Gaza nurses after war: are they traumatized?

Studies related to trauma among nurses in Palestine are not available, but few studies about PTSD among Palestinian adolescents and other groups have been conducted. This study examines the relationship between exposure to war stress and posttraumatic symptoms among nurses in all Gaza hospitals after the Israeli war on Gaza. All available hospital nurses who were exposed to war stress (n= 1130) were assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms one year after the war between Israel and Gaza erupted. Arabic version of Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used in this study with a mean score of 35 as cut-off point for severe posttraumatic symptoms in nurses. High levels of PTSD symptoms were found in 69.4% of nurses. The most frequent symptoms of trauma subscales appears to be “Intrusion”(mean= 15.5) followed by “Avoidance”(mean= 14.9), and then “Hyper-arousal”(mean= 11.4). These findings show that nurses suffered from severe posttraumatic symptoms after exposure to prolonged war stress. This level of trauma among nurses warrants intervention programs to reduce stress and trauma among Gaza nurses after the war

Occupational stress among hospital nurses in Gaza-Palestine

Background: By the end of 2012, the Syrian conflict had already reached the Palestinian refugee camps, with more than half of the Palestinian refugees fleeing to Lebanon, Jordan, or displaced internally. Of about 10, 000 Palestinian refugees from Syria living in Jordan, 200 are hosted in Cyber City in the north, a government appointed refugee camp, and the rest are scattered in the community. This study aimed to assess the morbidity patterns among Cyber City refugees and compare with patterns in other locales where Palestinian refugees from Syria are located. Methods: Data were collected during the period Jan-Oct, 2013 from 24 UNRWA clinics, Cyber City clinic, and hospital admissions records from four hospitals in north Jordan. Analyses were completed using the Excel toolkit. Results: Palestinian Refugees paid 13,523 visits to health care centers overall. 10141 (75%) visits were for curative treatment, 1807 (13%) oral treatment, 891 (6.5%) maternal health and 684 (5%) child care. 26% of all visits were made to the Cyber City clinic where only 200 Palestinian refugees from Syria live. Overall, 214 cases were referred to hospital, 200 from Cyber City and 14 from other community clinics with digestive system (14%), respiratory system (12%), musculoskeletal and connective tissue (10%), circulatory system (9%), endocrine, nutrition, and metabolism related morbidities, Injury, poisoning and other consequences of external causes (9%), and pregnancy and child birth (8%). Interpretation: Utilization of health care appears to be significantly higher in Cyber City compared to other locales were Palestinian refugees from Syria are located. This may

Adjustment among women with breast cancer in Gaza governorates and its relationship with religious commitment and other variables

The purpose of this study was to recognize the level of adjustment among women with breast cancer in Gaza Governerate and its relationship with their religious commitment and other variables. The sample of this study included (60) women with breast cancer. The researchers used two questionnaires: one to measure "adjustment", and the second to measure "religious commitment". The results of the study indicated that: woman with breast cancer complain of effect of symptoms and complications of breast cancer on adjustment especially the physical, psychological, social

EVALUATION OF NURSING EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT IN THE FACULTY OF NURSING, ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF GAZA

The main objective of Nursing Program at Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) is to prepare a new generation of nurses who are well-prepared theoretically and professionally to meet nursing needs in the Palestinian community. A positive approach to the systematic design of a learning environment can lead to positive outcomes for graduates. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the learning environment at Faculty of Nursing, IUG, and identify areas for change that may contribute to a more meaningful student learning experience. Method: The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to all male and female second, third and fourth year of bachelor nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing with response rate 96.55% (280/290). Reliability Coefficients of the DREEM subscales were: 0.78, 0.81, 0.77, 0.84, 0.82 respectively, and 0.87 for total DREEM. Results: The total mean score on DREEM inventory was 113.10 out of a maximum of 200 and all subscales of learning environment were positive. Fourteen items with low mean scores (less than two) on the DREEM questionnaire were identified as requiring remediation and a total of 35 items had aspects of the learning environment climate that could be enhanced. The total mean score for subscales: subscale 1 (28.53 out of 48), subscale 2 (25.02 out of 44), subscale 3 (16.22 out of 32), subscale 4 (24.42 out of 48) and subscale 5 (16.09 out of 28). One way ANOVA test shows no significant mean difference due to years of study. Conclusion: A supportive environment is needed and interventions are required to deal with negative elements of the learning environment.الملخص : The main objective of Nursing Program at Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) is to prepare a new generation of nurses who are well-prepared theoretically and professionally to meet nursing needs in the Palestinian community. A positive approach to the systematic design of a learning environment can lead to positive outcomes for graduates. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the learning environment at Faculty of Nursing, IUG, and identify areas for change that may contribute to a more meaningful student learning experience. Method: The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to all male and female second, third and fourth year of bachelor nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing with response rate 96.55% (280/290). Reliability Coefficients of the DREEM subscales were: 0.78, 0.81, 0.77, 0.84, 0.82 respectively, and 0.87 for total DREEM. Results: The total mean score on DREEM inventory was 113.10 out of a maximum of 200 and all subscales of learning environment were positive. Fourteen items with low mean scores (less than two) on the DREEM questionnaire were identified as requiring remediation and a total of 35 items had aspects of the learning environment climate that could be enhanced. The total mean score for subscales: subscale 1 (28.53 out of 48), subscale 2 (25.02 out of 44), subscale 3 (16.22 out of 32), subscale 4 (24.42 out of 48) and subscale 5 (16.09 out of 28). One way ANOVA test shows no significant mean difference due to years of study. Conclusion: A supportive environment is needed and interventions are required to deal with negative elements of the learning environment. Keywords: learning environment, nursing, IUG, DREE

Psychological security among ambulance nurses in Gaza-Palestine

During Palestinian Intifada (Uprise), the importance of nurses, especially ambulance nurses, appeared obviously. Ambulances nurses are greatly exposed to physical and psychological hazards by Israeli army (Some nurses were killed, some injured, some are waiting). So, these nurses need satisfied psychological security in order to perform their work effectively. The aim of this study was to identify the level of psychological security among nurses in Gaza governorates and its relationship with some variables. Descriptive method was used in this study. The sample of this study consisted of (123) nurses which represents about (38%) of (320) total ambulance nurses registered in nursing association. The researcher developed a questionnaire to measure the level of psychological security among ambulance nurses in Gaza governorates. The results of this study indicated that the level of psychological security among

Internet addiction and psychological morbidity among nursing students in Gaza-Palestine

Despite the positive aspects of the internet have been readily praised over the last years, there has been increased interest in the addictive potential of the internet. The present study was conducted in order to investigate not only the prevalence of internet addiction among the nursing students at the Islamic University of Gaza, but also the relationship between internet addictions and psychological morbidity. At the beginning of first semester of the academic year 2013/2014, all nursing students from second, third, and fourth year students-excluding first year students-were handed the questionnaires, which included the Arabic versions of Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and demographic data. A total of 236 nursing students completed and returned the questionnaires. Female participants were 124 (52.5%) and fourth year students were 107 (45.3%). Results indicated that 30.1% of participants scored high level of internet addiction. Male nursing students were significantly higher than females in both internet addiction and psychological morbidity. No significant differences in IAT or GHQ-12 were found among nursing students due to study year. The results showed that there is significant positive correlation between internet addiction and psychological morbidity. It can be concluded that Palestinian nursing students in Gaza are highly addicted on internet and this affected their psychological morbidity. A program to reduce addiction on internet is suggested and comfortable study environment is recommended