Prevalence of Suspected Cases of Hyperthyroidism in Jeddah by Using Wayne's Scoring Index.

Introduction Hyperthyroidism is one of the primary dysfunctional thyroid diseases that results from abnormally high thyroid hormone secretion. It leads to metabolic derangement that manifests as heightened vital functions and metabolism and hyperdynamic blood circulation. Hyperthyroidism jeopardizes one's quality of life and hampers the patient's job performance. The disease is chronic but diagnosable and treatable and can be kept under control medically. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of suspected hyperthyroidism cases among a population sample in Jeddah city by using Wayne's scoring and delineation of factors associated with the disease. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 346 participants were conveniently selected from two shopping malls in Jeddah city during a five-day health awareness campaign. The data were collected by certified physicians, according to Wayne's score inventory. Results The study included 194 women (56.1%) and 152 men (43.9%). The participants' ages ranged from 16 to 56 years. The Wayne's scores showed 80.6% were euthyroid, 18.2% equivocal, and 1.2% have hyperthyroidism. Bronchial asthma was significantly associated with hyperthyroidism in men, while obesity was significantly associated with hyperthyroidism in women. Age, gender, level of education, and family history of chronic diseases, including thyroid disorders, were not significantly associated with hyperthyroidism. Conclusions Wayne's scoring for hyperthyroidism, which is a noninvasive tool, in addition to its detection of hyperthyroidism cases, can predict patients with equivocal results or those that might be subclinical for further medical assessment and follow-up. A Wayne's score can give the results of hyperthyroidism comparable to the results obtained by biochemical investigations. This tool is not in common use, but it is quite useful and should be put into broader usage.

Effect of educational program on self-care behaviors and health outcome among patients with heart failure: an experimental study.

OBJECTIVES: To implement an educational program for patients with heart failure and to assess its effectiveness on self-care behaviors and health outcomes (frequency of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and deaths). METHODS: A comparative-experimental design was used. A total of 144 participants were randomized into the intervention group (who received individualized education session, self-care manual, and weekly phone calls) and the control group (who received usual care). RESULTS: After 3 months of follow-up, there was a significant difference in the self-care maintenance (P < 0.001), self-care management (P < 0.001), and the frequency of emergency department visits between the two groups (P = 0.028). CONCLUSION: The promising effect of the educational program on patients' health outcomes suggests that incorporating such a program into the standard healthcare is important. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate that individualized heart failure education, which is supported by follow-up phone calls and self-care manual, is an effective approach to improve patients' adherence to self-care behaviors.

Pain among mechanically ventilated patients in critical care units.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a common experience among mechanically ventilated patients. Pain among mechanically ventilated patients is aggravated by factors such as stage of illness, invasive procedures, and surgical interventions. The aim to this study was to investigate pain levels and predictors among mechanically ventilated patients during rest and routine nursing interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used, with a total sample of 301 mechanically ventilated patients. Patients' pain levels were assessed using Behavioral Pain Scale during rest and routine nursing interventions. RESULTS: The mean pain score levels during rest (mean = 3.69, standard deviation [SD] = 0.81) were lower than mean pain score levels during routine nursing interventions (mean = 7.1, SD = 2.5). During rest, pain scores were significantly correlated with age (r = -0.12, P = 0.046), and heart rate (r = 0.24, P < 0.001). During nursing interventions, pain scores were significantly correlated with age (r = -0.25, P < 0.001), heart rate (r = 0.36, P < 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (BP) (r = 0.21, P < 0.001). The age and past surgical history were found to be significant (age: ß = -0.009, P = 0.002; past surgical history: ß = -1.376, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mechanically ventilated patients experience pain during rest as well as during routine nursing interventions. Pain levels were associated with age, heart rate, and diastolic BP. The age and past surgical history should be considered as important predictive factors.