The contribution of the nursing profession to the establishment of social justice: A grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Social inequities in the healthcare system threaten global health. Efforts to establish equity in healthcare is a key goal of healthcare systems worldwide. Social justice is a basic value of the nursing profession that always merits attention. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify and explain the processes of the nursing profession's participation in establishing social justice in healthcare system. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted using the grounded theory method. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews with 26 participants, 23 of whom were members of the nursing profession. Sampling started purposefully and, then, continued with theoretical sampling. Field notes were also taken for data collection. Data analysis was performed using Corbin and Strauss' 2015 method. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran. FINDINGS: The "Professional Dynamics in the Path of Justice" was the study's core category. This theory is the result of nine main categories: "inefficient professional authority," "social justice, a neglected component in education," "clinical concerns, barriers to nurses' presence in society," "individual input reserves to facilitate social justice," "inadequate maturity of the profession in the path of equity in health," "promoting justice in clinical practice," "a tendency to community-oriented profession," "use of personal approaches for justice promotion," and "emerging justice-expanding nursing." These categories cover the underlying factors, strategies, and outcomes of the nursing profession's participation in establishing social justice process in healthcare. CONCLUSION: The theory of professional dynamics in the path of justice can be used as a practical guide to describe the role of nurses in establishing social justice. Further studies with a quantitative approach to applying this theory are recommended.

Preferred place of death and end-of-life care for adult cancer patients in Iran: A cross-sectional study.

Background: More than 50,000 deaths in terms of cancer occur annually in Iranian hospitals. Determining the preferred place of end-of-life care and death for cancer patients in Iran is a quality marker for good end-of-life care and good death. The purpose of this study was to determine the preferred place of end-of-life care and death in cancer patients. Method: In 2021, the current descriptive cross-sectional investigation was carried out. Using the convenience sample approach, patients were chosen from three Tehran referral hospitals (the capital of Iran). A researcher-made questionnaire with three parts for demographic data, clinical features, and two questions on the choice of the desired location for end-of-life care and the death of cancer patients served as the data collecting instrument. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 18. The relationship between the two variables preferred place for end-of-life care and death and other variables was investigated using chi-square, Fisher exact test, and multiple logistic regression. Result: The mean age of patients participating in the study was 50.21 ± 13.91. Three hundred ninety (69.6%) of the patients chose home, and 170 (30.4%) patients chose the hospital as the preferred place of end-of-life care. Choosing the home as a preferred place for end-of-life care had a significant relationship with type of care (OR = .613 [95% CI: 0.383-0.982], P = .042), level of education (OR = 2.61 [95% CI: 1.29-5.24], P = 0.007), type of cancer (OR = 1.70 [1.01-2.89], P = .049), and income level (Mediate: (OR: 3.27 (1.49, 7.14), P = .003) and Low: (OR: 3.38 (1.52-7.52), P = .003). Also, 415 (75.2%) patients chose home and 137 (24.8%) patients chose hospital as their preferred place of death. Choosing the home as a preferred place of death had a significant relationship with marriage (OR = 1.62 [95% CI: 1.02-2.57], P = .039) and time to diagnostic disease less than 6 months (OR = 1.62 [95% CI: 0.265-0.765], P = .002). Conclusion: The findings of the current research indicate that the majority of cancer patients selected their homes as the preferred location for end-of-life care and final disposition. Researchers advise paying more attention to patients' wishes near the end of life in light of the findings of the current study. This will be achieved by strengthening the home care system using creating appropriate infrastructure, insurance coverage, designing executive instructions, and integration of palliative care in home care services.

