The impact of education on nutrition on the quality of life in patients on hemodialysis: a comparative study from teaching hospitals.

Patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) experience decreased quality of life (QoL) and significantly higher rates of malnutrition, inflammation, hospitalization and mortality when compared with the normal population. The dietary approach in the different phases of chronic renal failure is one of the most important, and yet controversial, topics in the whole history of nephrology, even when dialysis facilities were not easily available. Although much progress has been made in recent years in recognizing the link between malnutrition, different diseases and increased mortality, no consensus has yet been reached concerning the ideal assessment and management of nutritional status in dialysis patients in Iran. In this study, 70 patients on MHD in the teaching hospitals in Urmia were divided into two groups and were requested to fill in the validated SF-36 QoL questionnaire. One group of 35 patients received dietary counseling while the other did not and acted as controls. The SF-36, a short-form QoL scoring system consists of 36 questions that are compressed into eight multi-item scales covering all aspects of QoL. The two groups studied were similar in age, level of education, gender and duration of dialysis treatment; 46.8% of the patients were female and 52% were male. The total SF-36 score was slightly higher in males compared with females, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.05). The scores were higher in the group counseled about diet. Overall, the difference in physical health, in work activities and QoL as a whole, between the two groups, was statistically significant (t = 2.04, df = 34, P = 0.049; t = 2.04, df = 34, P = 0.049; t = 2.28, df = 1.96, P = 0.043, respectively). The QoL was considerably diminished in HD patients, but less so in the group that was educated about their nutrition. Improvement in QoL is achievable in patients if their discomfort is more effectively treated medically. One of the methods for this is education about their nutritional program, which can be used for other chronic diseases too. More research is needed to assess whether interventions help to improve QoL and lower heath risks among patients on HD.

Nurses' attitude to patient education barriers in educational hospitals of Urmia University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' attitudes to the barriers of patient education as a right for getting information based on work situation of nurses, educational facilities in hospitals, and patients' situation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. The populations consisted of 240 nurses affiliated in the Educational Hospitals. The data were gathered by a questionnaire. Demographic variables and three domains were studied. Twenty questions were about their working situation, 4 questions about hospital educating facilities, and 12 questions were about patients' situation in hospital. The type and frequency of education barriers were evaluated, and variables associated with reporting an obstacle were analyzed. FINDINGS: In our questionnaire, we used a Likert scale for determining severity of three domains as the barriers of patient education that ranged from 0 to 4. Generally, it was obvious that educational condition in our hospitals was not good and most of the nurses believed that patient education is not their duties, facilities in hospitals are not sufficient and shortness of time is the most important cause of insufficiency of patient education. CONCLUSIONS: The interactions of patient, physician and systemic factors have implications for the implementation of patient education. The failure of adequate patient education may be attributed to the lack of patient adherence, the failure of nurses' knowledge and skill level or the insufficient funding and organization of necessary programs in the current health care system.

Quality of life during hemodialysis and study dialysis treatment in patients referred to teaching hospitals in Urmia-Iran in 2007.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QOL) assessment in patients on chronic Hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) has rarely been carried out. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life during hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment in patients referred to teaching hospitals in Urmia, Iran. METHODS: All chronic HD and PD patients in Taleghani and Imam Khomeini Teaching Hospitals in Urmia were requested to fill in the validated with a health-related quality-of-life SF36 questionnaire for assessing health status in five dimensions and on a visual analogue scale, allowing computation of a predicted QOL value to be compared. RESULTS: Of the 558 questionnaires distributed to chronic HD patients, 455 were returned (response rate 82%). Fifty out of 64 PD patients (78%) returned the questionnaires. The two groups were similar in age, gender and duration of dialysis treatment. Mean QOL was rated at 60±18 for HD and 61±19 for PD, for a mean predicted QOL value of 62±30 and 58±32(,) respectively. RESULTS of the five dimensions were similar in both groups, except for a greater restriction in usual activities for PD patients (p= 0.007). The highest scores were recorded for self-care, with 71% HD and 74% PD patients reporting no limitation, and the lowest scores for usual activities, with 14% HD and 23% PD patients reporting severe limitation. Experiencing pain/discomfort (for HD and PD) or anxiety/depression (for PD) had the highest impact on QOL. CONCLUSION: The results show that QOL on PD was better, but such studies have not been performed in various areas in Iran and the results may be different because of the involvement of many factors such as geographical, socioeconomic and cultural items. More studies are required to verify the value of the SF36 measurements in predicting the clinical condition of patients with ESRD and their outcomes.

Prevalence burn injuries and risk factors in persons older the 15 years in Urmia burn center in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Burn injuries in many respects is the most tragic that a person may experience. The purpose of this study was to know the burn casualties prevalence in people over 15 years old to identify the risk and predisposing factors in the province of west Azarbaijan of Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed from March 2008 to March 2010. The demographic and epidemiologic information about burn and its complications were extracted from the data banks and records. Data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty eight patients (44.9% female and 56.1% male) were studied. Most of the admissions were in 16 to 25 years age bracket. Burning with fire accounted (39.2%) of admission in males and (53.2%) in females which was the most common cause of burning. Percentage patients who had more than 40% body surface area (BSA) burned was 42.0% in males, and 30.1% in females. Patients with >40% BSA burn had a mortality of 73.8%. The mean body surface area burned was 33.8% in males and 25.2% in females. The mean duration of hospitalization was 6.19 days. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that the prevalence of burn injuries is relatively high with high mortality rate in those with BSA> 40%. The commonest cause of burn was fire.

Prevalence of depression among students of urmia university of medical sciences (iran).

OBJECTIVE: A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, thoughts and behaviors. This study was performed to identify the presence of depression among medical students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 700 undergraduate medical and basic sciences students. Beck depression inventory (BDI) used for data gathering. RESULTS: Mean score of BDI was 10.4 ± 0.8 and 52.6% of students scored under the depression threshold. Four of them had severe depression. RESULTS showed no significant relationship between depression and age, education, sex, rank of birth or duration of education. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of depression that can affect the students' quality of education and social behavior was high in Urmia University of Medical Sciences.