Comparison of Risk Factors of Falling for Psychiatric Inpatients and General Ward Inpatients Who Had Fallen.

BACKGROUND: For psychiatric patients, the issue of falling is complex. AIM: The objective of this study was to compare the risk factors for falling in psychiatric inpatients and general ward inpatients who had fallen. METHODS: The researchers first derived official fall records for 122 psychiatric inpatients and then selected 122 psychiatric inpatients who had not fallen as well as 122 general ward patients who had fallen, matched for gender, age, and length of hospital stay at the time of the fall incident. RESULTS: After controlling other variables, multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that psychiatric inpatients who had fallen and had dizziness (odds ratio [OR] = 7.11, p < .001), had an unsteady gait (OR = 1.97, p = .030), or were not using aids (OR = 0.42, p = .042) were at greater risk of falling than those who had not fallen. The researchers also found that general ward inpatients who had fallen and had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (OR = 1.77, p < .001), were clear-headed (OR = 27.15, p = .001), had dizziness (OR = 11.55, p < .001), were unable to walk (OR = 64.28, p < .001), or were using aids (OR = 3.86, p = .001) were at greater risk of falling than those who had not fallen before. CONCLUSIONS: The causes of falling among psychiatric inpatients and general ward inpatients are different. Medical personnel should understand the medications and attributes of patients for an accurate assessment of their risk factors for falling and thus implement fall prevention measures and health education to reduce falls.

Does the Oral Administration of Ginger Reduce Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting?: A Meta-analysis of 10 Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical tests in animals have shown that ginger extract can be used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV); however, research findings in clinical trials have not been conclusive. OBJECTIVE: Through this meta-analysis, we aimed to determine whether ginger could be used to treat CINV, which was interpreted using the PICOS (patient, problem/population, intervention, comparison, outcome, study) framework, with P being patients who underwent chemotherapy; I being 0.5 to 2.0 g/d of Zingiberaceae, Zintoma, dry ginger, ginger capsules, powdered ginger root, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, ginger extract, powdered ginger, 6-gingerol, or shogalos; C being placebo or standard care; and O being the relief, reduction, or improvement of CINV. METHOD: Via systematic literature review, we searched for studies in English from 2000 to 2017 in databases. We conducted a meta-analysis using Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2 on a total of 10 studies with complete data. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) of ginger in controlling CINV was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.94; P = .015). Heterogeneity existed among the samples; therefore, we proceeded with a subgroup analysis and divided nausea and vomiting into acute or delayed. The results revealed that ginger could only reduce acute CINV in patients (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42-0.86; P = .006), particularly acute vomiting (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.94; P = .025). CONCLUSIONS: Ginger displayed significant efficacy with regard to controlling CINV in the experimental groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our results could provide a reference for antiemetic methods to treat CINV and facilitate support for more clinical trials in the future to establish relevant guidelines.

How social support affects the ability of clinical nursing personnel to cope with death.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore how social support has an impact on nursing personnel's coping ability when they are faced with a death in a clinical situation. BACKGROUND: The amount of social support may have an impact on nursing personnel's ability to cope with patient deaths. METHODS: Overall, 323 effective questionnaires were returned. Their respective scores calculated according to the Death Coping Self-Efficacy Scale and Social Support Scale, using hierarchical regression for a statistical test. RESULTS: With regard to identification of coping with grief, the length of service of nurses (3-4.9 years vs 1-2.9 years) (ß = -0.15, p = .020) and unit type (oncology ward vs general medicine ward) (ß = 0.15, p = .009) reached significance. Following the control of basic attributes, social support can effectively influence their preparation for death, of which peer support reached significance (ß = 0.27, p < .001). Moreover, social support can also affect one's ability to cope with death; specifically, peer support reached significance (ß = 0.23, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Support provided by supervisors and peers have a positive impact on the nursing personnel when nurses are providing hospice care for the terminally ill. Furthermore, sufficient support from colleagues can be an important source of comfort for clinical nursing personnel to manage their preparation for and overall strategies to cope with the death of patients.

Occurrence of Phlebitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) are commonly used in clinical practice. However, varying degrees of phlebitis often occur in patients receiving intravenous injections. The relevant literature suggests that phlebitis occurrence is highly associated with the catheter gauge, insertion site, and catheterization duration. Nevertheless, no meta-analysis has been performed on the influence of these three factors on the occurrence of phlebitis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether any significant differences exist in the occurrence of phlebitis between catheters of 20 gauge or smaller and those larger than 20 gauge, between catheters inserted in the antecubital fossa and those inserted in other locations on the upper limbs, or between catheters inserted for more than 96 hours and those inserted for 96 hours or less. METHODS: Using a systematic approach, we searched for literature published between 2006 and 2017 in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library databases. We used Comprehensive Meta-analysis Version 2 to perform our meta-analysis. After the screening and review processes, we identified 17 studies that met our selection conditions. Among these studies, 14 contained complete data for meta-analysis. These studies involved 4,343 patients and 5,846 PVCs. RESULTS: Regarding the overall effect size in the meta-analysis, the results of the forest plot comparing catheters of 20 gauge or smaller and those larger than 20 gauge presented a risk ratio (RR) of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [0.67, 1.17], p = .380), indicating no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of phlebitis between catheters of the aforementioned gauges. The results of the forest plot comparing catheters inserted in the antecubital fossa and those inserted in other locations on the upper limbs presented an RR of 1.05 (95% confidence interval [0.82, 1.34], p = .696), indicating no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of phlebitis between catheters inserted in the aforementioned locations. The results of the forest plot comparing catheters inserted for more than 96 hours and those inserted for 96 hours or less presented an RR of 1.13 (95% confidence interval [0.49, 2.61], p = .779), indicating no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of phlebitis between catheters inserted for the aforementioned durations. DISCUSSION: The empirical results of this meta-analysis can serve as a reference for hospital management for selecting the PVC gauge, insertion site, and catheterization duration. In addition to the three factors that we analyzed, whether any other factors influence the occurrence of phlebitis in patients with catheter implantation is worth investigating in future research.