Evaluating the novel coronavirus infection outbreak surveillance results in a state hospital: A retrospective study

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has raised the global public health concern and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Objectives: This study was aimed to examine the clinical course and outcomes of the patients with COVID-19 in the southeastern part of Turkey. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on the files of 173 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19. The “COVID-19 Case Information Form” in the patients’ medical records was used. Results: Of the patients with COVID-19, 64.2% were male and 16.2% had a chronic disease. Their mean age was 34.76±25.75 years. Cough and fatigue were the most common clinical symptoms at admission with 38.7%. The patients at the age of 65 and over were treated mostly in the intensive care unit, and the symptoms associated with the cardiovascular and nausea and vomiting were observed more often (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was found that the majority of the patients were male and there were differences between the age groups in terms of transmission route, the clinic where they were being followed-up, some symptoms, and clinical status outcome. It is recommended that multi-center, prospective, experimental, or observational studies with larger samples should be and the patients should be followed-up for longer periods. © 2021 Dirgar E et al

Evaluation of Turkish nurses’ attitudes to workplace incivility

Aim: This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the attitudes of nurses to workplace incivility. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This study was implemented with the participation of 195 nurses working in a hospital in southeastern Turkey. The Nurse Information Form and Nursing Incivility Scale were used as data collection tools. Results: When the total scores for the scale were compared in terms of the working hours of the participants, it was found that those working only night shifts had higher scores than those working only during daytime hours (p = 0.036). A total of 43.6% of the participants thought that their colleagues’ attitudes towards them were uncivil. When this situation was evaluated in terms of total scale scores, it was found that participants who felt that they were being treated uncivilly had higher scores (p = 0.030). Conclusion: Nurses were exposed to incivility in the work environment due to stressors such as insufficient number of nurses on wards and the pattern of shifts. Nurses who felt they were being treated uncivilly had higher incivility scale scores. © 2021 Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifer

Periferik İntravenöz Katetere Bağlı Flebit Oranının ve Etkileyen Faktörlerin Değerlendirilmesi

Giriş: Periferik venöz kateterler doğru şekilde uygulandığında yaşamsal önemi olan bir araç olduğu kadar; birçok faktör sebebiyle hastada flebite neden olabilmektedir. Amaç: Bir iç hastalıkları kliniğinde periferik intravenöz kateter ilişkili flebit insidansını ve etkileyen risk faktörlerini belirlemektir. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı, kesitsel tipte planlanan bu çalışmada, 26 Aralık 2018–30 Mart 2019 tarihleri arasında bir iç hastalıkları kliniğinde 93 hastaya uygulanan 195 periferik intravenöz kateter araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturdu. Veriler “Hasta Bilgi Formu” ve Uluslararası İntravenöz Hemşireler Birliği tarafından kullanılması önerilen “Flebit Tanılama Skalası” ile toplandı. Kategorik değişkenlerin karşılaştırılmasında ki-kare testi, risk faktörlerinin değerlendirilmesinde Lojistik regresyon analizi kullanıldı. Bulgular: Hastaların %50.5’i erkek, yaş ortalaması 56.86 ± 18.031 yıldı. Flebit değerlendirme skalasına göre hastaların %28.2’sinde (n = 55) flebit semptomları saptandı. Yaş grubu 66-90 arasında olan (p = .015), kronik hastalığı olan (p = .005), hastanın aktif olarak kullanmadığı tarafa intravenöz kateterizasyon takılan (p = .012), intravenöz infüzyonu devam eden (p=.007), aynı damara kateterizasyon sıklığı birden fazla olan (p < .001), daha önce aynı damar boyunca kateter takılmış olan (p = .001). ve takılma süresi 72-96 saat olan (p = .045) hastalarda flebit semptomları görülme sıklığı daha fazlaydı. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada periferik intravenöz kateterlerin dörtte birinden daha fazlasında flebit olduğu, ileri yaşın, kronik hastalığın, sürekli infüzyonun, aynı damara birden fazla kateterizasyonun ve kateterin kalış süresinin uzun olmasının hastalarda flebitin görülme oranını artırdığı bulundu. Hemşirelerin flebit gelişimi açısından belirtilen risk faktörlerini kateter uygulaması ve bakımı konusunda göz önünde bulundurmaları, uygulanan periferik intravenöz kateterlerin geçerli ve güvenilir ölçüm araçları ile düzenli olarak flebit belirtileri açısından değerlendirilmesi önerilmektedi

Effects of vapocoolant spray prior to SC LMWH injection: an experimental study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vapocoolant spray administration prior to subcutaneous (SC) low molecular weight heparin injection on local ecchymosis, hematoma, and pain. This randomized controlled study was carried out on 64 patients (n = 128 injections) in an orthopedics and traumatology clinic. After randomization, vapocoolant spray and then heparin injection was applied on one arm. The second necessary dose of heparin was applied to his or her other arm as a placebo by a water spray. Then, the pain of the patients was assessed. After 2 days, ecchymosis and hematoma were evaluated. Significant lower pain scores were determined in applications in which the vapocoolant spray was used. There was no statically significant difference between the mean diameter values of ecchymosis in both arm groups. There was no hematoma on the injection site after injections. However, this method did not create any significant reductive effect on ecchymosis. Nurses are advised to take advantage of vapocoolant spray effects prior to SC heparin injection

