Identifying communication barriers between nurses and patients from the perspective of Iranian nurses: a Q-methodology-based study.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication is essential for high-quality healthcare, yet barriers often impede meaningful connection between nurses and patients. This study aimed to prioritize communication barriers between nurses and patients in Iranian hospitals, exploring nurses' perspectives. METHODS: Thirty-one nurses participated in a six-step Q methodology study to identify different perspectives on communication barriers. Participants sorted a set of statements based on their own experiences and beliefs. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 38.07 (SD = 6.49), with 70% being women. Four distinct factors emerged, explaining 47% of the total variance in perspectives: Organizational factors and work conditions (20%), Emotional distress and psychological barriers (11%), Lack of mutual understanding and awareness (7%), and declining professional motivation and engagement among nurses (9%). CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the multi-faceted nature of communication barriers between nurses and patients in this context. Interventions should address organizational factors, emotional well-being of nurses, cultural awareness, and professional motivation to improve communication and ultimately, patient care. This study provides valuable insights for Iran and other developing countries that are facing similar challenges.

Prevalence of needle-stick injury in Iranian nurses: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of needle-stick injury among Iranian nurses. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of needle-stick injury among Iranian nurses. A comprehensive search of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Scientific Information Database, and MagIran was performed, yielding 29 observational articles comprising 8842 nurses. The studies ranged from 2006 to 2023, with sample sizes varying from 68 to 1555 individuals. Methodological quality was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist. The pooled prevalence was calculated using the random-effects model, and subgroup analyses were conducted based on hospital type and gender. The data was analyzed using Stata software version 16. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of needle-stick injury among Iranian nurses was found to be 46% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 39-53%). Subgroup analysis revealed significant difference in prevalence between teaching hospitals (47%; 95% CI: 39-54%) and military hospitals (38%; 95% CI: 31.1-44%). The prevalence of NSI in region 1 (Tehran and surrounding provinces) and other regions was 45.1% (95% CI: 37-54%) and 49.17% (95% CI: 36.5-61.7%). Gender-based analysis showed higher prevalence in women (58%; 95% CI: 44-71%) compared to men (55%; 95% CI: 43-66%). CONCLUSION: Needle stick injuries has a high prevalence among Iranian nurses, especially nurses working in teaching hospitals. Therefore, it seems necessary to use interventions to reduce it.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the European Health Literacy Instrument (P-HLS-EU-Q47).

Health literacy is one of the most critical determinants of health for effectively improving health services and reducing health inequalities. The importance of accurate measurement cannot be overstated. The European 47-item Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) can provide precise measurements of health literacy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the European Health Literacy Instrument in Iranian society (HLS-PV-Q47) for its Persian version. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling of 560 people referred to comprehensive healthcare centers. The construct validity was assessed by exploratory (280 people) and confirmatory factor (with 280 people). The internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, three factors of healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion explained 48.9% of the total variance of health literacy. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for the whole instrument. The Persian version of the European Health Literacy Instrument (P-HLS-EU-Q47) had good validity and reliability, which can be used in future studies due to its good psychometric properties.

Barriers to implementing health programs based on community participation: the Q method derived perspectives of healthcare professional.

BACKGROUND: Community participation in implementing health programs leads to positive organizational, social and individual consequences. This study aimed to investigate the prospects of a sample of Iranian healthcare professionals about their perceived barriers to implementing health programs based on community participation. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that employed a Q-methodology approach. Twenty health professional sorted the 47 statements into a 9-column Q-sort diagram ranging from - 4 as not important to + 4 as very important. The data were analyzed with PQMethod 2.35 software. The centroid factor analysis and varimax rotation were used for data analysis. Factors identified were interpreted and described in terms of the participants perspectives on the phenomenon. RESULTS: Analysis of the study participants' viewpoints (the Q-sorts) resulted in a five factor solution (accounted for 57% of the total variance) to endorse the main barriers to the implementation of health programs based on community participation in Iran. Barriers related to government, health programs, lack of necessary skills amongst health professionals and weak coordination between departments, barriers related to community, lack of understanding of goals, benefits and transparency of roles and responsibilities were among the important emanated factors to implementing health programs based community participation. CONCLUSION: Health policymakers and managers should consider the five mentioned identified barriers based on the community when planning and implementing the health program participation and try to empower the community to implement the programs in Iran.

