University Students' Attitude towards Organ Donation: Is Religious Belief an Obstacle?

OBJECTIVE: This descriptive study was conducted to determine knowledge and attitudes of university students on organ donation descriptive study. MATERIAL-METHODS: The population of the study was composed of 1800 universty students. A data collection form measuring the students' socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes on organ donation/transplantation was used. The data were collected by the researchers using a face-to-face interview technique. In the evaluation of data, descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis and Logistic Regression Analysis were used. RESULTS: It was determined only 38.6% of the students wanted to donate their organs, and 10.7% did not want to donate their organs due to their religious beliefs. The students who had relatives waiting for organ donation, knew someone who had organ transplantation and heard about organ donation in the family wanted to donate their organs at a statistically significant level. It was determined that the students who were religious, studying in the faculty of theology, and thinking that organ donation is a sin, did not want to donate organs at a statistically significant level. It was determined that among these independent factors, organ donation rate increased by 0.410 with talking about organ donation in the family and by 0.613 with knowing someone waiting for organ transplant while thinking that organ donation is a sin decreased organ donation by 1.5 times. CONCLUSIONS: The students avoided organ donation because of their religious beliefs and lack of knowledge on this subject.

Effect of preoperative oral liquid carbohydrate intake on blood glucose, fasting-thirst, and fatigue levels: a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the effects of preoperative oral intake of liquid carbohydrate on postoperative blood glucose, fasting-thirst, and fatigue levels in patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery. METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial enrolled 82 patients, who were scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery, and divided them into two groups: (1) those who consumed a carbohydrate-rich drink, and (2) those not consuming anything after midnight. Pre- and postoperative fasting-thirst (visual analog scale) and blood glucose levels were measured. Likewise, the Brief Fatigue Inventory was applied to patients 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS: The mean blood glucose levels in the first postoperative hour were 90.90 ± 13.56 mg.dL-1 and 107.00 ± 15.84 mg.dL-1 in the intervention group and control group, respectively (p < 0.001). The postoperative mean thirst scores were 4.70 ± 1.59 and 6.36 ± 2.07 in the intervention group and control group, respectively (p < 0.001). Their corresponding postoperative mean fasting scores were 5.54 ± 1.76 and 5.86 ± 1.79 (p > 0.05) and the mean fatigue levels in the 24th postoperative hour were 4.80 ± 2.13 and 5.48 ± 1.46, respectively (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oral intake of liquid carbohydrate before spinal anesthesia was found to have positive effects on patients' postoperative blood glucose and thirst levels.

Aromatherapy Massage for Pain and Xerosis After Repeated Needle Insertion Into a Fistula Arm in Hemodialysis.

CONTEXT: Repeated needle insertion into the fistula causes dry skin in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Dry skin can add to the acute pain from needle by increasing skin irritability. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of aromatherapy massage on acute pain and dry skin following needle insertion into an arteriovenous fistula in patients undergoing HD. METHODS: The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: The study took place at a dialysis center in a city center in Central Anatolia in Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were patients with arteriovenous fistulas who were undergoing HD at the dialysis center. INTERVENTION: The 75 patients were randomly divided into 3 groups of 25 each: (1) the aromatherapy massage group received massage 3 times per week for a period of 4 weeks, for 12 sessions in total; (2) the olive-oil massage group also received 12 sessions of massage therapy on the same schedule; (3) the control group received only standard care. OUTCOME MEASURES: The study measured pain levels using a visual analog scale (VAS) and skin moisture using a skin moisture analyzer. RESULTS: The mean VAS scores for acute pain of the aromatherapy and olive-oil massage groups postintervention were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < .001). The average skin-moisture scores of the aromatherapy-massage group were significantly higher postintervention and at the eight-week follow-up than those of the control and olive-oil massage groups (P < .01). In addition, at the end of 8 weeks, the mean VAS pain scores were significantly lower and the skin-moisture scores were significantly higher in the aromatherapy-massage group compared to the control and olive-oil massage groups (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Aromatherapy massage can be an effective nursing practice to manage acute pain and dry skin from needle insertion at the site of an arteriovenous fistula in HD units. Further randomized controlled trials are needed.