Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal
Volume:24 Issue: 1, Jan 2022

The satisfaction levelofservice receiversis recognized as one of the quality indicators of health services.

The present study aimed to determine the satisfaction levelofservice receivers with ambulance services as an important component of health services and the factors affecting this satisfaction.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Kırklareli, Turkey, in January 2021. The data werecollected through a 2-step questionnaire consisting of a demographic information form developed by the researchers and the 112 Emergency Services Patient Satisfaction Scale.The minimum and maximum scoreswere26 and 130.

The mean score of the scale was obtained at 120.62±10.42 (ranging from 60-130). A positive correlation was foundbetween the age groups and the mean of scale score (rs=0.338; P<0.001). The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated at 0.957.

As evidenced by the obtained results, respondents’ overall satisfaction with ambulance services was found to be high. Thelevelofsatisfactionwas enhanced with respondents’ age. It was concluded that effective measures should be implemented to improve the quality of services by uncovering the major reasons for service receivers’ dissatisfaction. Moreover, it was found that the 112 Emergency Services Patient Satisfaction Scale is reliable and measurement results should be used to improve the services.

Patient education is essential for all patients, and nurses should be competent in patient education.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of training patients on their self-care capabilities, heart failure health behaviors, and satisfaction levels.

This study was conducted based on a quasi-experimental research method with a pretest-posttest design. The two study groups included individuals with heart failure and their nurses and a total of eight nurses working in the cardiology clinic and 31 patients. The nurses were trained on the program “Planned patient education” in three sessions and two meetings. Following the completion of this process, the nurses started their patient education (PE) in line with their training. The data on nurses were collected in pre-and post-training processes, and patients’ data were collected in three stages, including pre-education, discharge, and three months after education.

The mean±SD score of Heart Failure Health Behavior Scale (HFHBS) in patients in the pre-and post-education period and three months after education were obtained at 47.54±11.98, 63.12±11.12, and 66.90±10.44, respectively, indicating a statistically significant difference between the groups. The mean score of the “Self-Care Maintenance” subcategory was estimated at 32.14±15.88, 51.17±17.60, and 53.43±18.14 in pre-and post-education period, and three months after education, respectively. The mean score of the “Self-Care Management” subcategory was obtained at 44.83±21.31, 53.87±19.22, and 8.38±26.18 in pre-and post-education period, and three months after education, respectively. The mean score of the “Self-confidence in Self Care” subcategory was obtained at 32.46±22.74, 48.78±25.78, and 45.91±30.65 in pre-and post-education period and three months after education, respectively. Patients were satisfied with the efficiency of the subjects covered (75.8%), nurses making short, understandable, and explicit sentences (87.9%), the usefulness of the topics covered (93.9%), and nurses’ knowledge (84.8%).

Based on the obtained results, PE enhanced the health behavior of people with chronic heart failure and improved patients’ self-care behaviors. The PE ledto an increase in patient's satisfaction

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the hazardous chemicals, which is extensively used. BPA can cause oxidative stress. Resveratrol (RES) is a natural polyphenol that possesses several health benefits, such as antioxidant effects.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of RES against BPA-induced oral mucosa and tongue toxicity.

A total of fivegroups of Sprague-Dawley male rats (n=30) were used in this study. Group 1 was the control group, and group 2 received 50 mg /kg BPA by gavage. Group3 was given 100 mg/kg of RES, and group 4 received 50 mg/kg BPA plus 100 mg/kg RES. In group 5, the sham group, the volume of the injectable drug received from olive oil was given as gavage for eight weeks. Following that, the paraffinized samples were sectioned in 5μm thickness to estimate the volume.

The results showed that BPA had a different effect on tissues. Moreover, the total volume of lamina propria, mucosal glands, the total glands of the tongue, volumetric density of the epithelium, andglands of the oral mucosaincreased in the BPA group, while in the BPA+RES group, these structures reduced, compared to the BPA group. In addition, the total volume of the epithelium of the tongue decreased in the BPA group, whereas this structure increased in the BPA+RES group, compared to the BPA group.

BPA has different effects on the oral mucosa and tongue. These effects can exert influence on the normal function of the cells in these areas. RES, with its antioxidant properties, had a protective effect on these structures against the BPA.

Background Disasters are unpredictable events that exert devastating effects on people, properties, and the environment. Iran is a disaster-prone country where numerous deaths and injuries happen annually due to disastrous events. Preparedness, awareness, and performance of health workers are important factors for service providers in disasters.

The present study aimed to assess the preparedness, awareness, and performance of Iranian nurses as a major part of the treatment team during disasters. Methods This systematic study was carried out based on the articles published from 1989-2019 on preparedness, awareness, and performance of Iranian nurses during disasters. In total, 14 databases and 560 articles were reviewed. The databases included Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Ovid, Science Direct, WILEY, Scopus, Pro-Quest, Medline, Elsevier, Magiran, and SID.

After analyzing the titles, abstracts, and manuscripts, 11 papers were selected for the final analysis. They included 5 interventional studies and 6 descriptive investigations. The results of this study pointed to the poor to moderate level of nurses’ preparedness for disaster response in hospitals in Iran.

As evidenced by the obtained results, nurses had moderate to low levels of knowledge, preparedness, and competence in nursing practice concerning disasters management. Due to inappropriate levels of nurses’ awareness and preparedness during disasters, health system managers should use appropriate programs and measures to improve them.

