The effect of education given to hemodialysis patients based on the Roy Adaptation Model on fluid management, symptom control, and quality of life.

This study aimed to determine the effect of fluid management, symptom control, and quality of life on education based on the Roy Adaptation Model. This randomized controlled study was conducted with the participation of 107 patients (53 intervention, 54 control). Data were collected using the "Patient Data Collection Form," "Fluid Control in Hemodialysis Patients Scale," "Dialysis Symptom Index," and "Nottingham Health Profile." The forms were filled out through face-to-face interviews with the patients in the intervention and control groups at the 0th (onset), 1st, and 3rd months. The patients in the intervention group were trained with an education booklet based on the Roy Adaptation Model. The results revealed that the education given according to the Roy Adaptation Model improved the compliance with fluid control, quality of life, and symptom control of hemodialysis patients. It is recommended that education based on the Roy Adaptation Model be systematically used by hemodialysis nurses. The results are limited to the population included in the study, and further research on hemodialysis populations is needed.

Caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety in family caregivers of patients with cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the caregiving burden, depression and anxiety of family caregivers of Turkish patients with cancer and the affecting factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January-May 2018 with one hundred and fifty-eight caregivers and one hundred and fifty-eight patients with cancer who were treated at a university hospital in Edirne, Turkey. Data were collected with a questionnaire form, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) Scale and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: This study found that 51.3% of the patients with cancer were male, 70.3% of the caregivers were female and more than half of them (57.0%) were the spouses of the patients. The mean ZBI score of the caregivers was 24.62 ± 14.19. There was a positive relationship between the ZBI scores and HADS scores of family caregivers (p < 0.05). As the caregiving burden of caregivers increased, their anxiety and depression levels were increased too. It was found that as the caregiving duration of family caregivers increased, the caregiving burden increased, and caregivers' anxiety depression scores got worse (p < 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, the duration of caregiving per day/hours, ECOG score and the age of the caregiver independently affected the caregiving burden (p < 0.05). As the functional status of the patient with cancer got worse, caregiving burden increased. Caregiving burden was found to be higher in those who were younger, female and giving care for longer times per day (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found that as the caregiving burden and caregivers' daily patient care duration increased, the level of anxiety and depression increased too. Caregivers of patients with cancer should take appropriate psychological intervention to decrease their distress. In addition, we thought that healthcare professionals must consider the factors affecting the caregiving burden which affect the patient care directly.

Evaluation of nursing students' epilepsy-related knowledge and attitudes.

AIM: This study evaluated the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students toward epilepsy. METHOD: The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with the voluntary participation of 161 nursing students in their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years of study who were registered at the summer school of Trakya University, Faculty of Health Sciences in the 2017-2018 academic year. The data were collected through a research questionnaire form and the Epilepsy Knowledge and Attitude Scales. The normal distribution of the data was tested using the one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Nonparametric tests were used since the data were not normally distributed. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, range, numbers, and percentages), the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation test were used in the data analysis. FINDINGS: Half of the nursing students (55.9%) were females with a mean age of 22.14 ±â€¯1.81 years, and 43.5% of the students were third-year students. Of the students, 90.7% were informed about epilepsy from sources including their school/course/instructor (64%), the television/internet (10.6%), and healthcare professionals (6.8%). The mean scores obtained on the Epilepsy Knowledge Scale (EKS) and the mean score on the Epilepsy Attitude Scale (EAS) were 10.23 ±â€¯4.24 and 57.66 ±â€¯8.83, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between the knowledge and attitude scores of the students regarding epilepsy (p < .001). As the students' knowledge increased, their attitudes also increased positively toward epilepsy. The female students had a more positive attitude toward epilepsy than did the male students. Further, the students who had knowledge about epilepsy and who provided care for patients with epilepsy had higher scores and displayed more positive attitudes toward epilepsy (p < .05). CONCLUSION: This study determined that the participating nursing students had a moderate level of knowledge regarding epilepsy. In addition to theoretical knowledge of epilepsy, the experience of caring for a patient with epilepsy had a positive effect on the students' attitudes. The nursing education curriculum should place greater focus on epilepsy and interventions for epilepsy seizures.

