The effect of time management education on critical care nurses’ prioritization: a randomized clinical trial

Background Nurses are at the forefront of patient care, and time management skills can increase their ability to make decisions faster. This study aimed to assess the effect of a time management workshop on prioritization and time management skills among nurses of emergency and intensive care units. Methods This randomized clinical trial was performed with 215 nurses. The educational intervention about time management was held in the form of a workshop for the intervention group. The time management questionnaire was completed by both groups before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Results Most participants were female (n=191, 88%), with a mean age of 31.82 years (range, 22–63 years). Additionally, the participants’ work experience ranged from 1 to 30 years (mean±standard deviation, 8.00±7.15 years). After the intervention, the mean score of time management increased significantly in the intervention group, but no significant difference was observed in this regard in the control group. The results also revealed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding the mean score of time management 3 months after the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusions Time management training helped nurses adjust the time required to perform and prioritize various tasks

Assessment of the rate and etiology of pharmacological errors by nurses of two major teaching hospitals in Shiraz

Medication errors have serious consequences for patients, their families and care givers. Reduction of these faults by care givers such as nurses can increase the safety of patients. The goal of study was to assess the rate and etiology of medication error in pediatric and medical wards. This cross-sectional-analytic study is done on 101 registered nurses who had the duty of drug administration in medical pediatric and adults’ wards. Data was collected by a questionnaire including demographic information, self report faults, etiology of medication error and researcher observations. The results showed that nurses’ faults in pediatric wards were 51/6% and in adults wards were 47/4%. The most common faults in adults wards were later or sooner drug administration (48/6%), and administration of drugs without prescription and administering wrong drugs were the most common medication errors in pediatric wards (each one 49/2%). According to researchers’ observations, the medication error rate of 57/9% was rated low in adults wards and the rate of 69/4% in pediatric wards was rated moderate. The most frequent medication errors in both adults and pediatric wards were that nurses didn’t explain the reason and type of drug they were going to administer to patients. Independent T-test showed a significant change in faults observations in pediatric wards (p=0.000) and in adults wards (p=0.000). Several studies have shown medication errors all over the world, especially in pediatric wards. However, by designing a suitable report system and use a multi disciplinary approach, we can be reduced the occurrence of medication errors and its negative consequences.Keyword: Etiology,Teaching hospital,Pharmcological error, Medication errors, Nurse.</p

The effect of training on self-efficacy of patients with leukemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Introduction: Cancer is considered the second leading cause of death around the world. Health-promoting behaviors are the major determinants of health. Also, the association of self-efficacy with the theory of planned behavior is an important factor in predicting the intention and behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of training based on the theory of planned behavior on the self-efficacy of patients with leukemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on cancer patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 2019. Using the random sampling method, we selected 66 patients who met the inclusion criteria and divided them randomly into intervention and control groups (each group including 33 patients).&nbsp; The research data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire and generalized self-efficacy scale (GSES). The intervention group received two face-to-face self-efficacy training sessions. Then, the levels of self-efficacy were compared in the two groups before, one week, and one month after the intervention. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics through SPSS version 23 software. Results: The results showed that self-efficacy in the intervention group increased after the intervention (p&lt;0.001). The differences between self-efficacy scores in the experimental group at all dimensions were statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between demographic variables and the mean score of self-efficacy. Conclusion: Self-care training based on the theory of planned behavior can be effective in enhancing self-efficacy and its dimensions. With increasing these dimensions and self-confidence of the patients, self-care training improves their quality of life

Development and assessment of validity and reliability of a checklist to evaluate the Circulating and Scrub Skills of Operating Room Novices (CSSORN checklist)

