Effects of designed feeding patterns on fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients

زمینه و هدف: بیماری مولتیپل اسکلروزیس (MS) شایع ترین بیماری نورولوژیک در بالغین جوان است که آنها را ناتوان می سازد. خستگی یکی از شایع ترین علائم این بیماری است که نه تنها فعالیت و توانایی بیماران بلکه کیفیت زندگی آنها را نیز کاهش می‌دهد. تغذیه صحیح یکی از روش هایی است که می‌تواند برای کاهش خستگی مورد استفاده قرار گیرد. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی تأثیر الگوی تغذیه‌ای طراحی شده بر خستگی بیماران مولتیپل اسکلروزیس مراجعه کننده به انجمن MS ایران انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه نیمه تجربی، 40 بیمار مبتلا به مولتیپل اسکلروزیس به روش نمونه گیری هدفمند و در دسترس انتخاب شدند. ابزار گردآوری داده ها، پرسشنامه محقق ساخته بود. آموزش رعایت الگوی غذایی به مدت 12 هفته بر روی بیماران انجام شد. پرسشنامه ها توسط بیماران قبل و بعد از مداخله تکمیل گردیدند. آنالیز داده ها با استفاده از شاخص های توصیفی (میانگین، انحراف معیار) و آمار استنباطی نظیرt زوجی، انجام شد. یافته ها: میانگین سنی نمونه های مورد مطالعه 5/1 ± 8/35 سال بود. میانگین شدت خستگی نمونه های مورد پژوهش قبل از مطالعه 77/0 ± 9/14 و بعد از رعایت الگوی غذایی 44/0 ± 6/25 بود که نشان می دهد شدت خستگی کاهش معنی داری داشته است (001/0>P). نتیجه گیری: الگوی غذایی ارائه شده در این مطالعه به عنوان یک روش ساده، ارزان، بدون عارضه و غیر تهاجمی برای کاهش خستگی بیماران مبتلا به مولتیپل اسکلروزیس موثر و قابل استفاده است

Relationship Between Practice and Attitude Regarding Pressure Injury Among Intensive Care Nurses in Iran: A Descriptive, Correlational Study

Purpose: A study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between critical care nurses' practice, demographics, and attitude regarding pressure injury. Methods: The descriptive-correlational study was conducted from March 14 to June 21, 2019, among nurses working in 3 intensive care units affiliated with Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Using convenience sampling methods, nurses with at least a bachelor's degree in nursing who are involved in pressure injury care were invited to participate. Demographic information (age, sex, work experience in intensive care unit, education level) and pressure injury education information were collected from participants. Each nurse was observed 3 times by a researcher during his or her full work shift and evaluated using the Quality of Nursing Care Related to Pressure Injury checklist, which consists of 85 items categorized in 6 groups: 1) pressure injury risk factor evaluation (23 items), 2) change of patient position (12 items), 3) patient nutrition (16 items), 4) skin examination (25 items), 5) skin care in high-risk patients (5 items), and 6) use of accessories for pressure injury prevention (4 items). Each item offers 3 response options (ie, applied, not applied, applied but not correct). Correct responses on 70%, 69% to 50%, and less than 50% of items indicate good, relatively good, and poor practice, respectively. The Attitude Towards Pressure Ulcer Questionnaire, used to assess nurses' attitudes regarding pressure injury prevention, is a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that is completed by the nurse participants and consists of 11 items, with answers based on a 5- response Likert scale that ranges from 1 (totally agree) to 5 (totally disagree). The total score ranges from 11 to 55. A higher score indicates a more positive attitude. Descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were used to describe demographic information, and analytical tests including Pearson correlation test were used to determine the correlation between numerical variables. An independent t test was used to evaluate the differences in mean scores of numerical variables between the 2 groups. Significance level was considered as P < .05. Results: The mean quality-of-nursing checklist score was 71.4 ± 13.5, inferring nurses provided good care. The highest and lowest mean scores were related to skin examination (22.8 ± 3.7) and skin care in high-risk patients (4.3 ± 0.8). The mean overall score of nurses' attitudes toward pressure injury was 27.26 ± 5.1, indicating a positive attitude toward providing pressure injury care and prevention. There was a significant and positive relationship between mean years of practice and the mean attitude score (r = 0.195; P = .041) as well as a significant relationship between quality of practice and attitude score (r = 0.195; P = .041) Conclusion: Ninety percent (90%) of critical care nurses demonstrated a good practice and a relatively positive attitude toward pressure injury. Additionally, the findings suggest that nurses with more years of experience and a more positive attitude have better quality of practice. The results of the present study could be useful for improving pressure injury care in the hospital setting and for educating nurses and nursing students. Further research that includes nurses in other wards is warranted

