The effects of the continuous care model on sleep quality, pain, fatigue and nausea among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A clinical trial

Background: Patients with breast cancer (BC) suffer from sleep disorders, pain, fatigue, and nausea after receiving chemotherapy. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the continuous care model (CCM) on sleep quality, pain, fatigue, and nausea among patients with BC who were receiving chemotherapy. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 78 patients with BC who referred in Aprilâ-June 2013 to the chemotherapy clinic of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Initially, patients were paired with each other respecting their age, type of surgery, and educational level, and then through tossing a coin, one patient in each pair was randomly allocated to the intervention and the other to the control group. The CCM was used for care provision to patients in the intervention group, while care services were provided to patients in the control group through routine methods. Data were collected 4 days after chemotherapy onset and 2 months after the intervention using a demographic questionnaire, a visual analog scale for nausea assessment, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Brief Fatigue Inventory, and a 10-cm ruler for pain assessment. For data analysis, the independent-sample t and the Chi-square tests were used. Results: Before the intervention, the groups did not significantly differ from each other concerning the scores of sleep quality, fatigue, pain, and nausea (P > 0.05). However, after the intervention, between-group differences of the intervention group and the controls were statistically significant for sleep quality (7.81 ± 4.50 vs. 16.80 ± 4.32, P P P P Conclusion: This study proves the positive effects of the CCM on sleep quality, pain, fatigue, and nausea among patients with BC. Nurses can use this model to improve the patient outcomes

The Quality of Journal Club Implementation in Iranian Nursing Faculties

Introduction: Journal club is one of the classical methods of training instructors. This study aimed at investigating the quality of implementing journal clubs in Iranian nursing faculties from the viewpoints of university instructors. Methods: This descriptive study was performed on instructors of nursing faculties in faculties of nursing where journal clubs were implemented in 2013-2014 academic years. Participants were selected through the census method. Data collection tool was a research-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were verified. Five-point Likert scale in terms of desirability (completely desirable, desirable, relatively desirable, undesirable, and completely undesirable) was used for the responses in the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by conducting descriptive statistics. Results: The mean of the whole quality of journal clubs implementation was 1.83±0.34 out of 4 that is “relatively desirable”. The highest quality was in the implementation domain (post implementation) 2.47±0.53, organizing and planning domain (prior to implementation) 2.43±0.89 and implementation domain (during implementation) 2.08±0.43 respectively. Conclusion: Given the relatively desirable quality of journal club implementation in nursing faculties it is suggested to carry out more researches in various faculties in order to examine and improve the quality of journal clubs

Accuracy of an Electronic Apex Locator for Working Length Determination in Primary Anterior Teeth

Objectives: Correct determination of working length is an important step for suc- cess of endodontic therapy. Conventional radiography has limitations in providing the accurate location of apical foramen. For this reason, electronic apex locators (EALs) were developed to shorten the treatment time and decrease the radiation dose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Root ZX EAL for work- ing length determination in primary anterior teeth. Materials and Methods: In this in-vitro study, 50 extracted primary anterior teeth with root resorption were selected with no obstructed canals or history of previous root canal therapy. Working lengths were measured by direct observation of actual length (AL), radiography and Root ZX EAL. A variation of ±0.5 mm from the AL was considered acceptable. The results were analyzed statistically using paired t test and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Considering an acceptable 0.5 mm margin from AL (direct measurement), the accuracy of Root ZX EAL and radiography was found to be 86% and 76%, respectively. Absolute value of error from AL was significantly lower for ZX com- pared to radiography (P˂0.001). Interclass correlation comparing both radiography and Root ZX with AL showed strong correlations. Conclusion: Root ZX EAL can be used as a reliable tool for obtaining root canal length in primary anterior teeth with resorption