Nursing Students’ Errors in Preparation and Administration of Intravenous Drugs

Background & Objective: The intravenous administration of drugs is a complex process in which errors may cause detrimental outcomes for patients and an increase in healthcare costs. This study was performed to ascertain the frequency, type and causes of errors made by senior nursing students in intravenous drug preparation and administration. Methods: In this descriptive study which was conducted in four wards (internal, surgery, Coronary Care Unit, and neurosurgery) in two teaching hospitals in Arak, 52 nursing students were observed during preparation and administration of intravenous drugs between 7 to 8 times by an observer. Errors were checked in each step. The observer intervened in case a potential error was about to happen and this was considered as an error too. Data was collected using a researcher made questionnaire. Results: In 372 registered observations, 153 errors were detected, while in 139 cases, at least one error occurred. The most frequent error in drug preparation was in solvent and diluting (2.68%). The most common error in administration was inappropriate infusion rate (11.55%). The most common cause of errors was inadequate pharmacologic knowledge (18.95%). Most errors in drug field were related to heparin (10 cases), ceftazidime (7 cases) phenytoin (6 cases) dopamine (6 cases), and vancomycin (5 cases). Conclusion: This study shows that making errors in intravenous drug preparation and administration is highly probable amongst nursing students. Educational content should be designed in order to reduce these errors. Also it seems that the strategy of unsupervised medication administration by senior nursing students needs to be revised. Keywords: Intravenous drug, Preparation error, Administration error, Nursing student

The Experiences of Healthcare Professional Students about the Educational Impacts of Mobile Learning

The role of mobile devices in learning processes is growing rapidly and it is imperative to assess the effect of this technology. This paper explores the experience of healthcare professional students with regard to the educational impacts of mobile learning. We conducted a qualitative study using a conventional qualitative content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman (2004) method to collect and analyze the experiences of 23 healthcare professional students. Two themes, each with subthemes, emerged from the findings: (1) perceived benefit in learning process, and (2) reflective self-assessment. The results revealed that mobile learning has a positive impact on both the process and the outcome of learning in healthcare professional students. Therefore, creating a supportive condition to promote mobile learning is recommended

Comparison of willingness to mobile learning in medical sciences students in before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak

Introduction: Mobile learning as a paradigm shift in the context of e-learning has become particularly important after the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and shift from the conventional methods to digital learning in universities. This study endeavored to study the willingness to mobile learning in medical sciences students in before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in the academic years 2020-2021 with the participation of 358 students. Data were collected through a standard questionnaire of willingness to mobile learning two times in the study before the outbreak of COVID-19 outbreak in Iran on February 2020 (T1) and again in May 2021 (T2). Results: The mean scores of willingness to mobile learning at two rounds were 162.58±30.29 and 176.55±28.56, respectively, which was significant (t=14.36, P=0.001). In addition, there was a significant difference between the mean of self-management (before 33.41, after 36.8) (t=15.51, P=0.001), attitude (before 19.46, after 21.63) (t=15.99, P=0.001), pedagogical use (before 33.66, after 36.65) (t=8.71, P=0.001), efficacy of mobile learning (before 6.81, after 7.89) (t=15.19, P=0.001) and behavioral intention (before 7.81, after 10.18) (t=22.93, P=0.001) in both rounds. However, there was no significant difference between the mean of the dimensions technophilia, perceive attraction, and perceived ease in the two measurement steps (P= 0.001). Conclusion: The willingness to mobile learning has increased after about 1.5 years of the beginning of the COVID-19 disease outbreak in medical students, which indicates the high acceptance and desire of students to mobile learning. Therefore, the use of mobile technologies for learning purposes during the COVID-19 to fill the study gap and its continuation in the post corona is recommended as a complementary method in education

Comparison of Depression and Quality of Life Between Patients on Hemodialysis and Their Spouses

