Effect of booklet and combined method on parents' awareness of children with β-thalassemia major disorder

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of booklet and combining methods (lecture, video, etc.) on parents' awareness of children with beta-thalassemia major disorder. METHODS: Two groups of parents (n=30 each) of children with thalassemia were selected randomly. Among educational programmes, in one group booklet and in the other group combined method were used. A questionnaire was designed to gather information about the disease from parents of the two groups. The data were analysed using student's t-test and Pearson's correlation, significance was considered at p < 0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean age, gender, level of education, job, number of affected children, and age of the child. However, in both methods of education (lecture and combined), knowledge of parents about the disease significantly increased (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The education whether through booklet or combined method has a significant positive effect on increasing knowledge of the investigated groups. It is recommended that increased knowledge levels of parents can decrease the burden of beta-thalassemia

The effects of problem-based learning and lecturing on the development of Iranian nursing students’ critical thinking

Objective: The present study aimed to consider the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) and lecturing approaches on the development of students’ critical thinking. Methodology: A total of 40 second-year nursing students participated: 20 students in the PBL group and 20 students in the traditional lecture (control) group. The students underwent a one-semester course using the two methods of education. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was used to measure the students’ critical thinking. Results: Compared with lecture students, PBL students showed significantly greater improvement in overall CCTDI. In terms of critical thinking, a significant relationship was found among the PBL and lecture groups. Conclusion: The present study suggests a significant difference between PBL and traditional lecture groups so that a positive learning attitude was observed in the PBL group and learning motivation is higher in the PBL than in the traditional-based method of learning

The impact of problem-based learning and lecturing on the behavior and attitudes of Iranian nursing students

The present study aimed to compare the effect of education through problem-based learning (PBL) or lectures on behavior, attitude and learning of nursing students. A total of 40 second-year nursing students participated: 20 students in the PBL group and 20 students in the traditional lecture (control) group. The students underwent a one-semester course using the two methods of education. The level of knowledge in the PBL group was significantly higher than that of students in the lecture group. In addition, a significant difference was found between the PBL and lecture groups in the level of attitude toward learning. The present study suggests a significant difference between PBL and traditional lecture groups with a more positive learning attitude and higher learning motivation in the PBL group (NCT00747188)

Factors affecting quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Background: Cancer can produce many different symptoms, some subtle and some not at all subtle. An increasingly important issue in oncology is to evaluate quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. The cancer-specific QoL is related to all stages of this disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL in cancer patients with solid tumors and at the different chemotherapy cycles (CT). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 200 cancer patients were included. With some modification, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to measure QoL in the patients. The QoL in most subjects (66%) was fairly favorable. Results: A significant relationship between the cancer type, pain intensity, and fatigue was found. However, none of the demographic variables (age, education, marital status, income) were significantly related to QoL. Nevertheless, significant difference was found between the level of QoL in patients with ≤ 2 CT cycles and/or with 3-5 cycles (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Cancer is an important health issue influencing QoL. An appropriate treatment which may provide care to the cancer patients is CT. A CT cycle may improve QoL in patients with solid tumors