Support in Clinical Settings as Perceived by Nursing Students in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Background: Although support is one of the most substantial needs of nursing students during clinical education, it is not clearly defined in the literature. Objectives: The current study aimed to explore the concept of support in clinical settings as perceived by nursing students. Materials and Methods: A qualitative content analysis was used to explore the meaning of student support in clinical settings. A purposive sampling with maximum variation was used to select the participants among bachelor nursing students in the nursing school of Babol University of Medical Sciences in the north of Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the perceptions and experiences of seventeen nursing students. Conventional content analysis was applied to analyze the data. Results: In the current study, the main theme, nurturance, was emerged with seven subthemes of humanistic behavior with the student, respectful communication with students, accepting the student in the clinical setting, sustaining confidence, need based supervision, accepting the profession in the society and empowerment. Conclusions: Nursing students support in the clinical education requires a nurturing care; a care that leads to the sense of worthiness and respectability in students and contributes to the improvement of their clinical abilities

Effect of local cold and hot pack on the bruising of enoxaparin sodium injection site: a randomized controlled trial

Author's accepted version (post-print).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Contemporary Nurse on 20/05/2016, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10376178.2016.1190289

The Effect of Aromatherapy with Peppermint Essential Oil on Nausea and Vomiting in the Acute Phase of Chemotherapy in Patients with Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy is one of the main treatment options for cancer patients. Nausea and vomiting are also the most common side effects of chemotherapy drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint essential oil on nausea and vomiting in the acute phase of chemotherapy (the first 24 hours) in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 100 women with breast cancer who were referred to the chemotherapy centers of Imam Khomeini Hospital on an outpatient basis for the first course. Patients were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Peppermint essential oil was used in the intervention group, while normal saline was used in the control group. Frequency and severity of acute nausea and vomiting in the first night after chemotherapy were recorded and compared using Rhodes standard questionnaire with a mean score of 0 – 32. FINDINGS: The two groups were not statistically different in terms of age, duration of cancer, history of alcohol abuse and history of nausea and vomiting. The mean score of nausea in the aromatherapy group was 1.1±1.02 and in the in the control group was 1.82±1.39 (p<0.014). The mean score of vomiting in the intervention group was 0.34±0.66 and in the control group was 0.66±0.97 (p<0.032). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the use of aromatherapy with peppermint essential oil, along with the use of routine anti-nausea / vomiting drugs, can reduce nausea and vomiting in the acute phase of chemotherap

Randomized Controlled Trial of a Peer Based Intervention on Cardiac Self-efficacy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: a 3-year Follow-up Results

Background: Self-efficacy is one's belief in ability to succeed in specific situations and considerable factor to maintaining healthy behaviors. It has an important role in person-centred care and significantly improves after effects of heart attacks. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a peer based intervention on cardiac self-efficacy of the patients after bypass surgery.Methods: In this clinical trial study, 60 patients undergoing bypass surgery were chosen and assigned equally into the control and intervention groups. The patients were assigned into two groups by block randomization. While routine education was presented to the patients in the control group, intervention group were taught using the peer education in two sessions. Cardiac self-efficacy of all the selected patients was assessed orderly in 36-month (3 years) follow-up after surgery. Inclusion criteria used to choose the suitable patients were as the following: no record of CABG surgery, understanding and talking Persian language, willingness to participate in the research, age between 40 and 70 years, no dementia, confusion, mental and psychological problems which might hinder their participation. In addition, exclusion criteria in this study were patient’s death, serious physical problems after CABG surgery, emergency and unexpected surgeries, or cancellation the CABG surgery due to patient’s situation. Data was collected using cardiac self-efficacy scale and analyzed using chi-square, independent t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Results: The patients in both groups were homogenous in terms of demographic data. The mean score of cardiac self-efficacy in the intervention group was significantly different from control group in 3- year follow-up after surgery (P&lt;0.038).Conclusions: Based on this study, accomplishment of peer based intervention can be a beneficial educative-supportive approach in cardiac surgery fields.