Musculoskeletal problems and attitudes towards footwear among university students.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Footwear preferences and habits may be related to musculoskeletal system problems. This study was designed to determine the relationship between the selection of footwear, musculoskeletal problems and the affecting factors among university students from that different division. METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-six university students in the divisions of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation, Nursing and Business Administration participated in this study. The data was collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers and the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the participants, 68.5% preferred to wear sports shoes; 24.0% of the participants had foot pain. Comfort, robustness and quality come to the fore in the behavioural patterns of young and healthy individuals regarding footwear. Those who experienced foot and lower back pain considered such parameters as quality, fitness for foot health, flexibility and lightness in footwear. CONCLUSIONS: While patterns such as foot health, flexibility and lightness are reflected in the footwear preferences of those who have lower back pain, those who have pain or problems in their feet take into consideration the quality, lightness, fitness to foot health. The relationship determined in the present study shows that those who experience pain are more selective in their footwear preferences.

Pain experiences of patients with advanced cancer: A qualitative descriptive study.

PURPOSE: Uncontrolled pain, especially in patients with advanced cancer, affects quality of life negatively and causes negative physical and psychological conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the pain experiences of patients with advanced cancer and how they manage with pain, and to present a view of pain management approaches of nurses from the perspectives of the patients. METHODS: This was a qualitative descriptive study of sixteen hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with patients. Data were analysed by Colaizzi's phenomenological method. RESULTS: This study found that patients with advanced cancer who had pain experienced anxiety, helplessness, hopelessness and many restrictions in daily life as well as inability to manage with pain. Most of the patients with advanced cancer were not satisfied with their nursing care with regard to pain management. The themes that emerged were pain perception and experiences, effects of pain on daily life, pain management and management strategies and the patients' perspectives about nursing approaches to pain. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the difficulties of patients with advanced cancer who experienced pain in their daily lives, yet lack pain management strategies. Furthermore, nurses' caring approaches to patients with advanced cancer who experienced pain was found inadequate. Oncology nurses should provide educational interventions in order to enhance knowledge and skills about pain assessment and non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic strategies used in pain management.

Activities of daily living, quality of life, social support and depression levels of elderly individuals in Turkish society.

OBJECTIVE: To determine activities of daily living, quality of life, social support and depression levels of elderly individuals and the factors affecting each of these items. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2009 to June 2012 in Edirne, Turkey, and included elderly individuals over 60 years of age. Data was collected using a survey form, the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Data was analysed using Spearman's correlation analysis. RESULTS: Of the 912 subjects in the study, 509(55.8%) were females and 402(44.2%) were males, with an overall mean age of 68.05 ± 6.6 years (range: 60-94 years). Besides, 644(70.6%) of the subjects were married and 595(65.2%) were living with their spouse. The levels of social support and activities of daily living of elderly individuals with a high quality of life were higher, and their levels of depression were lower (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older age, chronic health problems and polypharmacy should be taken into account when planning healthcare services for the elderly to ensure that they maintain a better quality of life.

Attitudes of Turkish midwives and nurses working at hospitals towards people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Health professionals caring for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) show poor or negative attitudes because of fear of contagion. Therefore, it is important to know the attitudes of midwives' and nurses' towards people living with HIV/AIDS. The aim of this descriptive and cross-sectional study is to assess the attitudes of Turkish midwives and nurses working at hospitals to people living with HIV/AIDS and to identify factors that affect these attitudes. A group of 46 midwives and 192 nurses working in hospitals were included in the study. Data were collected through AIDS Attitude Scale. Age, professional experience, number of children and marital status influenced the attitudes of the participants towards people living with HIV/AIDS. We concluded that higher level of education appear to positively influence the attitudes of the participants. Education programmes including evidence-based nursing implications might be planned to improve positive attitudes and to prevent stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Assessment of quality of life and activities of daily living in Turkish patients with heart failure.