Intensive care unit, cardiac care unit, and emergency department nurses' perceptions of medical device-related pressure injuries: a cross-sectional study

Background Nurses' perception of medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) may affect their performance, but there is a lack of studies in this area. Purpose The current study aimed to examine intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac care unit (CCU) and emergency department nurses' perception of proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for individuals with such injuries. Methods This descriptive study was conducted in 4 general hospitals in Iran in 2021. All nurses (N = 310) working in ICUs, CCUs and emergency departments of these facilities were invited to complete a researcher-made demographic checklist and an 11-item questionnaire to assess attitudes toward MDRPIs. The questionnaire item responses were scored from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) with the total score for the 11 items ranging from 11 to 55. A score of 11 to 25 was categorized as indicating a negative attitude toward proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for such patients; a score of 26 to 40 indicated a neutral attitude, and a score >40 indicated a positive attitude. Results A total of 260 nurses fulfilled the data collection tool. The response rate was 83.8%. The mean total score of attitude toward MDRPIs was 41.7. No significant relationship was observed between the total score of nurses' attitudes and their demographic variables. Of the 260 participants, 159 stated they had not received any trainings on MDRPIs at nursing schools during their education, 212 stated they had not participated in any scientific workshops on MDRPIs, and 167 described their knowledge about the prevention and care of MDRPIs as insufficient. Conclusion Among ICU, CCU, and emergency nurses in Iran, most had a positive attitude toward the prevention and care of MDRPIs, but steps should be taken to offer more opportunities for nurses to increase their knowledge in this area

Effect of Aloe vera Gel, Calendula officinalis Ointment and Simple Prophylactic Sacral Dressings for Pressure Injury Development

Background and Purpose: Prophylactic dressings play a significant role in the prevention of pressure injury. However, no herbal products have been used in this regard, so far. Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim of comparing the effect of Aloe vera gel, Calendula officinalis ointment and simple sacral prophylactic dressings on pressure injury development in patients admitted to intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: The sample of this clinical trial study consisted of 90 critically ill patients. Randomization was performed by head nurse in intensive care unit. Patients in group “A” received Aloe vera gel prophylactic dressing twice a day; patients in group “B” received Calendula officinalis ointment prophylactic dressing twice a day; and patients in group “C” received simple prophylactic dressing twice a day. The development of pressure injury was compared between these three groups after the intervention. Results: Demographic variables were similar in all three groups (p> 0.05). The results showed that 3 patients (10%) who received the simple dressing, 2 patients (6.6%) who received the Calendula officinalis ointment dressing were wounded, while the development of pressure injury in patients who received the Aloe vera gel dressing was zero. The results of chi-square test showed that the frequency distribution of the pressure injury development in the two groups receiving Aloe vera gel and simple dressing was different. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the Aloe vera gel and Calendula officinalis ointment groups as well as the Calendula officinalis ointment group and the simple dressing. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that using Aloe vera gel and Calendula officinalis ointment prophylactic dressing twice a day can be effective in prevention of pressure injury in patients admitted to intensive care unit. Keywords: Aloe vera gel, Calendula officinalis ointment, critically ill patient, medicinal plants, prophylactic dressing