Study of the effectiveness of peer learning as an instructional strategy on students performance in the nursing laboratory [North Batinah region]

This study was conducted in the nursing laboratory of Nursing Institutes in North Batinah region on a sample of 72 second-year nursing students from nursing institutes. They were divided into two groups, 36 as a control group and 36 as a study group. The study group was divided into 12 subgroups, each consisted of 3 students. Two tools were used to collect data, a questionnaire sheet including the three domains of learning as well as a Likert-like response of three alternatives [agreement, agreement to some extent and disagreement]. Observation checklist was used for assessing and evaluating the students' performance in demonstrating CPR procedure for adult and children [10] which includes 5 items according to the nursing process. The total mark for all items was 100 marks. The clinical procedure was explained to both groups, also a demonstration was done in one laboratory session [timing 1.5 hours] for each group on the same day. A re-demonstration was done by the study group as each student in the subgroup played the teacher's role once and the student's role twice. This was conducted in three laboratory sessions on three consecutive days. Each student needed 15 minutes to play the role of the teacher and 30 minutes as a student, while each student in the control group was re-demonstrated three times individually for the same period as the study group. The re-demonstration period for both groups was completed within four weeks. The student's performance was evaluated by using the observation checklist

Menstruation among adolescent school girls

This work was carried out to study the characteristics and problems of the menstrual cycle among adolescent schoolgirls, the knowledge of girls about different aspects of menstruation and to assess the practicing of menstrual hygienic measures in relation to their knowledge. The study was carried out on 210 postmenarcheal schoolgirls aged 13-16 years [104 preparatory school girls and 106 secondary school girls] as a random sample from one preparatory and one secondary school at El-Mahalla El-Kobra City, Gharbia Governorate during the scholastic year 1999-2000. The average menarcheal age was 12.63. +/- 0.99 years. The mean duration of menstrual blood flow was 4.74 +/- 1 .60 days. Most of the studied girls [60%] had menstrual cycle of normal length [28-32 days]. Only 36.67% of the studied girls menstruating blood in average amount. Most of the studied girls menstruating regularly [87.14%]. Nearly two thirds of the studied girls suffered from premenstrual symptoms [66.24%], with significant higher percent among secondary school girls than preparatory ones [72.64% and 57.69% respectively]. Vulvitis was detected among 15.24% of the studied girls during the period of the study with no significant difference between preparatory and secondary schoolgirls. The most frequent premenstrual symptoms among the studied girls were abdominal cramps, impaired concentration, headache, mood changes and low work performance with significant difference between them. Abdominal cramps and low work performance were more frequent among preparatory school girls than secondary school girls. Some premenstrual symptoms, were more frequent among secondary school girls than preparatory ones as headache, mastalgia, backache, fatigue and behavioral changes. The menstrual gynecological problems were detected among 88.10% of the studied girls, with no significant difference between preparatory and secondary schoolgirls. The most frequent menstrual problem was dysmenorrhea [75.71%], with higher percent among preparatory than secondary schoolgirls [81 .73% and 69.8 1% respectively]. Heavy menstrual bleeding represented 47.62%. followed by hypomenorrhea [14.29%] and polymenorrhea [7.62%]. Menstruation was a leading cause to other non-gynecological problems including: decreased daily activities, impaired school performance and school absentism, with no significant difference between preparatory and secondary school girls. 37.03% of the studied girls had correct knowledge, 30.11% had false knowledge and 32.86% had no information about menstruation. The pattern of distribution of' knowledge as being good or unsatisfactory was significantly different between preparatory and secondary schoolgirls regarding good knowledge about; premenstrual symptoms, changes that occur differences regarding their knowledge about menstrual hygiene, Statistically, there were significant differences between correct and bad practice of hygienic measures among the studied girls on the light of their knowledge regarding; perineal hygiene, use of chemicals during perineal wash, frequency of changing pads during menstruation, sanitary disposal of pads, and bathing during menstruation [with higher percents of good knowledge and correct practice among secondary schoolgirls than preparatory ones]. 84.29% of the studied girls depended on a single source of information about menstruation. The highest percent of the studied girls depended on their mothers as a source of information [51.43%]. The level of education among parents of the studied girls denoted that their reproductive knowledge was not sufficient as a source of information and they must be indulged in the programs of reproductive health education for the benefit of their daughters. The occupation of parents and their economic standard may have a role as a barrier for good practice of hygienic measures inspite of the good knowledge among their girls. The findings of the present study point to the need for early school-based reproductive health education programs, incorporating correct information on reproductive biology and the subsequent prevention of reproductive ill health. The reproductive education programs designed for schoolgirls must be based upon their true knowledge at different education grades, putting in consideration the role of their curriculum

Patient education as a mean to reduce hospital stress among hospitalized children

Hospitalization whether elective planned or as a result of an emergency or trauma is stressful for children of all ages and their families as children might be subjected to various routines and invasive procedures possibly even surgery. This study was carried out on 140 children aged 6 - 12 years who were admitted to the Pediatric Department at Tanta University Hospital due to medical problems, excluding comatosed, mentally ill or critically ill children. Of them, 70 children were studied as a study group who received the routine hospital care in addition to education as a preparation to hospital experience during hospitalization. The other 70 children were matched for socio-demographic characters and the nature of diseases at admission to hospital to be studied as controls. They received the routine hospital care but not educated for preparation to hospital experience. Both groups were compared regarding level of anxiety, level of depression, improvement of health status at discharge from the hospital and follow up after discharge at the outpatient clinic, to study the effect of patient education on reducing hospital stress and improvement of outcome of applied hospital care. All the studied children suffered from chronic illnesses, with highest percent cases of cardiac diseases, followed by renal diseases, respiratory diseases, blood disorders, neurological disorders and other diseases as severe malnutrition with superimposed infection. Most of the studied children were hospitalized for more than two weeks. The hospitalized child patient education was conducted individually for each child in the study group during the period of hospitalization. Out of the study group, 82.86% were positive to anxiety with different levels compared to 81.43% among the controls at admission to hospital, with no significant difference. Among the frequent causes of anxiety among the study and control groups were; bad health status, expected decreased school achievement, bad physical symptoms as headache, blurred vision, deceased body weight, loss of appetite and being away from school friends. Out of the study group, 92.86% were positive to depression with different levels at admission to hospital compared to 88.57% among the controls, with no significant difference. Among the frequent causes of depression among the studied children were; social problems especially social isolation, regression in school, sense of being less and different from other peers, sense of pain, sadness and passive trend toward self body. All these items showed more significant decrease among the educated group than among the non-educated children of different diseases as detected at discharge from the hospital. The results showed that the child education during hospitalization had a significant effect in reducing the anxiety and depression state [or reduction in hospital stress], that may play a role in improving the health status of the educated diseased children more than non-educated ones with better response to continue follow up at the outpatient clinic to complete treatment if needed