Heart failure is an entire clinical syndrome affecting many aspects of life, rather than merely a usual disease. This cross-sectional study was designed to assess heart failure patients' quality of life and activities of daily living (ADL). Seventy-five patients who applied to the cardiology department were included in the study. The data were obtained using the left ventricular dysfunction scale (LVD-36) and ADL scale. A statistically significant relationship was found between LVD-36 and ADL scores and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, previous hospitalization, daily medication, age and education (P < 0.05). It was found that LVD-36 and ADL scores increase as the level of education increases and as the NYHA functional class, previous hospitalization, number of drugs taken daily and age decrease. The study found a statistically significantly negative relationship between quality of life and ADL (P < 0.05). In patients with heart failure, age, NYHA functional class, number of drugs taken daily independently affected the ADL scores. Additionally, in these patients, education, NYHA functional class, number of drugs taken daily and previous hospitalizations independently affected the quality of life. As the functional situation deteriorates and becomes severe, individual care, training, social support and consultation services for the patient and their family should be increased.

Knowledge of and attitudes toward tuberculosis of Turkish nursing and midwifery students.

AIM: The aim of the study was to describe the level of knowledge and the attitudes of Turkish nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis in an attempt to understand and determine whether there is a need for improvement in nursing and midwifery education regarding tuberculosis. METHOD: The research is a descriptive study conducted at four nursing or midwifery schools in Turkey. The sample was composed of 615 students who were first-, second-, third-, or fourth-year nursing and midwifery students. Data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitudes toward Treatment and Control of Tuberculosis Questionnaire. RESULTS: The level of tuberculosis knowledge was poor [7.22±1.92 (range: 2-9)]. The attitudes of nursing and midwifery students toward tuberculosis were generally negative. Only 5.9% of the sample would prefer to care for patients with tuberculosis. Students who received tuberculosis lectures/education had higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes toward tuberculosis than their peers who did not receive such education. CONCLUSION: In order to fight effectively against tuberculosis, positive attitudes toward tuberculosis must be developed among health care teams, and awareness of tuberculosis via theoretical and practical education, starting from the initial semesters of the professional education, must be increased.

Is EQ-5D a valid quality of life instrument in patients with acute coronary syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the construct validity of the Turkish version of the EQ-5D in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study at the Trakya University Hospital between February and May 2008. All patients completed the Turkish version of the EQ-5D and MacNew heart-related quality of life scale. Construct validity of the EQ-5D was assessed according to relationships with MacNew subscales by using Spearman rank correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-two patients responded to the instruments. Mean age was 62.9±9.3 years and male gender (88 or 72.1%) was dominant. Mean score of the EQ-5D index was 0.79±0.32, while the global score of MacNew was 5.01±1.16. The correlation coefficients of the EQ-5D index score with the MacNew subscales ranged from 0.557 to 0.721, with EQ-5D VAS score ranging from 0.297 to 0.484 (p<0.001 for all of them). According to the stepwise regression model MacNew global score was found to be significantly effective factor on EQ-5D index score (ß =0.188; 95% CI: 0.152-0.224; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the EQ-5D-based utility score seems to be a valid instrument in the assessment of quality of life studies in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Assessment of symptom control in patients with cancer in Northwestern Turkey.

AIM: The main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare symptoms occurring before and after chemotherapy treatment and to investigate the factors affecting those symptoms. The secondary purpose was to determine the most commonly occurring symptoms experienced by the patients with cancer after chemotherapy. METHODS: Fifty inpatients and outpatients receiving chemotherapy for the first time with various cancer diagnoses and hospitalized in the oncology unit of Trakya University Medical Faculty Hospital between July 2006 and April 2007 were attended to the study. Data were collected using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). RESULTS: It was discovered that symptoms of fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, impaired sense of well-being, changes in skin and nails, stomatitis and numbness in hands among chemotherapy patients increased by a statistically significant margin after treatment (p<0.05). Post-chemotherapy symptoms increased markedly (p<0.05) among patients within groups determined by age, gender, marital status, stage of cancer and date of diagnosis. Cross-group comparisons of post-chemotherapy participants analyzed in terms of marital status, clinical stage of disease, and date of diagnosis revealed that fewer symptoms (drowsiness and shortness of breath) increased compared to other symptoms measured along with treatment (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that by considering personal characteristic (i.e. age, gender, etc.) as well as disease-related characteristics (i.e. clinical stage of the disease, etc.), individual nursing care might significantly contribute to the alleviation and management of symptoms.

