Lived Experience of Women Suffering from Vitiligo: A Phenomenological Study

Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease, which through change of appearance and body image, exerts a devastating effect on people, especially women. The objective of this study is to explore lived experience of women with Vitiligo by the hermeneutic phenomenology method. The purposive sample consisted of 16 Iranian women. Data analysis followed Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). The results showed four main themes: (1) Perceiving myself in a different light; (2) Vitiligo: Worry about others’ perceptions; (3) Vitiligo, Being influenced by cultural beliefs; and (4) Accepting and fighting the disease; Variations in experiences of living with Vitiligo. The women affected with Vitiligo during their marriage-ready years face various psychosocial problem s such as rejection by associates, isolation, divorce, and forced choice of a single lif

Assessing Awareness Level about Warning Signs of Cancer and its Determinants in an Iranian General Population

The present study was aimed at investigating the awareness level about warning signs of cancer and its determinants in an Iranian general population. This cross-sectional interview-based survey investigated 2,500 people aged 18 years and over, as a representative sample of Tehran population. Latent class regression was applied for analyzing data. A small (18.8%) proportion of the respondents had high level of knowledge, and 54.5% had moderate awareness, and 26.7% had low level of awareness. Most effective predictors for awareness were educational attainment, sex, and marital status. The findings suggest that the overall level of knowledge about warning signs of cancer among the public is low, particularly about some specific signs. Accordingly, educational and intervention programmes, with special attention placed on particular at-risk populations, to increase awareness about the disease leading to its early diagnosis are needed

Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of Clinical Performance Assessment Scale among Nursing Students

Background & Objective: Effective bedside care is the main objective of nursing education. Correct clinical evaluation of students has been one of the toughest tasks for clinical nursing lecturers. The objective of this study was the translation and psychometric evaluation of the clinical performance assessment scale among nursing students in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the objective of validating the Iranian version of the nursing students’ performance scale within the clinical setting. The scale was translated from English into Persian by the backward and forward method. Its face and content validities were determined. 2 items was added in the content and face validity process. In order to determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis by convenience sampling method was carried out on 275 senior nursing students within clinical educational settings for 5 months. Evaluation was conducted according to this scale. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure internal consistency. Results: The mean and standard deviation of students’ scores was 63.98 ± 13.35. Factor analysis indicated the extraction of three factors: the nursing process (10 items, eigenvalue 8.99), professional behaviors (16 items, eigenvalue 7.97), and technical skills (2 items, eigenvalue 2.03). The reliability of the scale obtained by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.92. Conclusion: The results of psychometric evaluation of the clinical performance assessment scale vindicated the reliability and validity of this scale and the potential for using this instrument in the nursing education field in Iran. However, the inclusion of the technical skills factor would need further balancing and expansion. Keywords Clinical practice Nursing student Education Evaluatio

The effect of the emotional intelligence education programme on quality of life in haemodialysis patients

Author's accepted version (post-print).Available from 18/10/2018.acceptedVersio

The Comparison of Two Types of Relaxation Techniques on Postoperative State Anxiety in Candidates for The Mastectomy Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Anxiety among patients after surgery can affect their physiological and psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of Benson’s relaxation and rhythmic breathing techniques on postoperative anxiety in candidates for the mastectomy surgery. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted with ninety patients in 2013. The patients were hospitalized for the mastectomy surgery in three surgical wards in a teaching hospital, Tehran, Iran. They were randomly assigned into three groups: Benson’s relaxation including the cognitive relaxation technique type, rhythmic breathing including the somatic relaxation technique type and control groups. According to the Davidson and Schwartz multi-process theory, the Benson’s relaxation and the rhythmic breathing techniques have cognitive and somatic effects, respectively. One day before the surgery, the patients in the intervention groups were trained regarding relaxation and breathing techniques and were asked to perform the techniques under the supervision of the researcher in the night before the surgery. The cognitive somatic anxiety questionnaire was used to measure anxiety before the intervention and half an hour after recovery of consciousness after the surgery. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis via the SPSS v.21 software. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics. The application of both techniques reduced the level of patients’ anxiety after the surgery. The patients in the Benson’s relaxation technique group reported only the relief of somatic anxiety. However, the breathing technique patients reported a reduction in both cognitive and somatic anxiety. Conclusion: The Benson’s relaxation and rhythmic breathing techniques can reduce postoperative anxiety in patients after the mastectomy surgery

The effect of nigella

Introduction: Phlebitis, that disrupts chemotherapy, is the inflammation of the vein and the most common complication of intravenous injection of chemotherapy drugs. Aim: the aim was determine the effect of topical application of N. sativa oil on the prevention of phlebitis caused by chemotherapy. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 60 cancer patients. In the intervention group, five drops of N. sativa oil was applied on the distal area of the catheter, two times per day and every 12 hours from the first day of chemotherapy to the third day; no intervention was conducted for the subjects in the control group. Results: Results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups at 60 and 72 hours in regard with incidence of phlebitis. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups at 12 and 72 hours in terms of severity (degree) of phlebitis. Conclusion: topical application of N. sativa oil is effective in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced phlebitis

Effect of Clinical Evaluation with Portfolio on Critical Thinking Skills of Nursing Students

Introduction: Critical thinking is an essential part of nursing care, and developing critical thinking skills in nursing education is a priority. So, this research is to assess the effect of clinical evaluation with portfolio method on critical thinking skills of nursing students. Methods: Fifth semester nursing students of Nursing and Midwifery school in Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated in this quasi experimental research. These students were randomly divided into two groups of clinical evaluation through portfolio and routine methods. Both groups filled the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Questionnaire at the beginning and end of clinical course. Data were analyzed by Fisher, Mann Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and Spearman tests. Results: Results showed that all aspects of critical thinking skills had been improved in both groups. Statistically, comparing before- and after- course scores, skills advancement just in total score (p=0.005), and diagnosing propositions (p=0.002) and evaluation of reasons ( p=0.015) in routine group were significant. Wilcoxon test results showed that total scores of critical thinking before and after intervention for each student in routine group were significantly different (p=0.005 ). But, the total score of critical thinking test in portfolio group showed no significant difference before and after intervention(p=0.303). Although, total test scores were more in portfolio group compared to routine group after intervention, Mann Whitney U test showed no significant difference (p=0.628). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that although critical thinking scores increased in both groups after intervention, promotion of critical thinking was less in portfolio group compared to the routine group. Since previous researches have shown portfolios to improve critical thinking, more researches are recommended to be conducted to evaluate their clinical function in nursing education