[Patient education barriers from nurses' opinions]

Introduction: Patient education is one of the important aspects of nursing care and is among nursing key roles in delivery of health services

Objective: This study aimed to determine the barriers to patient education from nurses' viewpoint employed in educational hospitals affiliated to Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional and descriptiveanalytical study in which 162 nursing personnel were selected by stratified-random sampling method. In order to perform the sampling according to the population of each hospital, the numbers of samples were determined. Data were collected with a two-part questionnaire. First part contained personal and demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, education and working experience. The second part included 19 questions on patient education barriers which evaluated four domains of working conditions, management, nursing attitude and training skills. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square statistical test. Answers were designed based on a Likert scale from low to average and high impact with scores of 1-3, respectively. In management domain, the scores ranged from 6 to 18. Scores less than 10 showed "low impact", 10 to 14 "average impact" and more than 14 "high impact". In the domain of working conditions, similar scores were obtained. The findings displayed that nurses' attitude ranged from 2 to 6 scores. Scores less than 3 showed "low impact", 3-4.5 "average impact" and more than 4.5 "high impact". In domain of training skills, scores ranged from 5 to 15. Scores less than 8 indicated "low impact", 8 to 11.5 "average impact" and more than 11.5 "high impact". The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-square. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Health Faculty, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd

Results: In this study, 149 of the 162 questionnaires were answered indicating92% response rate. The data showed that 45.2% of male nurses and 47.3% of female nurses blamed working condition barriers with highest impact on the implementation of patient education. Moreover, 45.8% of single and 47.5% of married nurses had the same opinion. Chi-square test found no significant relationship between the variables of age, sex, working experience, employment status, marital status, and educational level with patient education barriers [P>/=0.05]. The data showed that 31.5% of nurses believed that barriers related to management had the greatest impact on the implementation of patient education followed by 47.7% barriers to working condition, 2.7% attitude of nurses and 14.1% training skills. Chi-square test showed a significant correlation between the domains of working condition and type of hospital [P=0.048]. Working condition was proved as the most important factor. Management was the second factor followed by training skills as the third. Finally, attitude of nurses was identified as the least important patient education barrier. The results of the present study revealed three factors with highest impact as education barriers in nurses' opinion; high working load [74.5%], insufficient nursing stuff in wards [71.8%] and nursing shifts in a row [70.4%] in working condition domain. The study population reported three factors with lowest impact; training as a specific task assigned for doctors [54.4%], lack of nurses 'self-confidence for training [43.5%] and not delivering the trainings to patients [40.3%]

Conclusion: In attention to that the domain of nurses working conditions had the greatest impact on the education of the patients, it is recommended that official authorities to maintain nursing resource in hospitals and reduce their workload and provide facilities and conditions for educational programs to encourage nurses to consider this important issue

Study motives and career plans of postgraduate students in dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Nowadays, there is great emphasis on the commitment of dentists as health care workforce, thus, awareness of their motivations and expectations is important in order to promote general and oral health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate dental post graduate student s motivations and career choice plans in relation to sex, marital status and parent s education in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2009-2010. A total of 1 16 dental post graduate students have been participated in this survey and a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed in three sections based on previous studies consisting of motivations and career choice plans and was distributed among them. Data were entered in to SPSS [16] and were analyzed with Mann Whitney test. Social/occupational prestige was the most important motivation [%92]. On the other hand, there was significant association between motivations and career choice plans with marital status and parent s job as dentist/physician. Influence of family had significantly more impact among residents who had dentist/physician parents compared to those with parents in other occupations [p=0.01 1] [%65]. The most important career choice plan was to work in private sector [94/84%]. The married people were inclined to constitute a professional dental clinic with colleagues [p<0.0037] [%86]. Single students had more interest in research in the field of dentistry [p=0.047]. The most important motivations were social/ occupational prestige, income, independence and personal interest in dentistry respectively. The most important career choice plans were working in private sector, recruitment in university as dental faculty and constitution a professional dental clinic with colleagues

Effects of zinc supplementation on glycemic control and complications of gestational diabetes

To investigate the effects of zinc supplementation on pregnancy outcome in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus. During the randomized double blind clinical trial 60 women with gestational diabetes mellitus from 32nd of gestational age were assigned to two equal groups to receive 25mg zinc sulfate orally per day as case or placebo as control. Then, groups were compared regarding insulin dosage needs, macrosomia and preeclampsia. Insulin requirements and dosage changes during the investigation were lower in the case group than in the control [P<0.001]. Women in the zinc supplemental group had a lower percentage of large infants compared to control [P<0.01]. There were no significant differences between two groups regarding the rates of preeclampsia and cesarean delivery. This study showed that zinc supplementation in gestational diabetes could reduce insulin needs and improve glycemic control of these patients and it may also reduce macrosomia