Browsing by Author "Ferreira, Pedro L."
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Demand for emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic and disease burden: a case study in PortugalPublication . Nunes, Alcina ; Costa, Catarina ; Martins, João P.; Ferreira, Pedro L.; Pimenta, RuiThe COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in the pattern of care use. A significant increase in the volume of emergencies was expected. However, a significant decrease was observed worldwide. An observational, analytical and cross-sectional study of all records of emergency episodes of patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the emergency services of the University of Porto Hospital Centre (2018–2022) were analysed. : During the pandemic, a significant reduction in emergency episode admissions (up to 40% during lockdowns), an increase in pre-emergency services, and discharges from Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine was observed. The discharges from General Practice and General Practice and Family Medicine were residual. The lower use and type of use of emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the disease burden. This could be prevented in future pandemics through the development of strategies to promote confidence in the use of health resources and establishing contingency plans for virtual assistance.
- Empowerment and knowledge as determinants for quality of life: a contribution to a better type 2 diabetes self-managementPublication . Ferreira, Pedro L.; Morais, Carminda; Pimenta, Rui; Ribeiro, Inês; Amorim, Isabel; Alves, Sandra MariaThe purpose of this study was to assess how knowledge and empowerment impact the quality of life (QoL) of a person with type 2 diabetes, leading to better communication and disease management. We conducted a descriptive and observational study of individuals with type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form (DES-SF), Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT), and EQ-5D-5L were used, in addition to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Evaluating the variability in the DES-SF and DKT in relation to the EQ-5D-5L and identifying possible sociodemographic and clinical determinants were conducted using univariate analyses followed by a multiple linear regression model to test whether the factors significantly predicted QoL. A total of 763 individuals were included in the final sample. Patients aged 65 years or older had lower QoL scores, as well as patients who lived alone, had less than 12 years of education, and experienced complications. The insulin-treated group showed higher scores in DKT than the non-insulin-treated group. It was also found that being male, being under 65 years of age, having no complications present, and having higher levels of knowledge and empowerment predicted higher QoL. Our results show that DKT and DES are still determinants of QoL, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Therefore, literacy and empowerment are important for the improvement of the QoL of people with diabetes, by enabling them to manage their health conditions. New clinical practices focused on education, increasing patients’ knowledge, and empowerment may contribute to better health outcomes.
- A qualidade de vida no indivíduo com perda auditivaPublication . Carmo, Paulo Quintela; Pimenta, Rui; Ferreira, Pedro L.A audição é um sentido essencial para o desenvolvimento das capacidades de comunicação com os pares podendo comprometer seriamente a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos. O presente estudo pretendeu medir a qualidade de vida, nos seus diferentes domínios, e identificar eventuais diferenças face aos valores de referência apresentados por Ferreira e Santana (2003).