The effects of concealment of epilepsy on medication adherence in people with epilepsy: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: Adherence to antiseizure medication is of great importance in achieving seizure control and maintaining well-being for people with epilepsy. Therefore, it is important to assess medication adherence and factors affecting medication adherence in this patient group. This study aims to examine the effects of concealment of epilepsy on medication adherence in people with epilepsy. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 220 people with epilepsy. Data were collected using a patient information form, the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8), and the Concealment of Epilepsy Scale (CES) and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 49.84 ± 9.43 years, and 53.6% of them were male. Their mean MMAS-8 score was 4.25 ± 1.99%, and 72.3% had low medication adherence. Additionally, their mean CES score was 49.84 ± 9.43. The CES scores of the participants negatively predicted their MMAS-8 scores (p < 0.05), and medication adherence was positively predicted by female gender, the duration of diagnosis, the single administration of drugs per day, and employment status, whereas it was negatively predicted by the annual number of seizures (F=19.256, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, people with epilepsy were found to have low medication adherence and a high tendency to conceal epilepsy. Furthermore, the tendency to conceal epilepsy had a negative effect on medication adherence. IMPLICATIONS: Psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing the tendency to conceal epilepsy can contribute to medication adherence in people with the condition.

Difficult lives: A descriptive and relational study on the coping with stress and care burden of caregivers of patients with epilepsy.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between coping with stress status and the burden of care of the caregivers of patients with epilepsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive correlational study was carried out with a total of 230 voluntary caregivers of patients with epilepsy who visited the neurology clinics and outpatient clinics of a training and research hospital in the southeastern part of Turkiye between March 2022 and February 2023. Study data were collected through the Personal Information Form, the Zarit Caregiver Burden Assessment and the Ways of Coping Scale. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used for the evaluation of the data. FINDINGS: While the mean score of the caregivers from the Zarit Caregiver Burden Assessment was 41.20 ± 12.44, they had mean scores of 12.12 ± 3.25, 8.93 ± 1.93, 12.24 ± 3.61, 8.77 ± 3.17, and 7.89 ± 1.95, respectively, from the self-confident approach, optimistic approach, helpless approach, submissive approach, and social support-seeking approach sub-dimensions. In the study, a moderate positive statistically significant relationship was found between the caregivers' burden of care and the mean scores of the helpless and submissive approach sub-dimensions(p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The caregivers' burden of care and coping with stress were at moderate levels. The helpless approach, which is one of the ineffective methods of coping with stress, was found to be higher. The helpless and submissive approaches were found to increase in this study as the caregivers' burden of care increased. IMPLICATIONS: The use of effective coping skills to reduce the level of personal burden of care would improve the caregiver's physical health and psychological well-being.

Reliability and validity of the Diabetic foot self-care questionnaire in Turkish patients.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the psychometric, properties of the Turkish version of the Diabetic, Foot Self-Care, Questionnaire. METHODS: This was a descriptive- methodological study conducted on 193 diabetes patients. Data were collected, using Descriptive, Information Form and Diabetic Foot Self-Care Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, item-total score correlation, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest analysis. RESULTS: The Diabetic, Foot Self-Care, Questionnaire consists of 16 items and three sub-dimensions. The three sub-dimensions recorded a variance of 58.137%. The total Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Turkish version of the Diabetic, Foot Self-Care, Questionnaire was 0.87, and Cronbach's alpha values of its sub-dimensions were 0.71 and 0.88. The two-month test-retest credibility interpreted with intra-class correlation was 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: It has been shown that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing foot self-care behavior in diabetic patients.

"A natural consequence of aging in women?": a mixed-method exploration on osteoporosis self-efficacy in Turkey.

