فهرست مطالب

Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume:10 Issue: 10, Oct 2020

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1399/10/20
  • تعداد عناوین: 35
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  • Abhishek Singh, Vikas Gupta, Deepika Agrawal, Pooja Goyal, Mitasha Singh, Shveta Lukhmana Page 260
    INTRODUCTION

    Menstruation is a natural phenomenon among women who experience shedding of blood for 1–7 days every month which usually starts between age 11 and 14 years and continues until menopause at about 51 years of age. It is important to maintain menstrual hygiene, as poor practices increase vulnerability to reproductive and urinary tract infections. The present study was conducted with an aim to investigate the impact of focused group discussion (FGD) compared to didactic lectures (DLs) on the menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices.

    METHODS

    The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 649 school girls during January to August 2019 using a convenience sampling technique. After collecting baseline information using a pretested, predesigned, standardized questionnaire, the participants in the control and intervention groups were exposed for the DLs and FGD, respectively, and 1 month after such intervention, the same questionnaire was again self-administered by participants. All tests were performed at a 5% level of significance using SPSS (version 22.0).

    RESULTS

    The baseline characteristics of both the groups such as participants' mean age, mean age of menarche, mother's literacy status, religion, type of family, and socioeconomic status were comparable. There was a difference in the knowledge and practice mean score of participants in the control group for pre- and postintervention, which was highly statistically significant (P < 0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS

    This study reveals that menstrual hygiene is far from satisfactory among most of the school girls. The DLs and FGD have improved the menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among school girls.

    Keywords: Adolescent, knowledge, menstrual, school health
  • Nahid Golmakani, Mahboobeh Gholami, Fatemeh Shaghaghi, Hadise Safinejad, Zahra Kamali, Zahra Mohebbi-Dehnavi Page 261
    INTRODUCTION

    Maternal–fetal attachment is a term used to describe the emotional relationship that a pregnant woman has with her developing fetus. Mental care for pregnant women (fear of childbirth and a sense of cohesion of pregnant women) is one of the most important aspects of prenatal care that affects the mother's attachment to the fetus. If fear and anxiety are relieved, psychological and physical relaxation will be replaced. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between fear of childbirth and the sense of cohesion with the attachment of pregnant mothers to the fetus.

    METHODS

    The present study is a descriptive study that was performed by multi-stage sampling method on 500 pregnant mothers who referred to health centers in Isfahan in 2017. The study participants completed the following questionnaires: fear of childbirth, sense of cohesion, and mother's attachment to the fetus. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical methods (Pearson correlation) using SPSS software version 22.

    RESULTS

    The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between the overall score of maternal attachment to the fetus and fear of childbirth (r = −0.153, P = 0.001). However, there is a significant positive relationship between the overall score of maternal attachment to the fetus and the sense of cohesion (r = 0.112, P = 0.01). The results also showed a significant negative relationship between the fear of childbirth and the dimensions of maternal attachment to the fetus, including interaction with the fetus (P = 0.04), self-sacrifice (P = 0.04), and attributing characteristics to the fetus (P = 0.05). There was a positive and significant relationship between the sense of coherence and the subsequent acceptance of the maternal role of maternal attachment to the fetus (P = 0.004).

    CONCLUSION

    More attention of prenatal care provider to the psychological issues of the pregnant mother and their fears and worries can lead to appropriate interventions in this field, and as a result, mothers' attachment to their fetus has increased so that they can take proper care during and after pregnancy.

    Keywords: Fear of childbirth, mother's attachment to the fetus, sense of cohesion
  • Hadi Kazemi-Arpanahi, Mostafa Shanbehzadeh, Esmat Mirbagheri, Abdolvahab Baradaran Page 262
    INTRODUCTION

    Providing information exchange and collaboration between isolated information systems (ISs) is essential in the health-care environments. In this context, we aimed to develop a communication protocol to facilitate better interoperability among electrophysiology study (EPS)-related ISs in order to allow exchange unified reporting in EPS ablation.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    This study was an applied-descriptive research that was conducted in 2019. To determine the information content of agreed cardiac EPS Minimum Data Set (MDS) in Iran, the medical record of patients undergoing EPS ablation procedure in the Tehran Heart Center (THC) hospital was reviewed by a checklist. Then, an information model based on Health Level Seven, Clinical Document Architecture (HL7 CDA) standard framework for structural interoperability has been developed. In this framework, using NPEX online browser and MindMaple software, a set of terminology mapping rules was used for consistent transfer of data between various ISs.

    RESULTS

    The information content of each data field was introduced into the heading and body sections of HL7 CDA document using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terminology names and codes. Then, the ontology alignment was designed in the form of thesaurus mapping routes.

    CONCLUSION

    The sensitive, complex, and multidimensional nature of cardiovascular conditions requires special attention to the interoperability of ISs. Designing customized communication protocols plays an important role in improving the interoperability, and they are compatible with the needs of future Iranian health information exchange.

    Keywords: Cardiac ablation, communication protocol, electrophysiology study, HL7 CDA, interoperability, terminology mapping
  • Nasrin Nezami, Forouzandeh Dashti, Leyla Alilu, Shiva Heidari Page 263
    BACKGROUND

    Death anxiety is one of the most common problems among women with cancer, which can affect the useful treatment process. With regard to the superior role of spiritual well-being over other aspects of health, the present study is aimed to compare the relationship between spiritual well-being and death anxiety among women with breast and cervical cancers and women with gastric and colorectal cancers.

    METHODOLOGY

    This was a descriptive–correlational study. Research statistical population included Iranian women with cancer at major hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. 160 research samples were selected through convenience sampling method based on inclusion criteria using a demographic questionnaire, spiritual well-being scale (Paloutzian et al.) and death anxiety scale (Templer). Research data were analyzed through SPSS 22 using independent t-test, Pearson's correlation, and analysis of variance at significance level 0.05.

    RESULTS

    The study findings indicated a significant inverse relationship between death anxiety and spiritual well-being (at 0.05) in both groups. As a result, people with higher spiritual well-being would experience less anxiety about death. In addition, the relationship between death anxiety and spiritual well-being in women with gastric and colorectal cancers was stronger than those with breast and cervical cancers.

