Nurse caring behavior: the nurses versus patients' perceptions in Egypt And Jordan

The identification of behaviors that patients perceive as caring helps to emphasize what patients expect from their caregivers. Patients have always been known to value how effective nurses are in performing tasks, but, clearly, patients also value the effective dimension of nursing care. As a nurse begins clinical practice, it is important to consider how patients perceive caring and what are the best approaches to provide care. This study aims indentify the most and least important nurse caring behaviors as perceived by nurses and patients. The study was conducted in medical, surgical and neurological units in Egypt [Main University Hospital in Alexandria, Benha and Jordan University Hospitals] The subjects of this study comprised 90 Jordanian and Egyptian nurse in the previously mentioned settings, as well as one hundred adult patients from each country. Data were collected using The Caring Assessment instrument [care Q] which is a questionnaire used to identify the nurses' and patients' perceptions of the most and least important nurses caring behaviors. it provides evidence that caring can be addressed on a scientific level and must be examined at the behavioral level. Results of the present study revealed that the patient and nurses in Egypt had significantly different perceptions of the nurse caring behavior subscales regarding accessible, explain and facilitate, comfort, anticipates and monitors and follows through. While in the Jordan, the difference was found to be related to comfort and trusting relationship, perceived by both nurses and patients

Protozoal infections in zinc deficient children from rural areas around Mansoura City

Zinc deficiency in children is an important public health problem in the developing world [Manary et al, 2002]. Several lines of evidence suggest that zinc status of our infants and children are marginal or low. First, animal products, the main source of zinc, represent only a small percentage of the usual diet. Second, high consumption of rice and vegetablesmay preclude adequate zinc absorption because of their high phytate and fiber contents. Third, gastrointestinal disease [diarrhea, parasites] may increase intestinal losses of zinc. So, in our locality, the magnitude of marginal zinc deficiency problem in apparently healthy infants and children is expected to be high [Hegazi et al., 2002]. The pattern and intensity of protozoal infections in zinc deficient children were studied in comparison to children with normal serum zinc level. The present study [case control study] was conducted on 55 children from rural areas around Mansoura, attending the outpatient clinic of Mansoura University Children's Hospital. They were of both sexes and their ages ranged from 4-11 years. Cryptosporidium parvum was the commonest parasite prevalent among both groups. Other protozoal infections detected were Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, with a prevalence of 60.6% and. 57.6% respectively in children with low serum zinc compared to 54.5%, and 50% in children with normal serum zinc level. These differences were statistically insignificant. However, zinc deficient children had statistically significant heavy intensity of protozoal infections compared to children with normal serum zinc level. Also, it was observed that zinc deficient children showed statistically significant co-infection with 3 protozoa compared to children with normal serum zinc level who suffered from only one or two protozoal infection at most