BACKGROUND: Assessment of circulating and scrub skills is an important issue in operating room (OR) programs. However, there is a lack of well-designed tools that are specifically developed for this purpose. Hence, this study aimed to develop and determine the validity and reliability of a checklist to measure the circulating and scrub skills of OR novices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional methodological study was conducted among 124 OR technology students who were selected during three consecutive academic years (2019–2020 to 2021–2022). The developed checklist was evaluated with face validity, content validity (quantitative and qualitative), construct validity (known-groups validity), criterion-related validity (concurrent and predictive validities), internal consistency (Kuder–Richardson 20, KR-20), and inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient, ICC). Known-groups validity was evaluated by comparing the difference between the checklist scores of first-semester and third-semester students using independent samples t-test. Additionally, concurrent and predictive validities were evaluated by ICC through measuring the correlation between the total score of checklist and grades of a multiple-choice test and two clinical apprenticeship courses, respectively. Data were analyzed in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. RESULTS: After reconciling the preliminary checklist in terms of face and content validities, a checklist with 17 sub-scales and 340 items called “Circulating and Scrub Skills of Operating Room Novices (CSSORN)” was developed. Regarding the known-groups validity, the third-semester students had higher scores compared to the first-semester students (p < 0.001 in most sub-scales). Besides, the total score of checklist showed a significant correlation with the criteria of concurrent and predictive validities (ICC = 0.64, ICC = 0.72; P < 0.001). The KR-20 for the entire checklist was 0.90 (range: 0.60–0.93). The ICC for inter-rater reliability was also 0.96 for the entire checklist (range: 0.76–0.99, P < 0.001 in all sub-scales). CONCLUSION: The CSSORN had appropriate validity and reliability to be used for measuring the circulating and scrub skills of OR novices. To shed light on the findings, further testing of this checklist on larger populations and in different contexts is suggested

Assessment of the rate and etiology of pharmacological errors by nurses of two major teaching hospitals in Shiraz

Medication errors have serious consequences for patients, their families and care givers. Reduction of these faults by care givers such as nurses can increase the safety of patients. The goal of study was to assess the rate and etiology of medication error in pediatric and medical wards. This cross-sectional-analytic study is done on 101 registered nurses who had the duty of drug administration in medical pediatric and adults’ wards. Data was collected by a questionnaire including demographic information, self report faults, etiology of medication error and researcher observations. The results showed that nurses’ faults in pediatric wards were 51/6% and in adults wards were 47/4%. The most common faults in adults wards were later or sooner drug administration (48/6%), and administration of drugs without prescription and administering wrong drugs were the most common medication errors in pediatric wards (each one 49/2%). According to researchers’ observations, the medication error rate of 57/9% was rated low in adults wards and the rate of 69/4% in pediatric wards was rated moderate. The most frequent medication errors in both adults and pediatric wards were that nurses didn’t explain the reason and type of drug they were going to administer to patients. Independent T-test showed a significant change in faults observations in pediatric wards (p=0.000) and in adults wards (p=0.000). Several studies have shown medication errors all over the world, especially in pediatric wards. However, by designing a suitable report system and use a multi disciplinary approach, we can be reduced the occurrence of medication errors and its negative consequences

Comparison of the effect of acupressure and pilates-based exercises on sleep quality of postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Postmenopausal women experience a variety of symptoms, among which sleep disorder is one of the most common problems. Acupressure and Pilates exercise programs are effective nonpharmaceutical treatments which can improve sleep quality. In the present study, we aimed to compare the effects of acupressure and Pilates-based exercises on the sleep quality of postmenopausal women referred to medical clinics. Materials and Methods: In this single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial, we recruited 108 women aged 40–60 years who were randomly assigned into one control and two intervention groups using balanced block randomization method (three groups of 36 each). The patients in the Pilates exercise group participated in an exercise training program of three 1-hour sessions per week for 6 consecutive weeks. The participants of acupressure group received acupressure intervention three times a week for 6 weeks. The sleep quality of all participants was assessed and recorded using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) once before and once after the intervention. Results: The results showed no statistically significant difference among the three groups on the total scores of sleep quality after the intervention. The intragroup comparison revealed that the changes in the mean total scores were significant in both the intervention groups (P < 0.001) but not in the control group (P = 0.76). Conclusions: Pilates-based exercises and acupressure can effectively improve women's sleep quality. Both techniques can be applied as effective alternative and complementary methods for improving sleep quality during the postmenopausal period