[Comparison of the effect of two types of short message service [interactive and non-interactive] on anticoagulant adherence of patients with prosthetic heart valves]

Introduction: One of the major complications of valve replacement, is valve dysfunction which occurs in thrombolytic complication and systemic embolism. Therefore, these patients should take anticoagulant with warfarin. Incorrect use of anticoagulant is the cause of thrombotic complications and bleeding in patients with mechanical valves due to very low levels of adherence to the medication. This research was done with the purpose of comparison of the effect of two types of short message service [interactive and non-interactive] on patient compliance with anticoagulant regimens in patients with prosthetic heart valves

Method: This study is a clinical trial performed on 90 eligible patients referred to Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran, Iran for a period of three months. The patients were divided into three groups of 30 patients, control, interactive and noninteractive. Self-report questionnaires were completed and International Normalized Ratio [INR] levels were recorded. Educational leaflets were given to all of the patients, their phone numbers were taken and they were instructed about using short message service. The control group did not receive SMS. Four educational messages were sent to the non-interactive group every week for a period of three months. In the interactive group, in addition to sending educational messages, patients were able to communicate with the researcher and ask their questions. After three months, all three groups completed the self-report questionnaires again. Then anticoagulant adherence was evaluated using questionnaire and INR levels. Data were analysed using fisher exact test, Chi-Square, paired T test, and analysis of variance

Results: Before the intervention all three groups did not have a significant difference in the mean of drug [P=0.43] and diet [P=0.84] adherence. But three months after intervention, three groups had significant difference in the mean of the anticoagulant adherence [P

[Effect of cardiac rehabilitation program's first phase on anxiety in patients with coronary arteries bypass surgery]

It is important to measure the anxiety level in patients who undergo heart surgery and find out ways to relief it. This study aimed to determine the effect of cardiac rehabilitation program's first phase on the level of anxiety among patients hospitalized for coronary arteries bypass surgery. In this randomized clinical trial, sixty patients were selected using block sampling and randomly allocated into experimental and control groups. Data were gathered using a questionnaire including the spiel burger's standardized questionnaire. The level of anxiety was measured in both groups. Then, the first phase of cardiac rehabilitation program [including physical exercise, and daily living activities] was carried out in the experimental group. Finally, patients in the experimental group discussed their experiences of surgery. Control group Patients received usual care. The level of anxiety was measured in both groups the day before surgery and at the time of discharge. Data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square, and Friedman tests in SPSS. Findings showed that the level of anxiety had no significant differences between two groups at the time of admission. After implementing the rehabilitation program, the level of anxiety decreased significantly [P < 0.001] in the experimental group. Significant differences were observed in the level of anxiety between two groups after intervention [P=0.015] and at the time of discharge [P=0.038]. This procedure should be used in surgery patients

[Assessing the quality of work life, productivity of nurses and their relationship]

High quality of work life is known as basic prerequisite of empowering human resources in healthcare system. Nurses' productivity plays an important role in organizations' success. Knowing the correlation between quality of work life and productivity, managers can improve staffs' productivity by promoting nurses' quality of work life. This study aimed at assessing relationships between quality of work life and productivity of nurses. This cross-sectional correlation study was conducted with a random sample of 360 nurses drawn from hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were gathered through self-administered questionnaires containing work quality of life questionnaire [45 questions on a likert rating scale] and productivity questionnaire [25 questions on a likert rating scale]. Both questionnaires were developed by the researchers. All statistics were computed using the SPSS software [version 13] with pearson and K square tests. Findings revealed that 31.9% of the nurses considered their productivity level, moderate. 41.9% of them reported their work quality of life at moderate level. Only 10% of them believed that their work quality of life is good. The results demonstrated statistically significant correlation between work quality of life and productivity level of nurses [r=0.357, P<0.001]. Since just 0.1 of nurses reported their productivity and quality of work life good, managers should apply the appropriate strategies to promote nurses' quality of work life and provide the ground for improving the quality of care and productivity of nurses