Experiences and attitudes of clinical and academic nurses about infection prevention and control nursing curriculum and duties - a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases are becoming more widespread and re-emerging, causing psychological, social, economic, and health effects at both national and international levels. Specialist nurses can help prevent and control these infections. However, in Iran, there are currently no specialist infection prevention and control (IPC) nurses to manage and control infections. This study aims to explore clinical and academic nurses' attitudes toward IPC nursing curriculum and duties. METHODS: The study used a qualitative content analysis approach. Thirty-six participants, including clinical and academic nurses, were selected using a purposeful sampling method. Data was collected through seven focused group discussions. The accuracy and validity of the research tools were measured using the Four-Dimension Criteria developed by Lincoln and Guba. Data analysis was conducted using directed content analysis. RESULTS: The data analysis of the discussions held in the seven focus groups extracted 628 codes. Three themes were developed from the qualitative analysis: "Core characteristics of the curriculum", "Expected competencies and skills", and "Evaluation." These themes were derived from nine main categories and 25 subcategories. CONCLUSIONS: Specialist IPC nurses can play important roles in various positions and environments. Therefore, educational policymakers in Iran should consider establishing IPC nursing courses. It is also recommended that policymakers and decision-makers in the nursing field of other less developed countries should prioritize this issue.

The challenges of the Iranian nursing system in addressing community care needs.

BACKGROUND: The nursing system is one of the major and important fields of health and medicine in every country, responsible for providing nursing care and addressing medical and health-related community care needs. The aim of this study was to explain the challenges of the Iranian nursing system in addressing community care needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A conventional content analysis method was performed in this exploratory qualitative study, and 27 participants were selected through a purposive sampling method based on the inclusion criteria. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with the subjects, and data saturation was achieved in the 27th interview. The main interviews with the participants were individual, in person, and face-to-face, conducted at different times (morning and evening) in a peaceful environment and at the convenience of the participants. The interviews were recorded by the researcher with the participants' consent. The duration of the interviews ranged from 50 to 70 minutes, given the participants' energy and time. Data analyses were done using Graneheim and Lundman approach. RESULTS: After conducting the interviews and the simultaneous analysis, three themes were extracted, including the challenging structure in the internal environment, the operating environment, and the social environment, with seven main categories and 26 subcategories. An inadequate number of nurses given the real needs of society, the unbalanced proportion of employed clinical nurses to the real needs of society, poor presence of nurses in community-based nursing services, insufficient attention to the optimization of the work environment, the gap between education and clinical practice in the nursing system, poor mutual accountability of the community, and policies in the health system were seven main categories in this study. CONCLUSION: In general, the results showed that the Iranian nursing system faces many micro, meso, and macroscale challenges. It is necessary to plan properly to enhance the accountability of the nursing system to the current community care needs by improving the situation.

Effect of Nature-Based Sound Therapy on Stress and Physiological Parameters in Patients with Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Non-pharmacological interventions in clinical practice, such as Nature-Based Sounds (N-BS), can be an efficient way to reduce stress in patients with Myocardial Infarction (MI). This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of N-BS on stress and physiological parameters in patients with MI. Materials and Methods: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 patients with MI from two selected hospitals. Using headphones, the subjects in the intervention group listened to 30 minutes of N-BS twice a day for 3 days. The control group, on the other hand, wore headphones playing no sound. The data were collected using the Persian version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The repeated measure analysis showed that the within group effect is statistically significant for Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (F = 113.32, p < 0.001), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (F = 67.22, p < 0.001), Heart Rate (HR) (F = 28.52, p < 0.001), respiration rate (F = 36.41, p < 0.001), and stress (F = 102.82, p < 0.001). The reciprocal effect was statistically significant for SBP (F = 11.76, p < 0.001) and stress (F = 5.31, p < 0.001). Conclusions: N-BS can provide an effective, inexpensive, and non-invasive method of reducing stress in patients with MI. Nurses can incorporate N-BS intervention into the daily care of patients with MI in order to reduce their stress and lower their SBP and HR.

Nursing students' learning strategies for e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In response to the emergency brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, many universities around the world had to change their teaching methods from in-person classes to e-learning. The purpose of this study was to identify the learning strategies of nursing students in e-learning during the pandemic. METHODS: This study had a qualitative design and used content analysis approach to collect and analyze the data. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Iranian undergraduate nursing students who were selected using purposive sampling method. RESULTS: Most nursing students in this study generally used two different strategies for e-learning, namely self-centered learning strategies and collaborative learning strategies. Some students, on the other hand, adopted a passive approach in which they did not take any effective action to contribute to their learning. CONCLUSION: In e-learning during the pandemic, students adopted different learning strategies. Therefore, designing teaching strategies tailored to the students' strategies can promote their learning and academic achievement. Also, knowledge of these strategies helps policy makers and nursing educators to take necessary measures in order to optimize and facilitate student learning in an e-learning environment.

