Turkish Version of Kolcaba's Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire: A Validity and Reliability Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire (ICQ). METHODS: The sample used in this methodological study consisted of 121 patients undergoing lower extremity arthroscopy in a training and research hospital. The validity study of the questionnaire assessed language validity, structural validity and criterion validity. Structural validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between the visual analog scale (VAS) scores (i.e., the comfort and pain VAS scores) and the ICQ scores using Spearman's correlation test. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to determine the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated to determine reliability. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 15.00 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. A p value < or =.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A moderate positive correlation was found between the ICQ scores and the VAS comfort scores; a moderate negative correlation was found between the ICQ and the VAS pain measures in the criterion validity analysis. Cronbach alpha values of .75 and .82 were found for the first and second measurements, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study reveal that the ICQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the comfort of patients in Turkey who are immobilized because of lower extremity orthopedic problems.

Cardiovascular Surgery Patients: Intensive Care Experiences and Associated Factors

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the intensive care unit (ICU) experiences of cardiovascular surgery (CS) patients and to define the associations between their ICU experiences and related factors. METHODS: The study used a descriptive design. In total, 106 CS patients were interviewed at least 24 hours after discharge from an ICU in an educational research hospital in Ankara, Turkey between January and July 2012. Data were collected using the Intensive Care Experience Scale (ICES), a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics data form and two open-ended questions inquiring about smells and light. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: The patients were moderately aware of their ICU environments, partly recalled their ICU experiences, highly recollected frightening experiences, and expressed good satisfaction with care. Age, education, marital status, and pain were associated with ICU experiences. Patients who sensed smell had higher scores of frightening experiences than those who did not. Patients who were annoyed with excessive light reported less satisfaction with care than those who were not. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that measuring the patients' characteristics and environmental factors may be beneficial for healthcare teams to improve the recovery of CS patients in the ICU.

Is there a correlation between subjective globalassessment and food intake, anthropometric measurement and biochemical parameters in nutritional assessment of haemodialysis patients?

Subjective Global Assessment [SGA], a semi-quantitative method of evaluation for nutritional status, has a widespread use among haemodialysis patients both in research studies and in clinical practice. This study was performed to analyze possible correlations between SGA and food intake, anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance [BIA] and biochemical parameters in haemodialysis patients. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 Haemodialysis [HD] patients. HD patients were assessed by SGA, 3-day food intake, anthropometry, and some biochemical parameters. According to the SGA 47.3% of patients were well nourished [SGA-A], 37.4% were moderately malnourished [SGA-B] and 15.3% were severely malnourished [SGA-C]. White there was a negative correlation between energy, fat intake and SGA score [p=0.025 and p=0.003, respectively], a correlation between carbohydrate, protein intake and SGA score was not found. There were a negative correlation between SGA and serum total protein [p=0.035], albumin [p=0.024] and haemoglobin levels [p=0.O01] and a positive correlation between C Reactive Protein [CRP] [p=0.001]. Subjective Global Assessment [SGA] was correlated with energy and fat intake and some biochemical parameters, but not with anthropometric measurements. Therefore, we conclude that further studies in which SGA with objective methods are used may be of value in determining nutritional status of haemodialysis patients