The perception of osteoporosis self-efficacy is an important factor in coping with osteoporosis. Being older, not exercising regularly, inadequate consumption of milk and dairy products, inadequate exposure to sunlight, knowledge gaps, negative disease perceptions, and barriers to osteoporosis treatment adherence negatively affect osteoporosis self-efficacy levels of women (p < 0.001). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study to determine the osteoporosis-related self-efficacy levels of women with osteoporosis and investigate the relationship between the characteristics of these women and their osteoporosis self-efficacy. METHODS: The study was conducted in Siirt province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. A mixed-method approach was selected. Data were collected with 280 surveys and 30 participants' interviews. RESULTS: The mean total OSES score of the participants was 649.82 ± 221.09. Aging, not exercising regularly, inadequate consumption of milk and dairy products, and inadequate exposure to sunlight were significant predictors of low osteoporosis self-efficacy (p < 0.001), explaining 23.4% of the total variance. Knowledge gaps, disease perceptions, facilitators of treatment adherence, and barriers to treatment adherence affected the osteoporosis self-efficacy of the participants. CONCLUSION: The osteoporosis-related self-efficacy levels of the participants of this study were low. The results suggest that a strategy to organize routine health education programs should be established in order to create a higher perception of osteoporosis self-efficacy in women with osteoporosis and to reduce knowledge gaps and barriers.

Analysis of the Spiritual Orientations and the Hopelessness Levels of the Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: This study aims to identify the spiritual orientations and hopelessness levels of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19. METHOD: In this study designed as cross-sectional and correlational research, the sample was comprised of 199 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at a research hospital located in eastern Turkey. Data were collected between December 2020 and January 2021. The research data were collected online by using survey form, the Spiritual Orientation Scale, and Beck Hopelessness Scale to reduce face-to-face interaction due to the isolation policy. The collected data were analyzed via descriptive statistics, the t-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The mean scores obtained by the participant COVID-19 patients from the Spiritual Orientations Scale and the Beck Hopelessness Scale were found, respectively, as 96.13 ± 20.16 and 6.15 ± 4.59 points. It was determined that the participants of the study had a high-level of spiritual orientations and low-level hopelessness, and there was a negative correlation between them (p < .05). CONCLUSION: In this study, it was identified that the participant patients diagnosed with COVID-19 had high-level spiritual orientations and low-level hopelessness. It was found that as the participant COVID-19 patients had higher spiritual orientation levels, their hopelessness levels fell. Spirituality can reduce hopelessness by strengthening the coping mechanisms of COVID-19 patients. It can increase the psychological resistance of patients by increasing positive thoughts.

The Effects of Fear of COVID-19 on Future Expectations in Nursing Students in Turkey.

This study aims to determine the effects of fear of COVID-19 on future expectations among nursing students. The research is a correlational descriptive study. This study was conducted with 310 nursing students of a state university. The COVID-19 fear and future expectation mean scores of the participants were found, respectively, as 17.16 ± 5.36 and 48.09 ± 8.77. The COVID-19 fear levels of the participants significantly varied based on their gender, whereas their future expectation levels significantly varied based on their place of residence, status of willingly choosing their department and status of having someone in their surroundings and family who had COVID-19 (p < 0.05). No significant relationship was identified between the COVID-19 fear and future expectation levels of the participants (p > 0.05). In this study, it was determined that the COVID-19 fear and future expectation levels of the nursing students were moderate. It was found that fear of COVID-19 did not significantly affect future expectations.

The prevalence, characteristics, and related factors of pressure injury in medical staff wearing personal protective equipment against COVID-19 in Turkey: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of device-related pressure injury (DRPI) related to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risk factors effective in the development of DRPI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 1465 healthcare professionals working in healthcare institutions in Eastern Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study data were collected by means of an online anonymous survey questioning the prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of DRPI in the first week of April 2021, using the snowball sampling method. Number, percentage, arithmetic mean, Chi-Square, and regression analysis were used for the evaluation of the study data. RESULTS: The prevalence of DRPI due to the use of PPE use among healthcare professionals was calculated to be 60.5%. Of the developed DRPIs, 79.5% were stage 1, and the most frequent anatomical locations of DRPI were the bridge of the nose (30.2%), behind the ears (24.6%), and cheeks (20.8%). The logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender, age <35 years, being a physician and nurse, prolonged duration of PPE use (>4 h), working in a high-risk clinic (COVID-19 clinic and COVID-19 intensive care unit), and sweating during the use of PPE were predictive factors for the development of DRPI (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of DRPI due to PPE use among healthcare workers was quite high. Gender, age, occupation, long duration of PPE use, working in a high-risk clinic, and sweating during the use of PPE were found to be risk factors in the development of DRPI.