Nurses have experienced severe psychological stress which seriously affected their mental healthduring the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to exposure to numerous critically ill patients, increased working time, and their colleagues’ disease or demise.

The present study aimed to examine clinical nurses' mental health status and elucidate its relationship with the quality of care provided by them.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2020 on the nurses working at two hospitals affiliated with Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. A total of 104 nurses were selected from all wards via convenience sampling. The data were collected using the Quality Patient Care Scale and Goldberg and Williams's General Health Questionnaire to check nurses’ general health status. Statistical tests, including canonical correlation analysis, were used to analyze the data in SPSS software (version 20).

There was a negative correlation between mental health and the quality of care provided by male (=-0.556; P<0.001) and female (=-0.351; P=0.017) nurses. Social dysfunction, anxiety, and insomnia in male nurses, as well as somatic symptoms and social dysfunction in female nurses, had the largest share of their general health, while physical care had the largest share of nursing care quality

As evidenced by the obtained results, female nurses had better mental health status and provided higher-quality nursing careduring the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to male nurses. This higher quality may be attributed to women's better mental health status. The important findings of the current study highlight the necessity of regular programs for the improvement of nurses' mentalhealth, thereby enhancing the quality of nursing care.

All patients with stable coronary artery diseases (CAD) require medical therapy (MT) to prevent disease progression and recurrent cardiovascular events, alleviate symptoms, and reduce mortality. Nonetheless, little is known about the clinical outcomes of unrevascularized patients taking MT for stable coronary artery disease and the status of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factor control in Iran

This study aims to evaluate the impact of medical therapy in unrevascularized CAD patients on risk factor modification and re-hospitalization among patients referred to the Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center.

An unmatched cohort study was conducted to collect demographic, risk factors, comorbidity, and re-hospitalization data about stable CAD patients in 2014 and followed until 2021. A multivariate regression analysis was applied to explore the relationship between re-hospitalization as the dependent variable and independent variables.

290 stable CAD patients were included in our cohort. More than 60% were males. The mean age of participants was (55.9±5.4) years. Being male, AOR = 0.513 (95% CI, 0.24 – 0.85, p= 0.048); hypercholesterolemia, AOR = 4.10 (95% CI, 1.07 – 15.62, p= 0.040); ejection fraction below 40%, AOR = 4.05 (95% CI, 1.50 – 10.97, p= 0.006); current smoker, AOR = 2.18 (95% CI,1.03 – 4.62, p= 0.042); three-vessel involvement AOR = 10.39 (95% CI, 2.37-45.77, p=0.002) were independently associated with re-hospitalization.

Gaps were identified concerning CAD risk factor control. Higher re-hospitalization was associated with female gender, smoking, presence of hypercholesterolemia, and reduced ejection fraction. Therefore, improving health lifestyle modification interventions tailored to individual patients with a particular focus on females is essential.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of society, especially education. However, the negative effects are even higher on the students who study in an associate degree program in the field of health for two years.

This study aimed to explore the opinions of students studying in an associate degree program in health-related departments with skill-based requirements towards web-based distance education during the pandemic.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on students who received associate degree education in home care, elderly care, physiotherapy, and first and emergency aid departments of a vocational school. The study data were collected from 264 volunteer students studying at vocational schoolsusing the online questionnaire developed by the researchers.

The study revealed that 72% of the students did not consider web-based distance education as the right education method during the pandemic, 95.8% did not find the opportunity to care for/touch patients during their education, and 74.8% were afraid of working after graduation due to the possibility of malpractice (61.4%).

Based on the study results, it was determined that students studying in departments with skill-based requirements in the field of health had a negative perspective on web-based distance education.

Lead, as the most important toxic heavy element, has several devastating effects on human health and influences most biochemical and physiological functions. It is widely accepted that lead can adversely affect the cardiovascular system since it can be quickly absorbed and recycled in the blood strain.

This survey scrutinized the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the oxidative damage, inflammation, and expression of protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-α) and ankyrin repeat domain 1 (ANKRD1) genes in the heart tissue of rats exposed to lead (Pb).

The rats were incidentally divided into five groups, including four study groups for the investigation of the effects of the single and continuous doses of lead were examined with and without NAC and a control group (G1). The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), interleukin (IL)-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were analyzed. A reverse transcription polymerasechain reaction was applied to investigate the expression of PKC-α and ANKRD1 genes.

Continuous exposure to Pb significantly decreased serum levels of TAC and IL-10; however, it increased MDA and TNF-α contents (P<0.001). The continuous dose of Pb also dramatically increased the expression of PKC-α and ANKRD1 genes in the cardiac tissue by 4.27-fold and 3.07-fold, respectively (P<0.001). N-acetylcysteine treatments not only improved morphological changes, oxidative stress, and inflammatory biomarkers but also compensated antioxidant capacity and the expression of PKC-α and ANKRD1 genes in cardiac tissues.

Lead exposure is remarkably related to cardiotoxicity mainly by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and antioxidant discharge. N-acetylcysteine ameliorates Pb-induced cardiotoxicity by improving the antioxidants capacity, mitigating oxidative stress, and down expressing PKC-α and ANKRD1 genes.