Perceptions of Nurses Regarding Opioid Administration: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are important drugs used in pain management due to their strong analgesic effects. However, there is limited research on nurses' perceptions of administering opioids. PURPOSE: This study aims to determine nurses' perceptions of administering opioids. DESIGN: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. SETTINGS: A university hospital located in the south of Turkey. METHODS: A self-reporting survey was provided to a convenience sample of 190 nurses. The data were collected with the "Introductory Information Form," and the "Nurses' Perceptions on Opioid Medications Administration Questionnaire." Descriptive statistics were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the nurses was 33.11 ± 7.82 and 86.3% were female. The majority of the nurses did not receive any training on opioid administration other than their undergraduate education. Among the nursing staff, 90.0% expressed the importance of having trust in the prescribing doctor for their comfort in administering opioids. Of the nurses, 30% were undecided about "Nurses associate opioids with drug abuse." and 78.9% disagreed with the statement "Nurses often associate giving opioids with helping patients to die." CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provided further insight into nurses' perceptions of administering opioids that potentially contribute to pain management. Nurses had information needs and some prejudices regarding opioid administration. Also, relying on the prescribing doctor was important, and problems with prescribing were an obstacle to pain control. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Determining the knowledge and needs of nurses regarding opioid administration and providing in-service training on this subject would positively affect their approach to opioids.

The Effect of Preoperative Pain, Fear, and Anxiety on Postoperative Pain in Urological Surgery Patients: A Descriptive and Correlational Study.

PURPOSE: The study was conducted to determine the effect of preoperative pain, fear, and anxiety on postoperative pain and analgesia use in urology patients. DESIGN: A descriptive and correlational design was used. METHODS: The population of the study consisted of patients who were hospitalized in the Urology clinic of a university hospital and were planning surgery. The sample consisted of 106 patients who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The study's data was collected using the Personal Information Form, Analgesia Follow-up Form, Surgical Fear Questionnaire, Surgical Anxiety Questionnaire, and Visual Analog Scale prepared in line with the literature. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis were used to evaluate the data. FINDINGS: A positive linear relationship was found between postoperative pain and surgical anxiety, surgical fear, and preoperative pain (P < .05). Regression analysis revealed that preoperative pain (P = .006) affected the level of postoperative pain. In addition, fear of surgery (P = .035) and postoperative pain (P = .000) were found to affect the use of postoperative 24-hour analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a relationship between the postoperative pain experienced by the patients and preoperative pain, fear, and anxiety.

The effect of crossword puzzles on nursing students' learning of concepts related to pain management course: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students encounter various terms and concepts during their undergraduate education. Repeating and reinforcing these terms and concepts is challenging. Active learning strategies are recommended to enhance students' effectiveness, productivity and interest in the learning process in undergraduate education. AIM: This study aims to investigate the effect of crossword puzzles on nursing students' learning success and knowledge retention of the concepts related to the pain management course. DESIGN: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial. SETTINGS: The study was conducted in the nursing department of a state university in the southern region of Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 72 s-year nursing students who were enrolled in the Pain Management course. METHODS: Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form" and three different "Pain Management Knowledge Tests." While the control group received only the standard lecture technique as a traditional method, the experimental group was exposed to crossword puzzles as an active learning method for three lesson hours following the standard lecture technique. Research data were collected between November and December 2022 in the classroom. Descriptive statistics, the Independent Samples t-test, Repeated Measures ANOVA test and Pearson's chi-squared test were employed for data analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the pre-test and first post-test mean scores of both groups (p ˃ 0.05). However, the second post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of crossword puzzles positively affected nursing students' knowledge levels regarding concepts related to the pain management course. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY: NCT05424770.

The Effects of e-Mobile Training and Consultancy Services on Bariatric Surgery Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of e-mobile training and consultancy services on self-care agency, body image, and quality of life in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled interventional study. The sample of the study consisted of 51 patients who met the sample selection criteria and volunteered to participate in the study in the Obesity Center of a City Hospital. The patients in the experimental group received e-mobile training and consultancy services with a mobile application developed specifically for bariatric surgery that started before the operation and lasted for 3 months after the operation. CONSORT checklist was used to report the current study. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found in the mean scores of Self-Care Agency Scale, Body Image Scale, Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life II, and BMI of the patients in the experimental and control groups according to the processes (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of preoperative, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months of Self-Care Agency, Body Image, and Quality of Life scale mean scores (p > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in favor of the experimental group in terms of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd month BMI averages (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that e-mobile training and consultation services given to patients undergoing bariatric surgery were effective in BMI measurements, but not on self-care agency, body image, and quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05278767.

The Effect of Nail Polish and Henna on the Measures of Pulse Oximeters in Healthy Persons.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of nail polish and henna on pulse oximetry measurements in healthy individuals. METHODS: The study was designed as quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study. The population consisted of 682 women studying in a university's nursing department in the Mediterranean region during the academic year of 2016 to 2017. The sample consisted of 103 female students who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected using a personal information form prepared in light of the literature. A single layer of nail polish of the same brand was applied; white on the thumb, red on the ring finger, and black on the little finger of the left hand, while henna was applied on the index finger of the left hand of the students. The middle finger was considered as the control group. A portable Nellcor (N-65) pulse oximeter was used for oxygen saturation measurements. The data were analyzed using means, SD, and paired-samples t test. FINDINGS: There was no statistically significant difference between oxygen saturation measurements of fingers with henna and red nail polish and the control finger (P > .05). However, oxygen saturation levels of fingers with black and white nail polish were lower than the control group's levels, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that white and black nail polish had an impact on oxygen saturation measurements, whereas henna and red nail polish had no effect on the measurements. Based on these findings, nurses may be advised to remove patients' nail polish before measuring oxygen saturation using the finger. In addition, conducting new studies investigating the effects of nail polish, henna, and false nails, which are increasingly used today, on SpO2 values, is suggested.

Validity and Reliability of Turkish Version of the Burn-Specific Pain Anxiety Scale.

This study was conducted to adapt the Burn-Specific Pain Anxiety Scale (BSPAS) into Turkish, and to test its validity and reliability. The study was conducted between April 2016 and July 2017 in a university and a training/research hospital using the methodological research model. The population of the study consisted of patients hospitalized in burn units during the above-mentioned dates. The study was conducted with a total of 50 burn patients, who met the inclusion criteria, and who volunteered to participate in the study. Validity and reliability analyses were performed using language, content and construct validities, and a reliability analysis. The language validity of the BSPAS was tested using back translation method, and the content validity was tested using expert opinions. The results of exploratory factor analysis (0.727-0.910) demonstrated a single factor structure, and the factor loads were adequate. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fit indexes were appropriate. To measure internal consistency of the scale, item total correlation was used, and the correlations were found to be adequate (0.59-0.96). The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.95. It was determined that the Turkish version of the BSPAS is a valid and a reliable assessment tool.