Clinical Education Status According to the Nursing and Midwifery Students’ Point of View, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Background & Objective : Promoting quality of clinical education necessitates continuous evaluation of the current situations, identifying strengths, and improving weaknesses. This study was designed to assess clinical education status according to the nursing and midwifery students’ point of view in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods : In this descriptive study which was conducted in 2004-5, all senior nursing students who were doing a Bachelor of Science and senior midwifery students who were doing technician’s Course (250 students) were asked to complete a 36 item questionnaire in a self-administered way. Results : The most important strengths of clinical education (according to mean scores) were “on time presence of the student in the ward” (89.06), then “on time presence of the instructor in the ward”, (85.05), “considering the pre-requisite clerkship courses”, (82.5), “proper instructors’ behavior with students”, (74.1), “clinical instructor’s interest in working”, (73.92), and “instructor’s clinical track record” (73.1). The most significant weaknesses of clinical education were related to “use of audiovisual aids in clinical atmosphere”, (9.84), “enough number of students in the ward”, (14.91), and “having facilities”, (19.68). Conclusion : Although some aspects of clinical education were good and excellent, improving positive aspects and modifying the weaknesses may be an effective step in promoting quality of clinical education. Repetitive assessments of clinical fields and comparing the current situation with the previous or next ones can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of clinical education. Keywords: Clinical education, Student, Nursing, Midwifery

Relationship Between Care Burden and Religious Beliefs Among Family Caregivers of Mentally Ill Patients

Families are considered as primary sources of care forindividuals suffering frommental disorders. However, one of the major stresses in families is the infliction of a family member with mental illnesses causing dysfunction in health dimensions or generally their quality of life. Currently, most experts believethat religion can affect physical health and other aspects of humanlife. So,the aim of this study was to investigate ‘‘the relationship between care burden and religious beliefs among family caregivers of mentally ill patients.’’ This cross-sectional study was carried out in Iran on 152 families with mentally ill patients who were hospitalized in psychiatric wards. The sampling method was nonprobability and consecutive sampling method. The data collection instruments included a demographic characteristic questionnaire, Religious Beliefs, and Zarit Care Burden Questionnaires. The mean score for care burden was 30.99 (SD = 16.45). 5.9% of the participants reported a low level, and 39.5% experienced a moderate level of care burden. Moreover, the mean score for religious beliefs was 115.5 (SD = 13.49), and majority of the participants (70.4%) were endowed with strong religious beliefs. There were no significant associations between care burden and intensity of religious beliefs among the study samples (P = 0.483). Consideringthe results ofthis studyindicating experience of moderate-to-highlevels of care burden in families with mentally ill patients, it is recommended to consider such families and their religious beliefs as contributing factors in coping with challenges of mental disorder

Correction to: Relationship Between Care Burden and Religious Beliefs Among Family

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author name. The co-author name should be Reza Masoudi instead of Reza Masoodi

Relationship Between Care Burden and Religious Beliefs Among Family Caregivers of Mentally Ill Patients

Families are considered as primary sources of care for individuals suffering from mental disorders. However, one of the major stresses in families is the infliction of a family member with mental illnesses causing dysfunction in health dimensions or generally their quality of life. Currently, most experts believe that religion can affect physical health and other aspects of human life. So, the aim of this study was to investigate "the relationship between care burden and religious beliefs among family caregivers of mentally ill patients." This cross-sectional study was carried out in Iran on 152 families with mentally ill patients who were hospitalized in psychiatric wards. The sampling method was nonprobability and consecutive sampling method. The data collection instruments included a demographic characteristic questionnaire, Religious Beliefs, and Zarit Care Burden Questionnaires. The mean score for care burden was 30.99 (SD = 16.45). 5.9% of the participants reported a low level, and 39.5% experienced a moderate level of care burden. Moreover, the mean score for religious beliefs was 115.5 (SD = 13.49), and majority of the participants (70.4%) were endowed with strong religious beliefs. There were no significant associations between care burden and intensity of religious beliefs among the study samples (P = 0.483). Considering the results of this study indicating experience of moderate-to-high levels of care burden in families with mentally ill patients, it is recommended to consider such families and their religious beliefs as contributing factors in coping with challenges of mental disorders. Keywords Author Keywords:Burden of illness; Religious beliefs; Family caregivers; Mental patients; Iran KeyWords Plus:SUBJECTIVE BURDEN; HEALTH; DEPRESSION; PREVALENCE; DISORDER

Progressive exhaustion: A qualitative study on the experiences of Iranian family caregivers regarding patients undergoing hemodialysis

