Birgitte Lerbæk

Aalborg University Hospital · Unit for Psychiatric Research

Purpose The purpose of this study was to understand the point of departure for peer support workers in an organization new to working alongside with peer support workers as equal colleagues. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of Flexible Assertive Community Treatment managers on preparation and employment of peer support workers,...

People with schizophrenia have shortened life expectancy partly due to physical ill health. Management of coexisting mental and physical health issues is complex, and knowledge in the field is lacking. This study investigated how physical health was managed among people with schizophrenia, by integrating findings from three separate analyses conduc...

Purpose To explore and describe the enactment of user involvement and combined care in a Danish clinic that aimed at providing integrated diabetes and mental health care. Design An ethnographic study. Data Sources and Methods Data consisted of field notes from 96 hours of participant observations and field notes from 32 informal conversations wit...

Abstract Support interventions, such as nurse case managers, has been developed in response to the inequality in health and a growing population with multi-morbidity. The aim of the present study was to explore the everyday practices of nurse case managers at a Danish university hospital. An ethnographic approach with a constructionist perspective...

Nurses are imperative for healthcare systems’ ability to effectively function during pandemics, yet multiple factors may affect their willingness and preparedness to work. The aim of the present cross-sectional survey was to identify factors associated with registered nurses’ (RN) willingness and preparedness to work during the novel coronavirus di...

COVID-19 restrictions prevented relatives from visiting and accompanying patients to hospital and required that nurses wore personal protective equipment. These changes affected patients’ relationships with relatives and challenged their ability to connect with nurses. Individual, semi-structured interviews with 15 patients were carried out to expl...

Baggrund: Sektorovergange i sundhedsvæsenet udgør en særlig risikosituation i forhold til medicineringsfejl. Det kræver tid og ressourcer at rette op på eventuelle fejl, men omfanget heraf er endnu ikke godt belyst. Formålet med denne undersøgelse var at undersøge medicineringsfejl i sektorovergangen fra hospital til rehabiliteringscenter med særli...

The role of transitional care nurses is sparsely described and knowledge is needed on their specific tasks and responsibilities to ensure continuity in transitions for older patients with multiple chronic conditions. The aim of this study was to explore and describe transitional care nurses’ practices related to transitional trajectories of older p...

This study aims to explore how a changed COVID-19 work environment influences nurses’ clinical decision-making. Data were collected via three focus groups totaling 14 nurses working in COVID-19 pandemic wards at a Danish university hospital. The factors influencing decision-making are described in three themes; navigating in a COVID-19 dominated co...

Introduction: Transitional care for older people with multiple chronic conditions is complex, and it is essential to identify the competencies of the nurses who provide such care. Aim: This study aimed to describe and compare the self-reported characteristics of transitional care nurses to their work areas, job satisfaction, competencies, and need...

The maintenance of physical distance, the absence of relatives and the relocation of registered nurses to COVID-19 units presumably affects nursing care at non-COVID-19 units. Using a qualitative design, this study explored registered nurses’ experi- ences of how COVID-19 influenced nursing care in non-COVID-19 units at a Danish university hospital...

The aim of this ethnographic study was to explore how a group of nine Danish people with schizophrenia managed physical health issues as they naturally occurred in everyday life. Qualitative methods were used to generate of data. Thematic analysis led to the description of two typical strategies used by participants to manage debilitating physical...

Aim: This research thoroughly investigated aspects of everyday life among a group of people with schizophrenia, to gain insight into how physical health issues were managed. Methods: The PhD study was designed as an ethnographic study and drew on social constructionism. Nine participants with schizophrenia were recruited at two residential faciliti...

Provision of physical health care to people diagnosed with severe mental illness is widely reported as inadequate. This interview study explored perspectives of a group of key informants on current practices of providing physical health care within two mental health care settings in Denmark. Thematic analysis of their accounts provided insights int...

Background: Life expectancy of people with severe mental illness (SMI) is greatly shortened compared to the general population, and despite extensive research, this issue is unsolved. Although it is widely recognised that people with SMI need support from health care services to manage health related issues, profound health inequalities exist withi...

Assertive community treatment (ACT) case managers provide healthcare services to people with severe and persistent mental illness. These case managers take on generic roles in multidisciplinary teams and provide all-around services in the clients' private homes. This focus group study aimed to gain insight into Danish ACT case managers' professiona...

Deep sternal wound infection is one of the most serious complications after cardiac surgery, and it is treated with negative pressure wound therapy, NPWT. In Denmark the incidence rate for postoperative infections are at 3.5%. The aim of the study is to explore how patients with deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery experience NPWT. Th...

The context of care in assertive community treatment (ACT) can be precarious and generate ethical issues involving the principles of autonomy and paternalism. This focus group study examined case managers' situated accounts of moral reasoning. Our findings show how they expressed strong moral obligation towards helping the clients. Their moral reas...