A comparative study on the meaning in life of patients with cancer and their family members

Introduction: Overwhelming effects of cancer could be catastrophic for the patients and their family members putting them at risk of experiencing uncertainty, loss, and interruption in life. Also, it can influence their sense of meaning, a fundamental need equated with purpose in life. Accordingly, this study aimed to compare the meaning in life (MiL) of patients with cancer with and their family members. Methods: This descriptive comparative study was conducted on 400 patients with cancer and their family members admitted to university hospitals in Tabriz and Ardebil provinces, Iran. The participants were sampled conveniently and the Life Evaluation Questionnaire (LEQ) were used for collecting data which analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean score for the MiL of patients with cancer and their family members was 119 ± 16.92 and 146.2 ± 17.07, respectively. There is a significant difference between patients with cancer and their family members in terms of MiL (p<0.001). Conclusion: The MiL of patients with cancer is lower than their family members which indicates the necessity for further attention to the psychological process and its modification in Iranian healthcare systems

Coping strategies in patients with kidney transplant rejection: A phenomenological study

Most of the patients with kidney transplantationare exposed to its rejectionin different ways. The undesired phenomenonof transplant rejection causes various physicaland mental problems in patients and it is inevitable forthem to utilize coping strategies in order to deal withthe new condition. The aim of this study was to obtaina deeper insight into coping strategies that kidney transplantrecipients utilize in order to deal with the challenges.Methods: Deep semi-structured interviews were implementedwith 10 participants using phenomenologicalapproach. Data analysis was done using Van Manen&rsquo;smethod and sampling was based on purposeful method.Findings: three themes and seven subthemes describingthe coping strategies of patients with transplant rejectionwere emerged from data analysis. The themes included&lsquo;seeking support&rsquo;, &lsquo;spirituality&rsquo;, and &lsquo;accepting the reality&rsquo;.Conclusion: it seems that one specific adaptation strategyis used in every stage of coping with transplant rejection.During first days, the strategy of family and friends&rsquo; supportplays an important role. Afterwards, patients perceivethat through spirituality, they can manage their diseaseand after a while, they admit the inevitability of acceptingtransplant rejection; thus, setting new goals for themselvesand trying to achieve adaptation despite their restrictions

Validity and reliability of the persian practice environment scale of nursing work index

Background: The practice environment pivotal role in patients and nurses better outcomes is evident. Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) is widely utilized to assess nursing work environments. The present study was conducted to demonstrate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of PES-NWI. Materials and Methods: The instrument was translated and its psychometrics were investigated by content, construct validity (factor analysis), and homogeneity (internal consistency and intraclass correlation) on a sample of 350 nurses at educational hospitals in East Azerbaijan, Iran. Results: The 30 items loaded onto 4 factors explained 34.95–50.06% of the variance. The items across the factors differed slightly from those reported by the original author of the PES-NWI. Cronbach's alpha and Pearson coefficient for the entire instrument and also for extracted factors was 0.70–0.96. Conclusions: The Persian version of PES-NWI has an appropriate level of validity and reliability in the Iranian setting for nurses. The subscale of Nursing Foundations for quality care needs modification