Introduction: Patients on hemodialysis and their spouses experience various stresses during illness and dialysis treatment. The aim of this study was to compare depression and quality of life between patients on hemodialysis and their spouses. Methods: An analytical and cross-sectional study was performed using the WHOQOL-Questionnaire tool and Beck Depression Inventory-II to assess the quality of life and the depression, respectively. A total of 172 participants (86 patients undergoing hemodialysis and 86 of their spouses) from two hospitals participated in the study. Results: In total, 89.54% and 91.87% of patients on hemodialysis and their spouses had depression at varying levels (mild to severe), respectively. The mean score of depression in the spouse group was significantly higher than the patients score (P< 0.05). Also, the spouses' score in psychological health domain of the quality of life was significantly lower than the patients’ score (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Depression is highly prevalent among patients on hemodialysis and their spouses. Spouses had higher rates of depression and lower quality of life in psychological health domain than patients. Therefore, it is suggested that, like patients, the depression and quality of life of their spouses should be assessed periodically and, if necessary, supportive measures should be taken

Levels and sources of Covid-19 stress in medical sciences students regarding the related factors

Introduction: Education in the medical sciences, which somehow deals with the health and lives of human beings, seems to be a stressful experience, and this stress is greater than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study endeavored to examine the levels and sources of Covid-19 stress in medical students and related factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, 423 students of Saveh University of Medical Sciences participated in the academic year 2021. The instrumentation was the COVID-19 related Healthcare Students Stress Scale which was used after validation and reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical methods (independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance) at a significant level of 0.05. Results: The mean standardized score of Covid-19 stress (out of 4 scores) in the areas of fear of catching coronavirus 3.31±0.98, changes in education 3.01± 0.77, non-compliance of health protocols 2.28±0.81, social constraints were 2.11±0.95, and worrying news and overload information was 2.09±0.95. There was a statistically significant relationship between Covid-19 stress score with field of study, gender and academic year (p0.05). Conclusion: Covid-19 stress was high in students, accordingly it seems essential that medical sciences students have the ability to cope with stress, and also should identify the sources of Covid-19 stress in students and take supportive measures to eliminate or reduce sources of stress

The importance of including a specialized physical education course in the prehospital emergency care curriculum

Letter To Edito

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories:A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Importance Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.Objective To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.Evidence Review The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.Findings In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts

Burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer in North Africa and Middle East countries, 1990 to 2019: Results from the GBD study 2019

ObjectiveTo provide estimates on the regional and national burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer and its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019 in the North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region.Methods and materialsThe Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 data were used. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), death, incidence, and prevalence rates were categorized by sex and age groups in the NAME region, in 21 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Decomposition analysis was performed to calculate the proportion of responsible factors in the emergence of new cases. Data are presented as point estimates with their 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs).ResultsIn the NAME region, TBL cancer caused 15,396 and 57,114 deaths in women and men, respectively, in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased by 0.7% (95% UI -20.6 to 24.1) and reached 16.8 per 100,000 (14.9 to 19.0) in 2019. All the age-standardized indices had a decreasing trend in men and an increasing trend in women from 1990 to 2019. Turkey (34.9 per 100,000 [27.6 to 43.5]) and Sudan (8.0 per 100,000 [5.2 to 12.5]) had the highest and lowest age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPRs) in 2019, respectively. The highest and lowest absolute slopes of change in ASPR, from 1990 to 2019, were seen in Bahrain (-50.0% (-63.6 to -31.7)) and the United Arab Emirates (-1.2% (-34.1 to 53.8)), respectively. The number of deaths attributable to risk factors was 58,816 (51,709 to 67,323) in 2019 and increased by 136.5%. Decomposition analysis showed that population growth and age structure change positively contributed to new incident cases. More than 80% of DALYs could be decreased by controlling risk factors, particularly tobacco use.ConclusionThe incidence, prevalence, and DALY rates of TBL cancer increased, and the death rate remained unchanged from 1990 to 2019. All the indices and contribution of risk factors decreased in men but increased in women. Tobacco is still the leading risk factor. Early diagnosis and tobacco cessation policies should be improved