Evaluation of attitudes toward epilepsy and health fatalism in northeastern Turkey.

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to identify the attitudes toward epilepsy, health fatalism, and the factors affecting these in individuals living in Artvin in the northeast of Turkey. METHOD: This descriptive and cross-sectional study involved 1443 healthy individuals at a hospital in Artvin in northeastern Turkey between January and March 2020. An individual information form, an epilepsy attitude scale, and a religious health fatalism scale were used to assess their views. An independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean score of participants' attitudes on epilepsy was 48.17 (standard deviation (SD) = 12.93), while the mean of their health fatalism score was 48.43 (SD = 17.41). There was a significant negative correlation between attitude scores and health fatalism (r = -0.084, p = 0.001). Significant differences were found among attitude, health fatalism mean scores, and misconceptions associated with religion about epilepsy being a contagious, psychiatric, and incurable disease that should be hidden. Significant differences were additionally observed among attitude, health fatalism mean scores, and education, marital status, income, employment status, and presence of chronic disease (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was found that most individuals had moderate level attitude toward epilepsy and had high health fatalism. Individuals with a high degree of health fatalism were found to have more negative attitude toward epilepsy. Attitude was found to be more negative, and health fatalism was found to be higher in individuals with low education level, low-income level, who were married, who were unemployed, who had a chronic disease, and in those who thought epilepsy was a contagious, psychiatric, and incurable disease associated with religion that should be hidden. IMPLICATIONS: It is recommended that health professionals organize training programs to increase public understanding of epilepsy, improving individual attitudes toward the condition, and minimizing health fatalism.

The Effect of Reflexology Applied to Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Dyspnea and Fatigue.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of reflexology on reducing dyspnea and fatigue in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN/METHODS: The study was conducted as a pretest-posttest experimental design. The population of the study consisted of 60 patients (30 in experimental group and 30 in control group). Patient Description Form, Baseline Dyspnea Index (BDI) and Visual Analogue Scale-Fatigue (VAS-F) were used to collect the data. RESULTS: The difference between pretest-posttest dyspnea and fatigue mean scores of patients in the experimental group was statistically significant (p < .01). The difference between pretest-posttest dyspnea and fatigue mean scores of patients in the control group was statistically insignificant (p > .05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that the reflexology reduced dyspnea and fatigue in patients with COPD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Complementary methods such as reflexology should be used with pharmacological methods to reduce dyspnea and fatigue of COPD patients.

Effect on Symptom Management Education Receiving Patients of Chemotherapy.

The study of a planned education in patients receiving chemotherapy can alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and, thus, can increase the quality of the patients' lives. In accordance with this view, this study was conducted with the purpose of examining the effect of planned education given to patients receiving chemotherapy on their symptom control. The study was quasi-experimental. A sample of 140 patients participated, of which 70 were in the experimental group and 70 were in the control group. A patient data form and the chemotherapy symptom assessment scale (C-SAS) were used in order to collect the data. Median, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to analyze the data. There were statistically significant decreases in the frequencies of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, feeling distressed/anxious, feeling pessimistic and unhappy, unusual fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. Also, there were statistically significant decreases in the severity of the 11 symptoms and on the discomfort levels of these symptoms. In the study, the planned education provided by the health-care providers had a positive effect on the symptom control of patients receiving chemotherapy.

Roy's adaptation model-guided education for adaptation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM: This article is a report of the effects of Roy's adaptation model-based patient education on physical and psychosocial adaptation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease abound in Turkey, as they do worldwide. Patient education could help in the adaptation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the disease, as it has with other long-term diseases. DESIGN: The study adapted a quasi-experimental design, with a comparison between an intervention group and a control group. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with obstructive pulmonary disease participated in this study. The data were collected between December 2008-January 2010. The data collection tool comprised an adaptation of a Roy's adaptation model-based evaluation form and perceived social support from family and friends scale. The intervention group received oral and written education based on Roy's adaptation model, while the control group received a routine follow-up. Data were analysed with paired t-test and analysis of covariance (ancova). FINDINGS: The results indicate that education given according to Roy's adaptation model increases adaptation to disease in three modes (physiologic, self-concept and role-function mode). In addition, taking into account interdependence mode as Roy's adaptation model's fourth mode, a statistically significant increase was observed in social support from friends but not from family. CONCLUSION: The more intervention for improving interpersonal support - especially perceived as coming from family - the more using Roy's adaptation model to educate patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could benefit them to increase adaptation to the disease.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: scale development.

BACKGROUND: As a profession, nurses are particularly concerned with cross-cultural influences that affect the health practices of populations. Although the international literature describes questionnaires and specific scales in health and disease behaviours, adequate Turkish-language instruments are scarce. Therefore, suitable Turkish-language instruments need to be developed or adapted for the Turkish population. OBJECTIVES: Study aim was to adapt a Dutch/English version of the diabetes management self-efficacy (SE) scale for use with a Turkish population and evaluate its psychometric properties. DESIGN: Methodological research design. SETTINGS: Attendants of an outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 110 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Translation and back-translation of the original English instrument and content validation through a expert panel were the first two steps of the study. Third step was the psychometric testing of the adapted instrument by establishing internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), stability (test-retest reliability), and construct validity (factor analysis). RESULTS: Content validity procedure resulted in a final scale that consisted of 20 items. Internal consistency of the total scale was coefficient alpha=0.88, and test-retest reliability with a 4-week time interval was r=0.91 (p<0.001). Factor analysis yielded three factors related to diet, exercise and medical treatment. Two relevant items of the scale, weight control and blood sugar control, however, had low reliability and validity scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although acceptable levels of reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the diabetes management SE scale for people with type 2 DM were reached, cultural factors appeared to play a role in the applicability of some items of the scale.