The aim of the study was to describe patients' experiences with preoperative skin disinfection carried out in their home before elective hip replacement surgery with the aim of lowering the microbial burden and avoiding surgical site infections. The literature was reviewed for relevant studies. Optimal preparations before surgery depend on patients being able to assimilate preoperative information and instructions. The study was based on 14 interviews with patients who had undergone elective hip replacement surgery. Data were analysed with qualitative manifest content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman (2004). The main categories of findings were: patients' experience of obstacles and limitations, the importance of supportive surroundings, and personal resources as strength when performing preoperative skin disinfection. The findings of this study agree with earlier studies showing a lack of compliance to preoperative skin disinfection. The findings also suggest reasons for non-compliance. Preoperative skin disinfection involves many important steps that need to be accomplished to ensure the maximum effect on microbial burden on skin surface. These steps can be difficult for some patient groups. Perioperative dialogue is one way to identify patients' individual needs and to help patients participate in the process. The study concludes that patients who carried out skin disinfection at home before surgery have a great responsibility to prepare themselves. The challenge for perioperative nurses who work with preoperative information is to identify and individually guide those patients who need extended support so that all patients with elective hip replacement surgery receive the same quality of care. Further research should focus on how caregivers discover individuals with extended needs and on identifying the kind of support that is effective to achieve optimal conditions for hip replacement surgery.

This qualitative study aims to describe nursing students' experiences of learning caring science by using reflection seminars as a didactic model. A reflective lifeworld research approach according to Husserl's phenomenological philosophy was used. Findings suggest that reflective seminars increased understanding of caring science, other people and one's self. Moreover, substance-oriented reflection and lifeworld perspectives provided a good learning environment. Learning prerequisites were found to be openness, honesty, respect, trust, security, justice, parity and shared responsibilities along with having a common platform and a clear framework. These findings highlight conditions for a culture conducive to learning and for gaining embodied knowledge, but also present concerns regarding the difficulty and importance of establishing a good learning environment. A need to create meaningfulness, establish caring as conscious, reflective acts and show the value in personal differences were also found. These findings offer an important perspective necessary for preparing nurses to perform good quality care.

Clinical placements play an important role in learning a new profession, but students report about poor placement experiences. Standards have been laid down for improvements within clinical training in Prehospital Emergency Nursing programmes in Sweden, but no studies have been carried out in this field in a Swedish context. The purpose of this study was thus to describe the experiences of Prehospital Emergency Nursing (PEN) students of their clinical placement and the effect on their learning process. Data were collected in 28 individual interviews and analyzed in accordance with Flanagan’s Critical Incident Technique. Three main areas emerged: the professional clinical supervisor, the clinical placement setting and the learning strategy. All these areas played a significant role in the PEN students’ learning progress and development into a new professional role. The choice of clinical supervisor (CS) and clinical placement is important if PEN students’ learning is to be an effective and positive experience. The prehospital environment is unique and can have positive and negative effects on student learning depending on the support and structure given during their clinical placement. A learning strategy based on reflective dialogue, CS continuity and a learning structure based on the prehospital environment is presented. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

En nära anhörigs plötsliga död anses vara det starkaste trauma en människa kan drabbas av. Sjuksköterskan har en viktig funktion i stödet till de sörjande som blir kvar när en nära anhörig dör. Sorg kan ta sig olika uttryck och det kan vara djupt kränkande för de närstående om de förväntas reagera på ett visst sätt. Utbildad personal och lokala riktlinjer för en strukturerad omvårdnad vid plötslig död är ett stöd för sjuksköterskan i sin strävan att ge god omvårdnad och lindra de närståendes lidande.