Journal of Holistic Nursing and Midwifery
Volume:28 Issue: 4, Autumn 2018

Osteoporosis and fractures resulting from it, along with increased pain, disability, decreased Quality of Life (QoL) and death, is an important health issue worldwide.  The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of life in patients with osteoporosis referring to Fasa Bone Density Test Center, compared to the healthy people.  This was an analytical cross-sectional study, conducted on 300 subjects (150 subjects with osteoporosis and 150 subjects without osteoporosis) referring to Fasa Bone Densitometry Center. Qualeffo-41 (Quality of Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis) standard questionnaire, which its validity and reliability have been confirmed in Iran, was used to determine the quality of life and  scored based on a scale of 100. Higher scores in this instrument indicated lower quality of life. The data were analyzed using Chi-square test and Independent t test and P <0.05 was considered as the significance level. The mean score of overall quality of life in patients with osteoporosis and the healthy ones were 23.96±2.34 and 11.78±4.84, respectively. Comparison of the scores of different domains of quality of life showed that patients with osteoporosis were different from healthy individuals in all domains (P<0.05). Considering the effect of osteoporosis in reducing the quality of life in patients, prevention and early treatment of this disease appear to improve the quality of life in the affected people.

Mothers form the core of the family unit. They also play an important role in the success and health of other family members. Hence, the health and development of any society is largely based on women’s health. The health of working women with toddlers, which can be affected by changes in lifestyle, is the need of the modern society. Therefore, identifying barriers to a healthy lifestyle is essential to promote women’s health.  This study aimed to determine the barriers to a healthy lifestyle related to the health of working mothers with toddlers from the mother’s perspective.  This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted on 60 working mothers with toddlers in Semnan City in 2015. For this purpose, all mothers with toddlers whose children attended kindergarten, were included in the study. After collecting and recording the mothers’ demographic data, the Lifestyle Standardized Questionnaire was administered to them to measure 10 aspects of physical health, sports and fitness, weight and nutrition management, disease prevention, psychological health, mental health, social health, avoiding drugs, prevention of disasters, and environmental health. Then, the researcher-made 34-item questionnaire of obstacles to lifestyle in three domains of physical health, psychological health, and social health was filled by the mothers. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test to determine the relationship between the variables. About 70% of the mothers were 30 years or older. Regarding the physical aspect, there was a neglect of physical activity due to abundant work occupation (71.7%). Regarding the psychological health aspect, the working mother’s fear and concern about her child’s disease in kindergarten (61.7%) was paramount. In the social health aspect, the presence of work induced by familial life requirements (as a mother, wife) (65%) obtained the most scores as barriers to a healthy lifestyle. According to the Chi-square test, there was no meaningful relationship between the demographic variables and barriers to a healthy lifestyle (P=0.05). The results of this study could be a step towards identifying effective factors and then developing a strategy to promote a healthy lifestyle among working mothers with toddlers. 

Social skills are acceptable behaviors that enable people to interact effectively with others and avoid socially unacceptable responses. These skills are fundamentally linked with all aspects of children’s lives and affect their compatibility. To determine the social skills of preschool children in Rasht City based on their parents’ points of views. This was a cross-sectional, analytical study. The sample included 546 6-year-old children in the preschool centers of Rasht, Iran, who were selected using a multistage cluster sampling method. The study data were gathered using children’ and parents’ demographic questionnaire and the Social Skills Rating System-Parents (SSRS-P). The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive (means and standard deviation) and inferential (Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test) statistics. According to the mothers’ viewpoints, the majority of children had moderate social skills with respect to cooperation (72.1%), assertion (65.8%), self-control (67.4%), and overall social skill (67.6%). In addition, significant correlations were found between the overall social skill and father’s age (P=0.021), mother’s education (P=0.001), father’s education (P=0.005), mother’s job (P=0.023), father’s job (P=0.011), child’s gender (P=0.022), attending the kindergarten (P=0.011), and parents’ financial status (P=0.001). Considering that the parents rated the social skills of their children as moderate, we suggest that social skills training be provided for children in preschool centers, so that their social skills could be improved before they start going to school and prevent the negative outcomes of social skills deficiency.

Compliance with the safety standards in the operating rooms, as one of the most complex work environments in the health care systems, is very important. One of the safety measures is the infection control standard.  This study aimed to investigate compliance with infection control standards in the operating rooms of teaching hospitals in Rasht City, Iran. This research was an analytical cross-sectional study. A researcher-made checklist was used to examine physical structure, equipment and facilities, and the personnel performance of 11 operating rooms in six teaching hospitals affiliated to the Guilan University of Medical Sciences in Rasht City with respect to infection control standards. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fisher test. The rate of compliance with infection control standards associated with the physical structure of the operating room was 72.7% and for equipment and facilities as well as personnel performance was 59.1%. There was no statistically significant relationship between compliance with infection control standards in the area of personnel performance, work shift, or the number of elective and emergency operations. The compliance of physical structure, equipment and facilities, and the personnel performance of the operating rooms with infection control standards were at moderate level. Thus, the operating rooms in our hospitals may need monitoring and examination.

