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- Wishing to feel better... perceptions of health and illness in persons with rheumatic diseasesPublication . Sá, Maria do Céu; Oliveira, AbílioAbout a third of the Portuguese population suffers from some form of rheumatic disease. Although the pathology in several persons is mild, these illnesses are chronic and incurable, have a progressive evolution, and the symptoms tend to become increasingly severe. Rheumatic illnesses frequently lead to major consequences for the person's life disturbing their social relationships, work and leisure. The present work is part of a larger project, and aim to understand how health and illness are represented among adults with rheumatic disease. The data was collected by free associations of words and processed through factorial correspondence analysis. Participants were questioned on what they think and feel about their health and illness. Their perceptions were analysed considering their age, sex and years of illness. The participants point out the illness as their major source of suffering and sadness, revealing they frequently feel discouraged, thinking they are different from other people. Women, more than men, express negative emotions and serious difficulties to maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle - they emphasize their functional limitations that seriously affect daily activities, in particular their mobility and housekeeping tasks. In general, men almost accept their health condition - it is as if they feel strong enough to face their illness and to find ways to improve their wellbeing. What the patients think and feel about their health and illness may convey important information for health professionals, working with patients with rheumatoid disease, in order to help them to improve strategies to deal with this population.
- How painful can it be? Rheumatic diseases through the eyes of future nursesPublication . Sá, Maria do Céu; Oliveira, AbílioRheumatic diseases, by their nature and symptoms are one of the diseases that have the greatest impact on public health, affecting thousands of people, and being directly responsible for serious limitations, not only on a physical level but also the emotional and social level. These diseases have a chronic nature. In many cases, they seriously influence the well-being of many people, as well as their productivity, and regular activity. They are associated with several problems, within the family or at a professional domain, forcing to major changes in the patients' routines, leading to situations of limitation, disability (temporary or permanent), absenteeism, impossibility to accomplish some tasks and duties, or early retirement. Nursing has an essential role on the prevention and management of chronic illnesses, giving healthcare and support to patients, in different stages of their illness. The aim of this study is to understand how students of nursing represent the situation and the problems of the patients affected by rheumatic diseases. We carried out a focus group with twelve students, three men and nine women with a mean age of 20 years, attending the 2nd year of the nursing program. On the interaction with the participants, we focused our attention on three questions: What is a rheumatic disease?; What are the implications of the disease for the person, and in his self-care?; How does rheumatic disease influences the image that a person has of himself? Future nurses consider that rheumatic disease has major consequences in people's lives, in their daily activities, work and family, pointing out that pain and bodily changes contribute to decreased self-esteem, lack of confidence and social isolation.