Perioperative care

The research area

The research within the group is based on a person-centered approach. The research covers development and testing of instruments, health economy, health literacy, quality of life, symptoms and discomfort. The intervention studies take place in close collaboration between researchers, patients and health care. The goal is finding innovative solutions and evidence based knowledge to be implemented in clinical practice in order to increase the quality of patient's postoperative recovery.

Ongoing Projects

Postoperative recovery

Principal Investigator: Ulrica Nilsson

The project aims to describe, measure, define and explain postoperative recovery. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in order to search for differences and similarities, factors that influence postoperative recovery as well as create a model / theory and to further development of the Swedish version of Quality of Recovery (SwQoR). The project is based on the patient's perspective, but relatives and the staff's views are also studied.

Postoperative neurocognitive recovery

Principal Investigator: Ulrica Nilsson

This research programs overall aims to explore cognitive decline after surgery, test and evaluate a digital cognitive screening tool, investigate patients experiences of cognitive recovery, as well as to investigate potential associations between neurocognitive decline, health literacy, early postoperative confusion and dementia among older persons undergoing surgery. The research program consists of the following projects:

CoME- Cognitive Measurements and Experiences

The project aims to explore patients’ experiences of their early postoperative cognition after orthopaedic surgery in relation to postoperative neurocognitive function assessed with validated neuropsychological tests, inflammatory signalling molecules and quality of postoperative recovery as well as to describe the relative’s view of early postoperative cognition.

DiCASS-Digital Cognitive Assessment and Support after Surgery

The project aims to evaluate the effect of cognitive monitoring and support on patient's postoperative recovery and to study health economy aspects as well as to describe patients’ experience of the cognitive monitoring and support.

PICASU - Postoperative dIgital Cognitive Assessment and SUpport

The project aims to evaluate the effect of cognitive monitoring and support on patient's postoperative recovery and to study health economy aspects as well as to describe patients’ experience of the cognitive monitoring and support.

Health literacy

The project aims to psychometric evaluate health literacy instruments, and measure health literacy. The research program consists of the following projects:

Psychometric evaluation of HLS-EU-Q16 and eHEALS

Principal Investigator: Ulrica Nilsson

The overall aim is to psychometric evaluate the Swedish and Arabic versions of HLS-EU-Q16 and eHEALS, and to compare Arabic and Swedish speakers’ Health literacy, eHealth literacy levels and health in Sweden. HLS-EU-Q16 (The Health Literacy Survey European Questionnaire) measuring general health literacy and eHEALS (eHealth literacy scale) measuring electronic health literacy. The project also aims to study eHealth literacy among people that have suffered from Covid -19 and have been cared for in an Intensive care unit.

SEHLO - Self-efficacy and health literacy influence outcome after bariatric surgery

Principal Investigator: Maria Jaensson

The project aims to study health literacy, self-efficacy and registry data from the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry (SOReg) in a group of people who have undergone bariatric surgery

Care in the Post anaesthesia Care Unit, PACU

Principal Investigator: Karuna Dahlberg

The project aims to explore and describe competences and care in the PACU from an organizational level to patients view. The research program consists of the following projects:

Defining the role and competence of the nurse working at the PACU

This project is an international and national collaboration with the aim to describe and compare the role and competence of the nurse working at the PACU both from a national as well as an international perspective.

Patients view of the care at the PACU

This project aims to describe patients experiences of the care at the PACU

Experiences among nurses working in a Covid-ICU 

Principal Investigator: Ulrica Nilsson

The purpose of this international study is to describe and compare stress related to troubled conscience, i.e. stress of conscience, and fear of Covid-19 among perianaesthesia nurses who are or have been working in a Covid-ICU during the Corona pandemic.  Stress of conscience can be explained as when health care personnel find themselves caught between their ideal image of health care and the reality resulting in a troubled conscience from not being able to do more. Countries included are:  Australia, Belgium/Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA.

Research leader

Group members