فصلنامه حیات
سال بیست و هفتم شماره 4 (پیاپی 92، زمستان 1400)

Caring for children with congenital heart disease is very challenging for their parents, and the mothers of these children have a low quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of discharge planning on quality of life among mothers of children with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery.

 In this quasi-experimental study, 72 mothers of children with congenital heart disease referred to Shahid Rajaie Cardiovascular center in Tehran in 2019 were included in the study using the continuous sampling method and non-randomly allocated to experimental or control groups (36 in each group). Data collection tool included demographic questions and the SF-36 questionnaire, which was completed before and two months after the intervention. The intervention was performed in six thirty-minute training sessions at the time of admission, during hospitalization and discharge. The training follow-up continued for two months after discharge. Data was analyzed by the SPSS software version 20 using Chi-Square test, independent t-test and Fisher's exact test.

The mean score of quality of life before the intervention was 58.93±19.35 in the experimental group and 64.93±16.78 in the control group, and there was no significant difference between groups (P=0.165). Two months after the intervention, the mean score of quality of life was 73.44±17.81 in the experimental group and 73.67±16.49 in the control group, and there was no statistically significant difference between groups (P=0.956).

The discharge planning did not improve the mothers’ quality of life. It is suggested that in addition to educating about proper care of the child, psychological support be provided for mothers while implementing discharge planning.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20180501039489N3

The health of newborns and infants as the future makers of the country is of special importance. Today, the main benefits of breastfeeding for children, mothers and society have widely been recognized. Given the importance of self-efficacy in initiating and continuing breastfeeding, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of breastfeeding counseling with a spiritual approach on breastfeeding self-efficacy in primiparous women.

In this randomized controlled trial study, 60 primiparous women referring to the childbirth preparation classes at Alavi Hospital, Azadegan Comprehensive Health Service Centers, Sina and Dr. Hazrati in Ardabil in 2019 were selected through the convenience sampling method and assigned to intervention or control groups using quadruple block method. The control group received routine care and the intervention group received eight sessions of breastfeeding counseling with a spiritual approach. Data was collected using the Dennis Lactation Self-efficacy Questionnaire and analyzed through the SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and independent t-test at 95% confidence level.

The mean scores of breastfeeding self-efficacy for the intervention and control groups were 27.48±5.83 and 28.23±4.44 (P=0.575) before the intervention, 39.83±10.14 and 25.33±3.62 (P<0.001) immediately after the intervention, 42.45±13.00 and 23.43±6.23 (P<0.001) one month after the intervention. There was a significant difference between the two groups after the intervention.

Employing spiritual approach in breastfeeding counseling was effective in improving the breastfeeding self-efficacy of primiparous women. The integration of spiritual content into the package of postpartum services with a focus on breastfeeding appears to be an appropriate measure that can be considered by planners in this area.

Covid-19 is an emerging disease that has become a health crisis in the world and affected various aspects of human’s life. Understanding the experience of patients with this disease is essential for proper and comprehensive care. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of patients recovered from Covid-19.

 The present study was a qualitative study with an interpretive phenomenological approach that was conducted in 2021. For this purpose, 13 patients recovered from Covid-19 were selected using the purposive sampling method based on the inclusion criteria. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The interviews were recorded. Having transcribed the interviews, the transcripts were analyzed by a hermeneutic approach using the Van Manen method.

Data analysis revealed four main themes: "fear of imminent death", "living in a fence", "family worries", and "the limitations suffering".

Patients’ experiences of being infected with Covid-19 showed that the disease affected the physical, psychological, economic, social and family dimensions of individuals. Therefore, understanding the challenges, experiences and concerns of patients about the disease, can help executive decision-makers, healthcare providers and mental health professionals to comprehensively understand the consequences of the disease.

Pain during vascular access is an integral part of the life of hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of topical ginger on pain following needle insertion into the arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients.

 In this clinical trial, 100 hemodialysis patients were selected from two hospitals in Shahroud in 2019 and were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. For the intervention group, ginger ointment was used 20 minutes before needle insertion into the arteriovenous fistula. The control group only received routine care. Patients' pain after needle insertion was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software version 18 and Chi-square, Fisher, and independent t-tests.

There was a statistically significant difference in the mean and standard deviation of pain scores between the control (8.46±1.26) and intervention (5.08±1.29) groups (P<0.001). While most people in the intervention group experienced moderate pain, most people in the control group had severe pain.

According to the results of the study, the use of topical ginger, which is cheap with almost no side effects, can reduce the severity of pain following needle insertion into the arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients, and its use in hemodialysis wards is recommended.

