Questionnaires measuring patients' spiritual needs: A narrative literature review

Context: The objective of the present review was to collect published spiritual needs questionnaires and to present a clear image of the research condition of this domain. Evidence Acquisition: First, an electronic search was conducted with no limits on time span (until June 2015) or language in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, ProQuest and Google Scholar. All derivations of the keywords religion and spiritual alongside need and its synonyms were included in the search. Researches that introduced new tools was then selected and included in the study. Due to the limited quantity of questionnaires in this domain and with no consideration given to the existence or lack of exact standardization information, all of the questionnaires were included in the final report. Results: Eight questionnaires were found: patients spiritual needs assessment scale (PSNAS), spiritual needs inventory (SNI), spiritual interests related to illness tool (SpIRIT), spiritual needs questionnaire (SpNQ), spiritual needs assessment for patients (SNAP), spiritual needs scale (SNS), spiritual care needs inventory (SCNI), and spiritual needs questionnaire for palliative care. Conclusions: These questionnaires have been designed from a limited medical perspective and often involve cultural concepts which complicate their cross-cultural applicability. © 2016, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

Participating in university entrance exam despite repeated failure: a qualitative study of participants' experiences

Objectives: To explore the experiences of general practitioners who continue to sit a highly-competitive residency entrance examination, despite repeated failure. Methods: This qualitative, exploratory study employed semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 35 candidates of a residency entrance exam who had failed the examination at least twice and were preparing to sit it again. Interview questions addressed the challenges they faced and how they managed these challenges. Interview data were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed to identify themes. Results: The results demonstrated that more than 50 (n=19) of candidates struggled continuously and internally with different aspects of the exam. These include being under a great deal of pressure to succeed, failing to prioritize study materials, inefficient review during the final days  of preparation, and sitting the exam with an afflicted body. Furthermore, during the examination, they frequently used inefficient strategies to answer questions. Afterwards, they experienced feelings of freedom associated with having finished the exam. Conclusions: Participation in a highly-competitive examination exerts a considerable amount pressure on low-performing candidates. This climate not only results in burn out of participants, but it also influences their learning styles and identities as future physicians. It is therefore necessary to design a syllabus for both test candidates and policy makers, in order better to manage this environment. Candidates also should be aware of their individual weaknesses in order to improve their studying skills

Improvement of restless legs syndrome by nabat: A case series and new hypotheses for research

Background: Although many hypotheses have been suggested, the pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome (RLS) has not been fully understood. In this case series, we describe eleven cases with RLS whose symptoms subsided by the use of crystallized sucrose. This kind of sugar, known as nabat, is used in traditional Iranian medicine. Methods: Case series. Results: All patients felt relief 30-60 min after taking 100 grams of dissolved nabat. Conclusions: Sucrose seems to carry a special benefit for patients with RLS, and it provides evidence for growing literature demonstrating the different underlying mechanisms of RLS. Possible causes for this concurrence are also discussed. © 2016 by De Gruyter

Comparison between the personality traits of the parents with children addicted to methamphetamines and that of the parents of the healthy children

The relationship between parental personality disorders and child tendency to substance abuse is ambiguous. The present study aimed to assess the personality traits of the parents with children addicted to methamphetamines compared to parents of healthy children. This cross-sectional comparative study was performed on 36 parents of children using methamphetamine who referred to three addiction treatment clinics under the supervision of psychiatrists in Tehran. Also, 36 parents of children without substance abuse were selected from available relatives of the patients as the control group. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III) was used to assess personality traits. In comparison with personality traits between mothers of diseased and healthy children, obsessive-compulsive personality trait was more observed in mothers with healthy children, but avoidant, depressive, antisocial, sadistic, negative, masochistic, schizotypal, borderline, and paranoid traits were more prevalent in mothers with affected children. Similar comparison of personality traits between fathers of the affected and healthy participants showed that obsessive-compulsive trait was more frequent in fathers with healthy children while avoidant, depressive, dependent, antisocial, sadistic, negative, masochistic, schizotypal, borderline, and paranoid personalities were more prevalent in mothers of diseased children. The presence of personality disorders in parents can potentially increase the likelihood of misusing methamphetamines among children. © 2018, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

Frequency of unconventional treatment use in psychiatric patients

Background: This study was conducted to determine the frequency of unconventional treatment use by psychiatric patients in Tehran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 404 patients diagnosed with psychiatric disorders were studied. The participants responded to a checklist and filled a questionnaire about their demographic characteristics. Results: Simultaneous use of conventional and unconventional treatment was seen in 39.4 of patients, and among them, herbal therapy was the most common type (20.5). No relationship was observed between patient satisfaction and the use of such treatment (p=0.347). Conclusion: There is a high frequency of unconventional treatment use in psychiatric patients. However, the exact reasons for patients' tendency towards such approach and also advantages and disadvantages of its application need more investigation. © 2021, Journal of Iranian Medical Council

Medication Adherence and Drug Attitude Amongst Male Patients with the Methamphetamine-Induced Psychotic Disorder After Discharge: A Three Months Follow Up Study

Medication adherence and attitudes toward psychiatric medication affect treatment outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect and interaction of psychotic symptoms, sociodemographic factors, and attitudes concerning medication use with a three-month follow-up among methamphetamine-induced psychotic male patients. In this prospective, descriptive study, 42 male patients diagnosed with a methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder were selected on the last day of their admission period in Iran Psychiatry Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Each patient was evaluated using the Persian version of the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10), Medication Possession Ratio (MPR), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire immediately, one month and three months after discharge. There was a significant difference in MPR between the first and third months. Moreover, the frequency of patients with a positive attitude toward their medications increased over time. Indeed, all participants stated a positive attitude at the last follow-up based on the DAI-10 cutoff. Based on our findings, medication adherence of male patients with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder should be an essential aspect of treatment after discharge from psychiatry inpatient wards, more specifically, through the first months. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC