A study on the adaptation of the HIV/AIDS-related Stigma Scale into Turkish.

PURPOSE: This study aims to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the HIV/AIDS-related Stigma Scale. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study has a methodological design. The sample included a total of 428 participants. of the participants, 198 were HIV/AIDS patients, 230 were HIV-negative individuals. The data were analyzed using the Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. FINDINGS: The Turkish version of the HIV/AIDS-related Stigma Scale was found to be valid and reliable for the Turkish society. Cronbach's α was 0.93 for the community perspectives subscale and 0.89 for the patient perspectives subscale, and all the model fit indices were acceptable. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The level of stigmatization revealed by the scale helps gain an insight into the community and patient perspectives on HIV/AIDS.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Three-Component Health Care Management Program HEWCOT in Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

This study was performed to evaluate effects of education, home visits, web, and phone counseling on chemotherapy symptoms and anxiety in patients with colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy. This pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental study was conducted in a chemotherapy unit of a hospital between February 2014 and October 2015. Due to dropouts from the study, was completed on 51 participants in the control group and 31 participants in the experimental group. The experimental group was offered a program that includes home visit, nursing education, web counseling, and tele-counseling (HEWCOT), developed by the researchers, to control symptoms and to reduce anxiety. The experimental group less frequently experienced constipation, pain, pricking and numbness in hands and feet, skin and nail problems, ocular problems, weakness, headache, mouth and throat problems, anxiety, and restlessness than the control group. The experimental group had less severe infection symptoms, hair loss, and mouth and throat problems after the interventions than the control group. In this study, the patients followed at home and provided web counseling and tele-counseling experienced less frequently chemotherapy symptoms.

Propriedades psicométricas da versão turca da escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma / Propiedades psicométricas versión turca de la escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma / Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Tuberculosis-Related Stigma scale

Resumo Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a validade e confiabilidade da escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma. Métodos Estudo metodológico com 263 indivíduos não diagnosticados com tuberculose pulmonar. Também foi utilizada a análise de correlação de Pearson, o coeficiente alfa de Cronbach, correlação item total e análise fatorial dos dados do estudo. Resultados Neste estudo, o coeficiente alfa de Cronbach foi 0,83 para a subescala perspectivas da comunidade e 0,89 para a subescala perspectivas dos pacientes. O RMSEA foi 0,077, NFI: 0,91, CFI: 0,94, RMR: 0,056, SRM: 0,079, GFI: 0,95, AGFI: 0,94, x2: 582,84, DP: 228 e x2/SD: 2,55 (p=0,000). Claramente, todos os índices de ajuste do modelo foram aceitáveis. Conclusão À luz dos resultados, a versão turca da escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma tem validade e confiabilidade aceitáveis para uso na população turca.

Resumen Objetivo El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la validez y confiabilidad de la escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma. Métodos Estudio metodológico con 263 sujetos no diagnosticados con tuberculosis pulmonar. También se utilizó el análisis de correlación de Pearson, el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach, correlación ítem total y análisis factorial de los datos del estudio. Resultados En este estudio, el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach fue del 0,83 para las perspectivas de la subescala de la comunidad y del 0,89 para las perspectivas de la subescala de pacientes. El RMSEA fue del 0,077, NFI: 0,91, CFI: 0,94, RMR: 0,056, SRM: 0,079, GFI: 0,95, AGFI: 0,94, x2: 582,84, DP: 228 y x2 / SD: 2,55 (p = 0,000). Claramente, todos los índices de ajuste del modelo fueron aceptables. Conclusión Conforme los resultados, la versión turca de la escala Tuberculosis-Related Stigma es confiable y posee validez aceptable para su uso en la población turca.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish "Tuberculosis-Related Stigma Scale". Methods This study used methodological design. This methodological study was conducted with 263 with individuals who not being diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis. We also used Pearson correlation analysis, Cronbach alpha coefficient, item total correlation and factor analysis for the study data. Results In this study, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .83 for the subscale community perspectives and .89 for the subscale patient perspectives. RMSEA was 0.077, NFI was 0.91, CFI was 0.94, RMR was 0.056, SRM was 0.079, GFI was 0.95, AGFI was 0.94, x2 was 582.84, SD was 228 and x2/SD was 2.55 (p= 0.000). Clearly, all model fit indices were acceptable. Conclusion In the light of the findings, Turkish version of Tuberculosis-Related Stigma Scale has acceptable validity and reliability for use in Turkish population.

