Development and validation of the Turkish version of the Mobile App Rating Scale - MARS-TR.

BACKGROUND: The number of mobile health apps (MHAs) is growing rapidly. MHAs have great potential to improve health and health care. However, the quality of available MHAs remains unknown due to the lack of quality assessment regulations and standards for MHAs. The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) is the most widely used instrument to assess the quality of MHAs, and available in English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Arabic and Japanese. However, the scale is currently not available in the Turkish language. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the MARS into Turkish and evaluate the validity and reliability of the scale. METHODS: The MARS was translated and adapted into Turkish according to the international guidelines. A total of 52 pregnancy tracking apps were evaluated by two independent raters. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), inter-rater reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC]), convergent validity and concurrent validity were explored. Regarding convergent validity, MARS-TR scores were compared with the ENLIGHT scale. RESULTS: The MARS-TR was highly aligned with the original MARS. The MARS-TR showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.95 for both raters) and excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.94; SEM = 0.02), with a smallest detectable change (95 % confidence level) of 0.05 points for the total score. Cronbach's alphas for the subscales ranged from 0.76 to 0.94 for the two raters. Correlations between the MARS-TR and ENLIGHT demonstrated adequate convergent validity (P < 0.05). No ceiling or floor effects were observed. CONCLUSION: The results provide evidence that the Turkish version of MARS is a valid and reliable tool for researchers and experts to assess the quality of MHAs in Turkey.

Cross-cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale (HP-CSS). METHODS: The HP-CSS was translated into Turkish following an international instrument translation guideline. A convenience sample of 394 health professionals participated in this study. Internal consistency reliability, content validity, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity were assessed. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the construct validity. RESULTS: The Turkish version of HP-CSS comprised four factors (empathy, informative communication, respect, and social skill). The HP-CSS-TR demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α values .72-.79). In terms of the content validity, the scale-level content validity index (CVI) was .94, and the item-level CVI ranged from .83 to 1.00. The HP-CSS-TR showed good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients were above .82). No statistically significant difference was found between the applications. There was a good agreement between the HP-CSS-TR and communication skills inventory (CSI) scales. Confirmatory factor analysis results (χ2/df, GFI, AGFI, IFI, TLI, CFI, RMSEA, and SRMR) showed a good fit for the original four-factor model. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the Turkish version of the HP-CSS is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of communication skills of health professionals in Turkey. The use of the HP-CSS-TR measure in clinical settings could be useful in enhancing the quality of care by identifying inadequacies and improving communication skills.

The effectiveness of basic life support training on nursing students' knowledge and basic life support practices: a non-randomized quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Provision of up-to-date information and skills training related to basic life support practices is very important for nursing students' professional development and practitioner and education related roles. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of basic life support training on knowledge and practices among nursing students. METHODS: A non-randomized quasi-experimental design (One group pre-test-post-test) was used in this study. The study was conducted in the laboratory of an undergraduate nursing school. The sample consisted of a convenience sample of 1st-year students enrolled in the undergraduate nursing class. The study sample consisted of 65 nursing students. Basic life support training included both theoretical and practical components. The students' knowledge and practices were assessed before basic life support training. Data were collected using the knowledge assessment questionnaire. The practical skills for basic life support were observed and assessed using a checklist. The pre- and post-assessment practice scores were compared. RESULTS: After basic life support training, level of knowledge and practical skill scores were higher compared to pre-training scores (t= -12.442, p=0.000; t= -22.899, p=0.000). There was a significant and moderate association between the adult basic life support Knowledge Form scores and the adult basic life support practice assessment form scores obtained after the training (r = 0.39, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The study showed that basic life support training improved knowledge and skills related to basic life support practices in nursing students. Periodic basic life support training is very important for competency in this area among nursing students.

Inferring Genome-Wide Interaction Networks.

The inference of gene regulatory networks is an important process that contributes to a better understanding of biological and biomedical problems. These networks aim to capture the causal molecular interactions of biological processes and provide valuable information about normal cell physiology. In this book chapter, we introduce GNI methods, namely C3NET, RN, ARACNE, CLR, and MRNET and describe their components and working mechanisms. We present a comparison of the performance of these algorithms using the results of our previously published studies. According to the study results, which were obtained from simulated as well as expression data sets, the inference algorithm C3NET provides consistently better results than the other widely used methods.

Turkish nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes towards such patients and to determine the variables associated with students' knowledge and attitudes towards them. BACKGROUND: Improving nurses' and nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS is vital for providing quality care for such patients. DESIGN: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at three nursing schools located in two different cities in Turkey. The inclusion criteria for the nursing students were as follows: being at least 18 years old; being a first-, second-, third- or fourth-year nursing student; and giving consent to participate in the research. METHODS: The sample comprised 580 nursing students. The study used three data collection tools: (1) the Student Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, (2) the HIV/AIDS Knowledge Questionnaire and (3) the HIV/AIDS Attitude Questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants' knowledge was found to be insufficient, particularly with regard to HIV transmission routes. They generally had positive attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS. However, they expressed some concerns and were hesitant about working with AIDS and HIV-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: The current results reveal that nursing students still have misconceptions and a lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and that their attitudes need to be improved. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Improving education programmes about HIV/AIDS and using information sources effectively may contribute to better knowledge and more desirable attitudes towards HIV/AIDS.