To explore how adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) experience and express grit in the workplace.
Qualitative study using Husserl's descriptive phenomenology.
Between March 2022 and June 2023, semi-structured interviews were administered to 18 ACHD recruited from two medical centre outpatient departments. The collected data underwent analysis utilising Colaizzi's 7-step analysis method, coupled with Lincoln and Guba's framework, to ensure credibility and trustworthiness.
The analysis revealed five prominent themes derived from the data: (a) career choices amid constraints; (b) adjustments to one's work environment for reasons of fatigue; (c) crises in the workplace arising from exceeding one's physical limits; (d) supportive networks for better health and job stability; (e) resilience at work for balance and fulfilment in life.
Grit significantly influences life satisfaction and job performance among adults with congenital heart disease, highlighting its profound impact on their experiences. Patients exhibit perseverance in job pursuits, adapt work methods to manage physical fatigue, confront challenges during work crises, value family and societal support and aim for self-satisfaction. These findings highlight the impact of grit and mental health on ACHD's lives and work, providing insights for better psychological support and interventions.
This study clarifies the need for healthcare professionals to incorporate workplace grit training and assessment into ACHD care.
Recognising grit as a key factor in ACHD patients' lives informs holistic care, workplace inclusivity and policies that enhance their long-term well-being.
This study was performed in accordance with the COREQ guidelines.
No patient or public involvement.
To systematically assess the effect of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on postoperative surgical wound infection, length of hospital stay and postoperative complications after spinal surgery. Relevant studies on the application of NPWT in spinal surgery were conducted via a computerised database search, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang, from inception to June 2023. The identified literature was rigorously screened and data extraction was performed by two investigators independently. The quality of the relevant studies was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS). The effect size for count data was determined by the odds ratio (OR), while the impact size for measurement data was expressed as the standardised mean difference (SMD). The 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated for each effect magnitude. Stata 17.0 software was used for the meta-analysis. Ten papers, totalling 1448 patients, were finally included. This study demonstrated that NPWT led to a statistically significant reduction in the occurrence of postoperative surgical wound infections (OR: 0.377, 95% CI: 0.238–0.598, p < 0.001), fewer postoperative complications (OR: 0.526, 95% CI: 0.360–0.770, p = 0.001) and a shortened hospital stay (SMD: −0.678, 95%CI: −1.324 to −0.031, p = 0.040) after spinal surgery compared with the control group. When compared with other treatment approaches, NPWT also demonstrated a substantial reduction in surgical wound infections and postoperative complications, as well as a shorter duration of hospitalisation after spinal surgery.
Varicose veins are the prevalent vascular disorder that has conventionally been managed via risky postoperative wound infections and conventional surgery. While ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (UMA) has gained attention as a minimally invasive alternative, there is still a lack of research examining its comparative effectiveness. A prospective comparative investigation was undertaken in the Zhejiang region of China from January to November 2023, involving 140 patients who had received the diagnosis of primary varicose veins. An equal number of 70 patients underwent UMA and conventional surgery. Exclusion criteria for the study encompassed adult patients aged 18–65, with the exception of those who had undergone prior venous surgery, deep vein thrombosis or peripheral arterial disease. The demographical characteristics, procedural details and complication profiles of patients who developed postoperative wound infections within 30 days were analysed statistically. The outcomes demonstrated that postoperative wound infections were significantly diminished (5.7%) with UMA in comparison to conventional surgery (17.1%). In addition, the average duration of procedures and length of hospital stay for UMA patients were both reduced, although neither of these differences was found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). Infection management, age and gender distribution of varicose veins were comparable between the two groups (p > 0.05). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the severity of varicose veins and postoperative outcomes, as determined by the regression analysis (p < 0.05). Using UMA to treat varicose veins showed promise as an alternative to conventional surgery, specifically in minimizing the incidence of postoperative wound infections. Additional research and clinical consideration are needed regarding the potential transition toward minimally invasive techniques in treatment of varicose veins, as suggested by these results.