    CONCLUSION

    Spiritual well-being is of effective factors of death anxiety among women suffering from cancer. Spirituality and meeting spiritual needs are considered as nursing care priorities for these women. Furthermore, paying attention to the spirituality by nurses may shield against individual difficulties.

    Keywords: Anxiety, cancer, death, spirituality
  • Omran Davarinejad, Nima Hosseinpour, Tahereh Mohammadi Majd, Farzaneh Golmohammadi, Farnaz Radmehr Page 264
    INTRODUCTION

    Given the close relationship between life style and mental health and the importance of students as valuable human resources, the present study aimed at determining the relationship between life style and mental health among medical students in Kermanshah.

    METHODS

    This is a descriptive-correlational study that was conducted in 2018. The study involved 200 medical students. The sampling method was convenience sampling. Demographic questionnaire, general health questionnaire, and life style questionnaire were used for data collection. The data were analyzed Pearson's correlation test and regression analysis. The significance level was considered 0.05.

    RESULTS

    The mean mental health score of the students was 25.43 ± 13.02 (2 points higher than the cutoff point of this test). The life style of 59.5 students was moderate. The results showed that all life style subscales had a negative significant relationship with the total mental health score and all its subscales (P < 0.05). Among the life style subscales, the highest relationship and predictive power to mental health were obtained for psychological health, social health, sport and fitness, and environmental health (R2 = 0.48, P < 0.001).

    CONCLUSION

    According to the results, the life style of most medical students in the final year of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences was moderate. Further, the students had a better life style, and they had higher mental health. Therefore, considering the vital role of medical students in providing and promoting community health, the need for more detailed planning and interventions to improve their life style and mental health is essential.

    Keywords: Correlation, life style, medical students, mental health
  • Maryam Damghanian, Habibollah Mahmoodzadeh, Zohreh Khakbazan, Behjat Khorsand, Mohadese Motaharinezhad Page 265
    BACKGROUND

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Iranian women. The number of people with this disease is increasing across the world. Positive family history is one of the risk factors for developing breast cancer. However, early detection is the main method to fight this disease. This study was conducted to examine the effect of education based on the health belief model (HBM) on self-care behaviors among first-degree relatives of patients with breast cancer.

    METHODS

    This clinical trial was conducted in 2016 on 80 women in Tehran city, Iran. Data were collected using a three-part questionnaire regarding demographic data, the HBM, and self-care behaviors. The educational program based on the HBM was held in 4 ninety-minute training sessions through lectures, group discussions, question and answer, image presentations, and PowerPoint presentations. The questionnaires were completed before and 2 months following the intervention by intervention and control groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics through the SPSS16 software.

    RESULTS

    The mean score of the HBM constructs before the intervention in the groups had no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). Eight weeks after the intervention, the mean score of the constructs of the HBM in the intervention group significantly increased and a statistically significant increase in the mean score of self-care in the intervention group compared to the preintervention was found, so that the self-care behavior score in the intervention group was 0.69 ± 0.09 before the intervention and was changed to 0.74 ± 0.09 after the intervention (P < 0.0001).

    CONCLUSION

    Our results suggest that education based on the HBM was effective in promoting self-care behaviors among first-degree relatives of breast cancer patients. Therefore, education based on HBM may have an important implication for breast cancer prevention in Iran.

    Keywords: Breast cancer, education, health behavior, self-care
  • P Mohan Kumar, S Sahitya, Gautami S Penmetsa, S Supraja, Shivashankar Kengadaran, A Chaitanya Page 266
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

    Dental students and practitioners are frequently prone to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to the unawareness of ergonomic principles when practicing dentistry. The aim of this study was to assess the dental student knowledge, attitude, and practice toward ergonomics in three different dental schools.

    METHODOLOGY

    A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1166 dental students from three different dental schools of Andhra Pradesh, India, to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding ergonomics. All the participants were provided with prestructured questionnaire form comprising 13 questions to know their knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics before and after providing guidelines on ergonomic principles.

    RESULTS

    The majority of the dental students appreciate that the most affected regions due to work-related disorders were back (475 before and 559 after instructions), neck (354 and 420), hand and wrist (205 and 117), and shoulder and elbow (132 and 70), respectively. Knowledge and practice scores of dental students (mean and standard deviation) regarding WMSDs before and after applying ergonomic principles were 3.92 ± 2.44, 1.29 ± 1.67 and 5.81 ± 0.87, 3.03 ± 0.60, respectively.

    CONCLUSION

    The present study provides an insight into ergonomics for dental students during routine dental procedures. The knowledge, attitude, and practice related to ergonomics were satisfactorily increased among the participants. Thus, ergonomic education of the dental health-care personnel must be focused in all the educational institutions and at continuing dental health programs by delivering ergonomic principles both theoretically and practically and should be a part of the curriculum.

    Keywords: Attitude, dental students, ergonomics, knowledge, musculoskeletal disorders
  • Roya Moradi, Ali Zargham-Boroujeni, Mohammad Reza Soleymani Page 267
    BACKGROUND

    International research collaboration (IRC) is known as one of the important indicators of productivity, efficiency, and validity of universities in the world. In other words, IRC is necessary for the scientific trade-off between researchers in international scientific societies. The study aimed to address the experiences of an academic researcher about factors related to IRC.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis method. The participants consisted of 19 experienced faculty members and researchers from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, who were selected based on the purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Guba and Lincoln's evaluative criteria, including credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability, were applied to evaluate the trustworthiness of the study.

    RESULTS

    According to the research findings, factors of “personal skills,” “personality,” “professional position,” and “scientific activities” under the category of personal factors; “rules and regulations” and “equipment and facilities” under the organizational factors; and “domestic policies” and “foreign policies” were identified under the government factors category.

    CONCLUSION

    Research collaborations are influenced by individual, intra-academic, and extra-academic factors; thus, research policymakers can help further to enhance the quantity and quality of scientific output and promote the university's placing in international rankings through providing conditions that enable international interactions.

