ABSTRACT
Cryotherapy is the simplest and oldest therapeutic method in treatment of damaged soft tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of two methods of cryotherapy, the ice pack and cooling gel pad on perineal pain due to episiotomy. This randomized controlled trial study was conducted on 81 healthy primiparous women with normal vaginal delivery and episiotomy in Ommul- Banin hospital of Mashhad in 2006. They were allocated to two groups of cryotherapy [41 in cooling gel pad group and 40 in ice pack group]. The level of perineal pain, the coldness of cooling devices were evaluated during the first 10 minutes and also, duration of analgesia effect at 1, 2, 5, 10 days after intervention. The questionnaire was used in the first measurement. The correlation between each question measured twice, and the least agreement was r=0.60. The data were analyzed with SPSS 16, Chi square and fisher's exact test. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups [cooling gel pad, ice pack] considering to the pain level on second day [P=0.001], fifth day [P=0.02], tenth day [P=0.005], during the use of cooling device. But there was no significant difference between the two groups regard to coldness in the first 10 minutes and duration of analgesia effect of cooling device in first, second, fifth and tenth day. In terms of the properties of cooling device such as reduction the need of taking of oral analgesia drug and satisfaction of patients, so cooling gel pad is better than ice pack for reducing episiotomy pain.
ABSTRACT
Health Belief Model is a comprehensive model in helping prevent diseases. According to this method, individuals who get sensitive to breast cancer are more motivated for a regular self-breast examination. Considering the 24% of breast cancer in Iran placing the third leading cause of death in women, the present study was carried out to investigate the impact of teaching two methods of self-examination, based on health belief model, on knowledge, attitude and performance of school teachers in Zahedan. In this quasi -experimental study, the impact of two education methods [lecture and simulation] was investigated on knowledge, attitude [HBM] and performance as pretest and posttest on 100 school teachers in a multi-stage random sampling with inclusion criteria of at least 25 years of age, without a family history of breast cancer, and majoring in fields unrelated to medicine on Zahedan school teachers in 2008-2009'. Data were collected via standardized Champion questionnaire designed based on Health Belief Model and, then, analyzed applying SPSS V.15 and T paired, T students, correlation Pearson and, linear regression tests. Changes of knowledge, attitude [HBM] and performance mean scores obtained by paired T- test was significant in the both groups. However, between the two groups, only the performance mean score of the two groups was significantly different. Perceived severity Structures and self-efficacy showed a direct association with performance, while perceived barriers were inversely associated with performance. The only predictive variable of effective learning based on linear regression was health motivation. The current study confirmed efficacy of health belief model on promotion behavior of self-breast examination. Therefore, this model can eliminate barriers which lower self-efficacy in breast cancer and self-breast examination. It also provides a motivation in learning self-breast examination.
ABSTRACT
Primary dysmenorrhea is a common gynecologic problem in teenage girls and women of reproductive age that has an adverse impact on women's quality of life. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of oral Aloe vera gel on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea in students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. This study was double - blind clinical trial it was conducted over 80 students who suffered from primary dysmenorrhea. The subjects were matched in terms of dysmenorrhea severity. Then they were randomly divided into 2 groups of 40 subjects each. They were similar in age, menarche, body mass index, and length, and duration of bleeding. The subjects in the intervention group were given a bottle containing 120 cc Aloe vera gels for every cycle, and control group were given a bottle containing 120 cc placebos for every cycle, each. Subjects took one tablespoon of the given medicine every day, starting two days before menstruation until the first 3 days after the onset menstrual cycle for two successive cycles. Drug effects on dysmenorrheal severity were evaluated via verbal multidimensional scoring system. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive and inferential statistical testes. Findings showed that there was a significant difference between aloe vera and placebo groups concerning the intensity of pain, number of Analgesics and amount of bleeding [P<0/05], but no significant difference was observed regarding the side effects [P>0/05]. Aloe vera seems to reduce the severity of dysmenorrhea so it can be a replacement to non-steroid anti-inflammatory tablets.