The effect of nurse-led diabetes self-management programmes on glycosylated haemoglobin levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review.

AIMS: This review aimed to examine the content, frequency, duration, and outcomes of nurse-led diabetes self-management programmes on glycosylated haemoglobin levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes. BACKGROUND: Diabetes self-management programmes improve glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes to acquire specific behavioural changes and develop effective problem-solving skills. DESIGN: A systematic review was used in this study. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, CINAHL, Proquest and Scopus databases were searched for studies published in English until February 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. REVIEW METHODS: This study followed the recommendations of the Cochrane 2022 guidelines and was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eight studies with 1747 participants met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included telephone coaching, consultation services and individual and group education. The duration of the intervention ranged from 3 to 15 months. The results showed that nurse-led diabetes self-management programmes had positive and clinically significant effects on glycosylated haemoglobin levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the important role of nurses in improving self-management and achieving glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The positive outcomes of this review offer suggestions for health care professionals to develop effective self-management programnmes in type 2 diabetes treatment and care.

Hope in people with cancer: a multivariate analysis from Turkey.

AIM: The study was planned to determine the hope levels of people with cancer and the variables affecting hope. BACKGROUND: Hope is essential for patient well-being and positively correlated with improved coping skill. DESIGN: A descriptive and exploratory design. METHODS: The study sample included 240 consecutive patients treated with chemotherapy and attending the Day Chemotherapy Unit of a University Hospital in Turkey. The study was conducted between December 2009-January 2010. Personal Information Form and Herth Hope Scale were used for data collection. The determinants and subscales of hope were evaluated with univariate and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: These mean scores showed high levels of hope among the patients included in the study. It was found that net family income, knowledge level about the disease, feeling of improvement, perception of satisfactory family support by the patient, mouth ulcers, feeling anxious or worried and presence of fear were independently related with the total hope score. CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed high levels of hope among the participating patients. It is concluded that physical, financial and psychological well-being and information and support needs are directly and independently related with hope in people with cancer. These findings support the need for clinicians to continue to practise and implement hope fostering/hindering interventions among their patients.

Living with asthma: an analysis of patients' perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate asthmatic patients' perceptions of their disease. METHODS: The study was done with the participation of 23 patients among the asthmatics whose progress is monitored regularly in a university hospital. Phenomenological methodology was used, and the first step was to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. Then, in order to determine their feelings and opinions on the subject of their asthma, each participant was asked to write a letter to answer the following question: "If asthma were a friend of yours, what would you like to say to it in a letter?" Data were analyzed using the continuous comparative method of Colaizzi (1978; "Psychological research as a phenomenologist views it", in Valle, R. And King, M. (Eds), Existential Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.). For this purpose, each researcher read the letters separately and identified the important thoughts, and similar statements were classified under the same theme groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 41.43 ± 6.23 years, and 69.6% of them were female, 73.9% were married, 34.8% were primary school graduates, and 34.7% were civil servants (with no social security problems). The statements of the asthmatics in the study were grouped according to the following themes: "The Most Important Factor in Accepting Asthma Is Time," "It's So Hard to Be Asthmatic," "Being Asthmatic Means Understanding the Value of Life," "I Don't Like Asthma, so I Can't Make Friends with It," "Learning to Live with Asthma," "One Day I May Recover from Asthma," "Feeling Anger," and "Suffering from Continuous Worry and Fear." CONCLUSION: Asthmatic patients need psychosocial support since they believe that there is no certain treatment for asthma, and attacks are inevitable.

[Evaluation of anxiety and depression levels in patients with myocardial infarction]. / Miyokart enfarktüslü hastalarda anksiyete ve depresyonun incelenmesi.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) may experience anxiety and depression. This study was designed to determine anxiety and depression levels in patients with MI. STUDY DESIGN: The study included 506 patients (199 women, 307 men; mean age 55.7+/-6.9 years) who were admitted to the cardiology department for MI. Data were collected using a questionnaire to identify patient characteristics and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The HADS has been validated as a sensitive screening tool for anxiety and depression in MI patients in the Turkish population. RESULTS: Clinically severe anxiety was found in all the patients (100%). Depression scores showed a clinically normal level in 45 patients (8.9%), borderline level in 289 patients (57.1%), and severe level in 172 patients (34%). The mean HADS score was 11.4+/-2.9, being 12.2+/-4.1 and 10.6+/-4.1 for anxiety and depression, respectively. Among patient characteristics, age was significantly associated with both anxiety and depression subscales (p<0.001), and education level (p<0.05), total family income (p<0.01), health insurance (p<0.05), and the number of myocardial infarctions (p<0.05) were significantly associated with the depression subscale. In regression analysis, age (beta=-0.128), education level (beta=0.082), and working status (beta=-0.79) independently affected both anxiety and depression, and total family income (beta=-0.128) and health insurance (beta=-0.086) significantly affected depression. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that planning nursing interventions to decrease anxiety and depression levels and implementation of cardiac rehabilitation programs are of particular importance in patients with MI.

The use of breast-feeding for pain relief during neonatal immunization injections.

The objective of this study was to examine the pain-relieving effect of breast-feeding during immunization injections in healthy neonates. Sixty-six healthy infants returning to a clinic for their second-, third-, or fourth-month immunization with intramuscular diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis were randomized to be breast-fed before, during, and after the injection or to be given the injection according to routine clinic procedure (no breast-feeding). To assess the pain responses of the neonates during and after immunization, we noted their heart rates, oxygen saturation levels, and length of crying. The crying time was shorter in the experimental (breast-feeding) group (M +/- SD duration, 35.85 +/- 40.11 seconds) than in the control group (M +/- SD duration, 76.24 +/- 49.61 seconds; p = .001). The heart rate and oxygen saturation levels were almost the same in both groups. We concluded that breast-feeding, maternal holding, and skin-to-skin contact significantly reduced crying in infants receiving an immunization injection for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.