    Keywords: International research collaboration, international scientific collaboration, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, researcher, scientific production
  • Zeynab Rezaei Fard, Arman Azadi, Yousef Veisani, Amirreza Jamshidbeigi Page 268
    BACKGROUND

    Nurses in their workplace, for a variety of reasons, always face moral distress that is an underlying issue in the nursing profession, which can lead to problems such as reduced quality and quantity of care and sleep disorder. Besides, given the increased privatization of hospitals, this study aimed to explore the association between nurses' moral distress and sleep quality and its comparison among nurses in private and public hospitals.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    This was a descriptive-analytical study involving 150 nurses working in Ilam Province hospitals. Sampling conducted using a multistage random sampling method. Data were collected through the questionnaire of sociodemographic characteristics, the Corley's Moral Distress Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, ANOVA, independent t-test, multiple linear regression, and Pearson correlation coefficient at the significant level of P < 0.05 were calculated.

    RESULTS

    The analysis revealed that moral distress was positively associated with sleep quality. Furthermore, the scores of nurses' moral distress and sleep quality were different in private and public hospitals, so that the level of moral distress in the public hospital and sleep quality in the private hospital was higher and lower, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, sleep quality, and the type of employment was the most important predicting variables of moral stress (B = 1.86) and sleep quality (B = 2.39), respectively.

    CONCLUSION

    According to the study results, a positive and significant association was found between moral distress and nurses' sleep quality. It is recommended that appropriate strategies and training program be formulated by the health-care system to increase nurses' ability to combat moral distress adverse effects.

    Keywords: Hospital, moral distress, nurses, sleep quality
  • Safoura Dorri, Azar Abedi, Nooredin Mohammadi Page 269

    Globalization has been attracted by great literature and papers of many disciplines in recent years. Although globalization has considerable social, political, and economic effects, it has turned to an important challenge in health-care systems. Nursing, as the largest part of the health system in the world, has also been affected by globalization. The purpose of the present paper is to critique globalization and its impacts on the nursing profession. This review article was conducted by searching for reliable internet resources in the English language on the impact of globalization on nursing. Published articles were searched until 2018, and related articles were extracted in three stages: 1-selection of articles by reading abstract, 2-selection with an overview of the text, and 3-selection with a full review of the article's text. According to the literature of globalization, we categorize and discuss the nursing areas that are affected by globalization in nine areas: global nursing development, nurses emigration,information interchange and interactions in nursing, higher education in nursing, professional territory, nursing specialization, professional ethics, management and supervision, and professional independence. The intensity of globalization effects on the nursing profession has not been the same in all societies, and factors such as compliance of society, culture, and technology are among the most important factors that affect it. Globalization is an inevitable process and brings with itself many prominent promotions such as global nursing development and important challenges such as nursing emigration and ethical issues.

    Keywords: Education, globalization, internationalization, nursing, nursing challenges
  • Atiye Faghihi, Mohammad Hoseini Moghadam, Nikoo Yamani Page 270

    CONTEXT:

    Along with the evolutions of medical sciences education, the importance of medical education discipline has gained more attention for keeping up with these evolutions. Therefore, paying attention to policymaking regarding the development of this discipline and its position in universities is very necessary.

    AIMS

    This study has been done with the aim of investigating key educational and research factors affecting the future of medical education discipline in Iran.

    SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This is a qualitative study with directed content analysis approach, which has been conducted in eight medical sciences universities having medical education department (Tehran, Iran, Shahid Beheshti, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Kerman) in 2018–2019.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

    A total of 25 participants (professors, students, and graduates) of medical education discipline were selected by purposeful sampling and with maximum diversity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analyzed using MAXQDA software.

    RESULTS

    After analyzing the data, a number of 1561 initial codes were obtained, of which 914 codes were extracted after removing repetitious codes and merging similar codes. Finally, the obtained results from content analysis were classified into two main categories including key educational and research factors and ten subcategories.

    CONCLUSIONS

    Among the most important key educational and research factors affecting the future of medical education discipline, it can be mention to the role of the discipline curriculum and need to revise it, the need to monitor the graduates and their status , globalization, the role of medical education centers and departments, and the role of theses. It is recommended that future studies investigate other key factors affecting the future of the discipline.

    Keywords: Education, future, key factor, medical education discipline, qualitative study, research
  • Salah-Eddine Khzami, Abdelaziz Razouki, Sabah Selmaoui, Boujemaa Agorram Page 271

    CONTEXT:

    Well-being in schools is often considered in relation to the educational and academic success of students. However, it is difficult, at present, not to consider the well-being of a student without an ecological and holistic perspective, in view of the interaction principles implemented in schools. This research aimed to identify the representations hold by Moroccan teenagers about well-being. It aimed, also, to do a comparison between two groups of teenagers: one belonging to urban and the other to rural areas.

    METHODS

    This quantitative study concerns a sample of 1444 pupils (755 girls and 689 boys) enrolled in middle school. Research instrument for this study was questionnaire that includes 15 questions relating to well-being at school, relationships with the teacher, relationships between students, violence experienced, and coeducation.

    RESULTS

    From the analysis of data, pupils in the rural areas seem to be most sensitive to the “emotional” aspects of the teacher–pupil relationship. The girls are more satisfied in middle school than boys. This fact seems to be a very important factor in their retention and in reducing their dropout rate. As expected, academic success is highlighted in the two groups of students as an indicator of well-being. However, the fact of not knowing which orientation to choose constitutes a factor of ill-being for pupils, especially for girls. The results show also that well-being is not taken care of in the two environments (urban and rural). This will explain the results of Moroccan students assessed by the Program for the Monitoring of Student Achievement.

    CONCLUSIONS

    Training programs should focus on the development of teachers communication skills, ability to manage behavioral problems of their students and use teaching approaches to develop positive relationships between students.

    Keywords: Middle school, representations, rural world, urban world, well-being
  • Asaad Ranaei, Hasan Abolghasem Gorji, Aidin Aryankhesal, Mostafa Langarizadeh Page 272
    INTRODUCTION

    Reporting medical errors is a major challenge in patient safety and improving service quality. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the status of error reporting and the challenges of developing an error-reporting system in Iran.

    METHODS

    This study was designed with qualitative approach and grounded theory method in teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. The views of safety authorities at various levels of management, including those responsible for safety at the Ministry of Health, Vice Chancellor and Hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, were investigated in 2019 regarding adverse events.

    RESULTS

    Four major themes were identified included iceberg reporting and disclosure, weak reporting, underreporting, and non-error disclosure. The most common problems in reporting medical error were non-involvement of physicians in the error-reporting process, structural (human and information) bugs in root cause analysis sessions, and defective error prevention approaches designed based on the failure mode and effects analysis.