Identification of women's breast cancer prevention behaviors and the associated factors: The case of the southeastern Anatolia Region.

In this study, the researchers investigated the factors that affect women's breast cancer prevention behaviors. The sample of this cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of 406 participants aged 20 and older. The study was conducted in February-March 2021 within the administrative borders of a province located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The data were collected via an online platform using Personal Information Form and the Scale of Factors Affecting Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Behaviors. The mean Scale of Factors Affecting Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Behaviors score of the participants was moderate as 107.20 ± 17.86. The frequency of breast cancer prevention behaviors was found to be lower in the participants with low literacy, those who were unemployed, those with low income, those living in villages and those who did not perform breast self-examination (p < 0.05). It is recommended to plan educational studies on breast cancer screening behaviors by considering regional differences.

Evaluating the knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy among Turkish undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy among nursing students. METHOD: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 369 nursing students. Data were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire prepared using the Introductory Information Form, Epilepsy Knowledge Scale (EKS), and Epilepsy Attitude Scale (EAS). Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, Student's t test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test were used in the data analysis. A p value of 0.05 was considered the threshold for statistical significance. FINDINGS: The sample of the study consisted of nursing students, and more than half of the students (63.4%) were females. 32.2% of the students were third-year students, and the mean age was 21.36 ±â€¯2.12 years. The mean scores obtained on the EKS and the EAS were 10.03 ±â€¯33.21 and 56.39 ±â€¯5.40, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between the knowledge and attitude scores of the students regarding epilepsy (p < 0.05), and students' attitude scores toward epilepsy increased with increased knowledge of the subject matter. Overall, female students had better knowledge levels and a more positive attitude toward epilepsy than male students (p < 0.05). Further, the students who had witnessed an epileptic seizure, knew someone with epilepsy, or provided care for patients with epilepsy, had higher scores on the EKS, and displayed better knowledge toward epilepsy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nursing students were found to have moderate knowledge of and a positive attitude toward epilepsy. The positive attitude toward epilepsy increased with the increasing knowledge of epilepsy.

The effect of Reiki and guided imagery intervention on pain and fatigue in oncology patients: A non-randomized controlled study.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Reiki and guided imagery on pain and fatigue in oncology patients. This quasi-experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was conducted with 180 oncology patients at the oncology clinic of Dicle University Hospital in Turkey, between July 2017 and February 2018. The patients were divided into three groups: Reiki, guided imagery and control, with 60 patients in each group. The Reiki and guided imagery group patients underwent their respective interventions for three consecutive days separately (25-30 min; mean: 15.53 min). The interventions of Reiki and guided imagery reduced pain and fatigue in the oncology patients. It is recommended that oncology nurses use Reiki and guided imagery in patient care.

Effects of lavender oil intervention before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography on patients' vital signs, pain and anxiety: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to determine the effects of lavender oil intervention before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) on patients' vital signs, pain and anxiety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was designed as a randomized controlled study. The population of the study consisted of adult patients who were going to receive ERCP at the gastroenterology clinic of a university hospital. Ninety patients participated in the study. The data were collected using a Patient Information Form, a Pre-Post Test Record Form, VAS and the State Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: After lavender oil intervention, the pulse rate, systolic-diastolic blood pressure, pain and anxiety levels of the patients in the experiment group were reduced, their oxygen saturation levels were increased, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Lavender oil applied on the patients before the ERCP procedure reduced their pulse rate, systolic-diastolic blood pressure, pain and anxiety levels, while it increased their oxygen saturation levels.