The effect of burdensome symptoms and functional status on quality of life among older patients with cancer: A correlational study.

PURPOSE: The current study aimed to assess the effect of burdensome symptoms and functional status on QoL among Jordanian older patients with cancer presenting to outpatient clinics. METHODS: A correlational design was implemented to collect data from 165 older patients with cancer visiting outpatient oncology clinics. RESULTS: Generally, the participants have a relatively low quality of life (M = 52.22 ± 24.57). The highest needs according to their functional status were difficulty walking a long distance (M = 3.06 ± 1.004; physical functional status), feeling limited in pursuing hobbies or leisure time activities (M = 2.32 ± 1.05; role functional status), feeling nervous (M = 2.36 ± 1.01; emotional functional status), having difficulty concentrating (M = 2.15 ± 1.04; cognitive functional status), and that physical condition or medical treatment interfered with their social activities (M = 2.36 ± 1.10; social functional status). Further, the most common distressing symptom was insomnia (n = 90, 54%), followed by fatigue (n = 79, 47.9%). Lastly, quality of life improved with better functional status (the strongest correlation was with the role functional status: r = 0.503, p < .001) and declined with higher symptom severity (the strongest correlation was with fatigue: r = -0.566, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: To conclude, the current study sheds light on older patients with cancer burdensome symptoms and functional status and their effect on quality of life. The findings suggest that patients suffer from several functional limitations and distressing symptoms that affect their quality of life, necessitating screening and corrective actions from healthcare providers.

Qualitative study of challenges facing emergency departments nurses in Jordan.

Worldwide, nurses employed in the Emergency Department (ED) face many challenges that negatively influence their well-being and ability to provide high-quality patient care. Previous researchers have investigated these challenges regarding their causes, consequences, and how to deal with them. However, most of the previous research addressed these challenges using quantitative research. The current study is the first qualitative study that examined these challenges in the Jordanian context. A descriptive naturalistic qualitative design was used to explore the most critical challenges facing nurses employed in the ED and described the suggested solutions for these challenges from nurses' perspectives. Ten registered nurses employed in the most prominent ED in Jordan were selected through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze data. Six main themes emerged: the definition of challenge, challenges facing registered nurses in the emergency department (five sub-themes), preventive measurements, possible solutions (five sub-themes), effects of the challenges (two sub-themes), and future challenges. The outcomes of this study could be integrated into the educational curricula to prepare new nurses to deal with these challenges in the future after graduation and contribute to finding solutions and solving some significant problems facing registered nurses in the ED. The hospital administrators and the policymakers should develop effective interventions to overcome the challenges facing nurses in the ED to ensure a better work environment and high-quality patient care.

Student nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward palliative care in the Middle East: an integrative review.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is one of the most important areas of practice because it includes caring for vulnerable people who are mostly in their last stage of life. Palliative care is a relatively new specialty in the Middle East and little is known about student nurses' knowledge of and attitudes towards it. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore students' knowledge of and attitudes towards palliative care in the Middle East, and to use the findings to make recommendations to higher education institutions about its importance. DESIGN: An integrative review following an established framework was used. Hawker's Assessment Tool was employed to evaluate the quality of the research articles. RESULTS: The search found seven quantitative studies from four countries in the Middle East. Their focus was on students' knowledge (n=5) and attitudes (n=2). The number of participants ranged from 110 to 452, with knowledge scores ranging from 5.23 to 8.0 out of 20 on all or part of the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing. Students' attitudes were marginally positive toward palliative care and dying patients. CONCLUSION: There are few studies in the Middle East investigating student nurses' knowledge of and attitude toward palliative care; consequently, more attention needs to be given to this area of practice.

The nurses' perceptions of spiritual care competency in intensive care units.

The health-care system around the world has recognized the importance and usefulness of spirituality in the delivery of care. The goal of this study was to describe nurses' self-perceived ability in providing spiritual care to patients in Intensive Care Units, as well as to look into the relationship between demographic variables and their competencies. The researchers used a descriptive correlation design. There were 106 surveys distributed in total. Two large hospitals in Jouf, Saudi Arabia, had an 83.01% response rate. The self-reported questionnaire was completed by 88 nurses. The majority of nurses said they were capable of providing spiritual care to patients of the Islamic faith. Religions had statistically significant mean Spiritual Care Competency scores. It is critical to have a unified health strategy based on multidisciplinary collaborations to control spiritual care delivery, particularly in Intensive Care Units.

Relationship between sleep quality, using social media platforms, and academic performance among university students.

PURPOSE: Explore the quality of sleep and investigate the relationship between sleep quality, using social media platforms, and academic performance among university students. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional correlation design was used, 412 students completed an electronic questionnaire. FINDINGS: The majority of university students suffer from poor quality of sleep. The most frequently used social media platforms were WhatsApp, Snapchat, and YouTube. The strongest predictor of having very poor sleep quality was addiction on twitter. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: An educational program about the importance of adequate sleep should be supported university students.