The knowledge level of the healthcare professionals responsible for newborns' heel prick tests.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge of healthcare professionals involved in newborn heel prick tests. METHODS: The study was conducted between 10.02.2021-10.03.2021 with 147 healthcare workers working in heel prick screening in health institutions where heel prick blood samples were collected in a province and districts in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. As a data collection tool, a questionnaire prepared by the researcher in line with the literature was used. The data were evaluated by number, percentage, mean and standard deviation analysis and chi-square analysis was performed in IBM SPSS for Windows 29.0v programme. RESULTS: The majority of healthcare professionals gave correct answers to the questions regarding the collection, storage and transfer of heel prick. It has been observed that healthcare professionals do not have sufficient information regarding the definition of Congenital Metabolic Diseases, their findings and where to refer patients whose results are suspicious.The most significance was found in the distribution of answers regarding the symptoms of the screened diseases according to occupational groups. CONCLUSION: In diseases that can be controlled with treatment and nutrition if detected early, errors in the collection, storage and transport of the sample can affect the test result and delay the diagnosis. Healthcare professionals have important responsibilities issues from genetic counseling before marriage, taking heel blood, from informing the family to caring for the diagnosed baby. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study will provide valuable information to health professionals involved in newborn screening and to future studies in this field.

Comparison of Turkish and English YouTube videos on phlebotomy in terms of content, reliability and quality.

AIM: This study was conducted to evaluate the content, reliability and quality of YouTube videos about phlebotomy. METHOD: A retrospective, register-based study was conducted exclusively with videos publicly available on YouTube in June 2022. Ninety videos have been evaluated in terms of content, reliability and quality. This evaluation was performed by two independent researchers. The skill checklist created with reference to the WHO blood collection guide was used for the content evaluation of the videos. The short form of the DISCERN questionnaire was used to evaluate the reliability of the video. The quality of the videos was evaluated with a 5-point Global Quality Scale. RESULTS: The mean validity score of the English videos was 2.58 ± 0.88, the quality score was 2.98 ± 1.02 and the content score was 8.78 ± 1.47. In the Turkish videos, the mean validity score was 1.90 ± 1.27, the quality score was 2.35 ± 0.97 and the content score was 8.02 ± 1.07. The content, validity and quality scores of the English videos were found to be significantly higher than the Turkish videos. CONCLUSION: Some videos do not include evidence-based practice and some videos contain technical differences as in the literature. In addition, in some videos, non-recommended techniques such as touching the cleaning area, opening and closing the fist were used. For these reasons, the results show that YouTube videos on phlebotomy are a limited resource for students.

Nursing Students' Perception Levels of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Turkey.

The present study was conducted to determine nursing students' perception levels of spirituality and spiritual care and the factors affecting these levels. The study was carried out in the nursing faculty of a university located in eastern Turkey between April and June 2019. The study population was made up of students studying within a department of nursing (n = 1250), and involved a sample size of 420 students, determined by power analysis. Data were obtained from an 'Introductory Information Form' that included students' sociodemographic characteristics and questions related to spiritual care and the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). Students scored, on average, 59.8 ± 9.7 on the SSCRS. Gender, year of undergraduate education, father's education level, knowledge of spiritual care, beliefs on the relationship between spiritual care and nursing care, and the ability to meet patients' spiritual needs were variables with an impact on the total SSCRS scores (p < 0.05). The findings show that spiritual care perception levels of nursing students were high.

The Effect of Acupressure on Blood Pressure Level and Pulse Rate in Individuals With Essential Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

A total of 91 people including 47 in the intervention group and 44 in the placebo group were included to a randomized controlled study. It can be asserted that acupressure, applied to the Neiguan (PC 6) acupuncture point in individuals with essential hypertension, provides blood pressure regulation and is effective for management of numerous hypertension-related symptoms.

Characteristics of paraphilics in Turkey: A retrospective study-20years.

OBJECTIVE: This study is carried out to research the frequency of occurrence and the characteristics of paraphilic cases in Turkey and forensic aspects of them and to explain forensic psychiatric studies of people show paraphilic actions and assess them from legal aspects. METHOD: This research is done by studying a total of 101,208 cases who were sent to Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute (FMI) by the judicial organs of 4th Specialization Board between 1984 and 2004 to decide whether they show paraphilic actions or not. When choosing the cases of pedophilic actions, incest incidents were excluded and 307 incidents were taken into assessment. RESULTS: The male subjects are 97.4%, 39.7% of them are 19-29years old, 10% of them are over age 60, 59% of the subjects are single, 36.5% of them are unemployed, 71.7% of the incidents have no physical disorder. The subjects who were imprisoned before were 20.2% and 22.1% of them had undergone psychiatric treatment before the incident. Twenty separate diagnosis are determined by the FMI for the subjects. There were mental retardation, schizophrenia and various personality disorders on the top the diagnosis list. The paraphilia type of the incidents are pedophilia (60.3%), exhibitionism (8.1%), pedophilia and exhibitionism (7.5%) and fetishism (5.9%). It was determined that there were more than one paraphilia type in 40 incidents (13%). FMI decided that 54.7% of them have criminal responsibility, 25.1% of them have no criminal responsibility, and 20.2% of them have reduced criminal responsibility. CONCLUSION: There were 20 separate type of diagnosis for the incidents. It is understood that paraphilic incidents do not seek for help although they have the symptoms of disorder and they are exposed to psychiatric assessment only when they face a criminal inquiry. This suggests that there are more paraphilic incidents in the society than what we encounter.

Suicidal hanging in Istanbul, Turkey: 1979-2012 Autopsy results.