Changes in hemodynamic parameters can indicate the health status of individuals, and treatment measures cause changes in hemodynamic parameters, and affect the treatment process of patients. Different ways of distraction can have different effects. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of music distraction and movie-watching on hemodynamic parameters of patients undergoing extracorporeal lithotripsy.

 A quasi-experimental study with a three-group, before and after design was performed on 90 patients undergoing extracorporeal lithotripsy in the lithotripsy unit of Ayatollah Kashani hospital affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Patients were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly allocated into three groups. The intervention included visual and auditory distraction. Data was collected before and after the intervention using demographic characteristics questionnaire, calibrated mercury blood pressure monitor, and pulse oximeter. Descriptive statistical tests (mean and standard deviation, percentage, frequency) and inferential tests (paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and analysis of variance) through the SPSS software version 16 were used to analyze the data.

Analysis of variance showed that the mean scores of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation in the auditory, visual and control groups were not significantly different before the intervention (P>0.05). Also, the mean scores of these variables in auditory, visual and control groups were not significantly different after the intervention (P>0.05). Paired t-test also showed the mean scores of pulse rate (P=0.133), systolic (P=0.159) and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.413), and oxygen saturation (P=0.083) did not have significant differences after the intervention compared to before the intervention between the groups.

According to the results, music and movie-watching did not have a significant effect on hemodynamic parameters of patients undergoing lithotripsy. Due to the lack of confirmatory studies, further research is needed on lithotripsy patients.

Health promotion nursing activities for the elderly with COPD is different in various health care structures, and research in this area can help to identify the existing knowledge gap. The aim of this study was to determine health promotion nursing activities for the elderly with COPD.

 This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020. A total of 180 nurses working in teaching hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire on health promotion nursing activities for the elderly with COPD. The data was analyzed through the SPSS software version 18 using t-test, ANOVA and multivariate regression.

The mean age of nurses was 34.58±8.05 years, 84.4% were female and 70.6% were married. The mean score of health promotion nursing activities was 197.10±37.90. Among the dimensions related to health promotion activities, “drugs/smoking cessation” (34.4%) and “self-empowerment” (32.8%) had the lowest frequency. There was a significant relationship between health promotion nursing activities with the work place (P=0.034), age (P<0.001), gender (P=0.022) and marital status (P=0.014).

The health promotion nursing activities for the elderly with COPD was above moderate levels. In-service training programs and internal conferences are needed especially in the area of ​​counseling behaviors and smoking cessation in order to improve the professional competency of nurses.

Self-care and self-management, as two effective strategies play an effective role in controlling pain and quality of life. Therefore, considering the characteristics and dimensions of these two concepts, this study aimed to compare the effect of self-care education and pain self-management on the nature of pain and quality of life in patients with sickle cell disease.

 In this clinical trial study, 75 patients with sickle cell disease, referred to the thalassemia clinic of Baqaei hospital 2 in Ahvaz and Shahid Beheshti hospital in Abadan, were selected and randomly divided into three groups of 25 people (self-care, pain self-management and control groups). The two intervention groups (self-care and pain self-management) were divided into groups of five people, and received specific training during four sessions for three months. The nature of pain and quality of life of patients were assessed four times (before the intervention, one month, two months and three months after the intervention) using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Quality of Life Questionnaire. The SPSS software version 22 was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that pain self-management and self-care programs were effective in improving the quality of life and pain of patients with sickle cell. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two intervention groups in the nature of pain and quality of life.

Self-care and pain self-management have similar effects on reducing patients’ pain and improving their quality of life.

COVID-19 as an emerging disease has many psychological effects, including anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of face-to-face awareness training on anxiety of patients with COVID-19.

 In this study, 90 hospitalized patients in the hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020 were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control (45 people in each group). The DASS-21 anxiety and demographic information questionnaire were completed by both groups before the intervention. The face to face awareness sessions were provided during two 30-minute sessions at 24-hour intervals for the intervention group and the DASS-21 questionnaire was completed again by the patients one day after the second session. The control group received the routine information of the ward and completed the questionnaire again. The SPSS software version 21 was used for the data analysis by descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results showed that before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in the mean anxiety scores between the intervention (12.71±9.20) and control (14.71±7.08) groups. But after the intervention, a significant difference was observed in the mean scores between the intervention (5.68±5.64) and control (12.75±6.19) groups (P˂0.05).

This study revealed that face-to-face awareness training can reduce anxiety in patients with COVID-19 and can be used in medical centers.