Iranian Journal Of Medical - Surgical Nursing
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Nov 2021

Patients with heart failure (HF) need continuousmedical care, including regular follow-up, training, and information acquisition to increase self-care capacity. Adherence to self-care behaviors reduces patient readmission

This study examined the impact of the continuous care model (CCM) on self-efficacy and readmission of patients hospitalized with HF.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on patients with HF visiting two teaching hospitals in southeastern Iran in 2021. The participants were 70 patients who were selected using convenience sampling and were placed into two control and intervention groups, each with 35 patients through limited random sampling. The patients in the control group received routine care, but the CCM was performed for the patients of the intervention group in the form of individual training for 6 sessions in the hospital and after discharge and then through telephone follow-up once a week until the end of the twelfth week. The instruments used to collect the data were a demographic information form that assessed patient readmission and their demographic information and Sullivan’s Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 22) using the chi-square test, independent and paired samples t-test, and analysis of covariance at the significance level of P < 0.05.

Analysis of covariance showed that the mean self-efficacy score of the patients with HF was significantly different between the two groups after implementing continuous care (P = 0.001). The results of the independent samples t-test suggested that the mean and standard deviation of readmission frequencies in the control group (1.03 ± 1.01) were significantly higher than the mean readmission frequencies of the patients in the intervention group (0.34 ± 0.68) (P = 0.001).

Given the positive and significant effect of the CCM on increasing patient self-efficacy and reducing the frequency of readmissions, and considering the ease, applicability, and low cost of this intervention, relevant authorities need to make effective planning and policies to implement the CCM for patients with HF.

Patients’ rights refer to specific legal privileges related to physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs that have been reflected in the form of medical standards, rules, and regulations, and the health system and medical staff are responsible for their observance.

The present study aimed to assess the observance of patients’ rights by physicians (surgeons and anesthesiologists) and technicians (anesthetists and operating room technicians).

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 142 operating room technicians and physicians working in hospitals affiliated with Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling. The patient rights observation checklist was completed by indirect observation of the participants’ performance, and the data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 using the chi-square test and independent samples t-test.

The mean scores for the extent to which patients’ rights were observed by all technicians and all physicians were 69.7 ± 10.5 and 57.17 ± 11.7, respectively. The corresponding values were 65.15 ± 9.36 and 54.27 ± 11.24 for the anesthesiologists and surgeons and 84.16 ± 7.31 and 66.63 ± 8.23 for the anesthetists and operating room technicians, respectively. The patients’ rights observance scores were significantly higher for the anesthetists than for the operating room technicians (P = 0.001) and higher for the anesthesiologists than for the surgeons (P = 0.005).

This study indicated that although anesthesiologists and anesthetists observed patients’ rights more than operating room technicians and surgeons, the observance of patients’ rights in the operating room was generally moderate. Thus, it is essential to hold refresher courses in medical ethics and patient rights for medical staf

One of the most important complications of cancer treatment is mucositis, whose prevention is essential because, in some cases, the presence of mucositis leads to the cessation of the treatment and the progression of cancer.

This study aimed to examine the effect of self-care training on the severity of oral mucositis in patients with breast cancer who underwent chemotherapy in 2020.

The present study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with two groups of 74 patients with breast cancer in selected hospitals of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the southeast of Iran in 2020. The patients were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. Considering the inclusion criteria, an oral assessment was performed on the patients at the beginning of the study using standard tools. Then, the patients in the intervention group received individual training in the first four weeks of the study. Oral mucositis was assessed for the patients in both groups during weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 after the intervention. The patients in the control group did not receive any special training. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and the chi-square test and independent samples t-test. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare the two groups and to examine the effective variables and time-group interaction.

