Burst Out of the Dead Land by the Help of Spirituality: A Case Study of Living with Blindness and Cancer

Blindness is one of the most complex problems related to health throughout the world. The condition is worse when such stress is accompanied with cancer. The aim of this case study was to introduce a patient with both these conditions who could come over her problems well. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used to explore the experience of the patient. Data were collected through unstructured and deep interview and by checking patient medical records. The patient is an Iranian 58-year-old teacher residing in Kerman who became blind at age 32 due to bloodshed inside the eye and was affected by breast cancer at age 52. The patient could come over these divine tests through the help of spirituality so that she believed blindness and cancer was the best events in her life. Spirituality is one of the human aspects that give meaning and purposes to life. Health care providers are suggested to implement spiritual strategies such as instructional workshops for increasing spirituality in settings, such as oncologic wards for patients to pass stages of adaptation to such great stresses easily and rapidly

Higher Morbidity and Mortality in Trauma Intensive Care Unit Patients with Opium Addiction

Background: Opium addiction is associated with multiple physical, psychological, and social problems. Theaim of this study was to compare the risk of morbidity and mortality in opium-addicted and non-addictedtrauma patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of trauma center of Kerman Province, Iran.Methods: In this cohort study, a total of 200 addict and non-addicted patients who were admitted due totrauma in ICUs of Shahid Bahonar Hospital in Kerman during 9 months of 2018 were included. Patients werecompared in terms of mortality, incidence of pressure ulcers, incidence of organ failure, duration of mechanicalventilation, and duration of hospitalization. Data were analysed using Fisher's exact test and independentt-test at P < 0.05.Findings: Out of 197 examined patients, 161 (81.7%) individuals were men and 36 (18.3%) were women.Moreover, 98 (49.7%) patients had a history of opium abuse, while 99 (50.2%) patients had no history of opiumaddiction. The addicted and non-addicted groups had no significant differences in terms of age(P = 0.650) and gender (P = 0.580). In addicted patients, mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation(P = 0.027), the incidence of pressure ulcer, and organ failure were significantly higher (P < 0.001), but meanICU stay and hospitalization time was the same in both groups.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated higher mortality and morbidity in opium-addicted patientsadmitted to ICU than non-addicted ones. This suggests that various systems of the body are affected by opiumand, in certain circumstances such as severe diseases, this will cause problems for patients. Therefore, expertsshould pay attention to complications and side effects of addiction in the management of critical patients witha history of opium abuse

Translation and validation of the Persian version of the treatment adherence ‎questionnaire for patients with hypertension

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a global public health crisis. Poorly controlled high blood pressure is one of the major factors contributed to this crisis. As lack of treatment adherence is often considered the main reason for this failure, the Treatment Adherence Questionnaire for Patient with Hypertension (TAQPH) was developed. Since this questionnaire should be reliable and strongly valid to be used in clinics and research, this study was performed to test the reliability and validity of the TAQPH. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to validate the Persian version of TAQPH after using a modified forward/backward translation procedure. A total of 330 hypertensive patients were participated in this study. Construct and criterion validity, Cronbach&cent;s alpha, and test-retest reliability were used to validate the Persian scale. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that the scale had excellent stability (intraclass correlation = 0.95) and good acceptability of internal consistency (&alpha; = 0.80). The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was meaningful but was not confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The scale score was correlated with Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) score (&Rho; = 0.27). CONCLUSION: In total, most of the psychometric properties of the 25-item P-TAQHP achieved the standard level and were sufficient to recommend for general use.&nbsp;</p

Environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis: A case-control study in Kerman, Iran

Background: Several studies have addressed the environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS). Concerning contradictory results and change of epidemiologic patterns and the role of environmental factors, in the present study, some risk factors, especially environmental factors, on MS were studied. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study conducted among 120 patients with MS and 360 healthy individuals in Kerman, Iran. Inclusion criteria included (1) MS disease, diagnosed by a neurologist according to the McDonald criteria, and (2) tendency to participation in the study. Exclusion criteria included (1) suffering from cognitive disorders; (2) incomplete questionnaire; and (3) continuous migration. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of personal information and some environmental factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The results showed that diet was associated with a higher risk of MS with the odds ratio (OR) of 14.46 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 3.02–69.21 (p < 0.001) for vegetarian and OR of 11.74, 95% CI of 4.66–29.57 (p < 0.001) for animal diets. Similarly, vitamin D supplementation contributed to MS risk (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.32–3.89; p < 0.001). In contrast, history of using cow's milk during infancy resulted in a lower risk of MS (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.20–0.52, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study suggests that different lifestyles including using cow's milk during infancy and avoiding only vegetarian and animal diets may reduce MS risk in southeastern Iran. More studies are suggested to investigate the controversial finding of the negative effect of vitamin D supplementation in this area

The Educational Needs of Family of Patients Discharged from the Intensive Care Units: The Viewpoints of Nurses and the Patients’ Families

Introduction. Thousands of patients are admitted to the intensive care units annually, which are stressful for patients and their families. The discharged patients and their families face different challenges in the caring process of the patients. Objectives. This study aimed to determine the educational needs of the families of patients discharged directly home from the postintensive care units and to compare the views of families and nurses about these needs. Method. This was a cross-sectional study. One hundred forty nurses and 140 family members of the patients discharged from intensive care units participated in the survey by convenience sampling method. A questionnaire of sociodemographic information and a researcher-made questionnaire on the educational needs of the family of patients discharged from the postintensive care units were used for data collection. Results. The mean total score of the educational needs of the patients’ families was 31.81 and 35.33 from views of families and nurses, respectively. Nurses significantly estimated the educational needs of families more than what they did (P<0.001). The families and nurses reported the educational needs of self-care as well as nutrition and medicine at the highest level, respectively. Both groups reported the educational needs of defecation at the lowest level. Nurses estimated higher educational needs in all dimensions, except for the patient’s mental health and family self-care than families (P<0.001). Conclusion. According to the present study, the educational needs were high from the views of nurses and families. Family need assessment is essential in designing and applying instructional interventions. Given the high level of family needs, implementing educational and practical interventions is necessary to enhance their skills

When Consciousness Recognizes Itself: Narcotics Anonymous Members’ Experiences of Spiritual Awakening in Southeast Iran

Introduction: The 12-step Narcotics Anonymous (NA) program can provide support for the recovery of people with substance use disorder. This organization considers spirituality as the most important factor in fighting temptations and finding ways for long-term improvement through personal change and spiritual awakening. Thus, this study was conducted in southeast Iran to explore the lived experiences of the members of Narcotics Anonymous and to clarify what spiritual awakening means to them. Methods: This is a hermeneutic phenomenological study inspired by Ricoeur’s philosophy and explained by Lindseth and Norberg. The participants were asked to narrate their experiences of spiritual awakening via in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interpretation of transcribed interviews was performed in three stages: naïve understanding, structural analysis, and comprehensive understanding. Results: The present study showed spiritual awakening in the NA members can be considered as opening the doors of perception to a higher reality. This theme consists of seven subthemes, including (1) Being accepted and embraced by fellow pain sufferers through their very presence, (2) Being connected to a higher power and freedom from self-centeredness, (3) Self-reorganization and acceptance through self-reflective practice, (4) Taking responsibility by stopping making excuses and starting making changes, (5) Cultivating a culture of continuous care, (6) Connecting with the true self and spreading unconditional love, and (7) Living in the flow of life and learning from nature. Conclusion: Following the principles of the 12-step program, the NA members managed to recover from addiction, fill their existential voids, and become loving people who have accepted guidance and have surrendered. Conducting qualitative studies and reflecting on the experiences of people who have recovered from addiction is a source of knowledge that can be a guide to implementing preventive measures and medical interventions for other addicts, the general public, and healthcare providers

Portal Vein Thrombosis after the Consumption of Date Seed Powder: A Case Study

Date seeds can be used as ingredients to enhance the nutritional value of some functional foods for human consumption as well as additives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, there are no reports on the complications of date seeds after oral consumption. We currently report a patient with no history of gastrointestinal disease, who has been admitted to the hospital with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and suffered from complications

Correlation between professional quality of life and alarm fatigue symptoms among intensive care unit nurses

Abstract Introduction Medical devices and equipment are necessary for accurate and continuous monitoring of the patients admitted to intensive care units, one of which is alarm systems. Frequent sounds of alarms can affect nurses' concentration and accuracy when providing care. Complications such as headache, fatigue, and stress occur after repeated alarms, leading to poor quality of professional life among nurses. This study aimed to determine the relationship between quality of professional life and alarm fatigue syndrome among intensive care unit nurses. Methods This cross‐sectional study used convenience sampling to select nurses working in intensive care units from three hospitals in southern Iran in 2021 (n = 201). Data were collected using three questionnaires, including sociodemographic form, the professional quality of life questionnaire (ProQOL), and the alarm fatigue symptom (AFS) scale. Results The mean scores of compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS) (subscales of the ProQOL), and AFS were 34.66 ± 7.54, 28.98 ± 7.59, 27.69 ± 5.87, and 13.48 ± 7.32, respectively. The majority of them had no or mild AFS, moderate CS, burnout, and STS. Among the study variables, only AFS were a significant predictor of CS and STS among ICU nurses. In addition, work experience in ICU, AFS, and a second job were significant predictors of burnout among ICU nurses. Conclusions The study results showed a significant relationship between alarm fatigue syndrome, burnout, STS, and CS. Given that more than half of the nurses in the intensive care unit in the present study experienced some degree of alarm fatigue syndrome, it is necessary to plan and implement interventions to better manage the alarms in the intensive care unit