Decline in duration, satisfaction and sleep quality among informal caregivers of stroke survivors, 18-months post-stroke

Background. Data on stroke caregivers’ sleep is scarce. We aimed to assess changes in duration, satisfaction and sleep quality among informal caregivers of stroke survivors. Methods. Informal caregivers (n = 126) of stroke survivors hospitalized between September 2018 and August 2019 in the 12 Stroke Units of the North of Portugal were invited to participate in the study, 18 months’ post-stroke. Sociodemographic and sleep characteristics (duration, satisfaction and quality) were collected thr...

Patients' perspective and lung function correlation:the importance of questionnaires in home mechanical ventilation

Classical physiological variables used to monitor respiratory function in patients under non-invasive ventilation (NIV), such as FEV1 or FVC, correlate poorly with reported impairment of physical function or overall health status and hence provide an incomplete picture of impaired health. Aim: to investigate the association between the Portuguese S3-non-invasive ventilation (S3-NIV) questionnaire score and objective measures of lung function. Consecutive adult patients with chronic respirator...

The Portuguese S3-Non-invasive Ventilation (S3-NIV) questionnaire for home mechanically ventilated patients

Short, valid and easy to use tools are needed to monitor home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in clinical practice and for organization of HMV services. The S3NIV is a self-administered questionnaire containing 11 items that includes a Respiratory Symptoms and Sleep & Side Effects subscores, ranging from 0 (highest impact of disease and treatment) to 10 (lowest impact of disease and treatment). The Portuguese version of the questionnaire was obtained using translation-back translation process wi...

Depression and anxiety consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal cohort study with university students

Introduction. For young people, just as in the general population, COVID-19 caused many changes in their lives. The literature review has shown an increased risk for mental illness symptoms as a consequence of the pandemic. Objectives. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in university students’ anxiety and depression symptoms. Methods. This study is part of a larger longitudinal research on university students’ mental health with the Portuguese version of The...