The Effect of Video Information Before Insertion of an Implantable Port Catheter on Cancer Patients' Fear of Pain and Pain Levels.

BACKGROUND: Implantable port catheters and their needles may cause cancer patients to experience fear of pain. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article was to study the effect of video information provided before implantable port catheter insertion on the fear of pain and on postoperative pain level. METHODS: The study is a randomized controlled trial conducted between July and December 2022 at a university hospital with a total of 84 cancer patients: intervention group (42) and control group (42). Descriptive analyses, χ2 analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Student's t test were used to assess the data. RESULTS: In the preoperative period, the mean score of the fear of severe pain subdimension of the patients in the control group was found to be higher than that of the patients in the intervention group (P < .05). When the postoperative pain levels of the patients were evaluated, no difference between the visual analog scale scores of the experimental and control groups was found (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Video information provided before the insertion of an implantable port catheter was found to reduce the fear of severe pain in cancer patients, but postoperative pain levels were not affected. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The use of audiovisual materials such as videos for multimedia-based information is effective in making remembering the information easy. Video-based information may be more useful in managing fear of pain in patients than traditional verbal information. The findings of this study can serve as a guide for clinical work and for developing targeted measures to reduce fear of pain.

Investigation of the problems experienced by perioperative nurses due to the use of personal protective equipment and their attitudes towards caregiving roles.

AIM: This study aims to investigate the problems experienced by perioperative nurses due to the use of personal protective equipment and their attitudes towards caregiving roles. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 175 volunteer nurses working in surgical clinics across Turkey between March-June 2021. Data were collected online with a personal information form, an information form regarding the personal protective equipment usage times of nurses and the problems experienced, and the Attitude Scale for Nurses in Caregiving Roles. RESULTS: It was found that 98.3% of nurses had problems with personal protective equipment (excluding gloves); 97.7% of them had problems with sterile or non-sterile gloves, and 65.7% of them stated that pressure injuries developed due to personal protective equipment. It was determined that the rate of nurses considering leaving the profession today is higher than before the outbreak. The Attitude Scale for Nurses in Caregiving Roles obtained a mean score of 65.83 ± 9.41. Those who did not intend to leave the nursing profession had higher scale mean scores than those who thought to leave. CONCLUSION: It was determined that perioperative nurses experienced skin problems due to the use of personal protective equipment and most of them developed pressure injuries, nearly half of them considered leaving the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering leaving the profession adversely affected their caregiver roles. According to the results of this study, it is recommended that attempts should be made to develop strategies to prevent skin problems and pressure injuries in perioperative nurses.

The mechanical properties and stiffness of aorta in obese children.

Obesity in children has also been associated with the development of early cardiovascular abnormalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between aortic stiffness and some risk factors in obese children. Sixty obese children and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were assessed. The mechanical property parameters were measured or computed: lumen diastolic and systolic diameters, aortic strain and elastic modules. Compared to controls, obese children had altered stiffness values of the aorta, whereas strain was not different. Compared to controls, obese children had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Insulin level, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score, and total cholesterol, triglycerides, lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), and leptin levels were significantly higher, while adiponectin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) scores were significantly lower in obese children than in controls. Obesity in children increases aortic stiffness, which suggests that the joint effect of insulin resistance, serum leptin and adipokine levels and obesity can have a considerable impact on preclinical arterial changes and could play an important role in the early pathophysiology of macrovascular disease.