    DISCUSSION

    Despite a large number of medical errors occurred in health-care settings, error reporting is still very low, with only a limited number of errors being reported routinely in hospitals and the rest are minor and occasional reports.

    CONCLUSION

    Creating a mandatory error-reporting system and requiring physicians to report and participate in error analysis sessions can create a safety culture and increase the error-reporting rate.

    Keywords: Error disclosure, error reporting, Iran, patient safety
  • Mohammad Heidari, Samaneh Heidari, Hamid Jafari Page 273
    INTRODUCTION

    The state of health-care disaster preparedness in Iran prior to the possible earthquakes is not well documented. This study identified the challenges of the Iranian health system before possible earthquakes in Tehran based on the World Health Organization (WHO) framework.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    In this qualitative study, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted for 17 health experts and authorities, who were selected based on purposive sampling method. The questions were designed based on the proposed framework of the WHO in six areas including policies and planning, communication, collaboration and coordination, training, volunteers and the public, and surge capability. The data were analyzed by using framework analysis.

    RESULTS

    The main themes included weak communication infrastructures, inappropriate assessment of specialized training courses and lack of a clear scenario, integrated urban commanding, extra-sectorial coordination, and data banks for public volunteers.

    CONCLUSION

    Iran health-care disaster preparedness was tested by many earthquakes. This research showed that disaster preparedness in Iran faces several challenges.

    Keywords: Earthquake, health system, risk reduction, World Health Organization
  • Sareh Shakerian, Leila Hassan Abadi Page 274
    BACKGROUND

    In Iran, community health workers (CHWs) are native and are only employed in the health-care system. Therefore, the training and empowerment of these staff are essential. The present study was aimed to develop cooperative learning techniques in CHWs to improve both cognitive and noncognitive aspects such as accountability and other social skills in learners.

    METHODOLOGY

    This study employed a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design with a control group that was conducted in Kangavar City, Iran, in 2019. Forty-four CHWs were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling, of whom 22 were randomly assigned to the experimental group where the jigsaw technique was applied and the rest to the control group where the lecture method was applied. The aim was to identify job performance and motivation among the CHWs after instruction and compare the two groups. Pre- and posttests were applied to the groups before and after an in-service training course using valid questionnaires. Data analysis was performed on both descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean and standard deviation, paired t-test, and covariance analysis with the confidence level of 95%.

    RESULTS

    The findings showed that the intervention significantly increased the mean score of motivation and performance in the experimental group. Covariance analysis with the removal of the pretest effect was also statistically significant (P = 0.01). Moreover, the MANCOVA test showed the jigsaw technique effect considering motivation and performance with a confidence level of 95%.

    CONCLUSION

    Given the well-known effect of cooperative learning techniques and since CHWs have multi roles and tasks, it is necessary to use such techniques so that they can be accountable for developing health indicators in local areas.

    Keywords: Community health worker, cooperative learning, jigsaw technique, job performance, lecture method, motivation
  • Pulak Kumar Jana, Tarun Kumar Sarkar, Mrinmoy Adhikari, Vinoth Gnana Chellaiyan, Fasna Liaquath Ali, Shubho Chowdhuri Page 275
    BACKGROUND

    In medical education, the learning–teaching method is an active process in which both students and teachers have to work mutually to enlighten the knowledge. Currently, in India, there is an increase in the enrollment of students in medical fields and thus medical educators face the challenge of teaching larger classes in a short period. Furthermore, it is observed that there is a lack of consensus about the best teaching and learning methods for medical students. This study aims to assess the preference of teaching methods and identify the reason for absenteeism among medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    A cross-sectional study was conducted among 246 medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital from August 2019 to October 2019. A pretested, validated self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the preference of teaching methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS-IBM software 23.

    RESULTS

    The majority of the students belonged to 20–21 years of age group. Most of the students preferred practical demonstration (81.3%) as the preferred method of teaching and computer with a liquid crystal display projector as ideal media for teaching (63.8%). Boring/monotonous teaching class was found (73.5%) to be an important cause for absenteeism among medical undergraduate students.

    CONCLUSION

    The results indicate that the medical student's preference is changing from passive learning to active learning. We conclude by linking these emerging perceptions with suggestions to help drive excellence in medical education.

    Keywords: Absenteeism, active learning, medical education, perceptions, preferences, teaching methods
  • Marziyeh Hadian, Alireza Jabbari, Elaheh Mazaheri Page 276

    Palliative care has been proposed as a multidisciplinary method for providing patients with care. The present study proposes to discuss the necessary principles required for any country to successfully implement a palliative medicine program. The present study was a systematic review conducted in January 2019, and the articles related to palliative care requirements on the databases of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid, ProQuest, Wiley, and Google Scholar from January 1, 2009, to January 20, 2019, were searched. Strategy for searching and selecting the articles was Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines. The findings showed that the World Health Organization has introduced for main phases for increasing these types of services including: defining and developing a national policy, training and educating healthcare employees and general public, as well as pain relief. In general, two scenarios are described in the development of palliative medicine: bottom-up and top-down approaches. In conclusion, although there seem to be progressing activities regarding the issue of making palliative medicine accessible, there are still many obstacles including lack of adequate knowledge and political support, social and cultural problems, inadequate training and education of physicians and nurses, fixed and biased attitude in medical professions, and low priority of palliative medicine among policymakers. Therefore, it could be said that implementing palliative medicine programs requires an overall change in culture, public and individual education, political support, and appropriate policies.

    Keywords: Palliative care, patient care, systematized review, Iran
  • Nirmalya Biswas, Nazrul Mallick, Aparajita Dasgupta, Rabindra Nath Sinha, Indranil Saha, Bobby Paul Page 277
    BACKGROUND

    Students must be made aware about the essentiality of optimum level of physical activity and the fact that it is the key to good health and an important technique to prevent and control a lot of noncommunicable diseases including depression and other related mental ill-health.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    It was an institution-based intervention study among 187 Madrasah students of classes VII and VIII, conducted in five-phase assessment of the training needs of Madrasah students on different aspects of healthy lifestyle, development of a need-based module to be used by teachers to impart training of students through classroom setting, training of teachers to use the module to train students, training of students by the trained teachers in classroom setting, and evaluation of effectiveness of the training module.

