Pain and Self-Management Status Among Chinese Patients With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the pain and self-management status of patients with cancer and the influencing factors of pain and self-management status during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used. Eighty-one Chinese patients with cancer were recruited in December 2020. The Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Management Inventory, and the Pain Self-efficacy Questionnaire were used to evaluate patients' pain and self-management status. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression models were conducted for the research aims. RESULTS: Two thirds of the participants experienced moderate to severe pain. Cancer pain had moderate to severe interference on 90.12% of patients' lives. Self-management of pain in these participants was low. The most commonly used methods of pain management included adjusting activity intensity to avoid fatigue, using distraction techniques, and massaging the sore area. The most effective methods to manage pain included taking analgesics prescribed by doctor, taking over-the-counter analgesics, and massaging the sore area. Fifteen patients (18.5%) believed that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on pain management and 26 patients (32.1%) needed support. Pain education, pain interference on sleep, chemotherapy, and payment status were significantly associated with cancer patients 'pain self-management. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with cancer had moderate to severe pain intensity with low levels of self-management and self-efficacy towards that pain.

A survey of postpartum depression and health care needs among Chinese postpartum women during the pandemic of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic seriously endangers the public's mental health, especially to pregnant and postpartum women. But little is known about postpartum depression and health care needs among Chinese postpartum women. AIM: To investigate the status and risk factors of postpartum depression and health care needs among Chinese postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 209 Chinese postpartum women were recruited from May to July 2020 by convenience sampling and assessed online with self-designed Maternal General Information Questionnaire, Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and Chinese Version of the Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. RESULTS: With the EPDS cut-off value of 10, the incidence of postpartum depressive symptoms was 56.9%. Age, history of abortion and perceived stress were the influencing factors of postpartum depression (adjusted R2 = 0.432, F = 23.611, p < .001). The top three health care needs were infant rearing guidance (78.0%), maternal and infant protection guidance (60.3%) and dietary guidance (45.0%). The proportion of psychological rehabilitation guidance needs in the depressed group was significantly higher than that in the non-depressed group (34.5% vs. 20.0%, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal postpartum depression in China was at a high level during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women aged 25-34, with a history of abortion and high stress levels were at higher risk for postpartum depression. Timely psychological counselling, intervention and COVID-19-related health education are in great need for postpartum women.

The experiences of nurses infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: A qualitative study.

AIM: To understand about the experiences and feelings of the nurses infected with COVID-19 when caring for patients with COVID-19. BACKGROUND: With the sudden outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), nurses take care of patients with COVID-19 and have a very high risk of being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) themselves. METHODS: This study adopted a qualitative design of hermeneutic phenomenology. A purposeful sampling was used, and all data were collected through in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: The interview data generated 4 topics and 14 secondary topics. Four major themes were identified from this study, including 'experiences of infection', 'health belief', 'social support' and 'the pursuit of self-worth'. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses infected by COVID-19 experienced a physical and psychological shock. They had a strong sense of responsibility and willingness to take risks. Providing professional psychological counselling and physical rehabilitation services are crucial. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This manuscript provides nursing managers an understanding of the personal experiences and needs of clinical nurses in their work, especially during COVID-19. It is helpful for nursing managers to explore the greater driving force of nurses and prepare nursing human resources for greater challenges.

Adjuvant role and application prospects of immunonutrition in the comprehensive treatment of COVID-19

The world is in the grip of the COVID-19 caused by SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. Public health measures that can reduce the risk of infection and death in addition to quarantines are desperately needed. Malnutrition and various non-communicable underlying diseases, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, leading to immunodeficiency in patients are important risk factors for severe COVID-19. Special nutrient supplement have pharmacological effect, stimulate the immune cells in a particular way, strengthen the function of immune response, maintain appropriate immune response, adjustment of cytokine production and release, reduce harmful or excessive inflammation, have positive sense to the prognosis of patients with COVID-19. This article reviewed the role of immune nutrients such as vitamins, mineral elements, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber in reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, as well as the current application of immunonutrition in COVID-19, in order to provide reliable reference for the adjuvant role of immunonutrition in the comprehensive treatment of COVID-19.