The effect of changing position and early ambulation after cardiac catheterization on patients' outcomes: A single-blind randomized controlled trial

Background: Cardiac catheterization is the gold standard diagnostic test for coronary heart diseases. In order to minimize the post-procedure complications, patients are restricted to prolonged bed rest that is always accompanied by fatigue and discomfort. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of changing position and early ambulation on the level of comfort, satisfaction, and fatigue and on the amount of bleeding and hematoma after cardiac catheterization. Participants: A sample of 70 patients, who had undergone a non-emergency 6-French cardiac catheterization via the femoral artery from September to November, 2006. Methods: In a single-blind randomized controlled trial, each patient was randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group. The patients' position in the experimental group was intermittently changed during the first 6 h after catheterization. Seven hours after the procedure, they were allowed to be ambulated and to undertake their self care activities. A pillow was placed under the patients' bodies. Patients in the control group were managed as routine; they were restricted to a 10-24 h bed rest bed rest in supine position with the affected leg straight and immobilized and a sand bag on the puncture site for at least 8 h. The levels of comfort, satisfaction and fatigue, and the amount of bleeding and hematoma were measured at regular intervals after the procedure. Results: The patients in the experimental group had significantly higher comfort and satisfaction and lower fatigue levels than the control group at 3, 6, 8 h and the next morning after catheterization (P 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the levels of comfort, satisfaction and fatigue after catheterization are related to the duration of bed rest and patients' position in bed. Changing patients' position accompanied by early ambulation after cardiac catheterization are associated with increasing comfort and satisfaction levels and decreasing the level of fatigue without increasing the amount of bleeding and hematoma. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The exposure of the nursing profession in online and print media

OBJECTIVE: to describe the coverage of news concerning the nursing profession in the Portuguese media: informative sites on the Internet and in print media. METHOD: a total of 1,271 health news items were collected in September and October of 2011 (956 online news items and 325 news items originating from the press review of the Portuguese Order of Nurses). Statistical analysis was used to characterize the variables. RESULTS: nurses were the sources of information in 6.6% of cases, suggesting limited media exposure. The health news collected is characterized by a production based on limited information sources, that is, male and official sources, on information disseminated by news agencies focused on economic and political issues in the health field. CONCLUSION: the presence of nurses in the news concerning nursing health is reduced. We suggest that nurses develop public communication skills to disseminate the importance of their profession in society and their relationship with the media

Development and psychometric testing of an instrument to compare career choice influences and perceptions of nursing among healthcare students

Background: With the availability of more healthcare courses and an increased intake of nursing students, education institutions are facing challenges to attract school leavers to enter nursing courses. The comparison of career choice influences and perception of nursing among healthcare students can provide information for recruitment strategies. An instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice is lacking. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to compare the influences of healthcare career choice with perceptions of nursing as a career choice. Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, two sets of scales with parallel items that measure the influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice were developed through an earlier qualitative study, literature review, and expert validation. Phase two involved testing the construct validity, concurrent validity and reliability with a convenience sample of 283 first year healthcare students who were recruited at two education institutions in Singapore. Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed 35-parallel items in a six-factor solution (personal interest, prior healthcare exposure, self-efficacy, perceived nature of work, job prospects, and social influences) that explained 59 and 64% of the variance for healthcare career choice and nursing as a career choice respectively. A high correlation (r = 0.76, p \u3c 0.001) was obtained with an existing tool, confirming the concurrent validity. The internal consistency was sufficient with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93 for healthcare career choice and 0.94 for nursing as a career choice. The test-retest reliability was acceptable with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.63 for healthcare career choice and 0.60 for nursing as a career choice. Conclusions: The instrument provides opportunities for understanding the differences between influences of healthcare career choice and perceptions of nursing as a career choice. This comparative understanding of career choice influences can guide educator and policy-makers on nursing recruitmen

Assessment of Chest Trauma in Patients Admitted to Academic Medical Centers of Isfahan

Background : Chest trauma is the cause of one fourth of deaths in accidents, so its early diagnosis and proper management is important. The aim of this study was evaluation of various aspects of chest trauma in patients admitted to trauma centers in Isfahan. Materials and Methods : One hundred patients with chest trauma referred to hospitals affiliated to Isfahan Medical University were enrolled to this cross sectional study. Data including age, sex, accident time, trauma mechanism, organ injury, hospitalization length, complications, and outcomes were all recorded and analyzed with Chi square and t- tests . Results: Eighty percent of patients were male. The most common time of injury was between 12 PM and 1 AM (62). Blunt trauma was the common type of injury. The most common age range was 21-30 years. The main complication of trauma was hemothorax (41) and it was more common in penetrating injuries (45). Hospitalization length was below 10 days in 47, ten days in 12 and more than 10 days in 41 of patients. Associated head and abdominal injuries were found in 25 and 4 of patients, respectively. Death rate was 5. Conclusion : consideration on chest injury is recommended in any case of trauma especially in blunt injuries. Epidemiologic studies in other parts of Iran can help in establishing appropriate criteria for chest trauma diagnosis and management in our country