Herbal therapies used by hypertensive patients in Turkey

The purpose of this study was to determine herbal therapies used by the patients for regulation of blood pressure. This descriptive study was conducted in three districts of Izmir, Turkey. The study group included 193 patients with hypertension diagnosis who admitted to a primary care center and accepted to participate in the study. Data were collected through aninvestigator-made questionnaire including questions about socio-demographic features and herbal therapies used for regulation of blood pressure. Percentiles and chi–square statistics tests were used to evaluate the data through SPSS 11.0 program. The subjects included in the study had suffered from hypertension for 8.28+7.92 years, and 95.9% of them received medication to treat their hypertension. Of all hypertensive patients, 51.3% used herbal therapies for the treatment of hypertension. The patients used herbal therapies most commonly when they felt ill. There were no statistically significant difference between the use of herbal therapies and gender, education, marital status, having health insurance and income level. Health professionals who provide primary health services, especially nurses, need to follow patients regularly andprovide patient education on antihypertensive therapy. Nurses must plan the necessary training programs by evaluating the data about, whether the hypertension patients use herbal therapies that can affect their health negatively or not

Barriers and Facilitators to Breast Cancer Screening Among Migrant Women Within Turkey

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine facilitators and barriers that migrant women in Turkey identified related to breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography. Design: Focus group method was conducted with 39 women. An interview guide based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Health Promotion Model (HPM) was used. Results: Three main themes became apparent as a result of data analysis: (a) knowledge and awareness about breast cancer, (b) personal factors, and (c) medical service provider and social environment. Conclusions: Focus groups conducted in line with HBM and HPM were effective in explaining barriers and facilitators toward participation of women in screening behaviors. Lack of information, indifference, and cultural factors are the most important barriers of women. Recommendations for Practice: The study will shed light on health care professionals working in primary health care organizations for developing the health training programs and consulting strategies in order to increase breast cancer screening practices of migrant women