Randomized Controlled Trial of a Peer Based Intervention on Cardiac Self-efficacy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: a 3-year Follow-up Results

Background: Self-efficacy is one's belief in ability to succeed in specific situations and considerable factor to maintaining healthy behaviors. It has an important role in person-centred care and significantly improves after effects of heart attacks. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a peer based intervention on cardiac self-efficacy of the patients after bypass surgery.Methods: In this clinical trial study, 60 patients undergoing bypass surgery were chosen and assigned equally into the control and intervention groups. The patients were assigned into two groups by block randomization. While routine education was presented to the patients in the control group, intervention group were taught using the peer education in two sessions. Cardiac self-efficacy of all the selected patients was assessed orderly in 36-month (3 years) follow-up after surgery. Inclusion criteria used to choose the suitable patients were as the following: no record of CABG surgery, understanding and talking Persian language, willingness to participate in the research, age between 40 and 70 years, no dementia, confusion, mental and psychological problems which might hinder their participation. In addition, exclusion criteria in this study were patient’s death, serious physical problems after CABG surgery, emergency and unexpected surgeries, or cancellation the CABG surgery due to patient’s situation. Data was collected using cardiac self-efficacy scale and analyzed using chi-square, independent t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Results: The patients in both groups were homogenous in terms of demographic data. The mean score of cardiac self-efficacy in the intervention group was significantly different from control group in 3- year follow-up after surgery (P&lt;0.038).Conclusions: Based on this study, accomplishment of peer based intervention can be a beneficial educative-supportive approach in cardiac surgery fields.

The Effect of Foot Reflexology Massage on Sleep Quality in Women With Type 2 Diabetes; a Clinical Study

Introduction: Sleep disorders are one of the most important problems in patients with diabetes. The most commonly used method for treating sleep disorders is medication therapy. Therefore, it is important to perform an uncomplicated intervention to relieve sleep disorders in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology massage on the quality of sleep in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Arak city in 2017. Methods: This study was a simple randomized clinical trial performed on 54 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. Before the intervention, Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire was completed for both groups. In the intervention group, foot reflexology massage was performed for 8 sessions. After the intervention, sleep quality questionnaire was completed for both patients. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24 by Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and T-test. Results: Foot reflexology massage improved sleep quality in the intervention group (P0.05). Conclusion: Foot reflexology massage improved the sleep quality of women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Foot reflexology massage can be used as an effective intervention to improve the quality of sleep in these women

Investigating the relationship between self-compassion and occupational stress of nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Tehran university of medical sciences in 2017

Introduction: The effect of occupational stress on quality of life and job performance of nurses necessitates the management of stresses in the workplace. Self-compassion is one of the main constructs in this regard, which in turn has attracted much attention as feature of resilience to stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion in recent years. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between self-compassion and occupational stress among nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2017. Method: The present descriptive-correlational cross-sectional study was conducted on 430 nursing staff working in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected using stratified sampling, with appropriate allocation to the number of nurses employed in each hospital. The data collection tool was long 26- item form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-LF) and a standard occupational stress questionnaire (Gray-Toft and Anderson, 1981). Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS ver. 16. Findings: The majority of nurses (60.5) had a moderate degree of self-compassion and high occupational stress (69.3). The results of Pearson correlation test showed that there is a statistically inverse significant relationship between occupational stress and self-compassion (P<0.001), as well as all of their dimensions, with the exception of dimensions of "common humanity" and "conflict with physicians" (P<0.001). In other words, increased self-compassion level leads to a decrease in nurses' occupational stress and its dimensions. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed a reverse relationship between self-compassion and occupational stress of nurses; therefore, policymakers and nursing authorities can take strides in moderating nurses' level of occupational stress and improving their professional performance by improving their self-compassion skill. © 2018, OMICS Group

The outcomes of heart transplantation: A qualitative study

Background: Heart transplantation has heartened many patients who suffer from end-stage heart diseases. Nonetheless, it is associated with many different outcomes which vary according to the immediate context. Objectives: This study aimed to exploring the outcomes of heart transplantation in a sample of Iranian patients. Methods: This qualitative study was done in 2014-2016 by using Graneheim and Lundman's approach to qualitative content analysis. A purposeful sample of heart recipients was recruited with maximum variation from hospitals of Tehran, Iran. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. Data collection was continued until the categories were saturated. In total, seventeen interviews were done with fifteen heart recipients. Results: The main theme of the study was "Living under the perfect storm of problems." The four main categories of this main theme were financial distress (with the subcategories of the shadow of financial strain on life, the inefficiency of financial support systems, struggle for managing the expenses), living with the consequences (with the subcategories of physical crisis, inability to perform roles, psychological problems), greater commitment to one's own health (with the subcategories of accepting responsibility for health, moving from ignorance to search for information), and tendency to spirituality (with the subcategories of reinforcement of religious beliefs and values, and gratefulness to the donors). Conclusion: During the posttransplantation period, heart recipients encounter difficult conditions, and so, they need to receive stronger support from healthcare organization and authorities. Besides, transplantation-associated financial problems make coping with transplantation more difficult, and hence, appropriate measures are needed to alleviate their financial problems