Patient satisfaction with nursing care and its relationship with patient characteristics.

The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with nursing care and the relationship between patient satisfaction and patient characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a 1100-bed tertiary care teaching hospital in Turkey. Data were collected using the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Care Scales and a patient information form. Overall, data indicated a high level of patient satisfaction. Hospitalization affected the Experience of Nursing Care Scale independently, while the type of ward, sex, income, and education independently affected the Satisfaction with Nursing Care Scale. Patients who underwent surgical procedures, male patients, the 40-59-year-old age group, those who had low levels of education or income, and patients who were hospitalized for long periods were most satisfied. Patients' sex, age, income, duration of hospitalization, and ward type were important factors that affected their satisfaction with nursing care. The characteristics of patients who have a low level of satisfaction with nursing care should be assessed and taken into consideration by nurses.

Depression and health status in elderly hospitalized patients with chronic illness.

The purpose of this study was to determine the chronically ill elderly individuals' depression and health status and to determine the relationships between depression and health status. This study, designed as a cross-sectional study, was conducted with 100 patients with a chronic health problem who were 60 years old or older and had been admitted to a medical ward at Trakya University Medical Faculty Hospital. It was determined that 64% of the elderly patients had depressive symptoms and 36% did not. The elderly patients with depressive symptoms had been ill for a longer period of time than those who did not have depressive symptoms (p=0.019). The depressed elderly patients' mobility, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression dimensions, EQ-5D index score, and their EQ-5D VAS score were worse than the patients who were not depressed (p<0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between depression and the EQ-5D index score and the EQ-5D VAS score (p<0.05). As the level of depression increased in chronically ill hospitalized elderly patients their quality of life decreased. Providing of psychosocial support, supplying of psychosocial needings, and improving of physical and functional capacity will help for improve quality of life in chronically ill elderly patients receiving medical treatment in the hospital.

Comparison of the health-promoting lifestyles of nursing and non-nursing students in Istanbul, Turkey.

Undertaking a health-related course at university can facilitate an awareness of health-promoting lifestyles. We carried out a descriptive and cross-sectional study with 1616 university students in Istanbul, Turkey. Students from the nursing schools were compared to those from the schools of social sciences using a Turkish version of the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II after a validation study. The nursing students had more positive health-promoting lifestyles than those of the non-nursing students. Furthermore, fourth-year nursing students had higher scores in most of the subscales of the HPLP II than did the students from the lower years; conversely, the fourth-year non-nursing students had lower scores. The sociodemographic variables, self-perceived health status, relations with family and friends, and self-perceived academic performance were associated with the HPLP. The implications are discussed for the curricula and on-campus facilities that focus on health promotion activities.

Health-related quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: :In recent years, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been increasingly used as an indicator of health outcome. The aims of the study were to compare the HRQoL of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to patients without CAD and also to determine the HRQoL of patients with CAD and the factors affecting their quality of life. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with CAD who attend the outpatients' clinic in the Cardiology Department at Trakya University's Medicine Faculty Hospital agreed to be interviewed. One hundred patients with CAD and 100 people serving as patients without CAD were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients with CAD and patients without CAD were matched by age, sex, marital status, and income. Health-related quality of life was measured with the generic HRQoL instrument. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: CAD patients' HRQoL scores differed significantly from patients without CAD. Compared to patients without CAD, the HRQoL of patients with CAD was lower in the dimensions of mobility (P < .001), hearing (P = .022), breathing (P < .001), elimination (P = .035), usual activities (P < .001), mental function (P = .004), discomfort and symptoms (P = .018), vitality (P = .006), sexual activity (P < .001), and total score (P < .001). Patients with CAD had lower HRQoL scores than patients without CAD. In patients with CAD, age and sex independently affected the HRQoL. Older patients and women had worse HRQoL. Coronary artery disease negatively affects HRQoL. It is thought that interventions to increase patients' quality of life may improve their HRQoL.