Saskatchewan Health

About: Saskatchewan Health is a government organization based out in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 442 authors who have published 489 publications receiving 7728 citations.

Supporting parental caregivers of children living with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses: A Delphi study.

Abstract: BACKGROUND The impact of a child s life-limiting or life-threatening illness is significant on parents who experience a great deal of emotional, physical, and spiritual upheaval. Hope has been identified as an important inner resource for parental caregivers. Specifically, parental hope has been described as having four subproceses including Accepting Reality, Establishing Control, Restructuring Hope, and Purposive Positive Thinking. PURPOSE The purpose of this Delphi study was to gather expert opinions from parents and formal care providers about the four subproceses essential to parental hope, to increase understanding of parental caregivers current support needs. As Phase one of a three-phase study, the findings provided direction in the development of a theory-based hope intervention. DESIGN AND METHODS A Delphi study consisting of three rounds of survey questions and controlled feedback to experts was employed. Experts suggested strategies for each subprocess and ranked them in order of highest to lowest according to feasibility and effectiveness. RESULTS Sixty-eight experts consisting of parental caregivers of children diagnosed with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses and those who care for them (community members, nurses, social workers, and physicians) were recruited to participate. Through three rounds of survey questions, response rates ranged from 92-97%. A consensus revealed eight major themes that support parental hope: Organize Basic Needs; Connect with Others; Prioritize Self-care; Obtain Meaningful Information; Take Things Day by Day; Advocate for Parental Participation; Manifest Positivity; and Celebrate Milestones. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS This study identified a wide variety of psychosocial needs for parental caregivers. Results also offered direction for a theory-based hope intervention while highlighting the need for additional research in this area. These results will provide the foundation for a booklet parents can work through in their journey of caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness.

To what extent does poor health precede welfare

Abstract: It is well known that individuals receiving social assistance have more health problems than those with higher incomes. In this paper, we estimate the proportion of social assistance recipients who were on welfare following a drop in health status. The study population consisted of Saskatchewan adults who had been continuously off social assistance for 12 consecutive months followed by 6 months on social assistance. Health status was measured by the use of physician services. We examined changes in physician service rates during the 18-month period. Forty-nine percent of individuals in the study population had increases in the number of physician services over the 18-month period. For these individuals, 53% of the increase in service use occurred during the 12 months prior to receiving social assistance. Deteriorating health, as measured by increased physician service use, seems to be one factor that precedes many people’s receipt of welfare. A focus on improving health status may be one way to keep people off welfare.

Low food intake in hospital: patient, institutional, and clinical factors.

Abstract: In-hospital malnutrition and inadequate food intake have been associated with negative outcomes (e.g., prolonged length of stay, readmission, mortality, and increased hospital costs). Studies exami...