Social justice in health system; a neglected component of academic nursing education: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, increasing social and health inequalities all over the world has highlighted the importance of social justice as a core nursing value. Therefore, proper education of nursing students is necessary for preparing them to comply with social justice in health systems. This study is aimed to identify the main factors for teaching the concept of social justice in the nursing curriculum. METHOD: This is a qualitative study, in which the conventional content analysis approach was employed to analyze a sample of 13 participants selected using purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect and analyze the data. RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews indicated that insufficient education content, incompetency of educators, and inappropriate education approaches made social justice a neglected component in the academic nursing education. These factors were the main sub-categories of the study and showed the negligence of social justice in academic nursing education. CONCLUSION: Research findings revealed the weaknesses in teaching the concept of social justice in the nursing education. Accordingly, it is necessary to modify the content of nursing curriculum and education approaches in order to convey this core value. Since nursing educators act as role models for students, especially in practical and ethical areas, more attention should be paid to competency of nursing educators, specially training in the area of ethical ideology and social justice.

Factors Affecting Nurses' Impact on Social Justice in the Health System.

BACKGROUND: Social inequities in health systems are threats to global health. Considering the important role of nurses in establishing social justice, identification of factors affecting nurses' participation in this area can contribute to the development of social justice. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors affecting nurses' participation in establishing social justice in the health system. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was conducted using conventional qualitative content analysis approach. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 participants in 2019. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed concurrently with data gathering. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: In total, six faculty members, five nursing managers, and three clinical nurses from three different universities were interviewed. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran. FINDINGS: Four main themes were found, including inadequate professional authority, insufficient attention to social justice in the area of education, clinical concerns as barriers to professional presence in society, and reflection of personality traits in the profession. These are the main factors affecting nurses' participation in establishing social justice in the health system. DISCUSSION: Authorities need to take effective steps to establish social justice through reforming the health system's policy-making and power-acquisition domains, promoting nurses' involvement in social factors in health issues, and adding professional values as a part of nursing curriculum. The clinical practice environment can also be helpful through providing quality, safe, and cost-effective services. In addition, fair and efficient recruitment process for new nurses can contribute to the establishment of social justice in the health system. CONCLUSION: Macro-level managerial factors such as policy, education, and clinical environment, along with personal factors, play a significant role in the participation of nursing profession in establishing social justice.

Comparative study of virtual and traditional teaching methods on the interpretation of cardiac dysrhythmia in nursing students.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the importance of correct interpretation of electrocardiogram (ECG) in the quality of healthcare delivery, new educational methods are increasingly being implemented and evaluated. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to compare the traditional and virtual teaching methods on the interpretation of cardiac dysrhythmia in nursing students. METHODS: The present study is a quasi-experimental research with pretest and posttest design. Sixty nursing students in the seventh semester from schools of nursing in Urmia and Khoy cities were randomly assigned to two virtual and traditional education groups. Students' knowledge was measured by a researcher-made 30-item test. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the students' scores in the traditional education group was 11.20 ± 4.41 and 14.40 ± 4.62 and in the virtual group was 11.30 ± 2.74 and 18.43 ± 4.68, pre- and post-training, respectively. Paired t-test showed a significant difference between the mean score of pretest and posttest in both types of training (P < 0.001). According to the results of independent sample t-test, there were no significant differences between the two groups before the training (P > 0.05). However, in the posttraining period, there were significant differences between traditional and virtual education groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study, which shows the positive effects of virtual education method on nursing students' knowledge about cardiac dysrhythmia, this method can be used as an alternative or complementary method to the traditional education.

Efficacy of Self-Hypnosis in Pain Management in Female Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Pain is common in patients with multiple sclerosis. This study evaluated self-hypnosis for pain control in that population. A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients, who were assigned to either a control group or to a self-hypnosis group, in which patients performed self-hypnosis at least 10 times a day. All patients were trained to score the perceived pain twice daily on a numerical rating scale and also reported the quality of pain with the McGill Pain questionnaire. Repeated-measures analysis showed a significant difference between the groups; pain was lower in the self-hypnosis group but was not maintained after 4 weeks. Self-hypnosis could effectively decrease the intensity and could modify quality of pain in female patients with multiple sclerosis.