Effectiveness of virtual reality-supported exercise therapy in improving upper extremity function and activities of daily living among patients after stroke: a systematic review of randomized control trials.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review describes the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-supported exercise therapy on upper limb motor function and activities of daily living after stroke. METHODS: Studies published through January 24, 2022, were identified using CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science. Randomized control trials comparing VR treatment with conventional therapy (CT) for upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: Of 9 included studies, 5 concluded that the VR group outperformed control participants, 1 indicated the superiority of VR-supported exercises alone over CT, and 3 found VR comparable to CT in promoting upper limb motor function. Five studies analyzed independence in daily living, with 4 reporting no significant difference between VR and CT groups. No strong evidence indicated long-term benefits of VR-assisted exercise. All included studies demonstrated low risk of bias concerning random sequence generation, allocation concealment, outcome assessment blinding, incomplete outcome data, and selective reporting bias. However, a high risk of bias was observed regarding participant blinding due to the nature of the intervention. CONCLUSION: Most studies suggested that VR, used alongside CT, can improve motor function following stroke. However, the evidence was insufficient to conclude that VR outperforms conventional approaches.

Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among nurses after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Nurses frequently experience compassion fatigue and burnout, which impact their personal lives and patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic additionally caused stress, uncertainty, and fear of death among healthcare professionals. Aim: To assess professional quality of life (ProQoL) among nurses after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 203 nurses using a purposive sampling technique in the month of September to December 2021. Data were collected using a self-administered ProQoL scale version 5. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used. Bivariate correlations were used to correlate the main variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was also performed. Results: The majority of the nurses reported a moderate level of compassion satisfaction (CS) (62.6%), burnout (BO) (66.0%), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) (63.1%). Residence and education emerged as a factor whether the nurses experienced BO or STS, respectively. Additionally, CS negatively correlated with BO (r = -0.732: P < 0.001) and STS (r = -0.141: p-0.04). Conclusions: The majority of the nurses experienced moderate levels of CS, BO, and STS after the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis and nurse patient-ratio emerged as a significant factor to predict CS, BO, or STS. Hence, effective measures need to be implemented by hospital administration to enhance the nurses' satisfaction and reduce fatigue and burnout.

Attitude of Indian nurses towards importance of families in nursing care: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the attitudes of Indian nurses towards the importance of family involvement in nursing care and the association between nurse attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics. BACKGROUND: Involving the family in the care process is crucial for delivering family- and patient-centred care and ensuring the best possible patient outcomes. Nevertheless, published literature revealed that the nurses may lack clarity regarding the role of family members in the patient's care, which in turn hinders families' participation in care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. The STROBE checklist was used to report the present study. METHODS: A total of 203 Nurses participated in a prospective cross-sectional study between May 2022 and August 2022. They were recruited through convenience sampling from two tertiary care centres in India. A two-part questionnaire was used to gather the data; the first section contained questions for gathering sociodemographic information, and the second part contained the standardized FINC-NA scale. RESULTS: The mean age of the nurses was (28.08 ± 4.722) years, and their median professional experience was 2.5 (1-5.5) years. Nurses' attitude regarding family's importance in patient care was found to be significantly associated (p ≤ .05) with education level, marital status, religion and hometown region. CONCLUSION: In several items Indian nurses have positive attitudes towards family involvement in care but some of the lower scoring items can present opportunities for focused improvement. Continuing development programmes about family-centered care can constitute important strategies to improve the positive attitudes of nurses towards families in practice. PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Severity, Risk Factors and Quality of Life of Patients associated with Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) refers to numbness, tingling, and burning sensation caused by chemotherapy that can cause impairment in Quality of Life (QoL) of the patients. Study assesses severity, risk factors, and quality of life of patients associated with CIPN. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted at day care ward, tertiary care hospital India. Total of 98 patients receiving paclitaxel for ≥4 months were enrolled by convenient sampling. Data regarding demographics and clinical characteristics, CIPN severity, risk factors, and QoL were collected by structured questionnaires. Study revealed that median score of autonomic symptoms was higher than sensory and motor symptoms. Mean score of FACT/GOG-Ntx sub-domain was 99.05 ± 20.87on a scale of 0 to 152. ECOG Performance status, current exercise behavior, and fruit and vegetable intake was found to be significantly (at p < .05) associated with sensory, motor, and autonomic symptom score. Therefore, CIPN was found to have debilitating effect on QoL.