Domestic violence is considered a serious threat to the health and rights of women throughout the world. Evidence indicates that addiction and the consumption of narcotics and alcohol is among important individual causes resulting in violence against women.  This research aimed to compare the impact of the addiction of the spouses on women who were subject of violence with women who were not subject of violence. This was an analytical cross-sectional study. The study samples included 110 women referring to health and treatment centers and the family courts of the city of Rasht, Iran selected by the convenience sampling method. Study tools included the World Health Organization questionnaire on domestic violence. The questionnaire’s reliability was assessed through intraclass reliability coefficient. Descriptive statistics indicators and Independent t test, Chi-square test, Mann Whitney test, and the repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis.  The mean age of the participants in the non-violated group and in the violated group were (32.69±7.65) and (33.94±6.92) years, respectively. The most rated violence was psychological violence with 44.13%, followed by the physical violence with 33.88% and the sexual violence with 30.9% in the group who have experienced domestic violence. The use of opium (P=0.03), and heroin (P=0.002) was significantly higher in the spouses of women who had experienced domestic violence compared to the spouses of women without experiencing domestic violence. However, no significant difference was seen between the two groups, with regard to smoking and the use of psychedelic drugs and consumption of alcohol.  Considering the high incidence of domestic violence against women who participated in this research and recognizing that addiction is a major risk factor in violence against women, psychological health policies should consider preventive plans and allocate resources to prevent violence against women and its terrible consequences.

Sleeping is one of the most important human innate needs, and its disruption due to a variety of illnesses, can cause anxiety, distress, and adverse mental health conditions in the individual.  This study aimed to examine the relationship of sleep quality with general health in patients with heart failure. This is a cross-sectional analytical study conducted on 150 patients with heart failure hospitalized in the cardiology department of one of the hospitals in Sari City, Iran in 2014. The data collection tools were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) inventory and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). For analyzing the collected data, the Independent t test, Pearson correlation and Chi-squared test were used. About 26.2% of the patients had good quality of sleep, while 73.8% had poor quality. The patients’ mean score of general health was reported as 29.14±13.75. According to Chi-squared test results, except sleep duration and habitual sleep efficiency, other dimensions of sleep quality had significant relationship with general health. Based on the Independent t test results, age and marital status of the patients had a significant relationship with some dimensions of sleep quality (P<0.05). According to Pearson correlation test results, somatic symptoms and anxiety as two dimensions of general health, had significant association with ejection fraction of patients’ hearts (P=0.008, r=0.6). Also, there was significant relationship between depression and gender of the patients (P=0.003) based on the Independent t test. According to the results, sleep quality and general health in patients with heart failure are at low level and they are directly related to each other. Therefore, providing specific general health-care services can be useful for these patients and improve their sleep quality.

Among women’s cancers, breast and cervical cancers are most common with high mortality rate, but they can be rectified in the initial stages with cost-effective, easy and readily available screening programs. The task of informing the community and directing them towards the screening programs is one of the major responsibilities of the health team. Determining the screening test status for common female cancers and their associated factors among the personnel working in the health and educational centers. In this cross-sectional and analytical study, 212 employees (physicians, gynecologists, nurses, midwives and family health unit personnel) from Al-Zahra Medical Center and the health centers of Rasht City (15 centers) were studied. A 4-part questionnaire was prepared and completed by the selected employees. For statistical analysis, descriptive characteristics and Independent t test were used. To determine the predictor-related factors for conducting Pap Smear test, mammography and breast self-examination, multiple analysis and logistic regression model were used. The results showed that 76.80% of the subjects with regard to Pap Smear test, 50% with regard to mammography and 86.60% with regard to breast self-examination had a good performance. Age (B=-0.12, P=0.007), age of the first pregnancy (B=0.14, P=0.05) and early diagnosis of cancer by screening (B=1.21, P=0.04) were predictive factors for performing Pap Smear. Duration of the current contraceptive method (P=0.05, B=-0.07), presence of suspicious mass in the breast (B=2.095, P=0.004) and fear of cancer (B=-0.85, P=0.07) were predictive factors for performing mammography. While, fear of cancer (P=0.02, B=6.31) was the only predictor of breast self-examination. Considering that working personnel in health-care centers are models for the general public, promoting their health behaviors such as performing timely tests can be an effective approach to promote better health in the community.

The quality of care in patient’s view lacks the optimal and desired level in hospital wards with respect to psychosocial dimension. Moreover, there is a direct relationship between the methods of the division labor of nurses and the quality of patient care.  This study aimed to compare the primary nursing method and case method on the psychosocial dimension of the quality of patient care in Coronary Care Units (CCU). This is a experimental study conducted on 60 patients in two groups at 4 CCUs of Educational Centers in Mashhad City, Iran in 2014. After performing these two methods, the quality of patient care with respect to psychosocial dimensions were assessed by the interview method using the quality of patient care questionnaire. Finally, the results were analyzed using the Independent t test, Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests. The mean age of patients was 56.4±13.7 years and the mean age of nurses was 37.4±4.4 years. The mean score of individual psychosocial dimension was 41.7±7.1 for the primary nursing method group and 27.6±8.9 for the case method group. Also the mean score of group psychosocial dimension for the quality of care in primary nursing method 17.3±5.7 and case method 12.3±7.6 groups using Independent t test showed a significant difference between the two groups, i.e. the quality of both individual and group psychosocial dimensions in the primary group were significantly higher (P=0.0001).  It seems that the implementation of primary nursing method can partly improve the quality of care in individual and group psychosocial dimensions.