Evaluation of a high temperature solar thermal seasonal borehole storage

A solar thermal system with seasonal borehole storage for heating of a residential area in Anneberg, Sweden, approximately 10 km north of Stockholm, has been in operation since late 2002. Originally, the project was part of the EU THERMIE project ���Large-scale Solar Heating Systems for Housing Developments��� (REB/0061/97) and was the first solar heating plant in Europe with borehole storage in rock not utilizing a heat pump. Earlier evaluations of the system show lower performance than the preliminary simulation study, with residents complaining of a high use of electricity for domestic hot water (DHW) preparation and auxiliary heating. One explanation mentioned in the earlier evaluations is that the borehole storage had not yet reached ���steady state��� temperatures at the time of evaluation. Many years have passed since then and this paper presents results from a new evaluation. The main aim of this work is to evaluate the current performance of the system based on several key figures, as well as on system function based on available measurement data. The analysis show that though the borehole storage now has reached a quasi-steady state and operates as intended, the auxiliary electricity consumption is much higher than the original design values largely due to high losses in the distribution network, higher heat loads as well as lower solar gains.

The core characteristics and nursing care activities in psychiatric intensive care units in Sweden

Internationally, research on psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) commonly reportsresults from demographic studies such as criteria for admission, need for involuntary treatment, andthe occurrence of violent behaviour. A few international studies describe the caring aspect of thePICUs based specifically on caregivers’ experiences. The concept of PICU in Sweden is not clearlydefined. The aim of this study is to describe the core characteristics of a PICU in Sweden and todescribe the care activities provided for patients admitted to the PICUs. Critical incident techniquewas used as the research method. Eighteen caregivers at a PICU participated in the study bycompleting a semistructured questionnaire. In-depth interviews with three nurses and two assistantnurses also constitute the data. An analysis of the content identified four categories that characterizethe core of PICU: the dramatic admission, protests and refusal of treatment, escalating behaviours, andtemporarily coercive measure. Care activities for PICUs were also analysed and identified as controlling– establishing boundaries, protecting – warding off, supporting – giving intensive assistance, andstructuring the environment. Finally, the discussion put focus on determining the intensive aspect ofpsychiatric care which has not been done in a Swedish perspective before. PICUs were interpreted asa level of care as it is composed by limited structures and closeness in care.

Erfarenheter av att v��rda personer med demenssjukdom : En kvalitativ intervjustudie med distriktssk��terskor

Bakgrund: Demenssjukdom ��r vanligt f��rekommande och denna patientgrupp ing��r i distriktssk��terskors uppdrag. Syfte: Att belysa distriktssk��terskors erfarenheter av att m��ta personer med demensdiagnos och hur de anpassar v��rden utifr��n v��rdtagarens behov. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomf��rdes med fyra stycken distriktssk��terskor. F��r bearbetning av insamlad data anv��ndes inneh��llsanalys. Resultat: Analysen ledde till fram till fyra stycken kategorier: att m��ta en komplex v��rdsituation, att bli utmanad, att ta till vara resurser och att anpassa sina v��rd��tg��rder till den enskilde eller till demenssjukdomen. Deltagarna f��rmedlade att personer med demenssjukdom ��r en utsatt och s��rbar grupp och att v��rda dem innebar en utmaning p�� flera olika plan. Det kr��ver f��rdjupade kunskaper och en f��rm��ga att se till alla faktorer som omger denna patientgrupp, det ��r b��de utmanande, komplext och sp��nnande. Att arbeta personcentrerat ��r n��got som b��de efterstr��vas och g��rs i praktiken, ��ven att ta till vara resurser som kommer v��rdtagaren till godo. Slutsats: Distriktssk��terskornas gl��dje och engagemang var framtr��dande och verkade vara kopplat till att de hade utbildning och kunskap. Forskning p�� personer med demenssjukdom och andra med nedsatt beslutsf��rm��ga beh��vs och ��r ��nskv��rt. Deras deltagande skulle ge v��rdefull kunskap som kan leda till att utveckla v��rden f��r denna patientgrupp.