The Effect of a Healthcare Services Hotline on Quality of Life and Hospital Readmissions for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common debilitating disease marked by frequent exacerbations and hospitalizations, economic burden, and reduced quality of life. This study aimed to determine the effect of a healthcare hotline on quality of life and hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge for patients with COPD. Sixty patients with COPD who needed home healthcare services were recruited for this quasi-experimental study. A direct hotline was provided to patients and their caregivers in the intervention group to answer their questions about the disease. Data were collected using a demographics checklist, and St. George Respiratory Questionnaire. The number of hospitalizations and mean length of hospital stay in the intervention group within 30 days was significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). As for quality of life, only the mean score of symptoms was significantly different between the intervention and control groups (p < 0.05). The results showed the positive effect of a healthcare hotline on reducing readmission rates within 30 days of discharge and its low effect on quality of life of COPD patients.

Relationship between Resilience and Caregiver Burden Among Home Caregivers of COVID-19 Patients.

This study examined caregiver burden among home caregivers of COVID-19 patients and its relationship to resilience. This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in Mashhad, Iran, in 2020. The sample consisted of 220 family caregivers of COVID-19 patients. The data collection tools included: demographic characteristics, Novak and Guest Caregiver Burden Inventory, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and correlation test in SPSS v25. The mean score of caregiver burden was 76.85±16.25. In total, 4.5% experienced mild caregiver burden, 31.4% moderate caregiver burden, 50.9% severe caregiver burden, and 13.2% very severe caregiver burden. The mean score of resilience was 62.98±14.06. A significant and inverse relationship was observed between caregiver burden and resilience (p < 0.05, r = -0.46). Family caregivers of COVID-19 patients experienced a significant level of caregiver burden, and it was lower in caregivers with higher levels of resilience. Further studies are recommended in this regard. The use of procedure and training that can improve the resilience of caregivers is recommended to nurses, especially home care nurses.

Comparison of real-time feedback and debriefing by video recording on basic life support skill in nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation skill have a direct impact on its success rate. Choosing the right method to acquire this skill can lead to effective performance. This investigation was conducted to compare the effect of Real-time feedback and debriefing by video recording on basic life support skill in nursing students. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 67 first year nursing students. First, a theoretical basic life support (BLS) training session was held for the all participants, at the end of session the pre-test was taken. Students were randomly assigned to two groups. A 4-hour practical BLS training session was conducted in the real - time feedback group as well as the debriefing by video recording group, and at the end of the training, a post-test was taken from each group. Each group received a post-test. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. RESULTS: Results showed a significant difference between mean (SD) of debriefing by video recording group in pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001) and in the real-time feedback group there was a significant difference between mean (SD) in pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001), respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference between the mean score of basic life support skill in real-time feedback and debriefing by video recording. CONCLUSIONS: Both real-time feedback and debriefing by video recording were effective on basic life support skill.

Gastrointestinal and hepatic abnormalities in patients with confirmed COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although not common, gastrointestinal and liver symptoms have reportedly been the initial presentation of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in a large group of patients. Therefore, knowing the frequency and characteristics of these manifestations of COVID-19 is important for both clinicians and health policy makers. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data on the gastrointestinal and liver manifestations of patients with COVID-19 was performed. PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar search engine were searched for published and unpublished preprint articles up to 10 April 2020. Original studies providing information on clinical digestive symptoms or biomarkers of liver function in patients with polymerase chain reaction confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. After quality appraisal, data were extracted. Prevalence data from individual studies were pooled using a random-effects model. Overall, 67 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis, comprising a pooled population of 13 251 patients with confirmed COVID-19. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms were anorexia (10.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.2%-16.4%), diarrhea (8.4%, 95% CI = 6.2%-11.2%), and nausea (5.7%, 95% CI = 3.7%-8.6%), respectively. Decreased albumin levels (39.8%, 95% CI = 15.3%-70.8%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (22.8%, 95% CI = 18.1%-28.4%), and alanine aminotransferase (20.6%, 95% CI = 16.7%-25.1%) were common hepatic findings. After adjusting for preexisting gastrointestinal (5.9%) and liver diseases (4.2%), the most common gastrointestinal findings were diarrhea (8.7%, 95% CI = 5.4%-13.9%), anorexia (8.0%, 95% CI = 3.0%-19.8%), and nausea (5.1%, 95% CI = 2.2%-14.3%). Gastrointestinal and liver manifestations are not rare in patients with COVID-19, but their prevalence might be affected by preexisting diseases. Diarrhea and mild liver abnormalities seem to be relatively common in COVID-19, regardless of comorbidities.