    RESULTS

    The mean pretest knowledge score in study Madrasah was 2.64 ± 1.35 (Mean ± SD) and post test score was 4.13 ± 0.88 (Mean ± SD). In paired t- test, t- value was 13.54 and P < 0.05 with effect size of 1.370 (Cohen's d). Practice related to the mean score in pretest was 2.38 ± 1.08 and posttest score was 2.73 ± 1.03. In paired test, t- value was 6.25 and P < 0.05 with effect size of 0.458 (Cohen's d).

    CONCLUSIONS

    The study revealed the effectiveness of training by teachers using the module developed by the researcher to address significant changes in lifestyle-related issues.

    Keywords: Curriculum, healthy lifestyle, noncommunicable disease, physical activity
  • Seyed Saeed Mazloomy Mahmoodabad, Ali Asadian, Hossein Fallahzadeh, Minoo Rajaei Page 278
    BACKGROUND

    Implementing a cervical cancer prevention program requires an exploration of certain behaviors concerning this disease. This study is aimed to evaluate the psychometrics of a questionnaire that enquired about the factors involved in Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) for cervical cancer among suburban women in Bandar Abbas, south of Iran.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    The primary draft of the questionnaire was developed with a review of the related literature on cervical cancer and the constructs affecting PAPM, with 68 items. The face validity, content validity ratio (CVR), and content validity index (CVI) of the questionnaire were approved by a panel of 10 experts. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire were estimated too. Field testing sample included 300 women recruited from a women's healthcare center in suburban areas of Bandar Abbas in the south of Iran. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was estimated for reliability.

    RESULTS

    After the face validation, 11 items were eliminated. Once CVR was estimated, two items were discarded. The remaining items had a CVR >0.79. All had a CVI >0.79. Six items were eliminated in the factor analysis. The final questionnaire included 49 items organized in 8 factors including awareness, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, social norms, fear, and self-efficacy. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation indicated eight main components that explained 56.25% of the variance. Reliability assessment showed a good internal consistency for all subscales and the Cronbach's alpha score ranged between 0.82 and 0.90. The test-retest reliability showed that the correlation coefficients (between 0.81 and 0.89) were significant at the 0.01 level for all sub-scales.

    CONCLUSIONS

    The final questionnaire was a new instrument comprised the effective constructs of PAPM and had a high reliability and validity. Thus, this questionnaire is recommended to be used to explore and enhance preventive behaviors of cervical cancer.

    Keywords: Cervical cancer, precaution adoption process model, questionnaire validation, women
  • Harsha Vardhini, Nitya Selvaraj, R Meenakshi Page 279
    INTRODUCTION

    Adequate knowledge about the presence of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) against human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) is imperative for health-care workers. This study focuses on the evaluation of the present knowledge and practice of nurses and paramedical workers on the post exposure prophylaxis against HIV.

    AIM

    The aim of this study is to assess and compare the knowledge and practice of PEP against HIV among Staff Nurses and Paramedical workers.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

    A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire study about the knowledge and practice of PEP against HIV among Staff nurses and Paramedical workers done at a tertiary care hospital in South India. The analysis of the data was performed using SPSS software version 24. The statistical tests used to compare the knowledge between nurses and paramedical workers was Chi-square test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

    RESULTS

    About 339 nurses and 66 paramedical workers participated in the study. An overall of 65.4% of the study participants had a good level of knowledge, higher (P = 0.000) among nurses (71.1%) compared to paramedical workers (36.3%). However, only 23% of nurses and 14.3% of paramedical workers received PEP after a needle prick injury.

    CONCLUSION

    This study revealed a low-level practice of HIV PEP among staff nurses and paramedical workers despite their good knowledge. This can be improved by providing formal training sessions to the health care workers.

    Keywords: Human immuno-deficiency virus, nurses, paramedical workers, postexposure prophylaxis
  • Raziyeh Rahmati, Talat Khadivzadeh, Habibollah Esmaily Page 280
    INTRODUCTION

    Due to the significant decrease in fertility in recent decades and the important role of health workers and health-care providers in providing healthy reproductive counseling, their training is necessary using effective educational methods. Webinar and group discussion (GD) are effective in this regard. This study was conducted to determine the most effective method and with the aim of comparing the effect of two training methods (webinar and GD) on the attitude and performance of health workers in providing counseling with fertility promotion approach in comprehensive health centers in Mashhad.

    METHODS

    In this randomized trial study with a control group, 108 health workers working in health centers no. 2–3 and 5 of Mashhad entered the study and were randomly divided into three groups of training by webinar, GD, and control. Intervention groups received healthy fertility counseling skills in three training sessions. Research tools were demographic information questionnaires, fertility attitudes, and performance measurement checklists for fertility counseling. The questionnaires were completed in three groups at the beginning and after the completion of the interventions. Data analysis was performed by Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance using SPSS software version 16.

    RESULTS

    The analysis of variance test showed that before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of average scores of fertility attitude and performance scores of fertility counseling. After the interventions, the difference between the fertility attitude scores (P < 0.001) and the performance scores of fertility counseling (P < 0.001) was significant in the three groups. There was no significant relationship between demographic characteristics and attitude and performance.

    CONCLUSION

    Teaching by webinar and GD promotes the attitude and performance of health workers in providing counseling with a fertility promotion approach. Therefore, it is recommended to use new educational methods such as webinar and GD to promote childbearing counseling, which has been emphasized in the country's population policies. Since the mean score difference for the webinar training method was the highest due to the mean scores, this method could be more effective than the GD method.

    Keywords: Attitude, counseling, fertility, group discussion, performance, promotion, webinar
  • Masoud Sirati Nir, Robabe Khalili, Hosein Mahmoudi, Abbas Ebadi, Rahim Habibi Page 281

    CONTEXT:

    The 30-item nurses' observation scale for inpatient evaluation (NOSIE-30) developed for the behavioral and observational rating of psychiatric inpatients.

    AIMS

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validation of the NOSIE-30 and mental health-care promotion.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    The participants with psychiatric disorders were selected from 310 inpatients referred to the military educational hospital in Iran. This study was carried out in two phases: First, translation of the NOSIE-30 into Persian followed the stepwise, iterative procedures developed by the International Quality of Life Assessment project approach. Second, face validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity, and reliability of the Persian version were determined. The concurrent validity was assessed by using the global assessment of functioning (GAF) instrument. Data were analyzed with the SPSS software of version 22. Exploratory factor analysis, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and interrater agreement with intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to data analysis.

