A pretest-posttest pilot study for the development and preliminary validation of a tool for the clinical assessment of radioiodine induced sialadenitis

Objectives: The clinical assessment of radioiodine-induced sialadenitis is relied on the observer-defined toxicity grading model. However, this model has significant limitations, the major one being the lack of systematic assessment based on objective criteria. The main aim of this study was the development and testing of an assessment tool which could examine the severity of post-irradiation sialadenitis.Methods: The development of the Sialadenitis Assessment Tool proceeded through three phases. The first and second phases included a literature review and the development of the tool which derived from the review, respectively. The third phase involved a pilot testing of the Assessment Tool to a sample of 34 patients undergoing I-131 therapy. The assessment was carried out by two independent healthcare professionals, pre- and post-radioiodine therapy. The results of the assessment tool were compared with other scales, including the DIRIX and EORTC H&N35.Results: According to the Cohen's kappa test, the Sialadenitis Assessment Tool is a reliable tool for the assessment of sialadenitis (Cohen's kappa = 1). The concurrent and internal validity tests showed a tendency of association with most variables (p Conclusion: Preliminary evidence show that Sialadenitis Assessment Tool is a valid and reliable tool to assess radioiodineinduced sialadenitis in patients undergoing I-131 therapy post-thyroidectomy.</p

Medication adherence, self-efficacy and health literacy among patients with glaucoma: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction As the world population ages, glaucoma is becoming an increasingly significant cause of blindness. A key component in the management of glaucoma is the use of prescribed medications and the adherence to treatment. However, there is evidence of low adherence to prescribed medication in chronic diseases, such as glaucoma. This study aims to explore the level of medication adherence, self-efficacy, social support and health literacy among the patients with glaucoma and to determine if there are any correlations between them. The ultimate aim is to use the information to develop an educational programme for patients with glaucoma at a later stage. Methods and analysis This is a mixed-methods study which includes two stages: a descriptive study (stage 1) and focus group discussions (stage 2). Sample: Patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension, using at least one kind of drops, from two ophthalmology clinics. Selected measures include: The Glaucoma Treatment Compliance Assessment Tool, The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire, The Glaucoma Medication Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Two focus groups will be used for the collection of qualitative data, aiming to enrich the study with the patients' experiences. The data will be analysed with SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics for stage 1 whereas content analysis will be used for the data from the focus group discussions (stage 2). Ethics and dissemination Permission to conduct the study was received from the National Bioethics Committee and the board of management of the two ophthalmology clinics. All participants will be informed fully on the purpose and methods of the study. Consent forms will be signed and at any time participants will have the right to withdraw. Confidentiality and the protection of data will be respected at all times

Linking patient satisfaction with nursing care: the case of care rationing -a correlational study

Abstract Background: Implicit rationing of nursing care is the withholding of or failure to carry out all necessary nursing measures due to lack of resources. There is evidence supporting a link between rationing of nursing care, nurses&apos; perceptions of their professional environment, negative patient outcomes, and placing patient safety at risk. The aims of the study were: a) To explore whether patient satisfaction is linked to nurse-reported rationing of nursing care and to nurses&apos; perceptions of their practice environment while adjusting for patient and nurse characteristics. b) To identify the threshold score of rationing by comparing the level of patient satisfaction factors across rationing levels

Exploring Nurses' Perceptions of Medication Error Risk Factors: Findings From a Sequential Qualitative Study

A focus group study was conducted to explore nurses' perceptions of medication administration error associated factors in two medical wards of a tertiary hospital. Nurses were invited to participate in focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was employed and identified four themes: professional practice environment related factors, person-related factors, drug-related factors, and processes and procedures. Staffing, interruptions, system failures, insufficient leadership, and patient acuity were perceived as risk factors for medication errors. The findings of this study complement the findings of an observational study which investigated medication administration errors in the same setting. Although some findings were similar, important risk factors were identified only through focus group discussions with nurses. Nurses' perceptions of factors influencing medication administration errors provide important considerations in addressing factors that contribute to errors and for improving patient safety

Factors influencing nurses' compliance with Standard Precautions in order to avoid occupational exposure to microorganisms: A focus group study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nurses may acquire an infection during the provision of nursing care because of occupational exposure to microorganisms. Relevant literature reports that, compliance with Standard Precautions (a set of guidelines that can protect health care professionals from being exposed to microorganisms) is low among nurses. Additionally, high rates of exposure to microorganisms among nurses via several modes (needlesticks, hand contamination with blood, exposure to air-transmitted microorganisms) occur. The aim of the study was to study the factors that influence nurses' compliance with Standard Precaution in order to avoid occupational exposure to pathogens, by employing a qualitative research design.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A focus group approach was used to explore the issue under study. Four focus groups (N = 30) were organised to elicit nurses' perception of the factors that influence their compliance with Standard Precautions. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as the theoretical framework and the data were analysed according to predetermined criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Following content analysis, factors that influence nurses' compliance emerged. Most factors could be applied to one of the main domains of the HBM: benefits, barriers, severity, susceptibility, cues to action, and self-efficacy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Changing current behavior requires knowledge of the factors that may influence nurses' compliance with Standard Precautions. This knowledge will facilitate in the implementation of programs and preventive actions that contribute in avoiding of occupational exposure.</p

