Implementation of Watson's Theory in a Patient with Breast Cancer: A Case Study

Introduction: Patients who are suffering from breast cancer have numerous problems. Watson's Theory of Human Caring seems to be proper in caring for these patients. This theory stresses the humanistic aspects of nursing as they interfere with scientific knowledge and nursing practice. This study implemented Watson's theory in preparing a Persian woman with breast cancer to accept the treatment process. Methods: In this case study, the patient was selected from the patients referring to a hospital in a city in Iran. Open-ended interview and observation were used to collect the required data. The process of the study was done in five stages. Results: After implementation of Watson's theory in a five-step interview, the patient's disappointment and despair were reduced and the patient agreed to continue the treatment process. Conclusions: Watson's theory of caring is likely to bring love and hope back to patients with breast cancer in bad physical and mental conditions. By applying 10 caring factors of this theory, a humanitarian relationship is established with the patient; this relationship is based upon love and hope. The patient is able to express her feelings and continue the treatment process by trusting God, applying her spirituality, and gaining supports from family and friends

Quality of care before, during, and after casting: A cross-sectional study

Background: Casting is the most common treatment for managing limb fractures. Casts that are not properly provided or are not correctly cared for may hinder the healing of fractures. However, no study assessed the quality of care before, during, and after casting. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the quality of nursing care before, during, and after casting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 188 patients with limb fractures referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran, from July to November 2018. The data collection instrument consisted of 57 items on the quality of care before, during, and after casting. Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 188 patients were assessed, 94 cases regarding the quality of care before and during casting and 94 additional cases for the quality of care after casting. The quality of care before, during, and after casting was at a moderate level in 83, 58.5, and 63.8 of patients, respectively. A significant connection was found between the quality of care before casting and the type of damage (P = 0.002). Significant connections were also found between the quality of care after casting and the nurses' work shift (P = 0.05) and gender (P = 0.05). Conclusion: The quality of care before, during, and after casting was mostly at a moderate level. Educational interventions are needed for nurses to improve the quality of cast care

A New mouthwash for Chemotherapy Induced Stomatitis

Background: Stomatitis is a disturbing side-effect of chemotherapy that disturbs patients and causes difficulties in patient’s drinking, eating and talking, and may results in infection and bleeding. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Yarrow distillate in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. Patients and Methods: This randomized controlled trial study was conducted during 2013. The study population consisted of all cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced oral stomatitis referred to Shahid Beheshti Medical Center, Kashan, Iran. The data collection instrument had two-part; a demographic part and another part recording the severity of the stomatitis at the first, seventh, and 14th days of the intervention based on a WHO criteria checklist in 2005. In this study, 56 patients diagnosed with cancer were randomly assigned into control and experimental groups in similar blocks according to their stomatitis severity. The experimental group gargled 15 mL of a routine solution mixed with Yarrow distillate 4 times a day for 14 days while the control group gargled 15 mL of routine solution. The severity of stomatitis was assessed at the beginning of the intervention, and then after 7 and 14 days of the study. Data were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher exact test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Friedman tests using SPSS 11.5 software. Results: At first, the median score of stomatitis in the experimental group was 2.50 that significantly reduced to 1 and 0 in days 7 and 14 of the intervention, respectively (P value < 0.001). However, in the control group, the median score of stomatitis was 2.50, which significantly increased to 3 in days 7 and 14 (P value < 0.001). Conclusions: Yarrow distillate-contained solution reduced stomatitis severity more than the routine solution. Therefore, we suggest using it in patients with chemotherapy-induced stomatitis

