Changes in children's fatigue during the course of treatment for paediatric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is described as one of the most distressing symptoms of cancer therapy; yet it has received limited clinical attention. Children are suffering from a symptom that is under-diagnosed during their treatment. AIM: The aim of this study is: (a) to assess the change in fatigue scores during cancer treatment according to children's perspectives, and (b) to describe the possible causes of fatigue from children's points of view. SAMPLE AND METHODS: The present study is part of an ongoing prospective study. The research group consisted of 40 (n = 40) children aged 7-12 years with cancer who are being followed up in the oncology clinic of a Greek children's hospital. After parental consent was obtained, data were collected using the Child Fatigue Scale and a sociodemographic data form. RESULTS: The children with cancer reported a statistically significant increase in fatigue scores during their treatment (F = 6.846, P = 0.003). Gender was the only demographic factor associated with a significant increase in the fatigue scores (F = 4.857, P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Cancer treatment was found significantly to increase children's fatigue levels. Medical procedures and the hospital environment seemed to be major causative factors of the fatigue experienced by children with cancer during their treatment.

Evaluación de las técnicas de aislamiento y contención por parte de los equipos de enfermería en los hospitales psiquiátricos griegos

Objetivo: a) Investigar el tipo de restricción utilizada con el fin de eliminar el comportamiento violento de pacientes psiquiátricos, b) Explorar las actitudes del personal de enfermería frente al aislamiento y la contención y c) Determinar si hay alguna diferencia en las capacidades del personal de enfermería debido a su nivel educativo y a los años de experiencia. Método: La muestra estaba formada por 190 enfermeros/as de doce unidades psiquiátricas correspondientes a cinco hospitales diferentes en donde se distribuyó un cuestionario auto-administrado y se realizó un análisis estadístico descriptivo junto con la aplicación del test chi cuadrado. Resultados: Las restricciones realizadas con mayor frecuencia incluían las contenciones corporales (42,6 per cent), el aislamiento en la propia habitación (26 per cent), y ambas (31,1 per cent). El aislamiento o la contención se utilizan en la mayoría de los casos para la seguridad del paciente (70,5 per cent), el control de su comportamiento (23,2 per cent), y para comodidad del personal (0,5 per cent). El ochenta por ciento de los enfermeros/as está a favor de la contención mientras que un 16,8 per cent está en contra. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las actitudes de los enfermeros/as motivadas por su nivel de formación y experiencia laboral (AU)

Developing an instrument to measure patient satisfaction with nursing care in Greece.

AIM: The main purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument to measure patient satisfaction with nursing care. BACKGROUND: The interest in patient satisfaction is intense but there is an absence of instruments with proper psychometric properties. METHODS: A methodological exploratory design was employed with three phases: content development and critique, pilot study (N = 15) and final tryout (I = 103). FINDINGS: The reliability coefficient for the whole scale was high (alpha = 0.94). An exploratory factor analysis revealed six factors, explaining 68.8% of the variability. The first three factors referred to interpersonal relationships and available time, technical competence and response, and information. The qualitative data facilitated the interpretation of the quantitative data, increased the validity of the scale and gave useful information for improvements. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the psychometric properties of the instruments were satisfactory but there is a need for continuous evaluation and verification of other studies.

Patient satisfaction: a key concept for evaluating and improving nursing services.

AIMS: The main purpose of this review was to explore the meaning of patient satisfaction and present the theoretical background and the definitions which developed in nursing. BACKGROUND: Today, there is an increasing interest in patient satisfaction which is considered a valid indicator of the quality of care. ORIGINS OF INFORMATION: An extensive literature review was performed by using the MEDLINE database. DATA ANALYSIS: Data was classified and analysed by using the content analysis approach. KEY ISSUES: The principal finding of this review was the lack of attention to the meaning of patient satisfaction, the development of theoretical frameworks and the psychometric properties of the developed instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses need to develop valid and reliable instruments to measure patient satisfaction in order to improve the quality of care and make their work visible.

Computer-based documentation and bedside terminals.

Rising health care costs and the need for enhancing the quality of clinical care are concerns of hospitals throughout the world. Documentation consumes excessive amounts of nursing time and directly influences the quality of clinical practice, research, administration and education. Recent developments in information technology have offered many alternatives to traditional systems of documentation. Many hospitals have installed bedside terminals, but only few have conducted and published studies regarding their implementation. Most of the studies come from the US and report improved quality of care and reduction of nursing expenses. All the relevant studies have design, sample and methodological problems. There is a need for additional systematic studies to prove the actual benefits of the bedside terminals and link them with the outcomes of care. This paper intends to review the literature and discuss the installation, use, results and future directions of the bedside terminals.