    RESULTS

    Pearson's correlation coefficient between the NOSIE and GAF was 0.75. The interrater reliability for subscale scores and structure of the NOSIE were ranging from 0.70 to 0.94 and Cohen's kappa = 0.74. Furthermore, the internal consistency of the scale's total scores was estimated by Cronbach's alpha = 0.85.

    CONCLUSIONS

    The finding indicated that NOSIE-30 Persian version scale has the desirable validity and reliability for evaluating the nursing care of inpatients. Thus, nurses can promote mental health care by applying this scale in the psychiatric setting.

    Keywords: Mental health, methodological studies, psychiatric nursing, scales, validity, reliability
  • Avinash Jnaneswar, Suranjana Jonak Hazarika, Kunal Jha, S Vinay, Gunjan Kumar Page 282
    AIM

    To assess the knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and barriers regarding pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting among medical and dental faculties of the teaching hospitals.

    METHODOLOGY

    This study was conducted for a period of 3 months among medical and dental faculties. A self-structured, 42-item closed-ended questionnaire based on pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was used in this study. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 21. All the items of the domains along with demographic variables were summarized as absolute and relative frequencies. Intergroup comparison was done using Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney U-test. The correlation between the domains was assessed by Spearman correlation coefficient.

    RESULTS

    Among the study subjects, 272 (60.4%) were females and 178 (39.6%) were males. The number of medical and dental faculties was 360 (80%) and 90 (20%), respectively. The mean KAP scores for medical and dental faculties were 7.58 and 5.37, 8.78 and 6.01, and 6.91 and 6.32, respectively. The Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ) was found to be significant for knowledge–attitude and knowledge–practice domains. The values obtained between attitude with practice and barrier also were significantly correlated.

    CONCLUSION

    Our study findings advocate that although medical faculties have better knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting, dentists have a positive attitude, thereby suggesting a huge scope of progress if more emphasis is given on the need for continuous educational initiatives and including the topic in their academic curriculum.

    Keywords: Adverse drug reaction, dental, medical, pharmacovigilance
  • Fatemeh Rezaei Kahkhaei, Hamed Sarani Page 283
    INTRODUCTION

    The use of ionizing radiation in various sciences, especially in medical science, has played an important role in human health. As the use of radiology tests in medical centers, including the operating room ward, is increasing, increasing the level of awareness of the operating room staff can improve their performance in this area as well as reduce the risk of exposure to radiation. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and performance of surgical technologists about radiation protection in Zahedan educational hospitals.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    The present study is a descriptive-analytical study that was performed on 80 surgical technologists of Zahedan teaching hospitals from January 2019 to December 2019. The Knowledge Questionnaire was used in this study, which was a researcher-made questionnaire. After filling out questionnaires and checklists, the data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics and analytical, statistical tests, including independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.

    RESULTS

    The results showed that the mean age of participants was 31 ± 7.03 years . 27% were men, and 53% were women. The mean of work experience was 7 ± 7.56. The mean score of knowledge was 6 ± 3.02 and the performance score was 12 ± 7.38. There was a correlation between age, awareness and performance of the participants (P < 0.001), and there was a correlation between participants' radiation protection training and awareness and performance (P = 0.000). There is a direct relationship between staff knowledge and performance. No significant relationship was found between the other variables (P = 0.029).

    CONCLUSION

    The results of the study showed that there is a relationship between radiation protection training courses so that the personnel who passed these courses are more aware and functioning. Given that action is needed to raise awareness through workshops.

    Keywords: Knowledge, performance, radiation protection, surgical technologists
  • Jamileh Malakouti, Robab Golizadeh, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Azizeh Farshbaf-Khalili Page 284
    INTRODUCTION

    Since routine counseling does not suffice to resolve the sexual problems at postpartum period, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of counseling based on the Ex-PLISSIT model on sexual function and marital satisfaction of postpartum women.

    METHODS

    This was a randomized controlled clinical trial that was conducted on 68 postpartum women (within 3–6 months after childbirth) who obtained a score <28 on the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Participants in the intervention group received counseling based on the Ex-PLISSIT model and those in the control group received the routine postpartum care. The required data were collected using a demographics form, the FSFI, and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale. The primary outcomes were the mean function and martial satisfaction score of participants 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention.

    RESULTS

    There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of sexual function at baseline (P = 0.381), but it was significantly higher in the intervention group than control group after intervention (the adjusted MD: 4.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.18–5.29, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in marital satisfaction before the intervention (P = 0.433), but it increased significantly in the intervention group in comparison to control after intervention (adjusted MD: 23.17, 95% CI: 15.10–31.24, P < 0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS

    The study findings suggested that sexual counseling based on the Ex-PLISSIT model can improve the sexual function and increase marital satisfaction of postpartum women.

    Keywords: Counseling, Ex-PLISSIT model, marital satisfaction, postpartum women, sexual function
  • Himashree Bhattacharyya, Jayant Vagha, Gajendra Kumar Medhi, Star Pala, Happy Chutia, Parash Jyoti Bora, Vizovonuo Visi Page 285
    INTRODUCTION

    Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. However, one-to-one structured and constructive feedback to the students is not practiced mostly due to lack of practice and feasibility issues. The present study was conducted to understand the perception of students and faculty toward one-to-one structured feedback.

    METHODOLOGY

    All the 3rd MBBS professional students were included in the study. An orientation was given to the faculty regarding the importance of feedback and how to give structured feedback. A standardized format was provided to the faculty for providing the feedback to the students. After completion of the assessments, a one-to-one structured verbal feedback was given to all the students. Thereafter, faculty and student's perception on the feedback process was obtained through questionnaires. A focused group discussion was also conducted among the students.

    RESULTS

    A total of 42 students participated in the study out of 50. A positive response was received from all the students regarding the feedback. Nearly84.34% of the students acknowledged that feedback is important for understanding their mistakes, 92.84% of the students responded positively that feedback helps to build a good rapport with the teacher, and 92.85% of the students reported that they were satisfied with the overall experience of receiving feedback. Most of the faculty (80%) perceived that giving feedback after the assessment was a good idea. The faculty felt motivated to give feedback to the students after the hands-on experience. However, only 20% of the faculty agreed that the process of feedback was easy to carry out (mean score: 2.2 ± 1.09).