A retrospective study was carried out on 4549 which is the total number of hanging cases autopsied at Forensic Medicine Institute in Istanbul, Turkey. 4502 hanging cases of suicidal origin were detected and evaluated in terms of demographic features, the type of hanging material used for ligature, internal findings in neck organs, toxicological findings and microscopic findings. Of these suicides, 3295 (73.2%) were males and 1207 (26.8%) were females. The average age of the victims was 37.8 (SD 1.6). Crude suicidal hanging rate is approximately two-fold increase in women, while it is about five-to six-fold increase in men during 33 years. 1424 of the victims committed suicide by hanging themselves at home, and 441 of them in prison and indoor areas. The alcohol in the blood of all autopsy victims was tested and results were positive for 687 people. A drug active agent was detected in 108 (2.4%) victims: 70 (1.5%) of them were antidepressants, 20 (0.5%) of them were analgesic/anti-inflammatory/anti-histaminic and 18 (0.4%) of them were antipsychotic. In the examination of the psychoactive substances in blood and urine, any of such substances was not detected in 4146 of the victims. However, victims' blood and urine contained a sedative-hypnotic-anxiolytic with 74 (1.6%), a cannabinoid with 16 (0.4%) and an opioid with 12 (0.3%). Psychoactive substance examination was not carried out for 243 victims. Of these cases, 4060 (90.2%), ecchymosis in soft tissues and 2800 (62.1%) fracture in neck organs was found.

Fatigue, anxiety and depression levels, activities of daily living of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the fatigue, anxiety and depression levels, activities of daily living of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 255). It was found that there was significant difference between Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue (VAS-F) point averages and gender, education levels, marital status and economical status of patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Among the participants in this study, 36.5% had an anxiety disorder whereas 69.0% exhibited depression. In the study, it was determined that 85.5% of those were independent in their Katz's Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and 49.4% of those were independent in their Lawton and Brody's Index of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). This study has shown that VAS-F, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, ADL and IADL instruments that measure the various aspects of health-related quality of living can contribute considerably to a more diversified understanding of the patients' situation with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Anxiety and depression levels of inpatients in the city centre of Kirsehir in Turkey.

The aim of this study was to determine the anxiety and depression levels of inpatients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kirsehir in the middle part of Turkey with a sample of 433 inpatients. As the data-gathering tools, a questionnaire form and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Statistical analyses were performed using Kruskal-Wallis Variance analysis and Mann-Whitney U-test. The mean HADS-depression scores of patients were compared according to the clinics they were in, and the difference was found to be significant for HADS-depression (P < 0.01) scores. The mean HADS-anxiety score of participants was 9.07, and the mean HADS-depression scores was 8.88. Among the participants in this study, 44.3% had an anxiety disorder (HADS-anxiety score of ≥ 10) whereas the 73.7% showed depression (HADS-depression score of ≥ 7). Results indicate that support, counselling, and routine screening for anxiety and depression should be provided to inpatients.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with arthritis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with arthritis, the types of complementary and alternative medicine used, pertinent socio-demographic factors associated with complementary and alternative medicine use and its perceived efficacy. BACKGROUND: Arthritis is a major health issue, and the use of complementary and alternative medicine among patients with arthritis is common. DESIGN: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were obtained from 250 patients with arthritis at the physiotherapy and immunology clinics Atatürk University Hospital in eastern Turkey between May-July 2005 using a questionnaire developed specifically for this study. The instrument included questions on socio-demographic information, disease specifics and complementary and alternative medicine usage. RESULTS: Seventy-six per cent of participants reported use of at least one form of complementary and alternative medicine in the previous year. Complementary and alternative medicine users and non-users were not significantly different in most socio-demographic characteristics including age, gender, marital status and education level with the exception of economic status. We categorised treatment into six complementary and alternative medicine categories: 62.6% of patients used thermal therapies; 41.5% used oral herbal therapies; 40.5% used hot therapies; 32.6% used externally applied (skin) therapies; 28.4% used massage and 12.6% used cold therapies. All forms of complementary and alternative medicine except thermal and oral herbal therapies were perceived as very effective by more than half of study participants. CONCLUSIONS: Complementary and alternative medicine therapy is widely used by patients with arthritis and has perceived beneficial effects. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is important for nurses and other health care professionals to be knowledgeable about the use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies when providing care to patients with arthritis because of possible interactions with other treatments, delays in seeking care and the potential for poor quality products. It is also essential for health professionals to discuss treatment options with patients and to monitor treatment efficacy.

Use of herbal therapies by older, community-dwelling women.

BACKGROUND: Herbal medicines, products and therapies are a subject of great public interest both nationally and worldwide. Use of herbal therapy is most common among women and patients with chronic health problems. AIM: This paper reports a study to determine the prevalence of herbal therapy use among women over 65 years who live independently in the community, and to compare the socio-demographic characteristics and health status of older women who use herbal therapies and those who do not. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Random samples of 385 older participants took part in structured interviews at five primary health care centres in Turkey between September and December 2002. RESULTS: Herbal therapies were used by 48.3% of the sample in the previous 12 months. No differences in demographic characteristics were found for users and non-users. We found that herbal therapy use was substantially higher among older women who: (1) reported any disability in activities of daily living, (2) had poor self-reported health, (3) had very frequent physician visits, and (4) had chronic conditions such as cardiac problems, diabetes, stroke, cancer, asthma, pneumonia or urinary problems. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for community health nurses to be knowledgeable about the use of herbal therapies when providing care to older women because of possible interactions with other treatments, delays in seeking care, and poor quality products.