The History of Nursing Research Methodology in Iran: A Mixed Methods Study

Introduction: Nursing research has dramatic effects on nursing practice. Studying the history of nursing research can provide valuable information about past challenges and future prospects. This study aimed to explore the history of nursing research methodology in Iran.Methods: This was a mixed methods study. In the quantitative part, articles published by nurses in the last four decades were reviewed using a checklist. In the qualitative part, several Iranian nursing doyens and experts were recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling and interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The main focus of the interviews was on the history of nursing research methodology in Iran. Qualitative data were analyzed through conventional content analysis. Finally, the findings of the two parts were merged.Results: The number of nursing articles and journals increased from 39 and one in the 1980s to respectively 461 and thirty in the 2010s. Articles published in the 1980s and the 1990s were mainly related to descriptive researches (91.9% and 88.4%, respectively), while articles in the 2000s were mainly related to quasi-experimental researches (42.8%) and articles in the 2000s were mainly related to quasi-experimental and experimental researches. Qualitative researches become common in the 2010s. The results of the qualitative part were presented based on three era.Conclusions: Nursing research in Iran has had significant improvements in the last three era. Yet, nurses need to make more serious attempts to provide conclusive evidence for nursing practice, improve the Iranians’ health status, and promote the position of nursing in Iran and the position of Iranian nursing in the world

The Role of Continuous Care in Reducing Readmission for Patients with Heart Failure

Introduction: About 20-50% of patients with heart failure are readmitted to hospitals in 14 day to 6 months of hospital discharge. Several supportive programs are developed to reduce post discharge hospital readmissions. The present study was performed to review the clinical trials conducted to determine the effect of post-discharge follow-up on readmission of patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: Internet search was conducted to identify clinical trial studies that have been conducted on post-discharge follow-up care for patients with HF. Databases of Science direct, Pubmed, Iranmedex, SID and also the Google’s search engine were searched for studies that have been published between the years 1995 and 2013. Keywords used in searching Persian databases were included readmission, heart failure, continuous care, and follow-up. Keywords used in searching English databases were included of heart failure, readmission, follow-up and home monitoring. Results: 21 clinical trials were reviewed. 16 studies have shown that continuous care through patient education before discharge, home visits, and telephone follow up could significantly reduce the rate of post discharge readmissions of patients with HF. However, five studies did not show significant reductions in post-discharge readmissions. Conclusion: Patient education and continuous post-discharge follow up interventions conducted by nurses could significantly reduce the rates of readmissions to the hospital or to the physicians’ office. Considering limited health care resources, using one or a combination of follow-up methods, can reduce the number of readmissions of patients with HF

Emotional intelligence and caring behavior among Iranian nurses

Background: Several studies in Iran have examined nurses’ caring behaviors (CB) or emotional intelligence (EI). However, no study in Iran investigated the relationship between EI and CB among Iranian nurses.Objectives: This study examined the correlation between EI and CB among nurses.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 on a sample of 223 nurses working in Shahid-Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran. A demographic questionnaire, the Caring Dimension Inventory-25, and the Siberia Schering's EI questionnaire were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data.Results: Totally, 202 nurses completed and returned the study questionnaires. Most of the nurses were female (66.8%), married (77.2%), and had a bachelor's degree in nursing (84.7%). The mean age and work experience of the participants were 31.17±6.59 and 2.11±2.06 years, respectively. The mean EI and CB scores of the nurses were 100±17.99 and 43.87±10.14, respectively. Although no significant correlation was found between the nurses' overall CB and EI scores (r=0.065, p=0.358), a significant correlation was found between the scores of "psychosocial care" subscale and all components of EI.Conclusion: Nurses demonstrated moderate EI and low CB. A significant relationship was observed between the scores of psychosocial caring behaviors with the total score of EI and its dimensions. It is suggested to design and implement programs to promote nurses' EI. Hope that these programs will improve CB in nurses

Comparing Violence against Women with and Without an Addicted Spouse in ‎Kashan, Iran