Exploring the social accountability challenges of nursing education system in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education in Iran is one of the disciplines of medical sciences and it needs a design tailored to the community needs in terms of theoretical and clinical approaches. This system is currently faced with various challenges. This study aims to explore the challenges of Iranian nursing education system to address community needs. METHODS: A study was carried out through an exploratory descriptive qualitative design with content analysis method. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants from the nursing society, selected through purposive sampling. The interviews were continued until data saturation. Data analysis was performed simultaneous with data collection by using Graneheim & Lundman approach. RESULTS: Based on the interviews and simultaneous analyses, a total of 471 codes, 14 subcategories, six main categories, and two themes were extracted. The first theme, "system structure," consisted of three categories: "the need for ongoing revision of curriculum," "the need to recruit qualified students," and "the need for a proportionate educational environment." The second theme was "the education process" with three categories "the need for purposive educational design," "the need for purposive monitoring and feedback," and "the need for appropriate and early interaction with the community." The participants emphasized the continuous revision of the educational curriculum based on the current needs of the community and community-based nursing education. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the results showed that Iranian nursing education system is faced with many challenges in the educational system structure and processes. It is necessary to make appropriate plans to enhance the status of the educational system structure and develop educational designs to address community needs using a hospital/community-based approach.

Prediction of risk of coronary artery disease based on the Framingham risk score in association with shift work among nurses.

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the prediction of risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the Framingham risk score (FRS) in association with shift work among nurses.Methods. This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study was conducted with nurses working in three hospitals located in Abadan, southwest Iran. The sample size was 120 participants, divided into 60 shift workers and 60 day workers (non-shift workers). Demographic data and medical and occupational history were collected through a checklist and interviews. CAD risk assessment tools used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk included the FRS. Data were analysed by Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS version 22.0.Results. There were statistically significant differences between blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (TC), body mass index (BMI) and shift work (p ≤ 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between prevalence of CAD risk and shift work based on the FRS (p = 0.04).Conclusion. The study findings showed that shift work is a risk factor for CAD disturbances. Therefore, particular follow-up of shift workers should be recommended for screening and preventing CAD.

Applied distance learning methods in disaster preparedness: A systematic review.

Nowadays, accidents and disasters are one of the most important issues facing humans. Training is an important feature in disasters and distance learning is a suitable method for education in every place and at every time. The aim of this study is to determine distance learning methods in disaster preparedness. This study was conducted to this question: what types of distance learning methods can use in disaster preparedness?". In this study, all published English language papers, with no time limit, were extracted by the end of December 2021 through search in PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, ISI WOS (Web of Science), and Embase. The primary search used "distance learning", "disaster" and their MeSH terms. Quality appraisal carried out with CASP. Information in the articles including study time, study population, e-learning methods, and type of disasters or emergencies were extracted. Based on the search, 46 studies were carried out between 2002 and 2021. The most studied target group in the studies was health professionals and the content of the courses was attributed to disaster preparedness as well as biological disasters. Regarding e-learning methods, the most used method was 'simulation'. At the time of disasters, including pandemics, disruption in education may be long-term and may require overlapping response and recovery periods. And virtual education during a disaster may be rejected or endorsed by individuals or groups based on cultural, ideological, or prejudicial issues. Distance education can be used for effective disaster education in different phases of the disaster cycle, depending on the available facilities and infrastructure.

Effects of SP6 and ST36 Acupressure on Pain and Physiological Indexes in Addicted Men: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Pain is the most crucial reason to seek treatment, and acupressure is one of the most common ways to relieve pain; therefore, this study was conducted with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of acupressure on the reduction of pain and stability of physiological indexes in addicted men. Methods: The present single-blind, randomized, clinical trial was performed on 90 participants who were hospitalized in an addiction treatment camp in Masjed-e-Soleyman, Iran. The participants were divided into acupressure group (n = 45) and control group (n = 45) through allocating permutation blocks method. The acupressure group received acupressure on SP6 and ST36 points for 3 consecutive sessions and each session for 10 minutes. The data collection tools used included a demographic information questionnaire, the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), and a physiological index registration form, tympanic thermometer, sphygmomanometer, pulse oximetry device, and digital watch. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statically significant. Findings: There was a statistically significant decrease in the sensory dimension of pain in the acupressure group compared to the control group in all 3 sessions (P ≤ 0.001; P ≤ 0.001; P = 0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall pain score (P ≥ 0.005), emotional pain dimension (P ≥ 0.005), and physiological indexes of pain (P ≥ 0.005) between the two groups after the intervention. Conclusion: Acupressure is a non-invasive and cost-effective method that reduces the sensory dimension of painý, and its application does not require special tools; ýthus, the use of such a safe and secure method for relieving pain is recommended.

The relationship between rotating shift work and blood pressure among nurses working in hospitals of Abadan, Iran.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. Various factors such as occupational and environmental risk factors affect blood pressure. Shift work is considered to be an occupational stressor. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between rotating shift work and blood pressure among nurses working in hospitals associated with faculty of medical science. This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study was conducted on nurses who worked in three hospitals associated with faculty of medical science, located in Abadan, southwest of Iran from September until December 2019. The sample size was 120 participants and divided into 60 rotating shift workers and 60 day workers (non-shift workers). The nurses were selected through the stratified random sampling technique. Demographic data, smoking status, and medical and occupational history were collected through a check list and interviews. Blood pressure was measured using a digital sphygmomanometer. Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, Pearson's correlation coefficient and logistic regression by using SPSS software version 22. There was statistically significant difference in blood pressure between day workers and rotating shift workers (p ≤ 0.001). By logistic regression analyses, and even after adjusting for confounding variables, rotating shift work was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension (OR: 1.76 [95%CI: 1.11-2.80]). The findings of this study showed that rotating shift workers have a higher incidence of hypertension than day workers. Therefore, a particular follow-up of rotating shift workers should be recommended to screen workers for hypertension.