Attitude and practice of family planning methods among Roma women living in northern Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the attitude and practice of family planning (FP) methods among Roma women living in northern Turkey. METHODS: A total of 120 Roma women living in northern Turkey participated in this descriptive study. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The scale of FP attitude was used. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 28.9 ±â€¯1.8. Among the participants, 37.5% (45/120) were primary school graduates, 70.8% (85/120) were unemployed, 73.4% (88/120) were in a consensual marriage and 94.2% (113/120) had children. The majority or 85.8% (103/120) of the participants stated that they used FP methods. Intrauterine device (57.4%, 69/120) and withdrawal method (22.3%, 27/120) were the most frequently used FP methods. CONCLUSIONS: The rates at which Roma women use FP were high. Their attitudes towards FP tended to be negative and the methods used were primarily related to females.

Experiences of Caregivers with Spouses Receiving Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer and their Expectations from Nursing Services.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to reveal experiences of caregivers whose spouses were receiving chemotherapy for colorectal cancer and their expectations from nursing services. METHODS: This is a qualitative study. The caregivers were interviewed at their home. Sampling criteria were volunteering to participate in the study, being able to understand Turkish, not having speech or hearing problems and offering care to spouses with primary colorectal cancer. The interviews continued until concepts likely to be responses to research questions repeatedly appeared. Fourteen caregivers with spouses receiving chemotherapy for colorectal cancer comprised the study sample. Data were collected with a descriptive characteristics form and a semi-structured interview at in-depth interviews after making appointments with the caregivers on the phone. The steps followed in the content analysis were coding data, an organization of codes and themes, description of findings and evaluation of findings. RESULTS: Experiences of the caregivers whose spouses were receiving chemotherapy for colorectal cancer and their expectations from nursing services were found to comprise the following themes "Facing the Disease," "Difficulties Encountered," "Continuing to Live," and "Provision of Health Care Services." CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study revealed that cancer and its treatment affected not only cancer patients but also their spouses offering care. Nurses giving care at oncology clinics, public health centers, and home can make care plans based on the four themes emerging in this study and can detect problems earlier and create appropriate solutions to them. They will contribute to the literature revealing needs of people offering care to oncology patients as well.

Hearing outcomes after suppurative chronic otitis media surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the hearing outcomes after canal wall up mastoidectomy (CWUM) and canal wall down mastoidectomy (CWDM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-two patients (74 males, 18 females; mean age 30.1 years; range 9 to 67 years) who were diagnosed with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) between January 2009 and May 2011 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Based on hospital data, patients were separated into two groups as having mucosal or squamous disease. Patients were also categorized into two groups based on the type of mastoidectomy: CWUM (n=51) and CWDM (n=41). Hearing results between the groups were evaluated using the air-bone gap (ABG) recorded by audiogram before surgery and at three months after ossiculoplasty. Relationship between obtained hearing results and performed ossiculoplasty techniques were also discussed. RESULTS: We were able to perform ossiculoplasty in 42.3% (n=39) of patients diagnosed with CSOM. Presurgical ABG in CWUM and CWDM groups were 35.38±10.82 dB and 37.92±5.80 dB, respectively. Postsurgical ABG value was ≤20 dB in 27% of CWUM patients and 7.7% of CWDM patients. Mean hearing gain of patients with active squamous disease was 3.8 dB in CWUM group and 11.9 dB in CWDM group (p<0.5). CONCLUSION: The pathology affecting the middle ear had influence on the hearing results of the two groups. Canal wall down mastoidectomy may be a beneficial procedure to improve hearing in patients with CSOM.

The problems encountered by midwives during breast self-examination training.

UNLABELLED: The second leading cause of cancer death in Turkey, breast cancer accounts for 24% of female cancers, with a crude incidence rate of 7.2 per 100,000 women in 1999. It was determined that breast self-examination (BSE) is carried out effectively if it is taught by a physician or a midwife/nurse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was performed in 16 health centers found in the city center of Samsun between 01.09.2006 and 30.12.2006. A total of 124 midwives work in the health centers found in the city center of Samsun. It tried to cover the total population rather than sampling part of it. However, 11 midwives, where there was error detected in their data coding paper, and who did not accept to join the study, were excluded from the study. A total of 103 midwives (response rate=83.06%) were included in the study group. The data were collected using a questionnaire form and a problem definition list prepared according to the literature. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: While 90.3% of the midwives stated that they performed BSE, it was seen that 82.6% of the midwives performed BSE irregularly. While 97.1% of the midwives considered BSE as important, 78.6% of them stated that they had had on-the-job training about BSE. About 82.5% of the midwives stated that they educated women about BSE and 75.7% of them said that they did not feel as sufficient themselves for BSE training. The midwives stated that the most frequent problems encountered were that the women were not willing to apply BSE (43.7%), the women were not able to distinguish the masses from normal breast tissue (48.5%), the women did not feel confident in detecting the masses (49.5%) and the women were not willing to think about cancer (41.7%). CONCLUSION: This study shows that multiple reasons are affecting women's BSE practices, which midwives should address when delivering their training sessions.