Factors affecting experiences of intensive care patients in Turkey: patient outcomes in critical care setting.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors affecting a patient's intensive care experience. METHODS: The descriptive study was conducted at an intensive care unit in the Aegean Region of Turkey, and comprised 158 patients who spent at least 48 hours at the unit between June and November 2009. A questionnaire form and the Intensive Care Experience Scale were used as data collection tools. SPSS 11.5 was used for statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS: Of the total, 86 (54.4%) patients related to the surgical unit, while 72 (45.5%) spent time at the intensive care unit. Most of the subjects (n=113; 71.5%) reported that they constantly experienced pain during hospitalisation. Patients receiving mechanical ventilation support and patients reporting no pain had significantly higher scores on the intensive care experience scale. Patients who reported pain remembered their experiences less than those having no pain. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions are needed to make the experiences of patients in intensive care more positive.

Cultural validation of the "use of intuition by nursing students scale - Turkish version".

PURPOSE: It is well known that intuition ability directly affects patient care quality and outcomes in nursing practice and is therefore an important aspect of nursing education. This study tests the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Scale of Use of Intuition by Nursing Students. DESIGN: The sample for this methodological study was composed of 250 nursing students. Each item of the scale was translated into Turkish by the researchers and validated for Turkish use. RESULTS: The item-total correlation was between .30 and .56 and its Cronbach α coefficient was .86. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between the level of clinical experience and the total points scored on the physical awareness, emotional awareness, and physical sensations subscales and from the total scale. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, the Turkish version of the Scale of Use of Intuition by Nursing Students is valid and reliable.

Nurses' perspective on positive attitudes to cancer patients in Turkey: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the meaning of "positive attitude" for medical surgical nurses in caring for cancer patients. METHODS: A qualitative method was used in this qualitative descriptive study with data from nurses who had volunteered to participate in an in-depth interview that was conducted between January and February 2012. A total of 10 nurses in general medical and surgical wards of a district hospital were interviewed. RESULTS: The study used three broad themes to describe this multifaceted construct: showing empathy, seeing positively and behaving positively. The nurses were aware of their attitudes towards being positive with cancer patients and its significance in support for cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study can serve as a platform upon which educational and other support programmes can be developed in order to meet the needs of those general nurses working with cancer patients. Future studies are recommended to examine nurses'beliefs about cancer that are thought to affect positive attitudes toward cancer patients.

Nursing students' attitudes toward ageism in Turkey.

This research involved a descriptive study with the goal of examining the attitudes of 145 Turkish nursing students studying toward ageism and the factors affecting ageism views. A Student Description Form and the Ageism Attitude Scale (AAS) were the data collection instruments used in this study. Statistical evaluation of the data included percentage, median and Kruskal Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney U-test. The average age of student participants was 20.10 ± 3.52; further 37.9% of these students were 1st year nursing students, 25.5% of were 2nd year, 11.7% were 3rd year, and 24.8% were 4th year students. Of the students in this study 63.4% had completed coursework in elderly health as part of undergraduate study. Average scores on the AAS students were 84.01 ± 7.61 points. Most female students who completed classes related to elderly health, either lived with or planned to live with at least one elderly parent after starting a family or already experienced having an elderly relative in their home. These students tended to have positive attitudes toward aging.

The effect of cold application in combination with standard analgesic administration on pain and anxiety during chest tube removal: a single-blinded, randomized, double-controlled study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cold application on pain and anxiety during chest tube removal (CTR) in patients who had undergone cardiac surgery. A single-blinded randomized design was used in this study. Ninety patients aged 18-74 years, hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU), who had a chest tube for a duration of at least 24 hours were used for this convenience sample. The application of cold, placebo, or control therapies was randomized into three different groups. Sixty minutes before CTR was scheduled, an ICU nurse administered 10mg/kg paracetamol intravenously to all study subjects. Cold and warm packs covered with gauze dressing were applied to the area surrounding the chest tubes for 20 minutes. Pain intensity, pain quality and situational anxiety for CTR were measured. Variance analysis and the latent growth model were used in the analysis of the data. Patients in the cold group had significantly lower pain intensity than the placebo group. The perception of pain intensity measured by visual analog scores of patients in the cold group showed the least variation. There was no statistically significant difference in McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire scores or in change of anxiety level between the three groups. The application of cold prolonged the length of time until analgesics were needed after CTR. Results showed that cold application reduced patients' intensity of pain due to CTR but did not affect anxiety levels or the type of pain. Cold application is recommended as a pain-relieving technique during CTR.

The effect of different body positions on blood pressure.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to test the effects of different body on BP readings in a Turkish healthy young adults. BACKGROUND: It is known that many factors influence an individual's blood pressure measurement. However, guideliness for accurately measuring blood pressure inconsistently specify that patient's position and they should keep feet flat on the floor. Although there are more information on arm position in blood pressure measurement, surprisingly little information can be found in the literature with respect to the influence of body position on the blood pressure readings in healthy young people. METHODS: A total of 157 healthy young students who had accepted to participate in the study were randomly selected. In all subjects the blood pressure was measured subsequently in four positions: Sitting blood pressure was taken from the left arm, which was flexed at the elbow and supported at the heart level on the chair. After at least one minute of standing, the blood pressure was then taken standing, with the arm supported at the elbow and the cuff at the heart level. After one minute of rest, the blood pressure was subsequently taken supine position. Finally, after one minute the blood pressure was again taken in this last position with supine position with crossed legs. RESULTS: The blood pressure tended to drop in the standing position compared with the sitting, supine and supine with crossed legs. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was the highest in supine position when compared the other positions. There was a difference between systolic blood pressures and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001) but the difference between diastolic blood pressure was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). All changes in systolic blood pressure were statistically significant except those from supine to supine position with crossed legs. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: When assessing blood pressure it is important to take the position of the patient into consideration. Also, blood pressure measurement must be taken in sitting position with the arms supported at the right a trial level.