The results of the chi-square test indicated no significant intergroup difference after four training sessions in terms of the presence of mucositis in weeks 2, 4, and 6 (P = 0.6 in the second week, P = 0.18 in the fourth week, and P = 0.16 in the sixth week). However, the chi-square test indicated a statistically significant difference between the two groups at the end of the eighth week (χ 2 = 12.67; P = 0.005). In addition, the odds ratios for the severity of mucositis in patients using the GEE test showed that the only variable that played a significant role in preventing mucositis was the self-care intervention (OR = 0.02; P = 0.03). Other variables, such as smoking (OR = 0.2; P = 0.04), BMI (OR = 6.6; P = 0.08), and age (OR = 0.9; P = 0.3) had no effect on the possibility of developing mucositis.

Self-care training with an emphasis on personal health and especially oral health to cancer patients can be effective in preventing mucositis. Therefore, medical staff should focus on oral health self-care training as a priority in training programs.

Globalization is accompanied by cultural diversity. Although cultural differences are considered an integral part of this phenomenon, it seems that language barriers would make communication difficult. This study aimed to investigate how cultural intelligence correlates with the communication skills and social interactions of emergency department (ED) staff members.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 197 ED staffmembers of three hospitals in Zanjan, Iran, in 2019. The tools used for data collection included the Cultural Intelligence Scale, Communication Skills Scale, and Social Interactions Questionnaire.

The results of this study revealed that the participants’ totalmean scores of cultural intelligence and communication skills were 85.78 ± 6.24 out of 140 and 55.41 ± 3.9 out of 90, respectively. In terms of social interactions, the mean score of the positive thoughts dimension of the subjects (47.86±4.14) was higher than that of negative thoughts (33.01±3.92). The total score of cultural intelligence had a positive correlation with communication skills; accordingly, an increase in the cultural intelligence level resulted in an increase in positive thoughts and a decrease in negative thoughts (P < 0.001).

An increase in the cultural intelligence of ED staff members is accompanied by an increase in their communication skills and positive thoughts. For the improvement of the communication and service quality of the ED, leaders are recommended to provide some courses to enhance the cultural intelligence and cultural competence of their employees.

Reducing the anxiety in spouses suffering from cardiovascular diseases is essential for themselves and improving treatment outcomes by increasing adherence to treatment and medication.

This study aimed to examine the effect of couple education on spouses’ anxiety, and treatment adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 70 couples, including the spouses and patients with ACS admitted to the cardiac intensive care units of Khatam al-Anbia and Ali Ibn Abitaleb hospitals of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The participants in the intervention group attended three training sessions for three consecutive days based on their clinical diagnosis and treatment following the educational table of content. The instructions in the training sessions were provided to the patients and their spouses for 40 to 60 minutes in the clinic. In contrast, the patients in the control group received only routine ward care. Twelve weeks after the intervention, data were collected using two self-report instruments, including the Medication Adherence Scale and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) using paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

The ANCOVA showed that after the couple education intervention, the mean anxiety score of the spouses of ACS patients in the intervention group was significantly lower than the score of the participants in the control group (P = 0.001). Moreover, the mean score of patients’ treatment adherence in the intervention group (58.54 ± 5.00) was significantly higher than that of the control group (39.05 ± 9.11) (P = 0.001).

The present study indicated that couple education reduces anxiety in the spouses of ACS patients and increases treatment adherence in the patients. Thus, integrating interventions such as couple education in the rehabilitation programs for ACS patients can improve treatment adherence in patients and reduce anxiety in spouses.

Diabetes is one of themost commonmetabolic diseases leading to debilitating complications. One of themost important causes of complications in diabetic patients is non-adherence to the medication regimen due to forgetfulness and negligence.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of education with an automatic SMS reminder system on type 2 diabetes patients’ medication adherence.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on 120 patients with type 2 diabetes referring to the Diabetes Clinic in Zahedan in 2021. The participants were randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. The participants in the intervention group were reminded to take their medications using the automatic SMS service. The data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS). The MMAS items were completed by the participants in both groups before the intervention and one month after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-26 software at a significance level of 0.05.

The results indicated that the mean scores of medication adherence in the two intervention and control groups before training with the automatic SMS reminder system were not significantly different (P = 0.052). However, after the intervention, the mean score of medication adherence for the patients in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the patients in the control group (P = 0.001).

Drug reminders using the automated SMS reminder system can improve medication adherence in diabetic patients.