The association between periodontal diseases and helicobacter pylori: an updated meta-analysis of observational studies.

INTRODUCTION: Various studies have examined the association between periodontitis and helicobacter pylori and reported conflicting results. The aimed of this systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the association between these two variables. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed (Medline), Scopus, Web of Sciences and Medline (Elsevier) were searched using the relevant keywords. All observational studies comparing the association between periodontitis and helicobacter pylori were considered. The Newcastle - Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) checklist was used for assessing quality of included studies. All statistical analyses were completed using STATA (Version 16). RESULTS: Twenty-three studies with 8,638 patients (15 case-control with 2,366 patients and 8 cross-sectional with 6,272 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. After combining the selected studies, the odds of presence the Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with the periodontal disease was 2.47 (OR: 2.47; 95% CI: 2.01, 3.03; I2: 50.87%; P: 0.001). Also, the odds after combining case-control studies was 2.77 (OR: 2.77; % 95 CI: 2.11, 3.66; I2: 37.16%; P: 0.049) and after combining cross-sectional analytical ones, it was equal to 2.07 (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.62, 2.65; I2: 43.25%; P: 0.050). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this meta-analysis, the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and the periodontal disease is evident.

Prevalence of Psychological Disorders among Health Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Repeated contact with patients with COVID-19 and working in quarantine conditions has made health workers vulnerable to psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the prevalence of the various psychological distresses among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for access to papers examining psychological distress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Heterogeneity among the studies was examined using the Cochran's Q test; because heterogeneity was significant, the random effects model was used to examine the prevalence of psychological distress. Results: Overall, 12 studies with a total sample size of 5265 were eligible and included in the analysis. Prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were 20% (95% CI: 14-27), 23% (95% CI: 18-27), and 8% (95% CI: 6-9), respectively. The highest prevalence rates of depression and anxiety were related to the SDS and the GAD-7, respectively, and the lowest prevalence rates of the two aforementioned variables were related to the DASS-21. Conclusions: The high prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic can have negative effects on their health and the quality of services provided. Therefore, training coping strategies for psychological distress in this pandemic seems necessary.

Validity of self-reported hypertension and related factors in the adult population: Preliminary results from the cohort in the west of Iran.

This study aimed to investigate the validity of self-reported hypertension and related factors in the Dehgolan Prospective Cohort Study (DehPCS). Data were obtained from 3996 participants aged 35-70 years in the enrolment phase of DehPCS. Self-reported hypertension and sociodemographic factors were collected by well-trained interviewers before hypertension diagnosis based on the reference criteria. The history of anti-hypertensive medication use and/or systolic blood pressure ≥140 (mmHg), or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 (mmHg) were considered as hypertension. Disagreement between self-reported and reference measures was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), and kappa values. Binary and multinomial logistic regressions were used to investigate the correlates of validity of self-reported hypertension. The hypertension prevalence based on self-reports and the reference criteria was 19.49% and 21.60%, respectively. An acceptable percentage of kappa agreement value of 68.7% and relatively good overall agreement of 89.8% were found. Self-reported hypertension was guaranteed moderate sensitivity of 72.0% and high specificity of 94.5%, as well as the NPV and PPV of 92/7% and 77/9%, respectively. The chances of false-positive and false-negative reporting increased with older age, higher BMI, and a family history of hypertension. Being female, older age, higher BMI, concurrent diabetes, and stronger family ties to hypertension patients significantly increased the chance of reporting true positives relative to true negatives. Although, self-reported hypertension has an acceptable validity and can be used as a valid tool for screening epidemiological studies, it needs to be investigated because its validity is affected by age, gender, family history of hypertension, and other socio-demographic characteristics.