Coronary artery bypass grafting and health-related quality of life

Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) has traditionally been evaluated using exclusively clinical indicators such as mortality, morbidity and complication rates. Today, any objective assessment should always be supplemented with the patients' subjective asses-sement of the quality of life. Research findings suggest that almost one forth of the patients after CABS exhibit a significant improvement in the quality of life, especially in regards to physical condition and functioning. However, in the early recovery period patients frequently demonstrate psychological problems and have a limited activity. Sex, age, presence of other chronic diseases and physical condition before surgery have been found to be significant predictive factors of the quality of life after CABS. Health care professionals must understand the importance of patients' assessment of the quality of life. They must identify patients at high risk for negative outcome after CABS, plan an individualized pre and post-operative hospital care plan, and institute a rehabilitation program to meet their needs

A comparison of surgical patients' and nurses' perceptions of patient's autonomy, privacy and informed consent in nursing interventions

Objective: To investigate and compare Greek patients' and nurses' perceptions of the realisation of autonomy, informed consent and privacy in surgical nursing care. Design and setting: The study used a non-experimental comparative descriptive design and the data were collected from a convenience sample of 275 surgical patients and 222 nurses of six hospitals using two parallel self-completed questionnaires. Results: Nurses perceived that information-giving was realised more than any other concept and that they had given patients an opportunity to decide on alternative treatments, length of stay, eating and drinking, pain relief, sleeping pills, bladder and bowel function, hygiene and wound care. Nurses believed more than patients that patients' privacy was protected, while neither patients nor nurses perceived the provision of informed consent. Patients who had never been operated on previously and had a planned admission felt more that they were offered the opportunity to make decisions. Those with a planned admission who had been offered informed consent believed that they had received information, their privacy had been protected and they had given informed consent. Nurses with training on ethics believed more strongly that patients had received information and informed consent. Conclusion: Nurses perceived autonomy, informed consent, and privacy were more often realised than the patients perceived

Nursing Management

Η Bιβλιοθήκη Σχολής Επιστημών Υγείας διαθέτει αντίτυπα του βιβλίου σε έντυπη μορφή με ταξινομικό αριθμό: RA971.M47 2008Το βιβλίο αυτό απευθύνεται σε φοιτητές, νοσηλευτές και γενικότερα σε επαγγελματίες υγείας και έχει ως κύριο σκοπό την εισαγωγή τους στην επιστήμη και την τέχνη της διοίκησης των νοσηλευτικών υπηρεσιών. Το βιβλίο διαιρείται σε τρία μέρη. Το πρώτο μέρος εστιάζει στη δομή και στα χαρακτηριστικά των οργανώσεων, καθώς και στους παράγοντες που τις επηρεάζουν. Το δεύτερο μέρος επικεντρώνεται στη συμπεριφορά ατόμων και ομάδων, καθώς και σε προβλήματα που προκύπτουν στην οργάνωση από τη συμπεριφορά αυτή. Τέλος, το τρίτο μέρος περιλαμβάνει σύγχρονα θέματα διοίκησης σε σχέση με την ποιότητα στον χώρο της υγείας

Nursing Research Methodology

Η βιβλιοθήκη Σχολής Επιστημών Υγείας διαθέτει αντίτυπο του βιβλίου σε έντυπη μορφή με ταξινομικό αριθμό: RT81.5 .M47 2008Το βιβλίο αυτό απευθύνεται πρωτίστως σε νοσηλευτές, αλλά μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί και από άλλους επαγγελματίες υγείας. Μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για το εισαγωγικό μάθημα της μεθοδολογίας της έρευνας ή ως βασική πηγή πληροφοριών για τον κλινικό νοσηλευτή ή τον επαγγελματία υγείας. Το βιβλίο διαιρείται σε έξι κεφάλαια. Το πρώτο κεφάλαιο περιλαμβάνει τους βασικούς ορισμούς, το σκοπό και τα είδη της νοσηλευτικής έρευνας, μια σύντομη περιγραφή της ερευνητικής διαδικασίας και την ιστορία της νοσηλευτικής έρευνας . Τα επόμενα πέντε κεφάλαια ακολουθούν την εξέλιξη της ερευνητικής διαδικασίας: α) Εννοιολογική Φάση β) Φάση Σχεδιασμού-Προγραμματισμού γ) Εμπειρική Φάση, δ) Αναλυτική Φάση, ε) Φάση Διάχυσης

Computer-based documentation and bedside terminals

Rising health care costs and the need for enhancing the quality of clinical care are concerns of hospitals throughout the world. Documentation consumes excessive amounts of nursing time and directly influences the quality of clinical practice, research, administration and education. Recent developments in information technology have offered many alternatives to traditional systems of documentation. Many hospitals have installed bedside terminals, but only few have conducted and published studies regarding their implementation. Most of the studies come from the US and report improved quality of care and reduction of nursing expenses. All the relevant studies have design, sample and methodological problems. There is a need for additional systematic studies to prove the actual benefits of the bedside terminals and link them with the outcomes of care. This paper intends to review the literature and discuss the installation, use, results and future directions of the bedside terminals