    CONCLUSION

    The positive responses received from both the students and the faculty highlight that the students are receptive toward feedback provided it is structured, constructive, and helps them to achieve their learning goals.

    Keywords: Feedback, perception, structured
  • Leila Asadi, Fatemeh Amiri, Hadise Safinejad Page 286
    BACKGROUND

    Health literacy is the capacity to acquire, process, and understand basic information and services necessary for appropriate health decisions. Given the importance of health literacy in women, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of health literacy level on improving the quality of care during pregnancy in pregnant women.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    The present study was a cross-sectional analytical study. In this study, 130 women referred to Yazd health centers were examined. Health literacy questionnaires and a researcher-made checklist of the quality of pregnancy care were used to gather information. The researcher-made checklist of the quality of pregnancy care was in accordance with the standard protocol of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, entitled Integrated Health Care for Pregnant Mothers, which was validated and reliable. SPSS statistical software version 19 and t-test and ANOVA statistical tests were used to analyze the data.

    RESULTS

    According to the findings, the average score of health literacy in pregnant women was 74.09, which showed that the level of health literacy was in the marginal or border range. People with higher health literacy received significantly more prenatal counseling than other women and had a planned pregnancy (P = 0.04).

    CONCLUSION

    The level of health literacy in pregnant women is unfavorable. Given that the high level of health literacy in women in society can lead to an increase in the quality of pregnancy care, so to increase health literacy in women, it is recommended that regular training in society by health-care providers be given more attention.

    Keywords: Health-care quality, health literacy, pregnancy
  • Farhad Bahramirad, Narjes Heshmatifar, Mostafa Rad Page 287
    INTRODUCTION

    Recently, the night shift is included in the curriculum of nursing internship students. However, this shift is associated with some problems and benefits for students, which have been assessed in limited studies. This study aimed to discover and describe the problems and benefits of the night shift for nursing internship students.

    METHODOLOGY

    This qualitative method was carried out with the conventional content–analysis method. In total, 15 seventh-semester and eighth-semester nursing students at Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were selected by purposeful sampling. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews about students' perceptions of night shift problems and benefits. In addition, data analysis was performed applying the conventional content–analysis technique.

    RESULTS

    In this study, seven main categories were extracted, five of which included problems such as exploitations, being an outsider, moral distress, learning deficits, and annoyance. The other two categories were benefits including gaining new experiences and independence.

    CONCLUSION

    The problems related to the students were the nursing personnel and the educational system of hospitals, which can be dealt with through the interaction of the educational system with hospitals managers in order to clarifying the role of students, fair division of work, and making educational resources available. Moreover, gaining new experiences and independence are among the benefits of the night shift for students, the continuation of which is in favor of nursing education.

    Keywords: Internship, residency, nursing, shift work schedule, students
  • Ria Ganguly, Lipilekha Patnaik, Jagdish Sahoo, Sumitra Pattanaik, Trilochan Sahu Page 288
    BACKGROUND

    An infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a potentially stressful event for parents. Severe stress is experienced by parents, affecting their mental health and relationship, and infants' development. The current study aims to assess the stress levels among parents of neonates admitted to NICU and to identify the factors influencing their stress levels.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS

    A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Eastern India over 2 months. Stress levels were assessed using Parental Stressor Scale: NICU questionnaire among 100 NICU parents (mother or father) with more than 24 h of admission. Stress was quantified using the Likert scale. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software.

    RESULTS

    In this study, 60.8% parents experienced severe and extreme stress level for overall stress. The mean for overall stress experienced was 3.71 ± 0.70. There was no significant difference in overall stress between father and mother (P = 0.65). The highest levels of stress experienced were in sight and sound subscale (3.23 ± 0.41) followed by relationship with the baby and parental role,” i.e., 2.46 30.
    There was no significant association in overall stress score with maternal age, parity, education level, previous baby being admitted to the NICU (P > 0.05). Stress in sight and sound domain was statistically significantly higher (P = 0.009) among parents of babies with stay of ≤7 days.

    CONCLUSION

    These results support wider use in research and clinical practice to identify parental stress. Interventions can be developed to ameliorate its negative effects on individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. The stress score was not significantly different between fathers and mothers of neonates admitted to NICU and the length of stay was significantly associated with sight and sound domain. Appropriate counseling should be targeted toward both parents. Future intervention studies should be planned to decrease the stress level among parents.

    Keywords: Neonatal intensive care unit, new-born, parental stress, parental stressor scale
  • Seyed Mostafa Mohsenizadeh, Zahra Sadat Manzari, Hasan Vosoghinia, Hossein Ebrahimipour Page 289

    Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's and ulcerative colitis diseases, is characterized by clinical periods of remission and relapse. Excessive care stress can have long-term negative physical and psychological consequences not only for caregivers but also for the recipients of care. This integrative review aims to identify, describe, and synthesize the results of current available research focused on the burdens of IBDs on family caregiver. An integrative review was performed using Whittemore and Knafl methodology. A systematic search of electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from January 2000 to October 2019 was conducted. Articles were included if published in English and focus on IBD burden on family caregivers. Of 730 records, 16 articles with quantitative, qualitative, and Q methodology study designs were eventually included in the review. The synthesis of these articles led to the identification of four key types of effects: biopsychosocial, daily life activities, physical health, and financial. The chronic and relapsing nature of IBD exposes family caregivers to considerable risk. Thus, the care burden of IBD patients' caregivers needs to be evaluated continuously and relieved through family-centered interventions.