Development and validation of the Domestic Violence during Quarantine Scale (DVQS).

Background: Domestic violence is a common health problem that often affects women's mental health. Although domestic violence may not be reported during quarantine, it may increase due to increased restrictions. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to develop and validate the Domestic Violence during Quarantine Scale (DVQS) on a sample from Iran. Methods: Two hundred and three Iranians participated in this study and completed online questionnaires. This cross-sectional and methodological study consisted of two phases. In the first phase, item pool generation and questionnaire design was carried out through literature review. In the second phase, psychometric properties were assessed via an exploratory factors analysis (EFA). Internal consistency was examined by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and McDonalds' Omega. Results: In the EFA, three factors, including humiliation (seven items), threatening (six items), and restriction (four items) were extracted that together explained 64.4% of the variance of domestic violence during quarantine. Using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the internal consistency of humiliation, threatening, and restriction was found to be 0.90, 0.896, and 0.76 respectively, and an alpha of 0.927 was found for the total scale. In addition, using McDonalds' Omega, internal consistencies of 0.82, 0.84, and 0.78 were found for the three factors respectively. Conclusion: The DVQS has good validity and reliability; therefore, it can be used in future studies.

Prevalence of occupational stress among Iranian physicians and dentist: a systematic and meta-analysis study.

BACKGROUND: Occupational stress in health care providers is an undesirable factor that can lead to dissatisfaction and burnout and affect the quality of care and treatment of patients. This study estimated the prevalence of occupational stress among Iranian physicians and dentists. METHOD: The articles were searched using the keywords: "job stress", "job-related stress", "occupational stress", "work-related stress", "workplace stress", "physician", "dentist", and "Iran", and all possible combinations of these terms in domestic databases of Scientific Information Database (SID) and MagIran and international databases of Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus with no time limit. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using the Cochran's Q test. Data analysis was performed in Stata version 11 based on the heterogeneity state using a random-effects model. RESULTS: The sample size in selected articles on physicians and dentists varied from 71 to 516 and 90 to 200, respectively. The prevalence of occupational stress in physicians was 70.10% (95% CI: 55.43-84.78), and among dentists was 50.87% (95% CI: 33.93-67.81). According to the results, there was no significant association between the prevalence of occupational stress, sample size, and year of publication in physicians and dentists. The results showed that publication bias was (p=0.029) for physicians and (p=0.630) for dentists. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational stress among Iranian physicians and dentists is high, which can adversely affect therapists and patients. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on this problem to manage and control it.

Identifying the challenges of online education from the perspective of University of Medical Sciences Students in the COVID-19 pandemic: a Q-methodology-based study.

BACKGROUND: Challenges of online education among students of the University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 disease pandemic have often gone unrecognized. This study aimed to identify online education's challenges from the perspective of students of the University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. METHOD: The six-step Q method was used to systematically predict the different perspectives of 31 students at the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. RESULTS: Four distinct patterns of Challenges of Online Education from the Perspective of participants in the COVID-19 Pandemic were identified. Four factors, which explained 69% of the total variance, included: 1) inadequacy for practical learning (26%) 2) inadequacy of Internet and website services (17%), 3) barriers related to educational content and interaction between teacher and student (8%), and 4) lack of motivation (18%). CONCLUSION: The identified challenges reflect the spheres that need to be focused on in interventions to facilitate the successful implementation of the challenges of online education from the perspective of the University of Medical Sciences Students in Iran and other developing countries.

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and quarantine measures made people turn to self-medication (SM) to control the symptoms of their diseases. Different studies were conducted worldwide on different populations, and their results were different. Therefore, this global systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases of Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched without a time limit. All eligible observational articles that reported self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Fifty-six eligible studies were reviewed. The pooled prevalence of self-medication was 48.6% (95% CI: 42.8-54.3). The highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was in Asia (53%; 95% CI: 45-61) and Europe (40.8%; 95% CI: 35-46.8). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was related to students (54.5; 95% CI: 40.8-68.3) and healthcare workers (32.5%; 16-49). The prevalence of self-medication in the general population (48.8%; 40.6-57) and in patients with COVID-19 (41.7%; 25.5-58). The prevalence of self-medication was higher in studies that collected data in 2021 than in 2020 (51.2 vs. 48%). Publication bias was not significant (p = 0.320). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-medication was highly prevalent, so nearly half of the people self-medicated. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide public education to control the consequences of self-medication.

The prevalence of intimate partner violence among Iranian pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence against pregnant women is an important public health concern and human rights issue. According to the various findings of previous studies, this study was conducted to assess the pooled prevalence of intimate partner violence against Iranian women. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a literature search was conducted in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MagIran, and Scientific Information Database without a time limit. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochrane Q test statistics and the I2 test, and the results were incorporated into a random effects model to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence. Data analysis was performed using R software version 4.3.2. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence was reported to be 51.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 45.0-58.1), and the prevalence rate of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence was 18.0% (95% CI 15.1-20.9), 22.1% (95% CI 17.7-26.60) and 43.2% (95% CI 36.6-49.8), respectively. The lowest level of physical, sexual, and emotional intimate partner violence rate was observed in district 1 of Iran (includes Tehran, the capital of Iran and the surrounding provinces). The rate of physical and sexual intimate partner violence prevalence decreased with the increased mean age of the husband (P=0.005) and the mean age of the wife (P=0.035), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Studies included in this review report that more than half of Iranian women experience violence during pregnancy. In order to prevent adverse maternal and neonatal consequences, it is necessary to identify these women and introduce them to support centres.

Prevalence of Osteoporosis Among Iranian Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease. It is considered the silent epidemic, with high prevalence after menopause, in the current time. Different studies conducted in Iran have reported different prevalence. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the overall prevalence of osteoporosis in Iranian postmenopausal women. Methods: The national scientific databases Scientific Information Database and MagIran and the international scientific databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for related articles without any time limitation. The keywords osteopenia, osteoporosis, post menopause, OP, bone mineral density, and Iran along with their combinations were used in the search. The inconsistency in the data was examined using I 2 test. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and the random-effects model in Stata software, version 14. Results: The analysis of 26 articles with a sample size of 6735 showed that the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in Iranian postmenopausal women is, respectively, 33.70% (95% CI [confidence interval]: 22.68-44.73) and 47.60% (95% CI: 32.88-62.32). The pooled prevalence of osteoporosis in the spine and in the femur bone was 31.99% and 15.93%, respectively. Also, the prevalence of osteopenia in the spine and in the femur bone was 22.48% and 39.88%, respectively. Conclusion: Osteoporosis and osteopenia are highly prevalent in Iranian postmenopausal women to the extent that one-third of women suffer from osteoporosis and nearly half of them suffer from osteopenia. It seems essential to teach a healthy lifestyle to these women to reduce the prevalence of these issues.

Nurses' attitude on pressure injury prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on the pressure ulcer prevention instrument (APuP).

