Students in higher education have been shown to have difficulties in developing their critical thinking skills, such as analysis and problem solving, reasoning and argumentation. Open-ended tasks offer opportunities for students to develop their own interpretations of various sources, to critically analyse domain-specific knowledge and utilize…

This research seeks to better understand how older people living in sparsely populated areas learn and then use eHealth applications in their everyday lives. The study was conducted in northern Sweden and Lapland in northern Finland, the most sparsely populated areas in these countries. The study focused on the use of following eHealth services: a…

We studied the impact of diverse subtypes of learning disabilities (LD) on adult-age mental health, education, and employment by comparing the LD group (n = 430) with a matched control group without a known history of LD (n = 2,149). The clinical archived data were merged with lifelong register data on sickness allowances/disability pensions…

Background: Medical research involving human subjects must be evaluated by a research ethics committee (REC) before a study is initiated. However, knowledge of REC decision processes, particularly in relation to evaluating the risk-benefit balance in various study types, appears scant. Methods: The study protocols and records of a Finnish…

Learning to ensure patient safety in complex health care environments is an internationally recognised concern. This article explores and compares Finnish (n = 22) and British (n = 32) pre-registration nursing students' important learning events about patient safety from their work placements in health care organisations. Written descriptions were…

Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are a growing group served under special education services in many western societies. This article describes the history and current state of the services, as well as the assessment procedure. Our conclusion is that the status of students with ADHD in Finnish basic education (Grades 1…

Objective: Prior studies on antidepressant use in late adolescence and young adulthood have been cross-sectional, and prospective associations with childhood psychiatric problems have not been examined. The objective was to study the association between childhood problems and lifetime prevalence and costs of antidepressant medication by age 24…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has achieved celebrity status in many Western countries, yet despite considerable effort to prove its existence as a "real" disorder, ADHD still suffers from a crisis of legitimacy. Nonetheless, diagnosis and prescription of medication has grown at a phenomenal rate since the late 1980s,…

A study investigated the prevalence of carbamazepine- or oxcarbazepine-induced hyponatraemia and leucopenia in 334 Finnish individuals with developmental disabilities. Medication with these drugs resulted in significantly lower levels of serum sodium and counts of blood leucocytes. Because of difficulties in expressing their symptoms, this…

A study made on drug presentations to groups of doctors in Helsinki is described. Analysis of the content of the presentations revealed that side effects were often neglected, the drug presented was always recommended as the drug of choice, and other forms of treatment were seldom mentioned. Implications for continuing professional education are…

Patient satisfaction studies concerning various treatment modalities are few among involuntary forensic psychiatric treatment. They indicate general satisfaction with medication, interactive treatment and occupational therapy but dissatisfaction with lack of privacy, insufficiently explained rules and inadequately explained reasons of seclusion.…

The knowledge needed by nurses to educate patients and their caregivers on medication use was examined to provide policymakers, practitioners, and others with the information needed to plan nursing education programs in England. The study focused on the following topics: the contributions of nurses to medication education; their preparation for…