillfors, Maria; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Bååth, Carina Barbro & Olsson, Cecilia [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Sömn hos vårdpersonal på sjukhus och särskilda boenden under Covid-19 pandemin - en svensk-norsk tvärrsnittstudie. Full text in Research Archive
• Olsson, Cecilia; Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Tillfors, Maria; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Helgesen, Ann Karin [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Nurses caring for patients at the end of life report affected psychosocial work environment when relocated during the Covid-19 pandemic - A cross sectional study. Full text in Research Archive
• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Anderzèn-Carlsson, Agneta & Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene (2022). Working with children who are next of kin – public health nurse’s experiences. A qualitative study. Full text in Research Archive
• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Anderzén-Carlsson, Agneta & Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene (2022). Helsesykepleieres erfaringer med barn som pårørende - en kvalitativ studie. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsson, Maria; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Granrud, Marie Dahlen & Österlind, Jane [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2022). Palliativ vård under Covid 19-pandemin – Arbetsmiljö, vårdkvalitet och vårdpersonalens hälsa. Full text in Research Archive
• Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Helgesen, Ann Karin; Bååth, Carina Barbro & Olsson, Cecilia [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2022). Helsepersonells erfaringer med kvalitet i palliativ behandling og omsorg under covid-19 pandemien – en tverrsnittstudie. Full text in Research Archive
• Olsson, Cecilia; Granrud, Marie Dahlen; Tillfors, Maria; Bååth, Carina Barbro; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Helgesen, Ann Karin [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Sjuksköterskor som vårdar patienter i livets slutskede rapporterar att deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö påverkades när de omplacerades under Covid-19-pandemin - en tvärsnittsstudie. Cancervården. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Haugland, Trude; Grytten, Mona; Skarholt, Sigrid; Perminow, Marte Lie & Grov, Ellen Karine (2020). Beskrivelse av kreftsykepleiers kompetanse, funksjon og ansvar. Kreftsykepleien. ISSN 0804-0567. p. 23–29. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grytten, Mona; Haugland, Trude; Skarholt, Sigrid; Perminow, Marte Lie & Grov, Ellen Karine (2019). Kompetansebeskrivelse for kreftsykepleiere. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grytten, Mona; Haugland, Trude; Skarholt, Sigrid; Perminow, Marte Lie & Grov, Ellen Karine (2019). Kompetansebeskrivelsen for kreftsykepleiere. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grytten, Mona; Haugland, Trude; Skarholt, Sigrid; Perminow, Marte Lie & Grov, Ellen Karine (2019). Kompetansebeskrivelse for kreftsykepleiere. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2018). A pattern approach to analyzing patient patients’ perception of the quality of palliative care and satisfaction. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2018). Development of a short form of the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective questionnaire for Palliative Care (QPP-PC). Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2018). Development of a short form of the Quality from the Patient’s Perspective questionnaire for Palliative Care (QPP-PC). Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2017). Kvalitet i palliativ omsorg – fra pasientens perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2017). Kvalitet i palliativ omsorg – fra pasientens perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2016). What preferences regarding quality of palliative care services are expressed by patients in a palliative phase of their illness? A systematic mixed studies review. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2016). Patients’ perceptions of palliative care quality in four settings; hospice inpatient care, hospice day care, palliative units in nursing homes, and home care. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2016). God omsorg mot livets slutt – hva mener pasientene er viktig? Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2016). Kvalitet i palliativ omsorg - fra pasientens perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2016). Kvalitet i palliativ omsorg – fra pasientens perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2014). What preferences regarding quality of palliative care services are expressed by patients in a palliateive phase of their illness? A systematic mixed studies review. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2014). What are patients’ preferences in the palliative phase with regard to the quality of their palliative care? A systematic mixed studies review. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid & Larsson, Bodil Wilde (2014). What preferences regarding quality of palliative care services are expressed by patients in a palliative phase of their illness? A systematic mixed studies review. Palliative Medicine. ISSN 0269-2163. 28(6), p. 569–569. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2014). Kvalitet i palliative omsorgstjenester-fra pasientens perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Wilde-Larsson, Bodil; Hov, Reidun; Høye, Sevald & Rystedt, Ingrid (2013). Hva er betydningsfullt for pasienter i palliativ omsorg? Full text in Research Archive
• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Espelund, Åse; Mæhlum, Else Hagen & Høye, Sevald (2012). Kompetansebygging for å forebygge VAP. Inspira – tidsskrift for anestesi-, operasjon- og intensivsykepleiere. ISSN 0809-9707. p. 11–16. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Artikkelen tar utgangspunkt i en prosjektrapport fra et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom Videreutdanningen i intensivsykepleie ved Høgskolen i Hedmark og intensivavdelingene i Elverum og Hamar, Sykehuset Innlandet HF. Hensikten med samarbeidsprosjektet var å fremme kompetansen hos sykepleiere i intensivavdelingene og studenter i videreutdanning i intensivsykepleie i å forebygge VAP (ventilator assosiert pneumoni) for oralintuberte respiratorpasienter.

• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Espelund, Åse; Hagen, Else Mæhlum & Høye, Sevald (2011). Kompetansebygging for å forebygge ventilatorassosiert pneumoni (VAP). Full text in Research Archive
• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen & Stensvehagen, Marianne Torp (2011). Kompetanseutvikling hos erfarne anestesi-, intensiv- og operasjonssykepleiere. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2009). Fra kontaktsykepleier til daglig veileder. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva; Grytten, Mona; Haugland, Trude; Skarholt, Sigrid; Perminow, Marte Lie & Grov, Ellen Karine (2019). Beskrivelse av kreftsykepleiers kompetanse, funksjon og ansvar. Norsk sykepleierforbunds faggruppe for kreftsykepleiere. Full text in Research Archive
• Sandsdalen, Tuva (2016). Quality in palliative care from the patient perspective Instrument development, perceptions of care received and the importance of care. Karlstad University Studies. ISSN 9789170637315. Full text in Research Archive
• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Espelund, Åse; Mæhlum, Else Hagen & Høye, Sevald (2011). Sammen blir vi gode: kompetansebygging for å forebygge VAP (ventilator assosierte pneumoni). Høgskolen i Hedmark. ISSN 9788276718553. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  English: Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), causes more deaths than any other hospital acquired infection, increases the number of patient days and involves high costs. Between 10–20 % of patients who are intubated for more than 48 hours, develop VAP. The two intensive care units (ICU) in this project lacked a nurse-led care pathway based on the best available evidence to prevent VAP. They also, acknowledged that different practices were used in the ICUs in relation to the prevention of VAP. Students who were studying in- tensive care nursing at the College gave feedback on the differences between what they learned in theory and what they learned in practice. Aim: The aim of the study was to improve competence in the prevention of VAP for oral intubated patients of two groups of nurses: nurses working in ICUs and students studying through continuing professional education in intensive care nursing. Method: This study had a quantitative and a qualitative approach, informed by action-oriented research. The evidenced-based care pathway for VAP prevention was developed and implemented in the ICU using the following inter- vention process: a one day seminar for students and staff, which included a theoretical introduction and simulation, and the introduction of discussion groups in the two ICUs. To evaluate staff and students` competence and the intervention process, data were collected using a questionnaire (before and af- ter the intervention process), depth interviews and a questionnaire to evaluate the seminar. Results: The data show that both students and staff had developed their competence during the study period. Staff and students emphasized that the increased focus in the ICU, the seminar and discussion groups with colleagues within and across the ICU, have contributed to their increased awareness and development of common practices in the two intensive care units. Conclusion: The intervention used in this study improved the competence of students and staff to prevent VAP. When development and implementing new VAP care pathways, an intervention based on a seminar and discussion groups may be benefcial in increasing staff and student competence in preventing VAP.