BACKGROUND: Prevention of pressure ulcers (PU) is one of the most important indicators of the quality of patient care that may be influenced by the attitude of nurses. Nurses are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the skin and preventing its complications. The aim of this study was to assess the overall attitude of nurses on PU prevention based on their scores on the Attitude towards Pressure ulcer Prevention instrument (APuP). METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases including Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus were searched, using the following keywords: Pressure Ulcer, Pressure injury, Bedsore, Pressure Sore, Decubitus Ulcer, Attitude, and their possible combinations. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed with I2 index and Cochrane-Q test. Based on heterogeneity between the studies, the data were analyzed using a random effects model. All the analyses were performed using STATA v.16 software. RESULTS: Twelve studies with a sample size of 7824 people were analyzed. The overall score of attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention was 70.84% (95% CI: 66.34-75.35) and the highest and lowest scores were related to the dimensions of individual priority (78.83%, 95% CI: 74.69-82.97) and competence (70.11%, 95% CI: 67.24-72.94), respectively. The percentage of the total score of attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention in nurses was higher than nursing students (72.15%, 95% CI: 67.10-77.20 vs. 67%, 95% CI: 53.80-80.20). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results. Publication bias was significant (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: The attitude of nurses and nursing students towards the prevention of pressure ulcers was moderate, and providing the necessary training to these groups was essential.

Frequency and determinants of domestic violence against Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Domestic violence (social, legal, and health violence) is the most common type of violence against women. Due to factors such as the current quarantine, this type of violence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to assess the frequency of domestic violence against women and identify the risk factor among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 Iranian women during May-June 2020. Data were collected using a domestic violence questionnaire, which measured three forms of violence, including physical, emotional, and sexual violence. A link of the questionnaire was distributed among anonymous subjects through social networking apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. The subjects were asked to complete the questionnaire based on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and a regression model. RESULTS: The descriptive results showed that the mean domestic violence against women in all the participants was 34.9 (SD: 17.28). In addition, 26.6% (n = 84), 26.1% (n = 53), and 21.2% of the subjects (n = 43) experienced high levels of physical, emotional, and sexual violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The regression model also indicated that lower age, illiteracy/primary education, previous marriage(s), and unwanted/unwise marriage were the significant risk factors for domestic violence against women. CONCLUSION: According to the results, domestic violence against women is common among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, strategies are urgently needed to prevent and minimize such domestic violence, and such strategies could be adopted through providing educational opportunities, raising awareness, promoting wanted/wise marriage, and providing social support and rehabilitation opportunities to vulnerable social groups, especially vulnerable women.

The validity and reliability of Persian version of smartphone addiction questionnaire in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Smartphone addiction is one of the most important forms of technology addiction that has attracted the attention of all countries around the world. Many studies have been conducted in Iran on cellphone addiction among different groups. There is a necessity to have a native scale for measuring smartphone addiction in particular. Therefore, this study aimed to localize the smartphone addiction questionnaire in Iran (in the Persian language). METHODS: To assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the smartphone addiction scale (SAS), the questionnaire was first provided based on the standard back-translation method. Next, content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), and face validity was evaluated for translated questionnaire. After making the necessary changes, the questionnaire was given to the community samples and was then reviewed using confirmatory factor analysis of questions grouping. Finally, the reliability of the questionnaire was investigated by the test-retest method. RESULTS: The CVR and CVI values of all questions were within the acceptable range. Only some of the questions in the original SAS version titled Twitter and Facebook were changed to Instagram and telegram according to experts. Internal consistency and concurrent validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by Cronbach's alpha of 0.951. The mean correlation coefficient between the responses of the subjects, who received the questionnaire twice, was 0.946 (0.938-0.954). The grouping of questions in the subscales was changed from the original SAS version because the fitting indexes, obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis test (for example CMIN/DF greater than 5 units and RMSEA of approximately 0.07), were not acceptable. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the Iranian version of the cellphone addiction questionnaire can be used as a valid, with minimal modification, tool for determining the level of smartphone addiction among Persian speakers.

