Browsing by Author "Rocha, Ana"
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- Cancer Patients with Chronic Pain and Their Caregivers during COVID-19: A Descriptive StudyPublication . Costeira, Cristina; Paiva-Santos, Filipe; Pais, Nelson; Sousa, Ana Filipa; Paiva, Ivo; Carvalho, Dulce Helena; Rocha, Ana; Ventura, FilipaBackground: The sanitary measures imposed by COVID-19 intensified challenges in the pain management of cancer patients. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in a chronic pain unit of an oncological hospital aiming to explore the experiences of cancer patients with chronic pain and their caregivers during the pandemic period, as well as identify strategies to improve care in chronic pain management. An electronic questionnaire was developed containing sociodemographic variables, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, and open-ended questions exploring the experiences and circumstances of pain management. Results: A total of 30 patients and 13 caregivers filled in the questionnaire. Patients revealed a higher level of depression, anxiety, and stress than caregivers, without statistically significant differences. Both groups mentioned having experienced difficulties in self-care, particularly in relation to sleep, nutrition, and recreation. In total, 83.7% patients needed pain relief medication related to uncontrolled pain. Both mentioned that they would have benefited from a digital application to ease the communication with the healthcare professionals of the chronic pain unit, as well as non-pharmacological interventions, such as therapeutic massage. Conclusions: Recognizing that chronic pain leads to significant limitations, it is essential to implement and anticipate objective and effective responses in pain management.
- Death Unpreparedness Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Concept AnalysisPublication . Costeira, Cristina; Dixe, Maria dos Anjos; Querido, Ana; Rocha, Ana; Vitorino, Joel; Santos, Cátia; Laranjeira, CarlosThe COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes upon the capacity of healthcare systems, with significant repercussions on healthcare provision, particularly at end-of-life. This study aims to analyze the concept map of death unpreparedness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, capturing the relationships among the attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical indicators. Walker and Avant’s method was used to guide an analysis of this concept. A literature search was performed systematically, between May 2022 and August 2023, using the following electronic databases on the Elton Bryson Stephens Company (EBSCO) host platform: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, Cochrane Library, and Nursing and Allied Health Collection. Thirty-four articles were retrieved. The unexpected and unpredictable impositions associated with inexperience and unskillfulness in dealing with COVID-19 configured challenges for healthcare professionals, family/caregivers, and even the dying person. Nine key attributes emerged in three main domains: (1) Individual: (a) disease-related conditions, (b) separation distress, and (c) scarcity of death and grief literacy; (2) Relational: (a) Dying alone, (b) poor communication, and (c) existential issues; and (3) Contextual: (a) disrupted collective mourning and grieving, (b) disrupted compassionate care and, (c) pandemic social stigma. This study contributed a full definition of death unpreparedness in a global pandemic scenario such as COVID-19. In this sense, feeling unprepared or unready for death brought new challenges to the bioecological resources of those affected. It is essential to embrace strategies capable of providing emotional and spiritual support in the dying process and to respect patient wishes. The lessons learned from COVID-19 should be applied to events with a comparable impact to minimize their consequences.
- Growth Performance after Agouti-Signaling Protein 1 (Asip1) Overexpression in Transgenic ZebrafishPublication . Godino-Gimeno, Alejandra; Sánchez, Elisa; Guillot, Raúl; Rocha, Ana; Angotzi, Anna Rita; Leal, Esther; Rotllant, Josep; Cerdá-Reverter, José MiguelThe melanocortin system is a key structure in the regulation of energy balance. Overexpression of inverse agonists, agouti-signaling protein (ASIP), and agouti-related protein (AGRP) results in increased food intake, linear growth, and body weight. ASIP regulates dorsal-ventral pigment polarity through melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and overexpression induces obesity in mice by binding to central MC4R. Asip1 overexpression in transgenic zebrafish (asip1-Tg) enhances growth, yet experiments show fish overexpressing Asip1 do not develop obesity even under severe feeding regimes. Asip1-Tg fish do not need to eat more to grow larger and faster; thus, increased food efficiency can be observed. In addition, asip1-Tg fish reared at high density are able to grow far more than wild-type (WT) fish reared at low density, although asip1-Tg fish seem to be more sensitive to crowding stress than WT fish, thus making the melanocortin system a target for sustainable aquaculture, especially as the U.S. Food and Drug Association has recently approved transgenic fish trading.
- Monitoring and Management of the Palliative Care Patient Symptoms: A Best Practice Implementation ProjectPublication . Coelho, Adriana; Rocha, Ana; Cardoso, Daniela; Rodrigues, Rogério; Costeira, Cristina; Gomes, Sara; Parola, VitorBackground: In palliative care, symptoms are multiple and combined, evolving and changing, with a multidimensional character and multifactorial causes, and a high prevalence, negatively influencing the patient’s and family’s quality of life. Nurses who provide palliative care need to recognize and respond effectively to their patients’ symptoms. Methods: A project will be applied to implement the best practice in monitoring and managing palliative care patients’ symptoms. The Joanna Briggs Institute Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System (JBI PACES) and Getting Research into Practice (GRiP) audit and feedback tool will be used. The JBI PACES and GRiP framework for promoting evidence-based healthcare involves three phases of activity. First, a baseline audit. In a second phase, feedback will be given to the project team after the conclusion of the baseline audit report. Then, a third phase will be conducted as a follow-up audit. Conclusions: This project will improve the practice of the nursing team in monitoring and managing the symptoms of palliative care patients, positively influencing the quality of life of the patient and his family. The implementation and dissemination of this project could boost its replication in other centres.