DOCTORAL THESIS. People who are physically active on a regular basis recover better after surgery for colorectal cancer. However, starting to exercise only after the diagnosis is a fact had no effect on recovery, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows. In working on his thesis, Aron Onerup, who obtained his doctorate in surgery at the University’s Sahlgrenska Academy and is now a specialist doctor at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, carried out…
TBE patients’ lasting problems
DOCTORAL THESIS. Impaired memory, reduced motivation, and declining motor skills. These are some of the problems that may persist several years after people contract tick-borne encephalitis, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a virus, found in parts of Europe and Asia, that is spread mainly by tick bites. Though rare, in recent years the disease has become successively more prevalent in Sweden, some 300 cases are reported annually. The new thesis contains studies of TBE patients diagnosed with the disease in western…
A fifth of adults in Sweden experience dental anxiety
DOCTORAL THESIS. In Sweden, approximately one in five adults suffers from dental anxiety or phobia. The number has decreased over time, but many still have major problems, according to a recent University of Gothenburg doctoral thesis. The thesis includes a nationwide interview study involving 3,500 adult individuals, randomly selected from the general population of Sweden. Nineteen percent reported some degree of dental anxiety, fear or phobia (also known as dentophobia or odontophobia). The interviewees’ self-reported results were as follows: 4.7% described their dental anxiety as severe, 4.5% as moderate and 9.8% as low. The remaining 80.9% said…
Continuity determines whether physical activity on prescription works for the least active
DOCTORAL THESIS. Ongoing support for several years and focus on the individual. These are success factors that make physical activity on prescription a workable concept for patients, including those who, after six months, have not reached their desired physical activity level, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows. The thesis concerned comprises studies of 444 patients who were offered what is known as “physical activity on prescription” (PAP) in primary care.…
Intrahospital transport of ICU patients a moment of risk
DOCTORAL THESIS. When bedbound intensive care patients are moved within a hospital, the single most common risk factor is nonfunctioning technology and equipment. These transfers, a well-known moment of risk, have been studied in a University of Gothenburg thesis. Moving critically ill patients within a hospital, for investigations and treatments, always entails risks. Today, however, the majority of these patients are in need of transport to be X-rayed or undergo…