Does heavy mental workload affect moral sensitivity among critical care unit nursing professionals? a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Moral sensitivity creates the basic attitude in providing effective ethical care to patients. Heavy mental workload is a major concern of critical care nursing professionals, which could adversely affect nursing staff and patients. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of mental workload and some demographic variables on the moral sensitivity of critical care nursing professionals. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was performed on 181 nursing professionals working in the critical care units of Shahid Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the moral sensitivity questionnaire, and the NASA-task load index to assess mental workload. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation-coefficient, and regression analysis. RESULTS: The results of regression analysis yielded no statistical significant relationship between heavy mental workload and moral sensitivity of the critical care nursing professionals, while clinical experience had a positive, significant association with moral sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Although care nursing professionals experience a heavy mental workload in critical care units, it does not decrease their moral sensitivity. In addition, experienced nurses have higher moral sensitivity and lower mental workload. Therefore, it seems that nursing managers should pay special attention to the importance of employing experienced nurses along with younger nurses.

Examination of the psychometric properties of the persian version of the COVID-19-impact on Quality of Life Scale.

INTRODUCTION: As a result of high transmission and mortality rates, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide health crisis, isolation, and widespread fear, therefore negatively influencing people's quality of life (QOL). The goal of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the Persian version of the COVID-19-Impact on Quality of Life (COV19-QoL) scale. METHODS: After translating the scale using the forward-backward method, face and content validly was qualitatively assessed. Then the scale was distributed to 488 individuals from the general population via online platforms. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis. In addition, internal consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and McDonald's omega, relative stability was assessed using interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and absolute stability was calculated through examination of standard error of measurement. RESULTS: The EFA revealed one factor that explained 55.96% of the total variance of the scale. Internal consistencies of 0.823 and 0.882 were found using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and McDonald's omega, respectively. In addition, an ICC of 0.837 (with a two-week interval) was found. Covid-19 had a greater impact on the QOL of healthy participants than that of those with underling conditions (p = 0.004), and also on the QOL of single participants than that of married ones (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The Persian version of the COV19-QoL is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to examine the impact of Covid-19 on QOL.

The Prevalence of Medication Errors Among Nursing Students: A Systematic and Meta-analysis Study.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion and preserving patients' safety are the main purposes of care in health-therapeutic systems. With regard to nursing profession, nursing students are exposed to medications errors (MEs) during clinical activities, which can be considered as a threat to patients' safety. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of MEs among nursing students using a systematic and meta-analysis approach. METHODS: 8 studies (in 9 groups) in English and Persian from inception to March 2019, were collected. Searched was conducted in SID, MagIran, IranMedex, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus. The meta-analysis method and the random effects model were used to analyze the data. In addition, the I2 statistic was used to examine heterogeneity among studies. The analyses were conducted using Stata, version 11. RESULTS: Analysis of 8 studies (in 9 groups) with a total sample size of 688 showed that the overall MEs' prevalence among nursing students was 39.68% (95% CI: 22.07-57.29) and the prevalence of lack of reporting MEs was 48.60% (95%CI: 27.33-69.86). There were no relationships between the prevalence of MEs and lack of reporting MEs in nursing students with the sample size and the mean age of students. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the relatively high prevalence of MEs and lack of MEs reporting among nursing students and the importance of their effect on the level of patients' safety, measures such as educations, monitoring by clinical trainers, and examining and eliminating the causes of MEs are essential.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the diabetic foot self-care questionnaire in Iranian patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot self-care refers to a group of self-management behaviors that can reduce the incidence of foot ulcers and amputations. It is necessary to have a valid and reliable standard tool to measure foot self-care in diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Diabetic Foot Self-Care Questionnaire of the University of Malaga, Spain (DFSQ-UMA) in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 407 diabetic patients who were selected using a convenient sampling method. Construct validity was assessed by exploratory (with 207 patients) and confirmatory (with 200 patients) factor analyses. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients. RESULTS: In the exploratory factor analysis, three factors with eigenvalues of 3.84, 2.41, and 2.26 were extracted that together explained 56.74% of the total variance of diabetic foot self-care. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.865 was found for the total instrument. CONCLUSIONS: The Persian version of the DFSQ-UMA has good validity and reliability, and given its good psychometric properties, it can be used in future studies.