• Mytting, Tuva Helene Sandsdalen; Stensvehagen, Marianne Torp & Arvidsson, Barbro (2010). Hvordan oppfatter erfarne anestesi-, intensiv- og operasjonssykepleiere at kompetanseutvikling fremmes - en fenomenografisk studie. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  ENGELSK: The anaesthesia-, intensive care- and operating room nurse (AIO nurse) are all required to be competent and operative, able to take care of patients in state of acute and/or critical illness, and also to take care of their nearest. On an international and national level there are few studies on general competence development, but no study has investigated how the experienced AIO nurse may acquire further competence. (...) The findings of the study show a variety of different perceptions of how competence is further developed for the experienced AIO-nurse. Competence development is submitted on three different levels, an individual, group and system level. Findings significant for clinical practice may be an increased awareness, that in order to promote and prepare for learning and competence development for experienced AIO nurses, it will be important to facilitate both the individual, the practice community as a group and on systems for competence development in the department.

• Berg, Marit; Klein, Alexandra; Myromslien, Frøydis; Sandsdalen, Tuva & Stensvehagen, Marianne Torp (2009). Nytilsatt ved Høgskolen i Hedmark: Hva gjør vi nå? Høgskolen i Hedmark. ISSN 9788276717310. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  På bakgrunn av en felles oppfattelse av at Høgskolen i Hedmark mangler et godt system til å sikre opplæring, veiledning og oppfølging av nytilsatte ? med spesielt fokus på det pedagogiske området ? har vi undersøkt høgskolens muligheter for bedre å kunne tilrettelegge dette. Følgende problemstilling ble utformet: Hvordan kan Høgskolen i Hedmark legge til rette for at nytilsatte blir kjent med sin pedagogiske funksjon og sitt pedagogiske ansvar? I denne forbindelse ble det sett på eksisterende introduksjonstiltak ved Institutt for Lærerutdanning og Naturfag (LUNA) og ved Institutt for Sykepleie Avdeling Helse og Idrett (HI) samt foretatt en spørreundersøkelse blant 15 nytilsatte ? som til sammen representerer 6 forskjellige institutter ved LUNA og HI. Undersøkelsens resultat viste at det er svært ulik praksis ved høgskolen når det gjelder introduksjonstiltak og at de fleste lærere mener at god oppfølging i nytilsattperioden er viktig. I forkant av undersøkelsen ble det utarbeidet en liste over ulike pedagogiske tiltak til mulig nytte for nytilsatte undervisere. Reaksjonen fra et flertall av respondentene var, at samtlige tiltak ville hatt stor eller meget stor betydning. På bakgrunn av dette materialet ble det utarbeidet et forslag til et nytilsattprogram med tiltak som forhåpentlig både kan bidra til en kvalitetssikring av den enkeltes undervisning og til at den nytilsatte skal bli kjent med sin pedagogiske funksjon og sitt pedagogiske ansvar. Based on the assumption that Hedmark University College lacks a good system to assure training, supervision and follow-up of the new-employed teachers ? with particular emphasis on the educational area ? we have examined the institution?s opportunities to better adapt this. The following question was formulated: How can Hedmark University College lay the groundwork to help the new-employed teacher getting familiar with his or hers educational function and educational responsibilities? For that reason, the existing introduction material of measures by the Department of Education and Science (LUNA) and at the Department of Nursing Department of Health and Sport (HI) was examined and a survey conducted among 15 new employees ? representing 6 different departments at LUNA and HI all together. The survey results both showed a high variety in practice at the college when it comes to introducing measures and that most newemployed teachers believed that a good follow-up in the new-employee period is important. A list of various educational measures to the possible benefit of new-employed teachers was prepared in advance of the survey. A majority of the respondents agreed that all suggested measures would have been of great or the greatest significance. On the basis of this material a proposal for a new employee program with measures was prepared. Measures, which will hopefully both contribute to the quality assurance of the performance of every single teacher and that new-employed teachers will become familiar with their educational function and educational responsibilities.

View all works in NVA