Validity and reliability study of the turkish version of the eye care clinical competence questionnaire related to eye care of intensive care patients by nurses

Aim: This methodological study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Eye Care Clinical Competence Questionnaire, which evaluates the clinical competence of nurses regarding eye care in intensive care patients. Design: A methodological study. Methods: The study included 175 nurses working in the ICUs of the hospitals where the study was conducted. Results: Following factor analysis, based on the tetrachoric correlation matrix for the information sub-dimension, eight items were excluded from the questionnaire. As a result of the confirmatory factor analysis conducted for the questionnaire, the error variance value of item 26 was removed from the questionnaire. The final questionnaire adapted for the Turkish cultural context consisted of 26 items. Cronbach’s alpha value for the attitude sub-dimension was 0.87; the Cronbach alpha value for the application sub-dimension was 0.85, and the Cronbach alpha value for the questionnaire as a whole was 0.84. Conclusion: It was found that the Turkish version of the Eye Care Clinical Competence Questionnaire was a valid and reliable measurement tool. This measurement tool can be used in studies to evaluate the clinical competence of intensive care nurses regarding eye care. © 2021 Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery

Effect of the arterial needle bevel position on puncture pain and postremoval bleeding time in hemodialysis patients: A self-controlled, single-blind study

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the bevel orientation (facing upwards or downwards towards the skin) of the needle inserted into the arterial limb of the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) on puncture pain and postremoval bleeding time. Methods: This study, using a single-blind crossover design, was conducted on 35 maintenance hemodialysis patients who had been dialyzed for at least 6 months and in whom blood access was via an AVF. AVF cannulation was performed with the needle bevel pointing upward in the first six sessions and the needle bevel pointing downwards (towards the skin) in the subsequent six sessions. Needles were always inserted in the direction of blood flow. At each dialysis session, cannulation pain was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS), and the bleeding time at the end of dialysis after needle removal was recorded. Findings: The VAS score and postremoval bleeding time were lower when the needle bevel pointed downwards towards the skin during insertion (P < 0.05). Discussion: Insertion of the needle with the bevel pointed downward decreased puncture pain during cannulation and bleeding time postdialysis on needle removal. © 2022 International Society for Hemodialysis

Musculoskeletal Pain, Related Factors, and Posture Profiles Among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study From Turkey

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate musculoskeletal pain due to mechanical reasons and related risk factors in adolescents and to define posture profiles of adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: The study was conducted with 2221 adolescents between February 2015 and May 2015. The questionnaire used to collect data consisted of three parts: (1) descriptive characteristics of the participants, (2) pain assessment of 14 parts of the body, and (3) Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument (BackPEI). Results: The prevalence of low back pain among the participants was 73.3% (n = 1,343), while the prevalence of back pain was 68.4% (n = 1,254). The participants attributed their pain to their poor sitting postures at school (38.1%, n = 847) and carrying school backpacks (84.1%, n = 1,713). There was a statistically significant difference in the physical activities of adolescents and the BackPEI score (z = 4.40; p = .001). Posture factors of the BackPEI score increased while school desk comfort score increased (Spearman's rho = 0.148; p = .001), but it decreased while the school grades of the adolescents increased (Spearman's rho [ρ] = −0.161; p = .001). Conclusions: According to this study, body posture was related to musculoskeletal pain and was correlated with physical activities, school desk comfort, and school grades of the adolescents. It is suggested that correct posture and ergonomic positions should be taught to adolescents when using computers, carrying school backpacks, and sitting in school chairs to prevent musculoskeletal pain. © 2020 American Society for Pain Management Nursin

An Evaluation of the PRE-DELIRIC (PREdiction of DELIRium in ICu Patients) Delirium Prediction Model in Intensive Care Units in Türkiye

Objective:This methodological study was conducted in order to carry out the adaptation and validation of the “PRE-DELIRIC score” prediction of delirium model in Türkiye among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU).Materials and Methods:The research involved 172 patients treated in the intensive care units of a training and research hospital between October 2019 and April 2020. The study data were collected using (1) a data collection form to determine the participants’ descriptive characteristics, (2) the PRE-DELIRIC score, and (3) the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and diagnostic screening tests were applied for the purpose of determining cut-off points for the groups. The scores’ sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Significance was evaluated at the p<0.05 level.Results:A statistically significant association was determined between the cut-off point obtained for the PRE-DELIRIC score (≥7.58%) and the study groups (p=0.003). Patients with PRE-DELIRIC scores of 7.58 or higher exhibited a 7.404-fold greater risk of being CAM-ICU-positive [odds ratio: 7.404; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.638-33.469]. The area under the ROC curve was 64.9% (95% CI: 0.538-0.760), and the standard error was 5.6% (p=0.044).Conclusion:The PRE-DELIRIC score yielded reliable results in this study. It appears significant for patients with a likelihood of developing delirium within the ICU, and its use is recommended as a functional score that is easily applied and calculated

Development and management of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in spontaneous singleton pregnancy

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is one of the most life-threatening complications of ovulation induction. However, rarely, OHSS can develop spontaneously during pregnancy without induction of ovulation. It has been shown in the literature that some diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hypothyroidism, and pituitary adenoma may accompany spontaneous OHSS. Spontaneous OHSS should be included in the differential diagnosis in first-trimester pregnancies with nausea, vomiting, and acute abdomen. The focus should be on preventing possible complications and initiating early treatment immediately after diagnosis