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the burden of care for patients undergoing hemodialysis from the experiences of family caregivers. Methods: In this qualitative study, a content analysis approach was used for data collection and analysis. Participants were 16 family caregivers selected through purposive sampling from four medical education centers affiliated with Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Semi-structured interviews were held to collect data. Results: Four categories were developed as follows: ‘care challenges’ ‘psychological vulnerabilities’ ‘the chronic nature of care ’and “care in the shade”. The categories led to the development of the main theme of ‘progressive exhaustion’ experienced by the family caregivers during the provision of care to patients undergoing hemodialysis. Conclusion: Family caregivers have a significant role in the process of patient care, and this role leads them to progressive exhaustion; therefore, the overall health of the caregivers should be taken into account and more attention should be paid to their quality of life, social welfare, and satisfaction level. © 2018 Chinese Nursing Associatio

The effect of an emotional intelligence component program on happiness in patients with epilepsy

Emotional intelligence is a psychological component that may affect happiness level in patients with epilepsy. Given the high prevalence of depression in patients with epilepsy, as well as the limitations of studies in this regard in Iran, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an emotional intelligence component program on happiness in patients with epilepsy. Methods: This randomized clinical trial study conducted on 70 patients with epilepsy who were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups of 35 patients. Emotional Intelligence Training Based on Bar-On Combined Model was provided in eight 90-minute sessions for eight weeks. Data were collected using a two-part questionnaire: demographic data and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ). Results: The mean age of the subjects was 33.3 ± 10.4 years in the intervention group and 34.4 ± 9.3 years in the control group. The independent t-test results showed no significant difference between the two groups before the intervention (p = 0.195). The Mann–Whitney test results showed a significant difference between the two groups after emotional intelligence training (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study showed that emotional intelligence training led to improvement of happiness in patients with epilepsy. According to the results of the study, it is suggested that training based on emotional intelligence components be used as an approach to improve happiness level in patients with epilepsy

Requirements for promoting help-seeking behaviors in family caregivers of cancer patients: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Caring for a family member with cancer is a challenging issue for families. Family caregivers often need the help of supportive resources to solve problems in their care role. A deep understanding of the requirements of caregivers to seek help is an effective step toward their ability to use supportive resources. This study aimed to identify and describe the requirements for promoting help-seeking behaviors in Iranian family caregivers of cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 participants selected using purposeful sampling method from 2019 to 2021. An interview guide with general questions about seeking help was used to maintain coherence in data collection. The interviews continued until data saturation. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed through qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The requirements of promoting help-seeking behaviors in family caregivers were grouped into four main categories: (1) improving social paths toward seeking help, (2) spiritual-psychological-cognitive empowerment toward seeking help, (3) strengthening the motivations behind seeking help, and (4) modifying the perception of cultural barriers to seeking help. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, it is expected that by identifying the requirements of caregivers for seeking help and by health stakeholders designing comprehensive programs to address these needs, caregivers will be empowered to use supportive resources and provide a better care role

HOPE AMONG THE PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER REFERRED TO HOSPITALS IN AHVAZ (SOUTH-WEST OF IRAN) IN 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate to investigate the hope among the patients with breast cancer referred to hospitals in Ahvaz (South-West of Iran). Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 118 women with breast cancer who referred to the health centers in Ahvaz. The sampling method was nonprobability and consecutive sampling method. Snyders Hope Scale was used for data collection. Results: The mean and standard deviation of hope scores were 43.63 and 5.46 , respectively and more participants (i.e., 51.7%) enjoyed moderate level of hope. There were no significant relationships between age group, marital status, level of education, and economic status and hope scores. (P value > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of the study indicate that most patients in the study had a moderate level of hope. Thanks to the importance of hope in proceeding the whole process of treatment and care, this concept should be taken into account in the provision of care and treatment of and psychological strategies for patients with breast cancer

Family-centered collaborative care for patients with chronic mental illness: A systematic review

Background: Chronic mental illnesses (CMI) are long lasting and reoccurring and require continuous care as well as an integrated and collaborative approach to organize the care. This study sought to examine whether family centered collaborative care is an acceptable treatment option for individuals with CMI. Materials and Methods: From the years 2000 to 2021, ten electronic databases relating to family centered collaborative care for mental illness were searched adopting Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis checklist. Twenty seven relevant articles and a thesis from among 6956 studies retrieved, were assessed their quality appraisal through four standardized tools. The studies were rated as good, moderate, or poor. Studies were calibrated, different opinions were discussed, and extracted data were done. Results: Evidence included 11 randomized controlled trials (from 19 articles), one randomized control trial, three mixed methods studies (from 3 articles and 1 thesis), and a qualitative study (from 4 articles). The quality of seven studies was good, 15 were moderate quality, and seven were poor quality. According to moderate to high quality qualitative research, family centered collaborative care was considered an acceptable intervention; though a few studies supported it. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that family involvement in the care of patients with CMI affects no recurrence of the disease, and no re hospitalization of patients with this disorder. As a result, engaging family members in the care process can have a positive impact on the health and well being of these patients