Katharina Fierz

University of Basel | UNIBAS · Institute of Nursing Science

Background Hepatitis C virus reinfections in HIV-positive men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) challenge the effectiveness of antiviral treatment. To fight this problem, an adapted sexual risk reduction intervention was implemented within a hepatitis C treatment trial. Following this, the current study had two aims and describes 1) how the program was r...

Purpose: Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric disorder and is a common and serious complication during hospitalization for older people. This study evaluated the value of an advanced practice nurse (APN)-led delirium consultation service on patient outcomes DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of 137 patients over 65 years, h...

Background Preparing a 21st century nursing workforce demands future-oriented curricula that address the population’s evolving health care needs. With their advanced clinical skill sets and broad scope of practice, Advanced Practice Nurses strengthen healthcare systems by providing expert care, especially to people who are older and/or have chronic...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV. The Swiss HCVree Trial targeted a micro-elimination by using a treat and counsel strategy. Self-reported condomless anal intercourse with non-steady partners was used as the selection criterion for participation in a counselling intervention designed to prev...

PurposeHigh-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are associated with high symptom burden. This study aimed to explore multiple myeloma (MM) patients’ experience of symptom frequency, intensity, and distress during therapy. Methods This descriptive longitudinal study enrolled 29 MM patients who completed the 43-item PROVIVO...

Purpose: To give a first description of the perception of late effects among long-term survivors after Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) and to validate the German Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from the cross-sectional, mixed-method PROVIVO study, which inclu...

The aim of this secondary data analysis of the cross-sectional Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project (SHURP) study was to describe the prevalence of residents' verbal, physical and sexual aggression toward care workers in Swiss nursing homes and to explore their association with context and care worker factors. The study's sample incorporated...

Background Although caring for residents with dementia in nursing homes is associated with various stressors for care workers, the role of the unit type, and particularly the proportion of residents with dementia, remains unclear. This study aimed to explore associations between unit type and care worker stress, taking into account additional poten...

Introduction Among patients with head and neck cancer comorbid alcohol use disorder is frequent which contributes to higher risk of developing perioperative alcohol withdrawal syndrome/delirium or delirium due to medical conditions. Although guidelines emphasize prevention and treatment of alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients, a validated sy...

Background: In special care units (SCUs) for residents with advanced dementia, both personnel and organizations are adapted to the needs of residents. However, whether these adaptations have a preventive effect on elder abuse has not yet been explored. Objective: To describe the prevalence of observed emotional abuse, neglect, and physical abuse...

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common phenomenon in acute care institutions accounting for many negative health consequences for the patient. In many hospitals, therefore, malnutrition risk screening and nutrition management programs were established; however, programs were commonly developed without integrating the patients' perspective. It is unkn...

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and debilitating side effect of chemoradiotherapy in patients awaiting allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). The aim of this pilot RCT was to compare an oral care self-management support protocol (OrCaSS) to usual pre-aHSCT care. Feasibility was tested, effect sizes calculated for OM (primary ou...

Objective: Falls and related injuries remain a considerable health risk for in-patients. Numerous studies link falls with nurse staffing levels, but the results are inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between fall prevalence and injurious falls on medical wards and three unit-level system factors: daily nurse sta...

Scientific misconduct (SMC) is an increasing concern in nursing science. This article discusses the prevalence of SMC, risk factors and correlates of scientific misconduct in nursing science, and highlights interventional approaches to foster good scientific conduct. Using the "Fostering Research Integrity in Europe" report of the European Science...

This study explores the experiences of women treated with acupuncture during labour, to identify factors relevant to midwifery care. An exploratory qualitative approach was used. Seven healthy women who had been treated with acupuncture during normal labour in a maternity unit of a tertiary hospital in Switzerland participated in semi-structured in...

Background: Managing symptoms in daily life is a challenging problem for people living with HIV. As traditional parameters used to identify symptoms needing management do not integrate aspects of daily living with symptoms, we introduced 'perceived symptom manageability' to fill this gap. Aim: The aim of this study was to quantitatively explore...

Aim: To report the synthesis of the concept of perceived symptom manageability. Background: Common symptom assessment parameters fail to address concerns about the impact of symptoms on everyday life, overall functioning, or threats to individuals living with the human immunodeficiency virus. We claim that the concept of 'perceived symptom manag...

For persons living with HIV, effective symptom management is crucial for good health outcomes and usually involves close support persons. The collaboration of persons living with HIV and their close support persons in the process of symptom management, including symptom experience reports, was investigated using an exploratory mixed methods design....

Competent nursing and effective leadership are essential attributes for the provision of high-quality care which is patient-centred, evidence-based and outcome-oriented. The Department of Clinical Nursing science (DCN) of the University Hospital Basel (USB) initiated and implemented programmes of targeted practice development to promote competence...

It is estimated that 300,000 people with alcohol problems and alcohol-related illnesses are presently living in Switzerland. Many of these are infected with HIV. Yet, the number is unknown. At the HIV outpatient department of the University Hospital in Basel, nurses are assessing patients and it is evident that alcohol intake is a serious health pr...

Severe alcohol use is recognized as a major public health concern, even though light to moderate alcohol use might have beneficial effects on health. Alcohol use has been studied to some extent in solid organ transplant populations, yet evidence is lacking on alcohol use and its correlates in the renal transplant population. The aim of this study w...