ABSTRACT
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Determination of the effect of deep breathing exercise applied with Triflo on dyspnoea, anxiety and quality of life in patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19 and have dyspnoea. BACKROUND: COVID-19 is a viral infection that can cause severe pulmonary disease. Deep breathing exercise with Triflo in patients with COVID-19 may contribute to the reduction/elimination of dyspnoea and anxiety, and improvement of respiratory and quality of life. DESIGN: The study was a randomized controlled clinical trial and conducted in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 guidelines. METHODS: The study was conducted in the clinic of COVID-19 of a tertiary hospital. A total of 44 eligible participants were enrolled from January to April 2021. Primary outcomes included oxygen saturation in the blood, respiratory assessment and dyspnoea level. Secondary outcomes included anxiety and quality of life. In the statistical analysis of the data, the independent sample t-test, Wilcoxon test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation were used to examine the intervention effect on primary outcomes and secondary outcomes, according to numbers, percentage, mean, standard deviation and conformity to normal distribution. RESULTS: It was determined that the patients in the deep breathing group had a statistically significant shorter hospitalization time (3.04 ± 0.65), higher SpO2 level (97.05 ± 1.46) and higher quality of life (77.82 ± 6.77) compared with the patients in the usual care group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Deep breathing exercise with Triflo increases the SpO2 level and quality of life in patients with COVID-19 and contributes to a decrease in dyspnoea and anxiety levels. Moreover, the duration of hospital stay is shortened in patients who are applied deep breathing exercise with Triflo. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: With deep breathing exercise applied with Triflo, respiratory rate reaches normal limits in a short time, SpO2 levels increase significantly, and quality of life improves significantly in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT04696562.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Quality of Life , Dyspnea/therapy , Anxiety/therapy , Breathing ExercisesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of face-to-face education and its replacement with distance education. This has caused important changes in midwifery education. OBJECTIVE: To determine midwifery students' opinions about distance education. DESIGN: This qualitative study employed an exploratory case study design. SETTING: This study was carried out at a national university in Ankara, Turkey between December 2020 and January 2021. PARTICIPANTS: The sample of the study comprised 50 students in the midwifery department. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Data were collected using a SWOT analysis interview form developed by the researchers. The research findings were grouped into four themes: Satisfaction with distance education, barriers of distance education, facilitating aspects of distance education, and concerns about professional career. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Distance education in midwifery education in Turkey was found to have aspects involving obstacles and concerns in addition to many pleasing and facilitating features. Our findings suggest distance education can be used together with face-to-face education provided that its pleasing and facilitating aspects are supported and the obstacles and factors causing concerns are removed. Inclusion of distance methods in midwifery programs requires curricula to be updated and support from instructors and students for the development of the necessary infrastructure. There is a role for employing bodies to faciliate practice-based learning for new graduates to address their concerns with a lack of practical experience because of COVID-19 restrictions on placement.