Caregivers’ Experiences in Providing Care for Muslim Patients with Terminal AIDS

This phenomenological study aimed to describe and explain the caregivers’ experiences in providing care for Muslim patients with terminal AIDS. Informants included ten primary caregivers of Muslim patients with AIDS, knowing that the  patients were in the terminal stage, and providing care for at least 1 month. Data were obtained using in-depth interviews and non-participant observation. Data were analyzed using van Manen’s guideline. The caregivers described the meaning of caring as 1) doing everything for extending life of their loved one, 2) doing the best they could make the patient live happily at the end of life, 3) taking close care of both body and mind like nurturing a child, and 4) caring for the patient to live worthly as a normal person. Caring for the dying patients with AIDS could be divided into 3 phases, including 1) the end of life care phase; caring behaviors in this phase included providing hygiene and comfort care, encouraging adequate diet/food, supervising patients’ adherence to medication, alleviating suffering symptoms, being with the patients, supporting patients’ needs, empowering patients’ will to live, keeping the HIV diagnosis confidential, staying in remembrance of Allah, and preventing HIV infection from care; 2) the terminal and the last day phase; caring behaviors during this phase included letting the patients be with their loved one, helping patients finish unfinished business, asking for forgiveness, staying in remembrance of Allah at the last breath; and 3) the bereavement phase; caring behaviors during this phase included reading Quran, keeping mourning, and passing merit to the dead. The informants reported both negative and positive impacts as a result of caring for the patients. Negative consequences were: 1) restlessness and poor physical health, 2) emotional suffering such as stress, anxiety, discouragement, being easily irritated, 3) loss of income and being indebt, 4) social isolation, and 5) not being able to perform religious practices as usual. Positive consequences were: 1) being proud of being a caregiver, and 2) gaining good experience. The results of this study provided directions and suggestions for improve the quality of care for the Muslim patients with terminal AIDs and their families.

Factors Predicting Intention to Attend HIV Screening Services among Pregnant Women’s Spouses

This descriptive research aimed to determine the predictive power of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on the intention of the spouse of pregnant women to attend HIV screening services. Two hundred and twelve spouses who accompanied their wife at antenatal care units, Hatyai Hospital and Songkla Hospital were purposively selected. The data were collected using a set of questionnaires developed from theory of planned behaviors and a literature review. It was comprised of 1) personal information, 2) attitudes about HIV screening, 3) subjective norms, 4) perceived behavioral control and 5) intention to attend HIV screening services. The questionnaires were tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .85 to .94. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results showed that most subjects rated their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to attend HIV screening services at a moderate level. In addition, attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 24 % of the variance of intention to attend HIV screening services particularly subjective norms which were the most significant factors (β = .41, b = .04, p \< .001). The findings suggested that nurses and health care providers should promote and improve counseling services for all couples who attended the antenatal care in order to assist the husbands’ decision making in utilizing the HIV voluntary testing services.

Perception of Thai Nursing Students and Faculty’s Competence toward Caring for Culturally Diverse Clients

This descriptive study aimed to examine the culturally competence perception of Thai nursing students and faculty for caring diverse clients. A convenience sample of 121 second year, 107 fourth year of baccalaureate students, and 42 faculty members at Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University was recruited to measure using Cultural Care Completence Scale-Thai composed of Cultural Knowledge Test and Self-Cultural Competence Test. Focus group discussions were also conducted as additional method. The questionairre was exmained content validity by experts. The reliability of Cultural Knowledge Test was obtained by discrimination index of .73 and point biserial correlation ranged from .3 - .8. The Cronbach’s alpha of Self-Cultural Competence Test was .89. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and simple content analysis. Findings revealed that majority of the second year students (81.1%) and the fourth year students (71.5%) perceived their culturally competence at the level of cultural aware, however majority of the faculty (58.8%) perceived their culturally competence at the level ot cultural competence. The perception of the cultural skill was the highest mean score of the second year students, the fourth year students, and faculty (X¯ = 17.72, S.D. = 1.835; X¯= 17.99, S.D. = 2.146 and X¯= 18.95, S.D. = 2.501 respectively), and the perception of the cultural knowledge was the lowest mean score of the second year sudents, the fourth year students, and faculty (X¯ = 9.38, S.D. = 2.499; X¯ = 9.96, S.D. = 2.244, and X¯ = 9.93 , S.D. = 2.908 respectively). The results suggest that teaching and delivering culturally competence care are challenging and requiring further studies to develop an effective model by using richness of the clinical setting with real-world clients and their cultural needs.

Music Therapy with Female Surgical Patients: Effect on Anxiety and Pain

Pain and anxiety are common phenomena for surgical patients. Although music has been shown to be useful and have advantages, as an intervention for managing anxiety and pain, no study was located, using repeated measures. This study examined the effect of music therapy, at multiple times, on reducing pre- and post-operative anxiety, and post-operative pain sensation and pain distress, in 102 Malaysian female surgical patients. A pre/post-test design, with subjects randomly placed into either the music therapy group (n=51) or the control group (n=51), was used. Those in the music therapy group listened to self-selected music twice daily the day before surgery and for 3 days post-operative. Visual Analogue Scales were used to measure anxiety before and after the music intervention, as well as pain sensation and pain distress during the post-operative period. State-trait anxiety, during the pre- and post-operative periods, also was measured. Data were analyzed using the T-test and F-test for comparison between groups and across time.  The results showed that the music group reported lower pre-operative anxiety than the control group. The music group demonstrated reduced post-operative anxiety, pain sensation and pain distress. Music was found to have a cumulative effect, post-operatively, across the variables. In summary, listening to self-selected music the day before surgery and continuing for 3 days post-operatively was effective in reducing anxiety, pain sensation and pain distress. The findings suggest the use of music, as a complementary empirically-based nursing intervention, for reducing pre-operative anxiety, post-operative pain sensation and post-operative pain distress among female adult surgical patients.

Cultural Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Muslim Communities in Asia: A Literature Review

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have obtained a great deal of attention worldwide over the past three decades. Numerous studies have been conducted to address this pandemic virus and disease, yet the number of infected individuals is increasing, particularly in developing countries, including those that are predominantly Muslim. Muslims historically have shown a unique response to HIV/AIDS due to their belief that their Islamic faith protects them from contracting the virus. Therefore, understanding the interface, among cultural beliefs, prevention and care for individuals with HIV/AIDS, is crucial for health care providers to develop culturally appropriate models of prevention, care and treatment. However, care that is culturally congruent for individuals with HIV/AIDS remains largely unexplored among Muslims in Asia. The purpose of this review of the literature was to examine cultural beliefs in relation to caring practices for people with HIV/AIDS in Muslim communities in Asia. Recommendations and implications for health care providers are highlighted, and the need for future research is suggested.