The mediating role of loneliness in the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the mediating role of loneliness in the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life. METHODS: The sample of the study consisted of 374 people over the age of 65 who applied to a hospital. The data collection tools used in the study are 'Personal Information Form', 'Physical Activity Barriers Questionnaire' 'World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module' and 'Loneliness Scale for the Elderly'. The mediating effect analysis was conducted through the 'Process Macro' developed by Hayes. RESULTS: According to the obtained results, loneliness mediates the relationship between physical activity barriers and quality of life. Individuals with high levels of loneliness and physical activity barriers have lower levels of quality of life. When the results of the regression analysis indicating the mediating effect were analyzed, it was determined that the effect of physical activity barriers on quality of life were negative and significant. As the level of physical activity barriers increases, the level of quality of life decreases. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it was determined that loneliness plays a mediating role in the relationship between physical activity barriers and the level of quality of life. The study results suggest that adopting a physically active lifestyle is important to reduce adverse health outcomes in the elderly.

Experiences and Practices of Nurses Providing Palliative and End-of-Life Care to Oncology Patients: A Phenomenological Study.

AIM: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and practices of nurses who provide palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients, to determine the difficulties they encounter in this regard, and to determine how they cope with it. METHOD: Data were collected between December 10 and 27, 2022, at a hospital's palliative care clinic. The descriptive phenomenological approach, which is a qualitative research method, was used in this study. The sample of the study consisted of 12 nurses who provided palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients in a city hospital. The research data were collected with the nurse descriptive form and a semi-structured interview form. Descriptive statistics and the thematic content analysis method were used in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The themes that emerged as a result of the interviews with nurses who provided palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients in palliative units were "various learning experiences," "responsibilities in caregiving," "nursing care practices," "personal motivation sources for nurses," "difficulties," and "experience in coping with difficulties." CONCLUSION: In this study, it was determined that nurses who provide palliative and end-of-life care to oncology patients are exposed to some difficulties as a result of their professional experience, that, in addition, they had various learning experiences, and that their coping skills were team cohesion and training. In line with the results of the study, it is recommended to structure palliative in-service training after graduation, to arrange for palliative care centers, and to consider the problems experienced in determining the needs.