    Keywords: Burden of disease, caregivers, family, inflammatory bowel diseases
  • Mandana Amiri, Behnaz Dowran, Hossein Salimi, Mohammad Hossein Zarghami Page 290

    There is growing evidence that the problematic use of mobile phone is an evolving problem. Although some studies have noted a greater prevalence in the Middle East, intercultural differences have not been sufficiently studied to date. The present study, therefore, aims at reviewing Iranian published studies on the problematic use of mobile phone in Iran. This study was conducted as a review study. For this purpose, we searched all published studies in this field that were conducted in Iran and reviewed all of the articles by studying the prevalence of the problematic use of cell phone in Iran, the adopted measuring instruments, the employed terms, predictors of the problematic use of cell phone, and the consequences of the problematic use of cell phone. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 47 articles were selected for evaluation. Among the problematic consequences, sleep disturbance was the most studied factor. Additionally, gender, feeling of loneliness, attachment stiles and age were mostly referred to as predictors. In addition, the reported prevalence varied from 0.9% to 64.5%, depending on the studied population and the measuring instruments. The diversity of reported prevalence rate of problematic use of mobile phone in Iran can be related to the ambiguity of the concept of “problematic use” and the diversity of the employed measuring tools. Thus, care should be taken in generalizing and interpreting the results.

    Keywords: Addiction, behavioral addiction, cell phone addiction, Iran, mental health, mobile phone, problematic use
  • Rahele Samouei, Kamal Heidari, Sakineh Saghaeiannejad, Sedigheh Karami, Pejman Aghdak Page 291
    BACKGROUND AND AIM

    To answer the society's health-care needs related to social determinants of health (SDH), higher education system must be responsive in training knowledgeable students and faculty members. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the responsiveness of higher education system in relation to the SDH.

    METHODS

    This is a content analysis study carried out using qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain access to the knowledge of experts in the fields of health care, education, and SDH. Sampling was carried out until data saturation was achieved during which 15 experts were selected using purposeful sampling method with highest possible variety. Data were categorized using qualitative content analysis approach.

    RESULTS

    In total, 11 themes and 43 categories of codes were identified in semi-structured interviews with experts. A total of two approaches were identified for the training of responsive students including educational–research approach and cultural–social approach; five approaches were identified for the development of faculty members including cognitive development, executive development, evaluation, promotion and incentives, and revisions; two approaches were identified for provision of theoretical and practical education including education in a real and active environment and structural education; and finally, two approaches were identified for evaluation of students and faculty members in regard to their responsiveness to society's health needs and SDH including content and operational approaches.

    CONCLUSION

    In general, the results of the current study indicate the need for the higher education system to use educational, research, and society-based approaches in real and social environments along with an incentive system and use of evaluation for responsiveness to society's health needs and SDH. These results can be useful for the health-care system and the higher education system.

    Keywords: Higher education system, qualitative study, responsive education, social determinants of health
  • Elizabeth Kinchen, Victoria Loerzel, Theresia Portoghese Page 292
    BACKGROUND

    Student nurses' experience of stress while enrolled in educational programs is well-documented; however, complementary and alternative therapies to alleviate or prevent nursing program-related stressors are not. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a yoga intervention on stress, self-compassion, and quality of life in undergraduate nursing students.

    METHODS

    Seventy-three undergraduate nursing students participated in this two-group, quasi-experimental, repeated-measures, study. Students self-selected participation in a one-hour yoga class, offered each week for 12 weeks, and completed Stress, Self-Compassion, and QOL scales at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Information on intervention participation and yoga practice outside the intervention was also solicited. Descriptive statistics and mixed-model analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.

    RESULTS

    There were no statistically significant differences between groups over time on perceived stress or QOL. There were statistically significant differences between groups on self-kindness (F3, 69 = 3.86, P = 0.013).

    CONCLUSIONS

    Further research on the effects of yoga for stress reduction in nursing students using randomized controlled trials is recommended.

    Keywords: Nursing students, quality of life, self-compassion, stress, yoga
  • Maryam Sabouri, Elham Shakibazadeh, Bahram Mohebbi, Azar Tol, Mehdi Yaseri, Sohrab Babaee Page 293
    BACKGROUND

    Empowerment is an essential issue in women's lives. Powerful women can act successfully in health-related issues more than others. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed based on theory of planned behavior (TPB) on health care empowerment among married women in reproductive age.

    METHODS

    This randomized controlled trial was carried out among 488 reproductive-age women between 2018 and 2019 in Tehran, Iran. Participants were recruited using randomized cluster sampling and divided into intervention (n = 243) and control (n = 245) groups by random allocation. Data were collected using a self-administered researcher-made questionnaire based on TPB and Health Care Empowerment Questionnaire. Validity (content validity index = 0.87; content validity ratio = 0.89) and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed (α = 0.96). Intervention was implemented within four sessions (lasting 60 min) using eight health related scenarios based on TPB constructs. Baseline and post intervention data (6 months after the intervention) were analyzed by SPSS25(Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) using independent t-test, Chi-squared test, Fisher's Exact test, Mann–Whitney, path analysis, and regression of generalized estimating equation model. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

    RESULTS

    Results showed the mean ± standard deviation age of the participants was 33.6 ± 7.1. Six months after the intervention, a significant difference was highlighted in health care empowerment domains as well as behavioral intention, attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001) between intervention and control groups.

    CONCLUSION

    TPB-based educational intervention can significantly improve women's perception about health care empowerment. Tailoring and implementation of TPB-based intervention by health policy makers and health care providers is suggested to achieve better perception of empowerment toward receiving health care among women.

    Keywords: Health care empowerment, intervention, reproductive-age women, theory of planned behavior
  • Noureddin Niknam, Hasan Abolghasem Gorji, Mostafa Langarizadeh Page 294
    INTRODUCTION

    Outsourcing, as one of the important managerial strategies to improve performance, has become one of the main areas of research in hospital management studies. The aim of this study was to identify the challenges of outsourcing hospital services in Iran.

    METHODS

    This research was conducted in a qualitative manner with the aim of determining the challenges of outsourcing hospital services in Iran. The research community consisted of managers and experts in the field of outsourcing. 21 managers and staff experts of the Ministry of Health, universities, and hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, and Shahid Beheshti, were selected as the target for the interview. Finally, the data were analyzed using content analysis method.

    RESULTS

    Outsourcing challenges were extracted and reported in the form of 6 theme topics and 40 subthemes. The main issues included legal and political challenges, finance, human resources, organizational, managerial, and private sector.

    CONCLUSION

    Outsourcing hospital services in all six areas faced serious challenges. To this end, partnership between the private and government sectors through outsourcing requires the continuous development of effective political, organizational, and managerial capacity in order to guide and manage this process properly and efficiently to ensure that the goals and policies in the field of health. It is clearly understood and not forgotten or neglected.

    Keywords: Hospital administration, hospital shared services, outsourced service, qualitative research