The effect of a nurse-led home visit program on the care burden of caregivers of adults with asthma: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effect of a home visit program on the perceived care burden of family caregivers of adults with asthma. DESIGN: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. SAMPLE: The study was conducted with 30 participants in both the intervention and control groups. MEASUREMENTS: Care burden was measured via the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale during the first interview at the pulmonology outpatient clinic and after the last home visit. INTERVENTION: A nurse-led home visit program with five visits over three months included education and health counseling with the intervention group. Control group received standard education given in the outpatient clinic. RESULTS: The mean Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale scores of the intervention group in the post-test were significantly lower than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The current study revealed that the nurse-led home visit program, including education and health counseling, was effective in reducing the care burden for family caregivers of adults with asthma. Nurses can play an active role in preventing the negative effects of caregivers' burden of care, protecting their sense of control, and improving their health. Home visits integrated into the health care system could be effective in reducing the care burden of family members.

Validity and Reliability of the Vietnamese Version of the Inhaler Use Scale for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of the inhaler use scale for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted with 150 participants who were admitted to the Outpatient Department of Pulmonary Diseases in Vietnam, using a face-to-face interview technique. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, Bartlett's test, and exploratory factor analysis were used to assess construct validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient were used to evaluate the reliability of the scale. RESULTS: In the results of exploratory factor analysis with eigenvalues > 1.00, 3 factors of scale appeared. The total variance of the questionnaire was 78.78%, where variances of each component were 34.16%, 26.88%, and 17.73%, respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of scale in the first test and re-test after 4 weeks were 0.913 and 0.901, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.826. CONCLUSION: The validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of the inhaler use scale study were found to be equivalent to the original author-developed scale and it can be applied to measure the factors affecting behavioral intention in Vietnamese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Perceived and sources of occupational stress in intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of occupational stress in intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and factors of perceived stress. METHODS: The study had a descriptive design. A total of 262 nurses working in adult intensive care units (ICUs) across Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic constituted the sample. Data were collected by an online survey and the Perceived Stress Scale-14. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one- way analysis of variance, regression analysis and Bonferroni test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Percentage of nurses with moderate level of occupational stress was 62%. High working hours and nurse:patient ratios, heavy workload and failure in patient treatment were the main factors of occupational stress. Level of occupational stress was affected by gender, number of children, years of experience in intensive care and the type of work shift. CONCLUSION: Intensive care nurses in Turkey experienced moderate stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions to prevent occupational stress among intensive care nurses in the long run might be implemented.

The Effect of a Theory of Planned Behavior Education Program on Asthma Control and Medication Adherence: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Disease management in individuals with asthma is affected by factors such as avoiding triggers that cause attacks and properly using inhaler devices. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a theory of planned behavior (TPB) education program on asthma control and medication adherence. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial enrolled 30 participants in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. The educational approach was employed in participants in the intervention group for five home visits over 3 months according to the TPB program. RESULTS: Before the education program, all participants in the intervention group and 90% of those in the control group had poorly controlled asthma (P > .05). After the program, all individuals in the intervention group and 20% of the control group had well-controlled asthma (P < .001). There was no statistically significant difference between Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 pretest scores in the intervention and control groups in terms of medication adherence (2.37 ± 1.75 and 3.13 ± 1.71, respectively; P > .05). Mean Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 scores in the intervention group at posttest (7.50 ± 0.78) were significantly higher than those of the control group (3.93 ± 2.03; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that asthma control and medication adherence increased in the intervention group after the TPB education program. The program was effective in asthma control and medication adherence for individuals with asthma.

Development of an Allergen-Exposure Avoidance Scale and Inhaler Use Scale for Patients with Asthma: A Reliability and Construct Validity Study.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability of the allergen-exposure avoidance scale (AEAS) and inhaler use scale (IUS) in patients with asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was performed as a methodological design. The study included 130 patients with asthma. Each scale of allergen-exposure avoidance and inhaler use comprised 13 items. Cronbach's alpha and total item correlation were performed to calculate internal consistency of the scales, and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's, and exploratory factor analysis tests were performed to assess construct validity. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.724 for IUS and 0.624 for AEAS. After exploratory factor analysis, the factors with eigenvalues >1.00 in the analysis (eigenvalues for IUS were 3.790, 1.793, and 1.789 and for AEAS were 2.990, 2.195, and 1.291) were considered. In the results of the analysis, three factors emerged in parallel with the theoretical structure. These three factors explained 52.087% of the total variance in IUS (29.151%, 13.790%, and 9.145%, respectively) and 53.960% of the total variance in AEAS (24.916%, 18.289%, and 10.754%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Inhaler use scale and AEAS were determined to be reliable and construct valid scales. They can be used to measure factors affecting the behavioral intentions toward individuals with asthma.