Background: Although some studies have been conducted on violence against women, but all these studies were conducted in the general population and not the wives of addicts. This study was aimed to compare the violence against women with and without an addicted spouse. Methods: This comparative study was conducted on 200 married women in Kashan, Iran. 100 cases were females with addicted spouse and 100 were women with non-addict husbands. Data collected using Haj-Yahia violence questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics and chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests, odds ratio (OR) and Kendall's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Findings: The overall mean score of violence was 69.29 ± 14.84 for the women with addicted husbands and 40.02 ± 9.26 in women with non-addicted spouses (P < 0.001). The mean score of psychological violence was 39.03 ± 7.60 in women with addicted spouses and 21.86 ± 6.11 in those with non-addicted husbands (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean score of physical violence was 20.98 ± 6.50 in women with addicted spouses and 12.2 ± 2.55 in those with non-addicted husbands (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean scores of sexual violence were 4.52 ± 2.21 and 3.28 ± 0.75 in women with and without addicted spouses, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The overall rate of violence was significantly higher among women with addicted spouse and especially if the spouse abused more than one type of substances. Further investigations are suggested on the effects of opium withdrawal or changes in the substance abused on the rate of violence against women

The evaluation of disability and its related factors among the elderly population in Kashan, Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent literature indicates that developing countries in Asia are aging faster than other countries in the world and disability has become one of the greater public health concern in these countries. Pausity of published data on the elderly disability in Iran signifies the importance of this study designed to evaluate the disability and its related factors among the elderly population in Kashan, Iran during 2006–2007.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A cross-sectional study is conducting on a multy-stage random sample of elderly people in Kashan ages 65 years and older. Volunteer participants were included by age 65 and older and excluded if they had the medical diagnosis of Alzhimer disease. The WHO DAS II was used as the generic disability measure in this survey. The original version of WHO DAS II was translated into Farsi according to the standardized guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of health-related measures. Upon completion of data collection the descriptive statistics will compute all the variables. Chi-square, t-test analysis and ANOVA will be used to examine significant differences between the subgroups.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This is the first research protocol to study disability among the Iranian elderly population. Presently, 80% of eligible subjects have been selected. The results of this study will help to develop more effective protocols to assist Iranian elderly population with disabilities.</p

Effect of Three Educational Methods on Anxiety, Learning Satisfaction and Educational Progression in Nursing Students

Background & Objective : Studies have shown that teacher-centered teaching methods like lecture would make the students inactive and limit their ability in critical thinking, decision making and self assertion, and don’t have enough educational efficacy. This study was conducted to assess the effect of three educational methods including lecture, question and answer, and student seminar, on students’ anxiety, educational progression and learning satisfaction. Methods : A quasi-experimental study was conducted on a group of 40 nursing students. The course content of medical surgical nursing II was divided into three parts and each part was taught using a different method. At the beginning of teaching with each of these three methods, students’ anxiety and at the end of each section, students’ satisfaction were assessed and a theoretical exam about the contents was given. Then, students’ anxiety, learning satisfaction and educational progression were compared. Results : Among all students, 52.5% were female with mean (±SD) age of 23.57 (±2.06) years. Mean score of students’ achievement was 12.62 using lecture, 14.80 using question and answer while it was 15.10 having student seminars. There were significant differences between them (p=0.0001). However, Post Hoc analysis did not show a significant difference between the mean scores in the second and third methods. Mean score of students’ satisfaction was 3.35, 3.65, and 5.10 for the first, second and third methods accordingly. The students were more satisfied using the second and third methods (p=0.0001). The first method induced the least amount of anxiety while the second method induced the most. Third method induced moderate amount of anxiety. Anxiety decreased significantly at the end of the second and third methods (p=0.02 and p=0.0001 respectively). Conclusion : Involving students in teaching-learning activities and preparing the situation can lead to educational progression and more students’ learning satisfaction. However, increased level of expectancy from the students in active teaching methods can increase anxiety which could be diminished by necessary support. Therefore involving the students in teaching activities is suggested. Keywords: Teaching method, Educational progression, Anxiety, Satisfaction, Learning