Retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of using two different products in preventing the development of pressure injuries in patients undergoing lung lobectomy.

AIM: This retrospective study aims to determine the impacts of two different products (barrier cream, barrier spray) routinely used before surgery on the development of postoperative pressure injuries in patients undergoing lung lobectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study, the researchers retrospectively examined the data of 60 patients who underwent lobectomy in a university hospital's thoracic surgery clinic between 12.02.2021 and 14.02.2022. The patients were divided into two groups: those to whom a barrier cream was applied (30) and those to whom a barrier spray was applied. The Patient Description Form and the Braden Risk Assessment Tool were used in data collection. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted for statistical analyses. RESULTS: In the study, the development rates of blanchable erythema and stage I pressure injuries in the sacral and dorsal regions were significantly higher in patients to whom a barrier spray was applied than in patients to whom a barrier cream was applied (p < 0.05). Pain intensity in the sacral and dorsal regions was significantly lower in patients to whom a barrier cream was applied than those to whom a barrier spray was applied (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Blanchable erythema and intraoperative pressure injury were observed less in patients in whom a barrier cream was used before surgery. Surgical nurses should first evaluate the risk in the preoperative period in the clinics and benefit from the use of barrier cream to prevent the development of blanchable erythema and intraoperative pressure injury.

Intensive Care Experiences of Postoperative Patients.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the intensive care experience of postoperative patients. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between February and May 2021 with the participation of 75 surgical intensive care patients. Data were collected using the patient identification form and The Intensive Care Experiences Scale (ICES). Shapiro-Wilks test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Bonferroni Corrected Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used in analyzing the data. Results: The mean patient age was 62.8 ± 14.9 year (min: 23 and max: 95); 53.3% (n = 40) were male. The patients' mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 1.4 ± 1.0 days. The mean ICES score of the patients was 57.4 ± 3.9. It was found that the patients' mean scores of the "satisfaction with care" subscale varied according to the surgical procedure applied, connection to mechanical ventilation, and status of seeing other individuals receiving treatment. Conclusions: Patients' intensive care experiences were partially positive. Being aware of the patients' experiences, supporting them in biopsychosocial aspects, and being in contact will contribute to the improvement of their postsurgical intensive care experience.

The Effect of Balloon-Blowing Exercise on Postoperative Pulmonary Functions in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty.

General anesthesia, prolonged immobilization, and pain may adversely affect pulmonary function in patients undergoing prosthetic surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of balloon-blowing exercises on pulmonary functions in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. The patients in the experimental group performed three sets of balloon-blowing exercises in the morning, at noon, and in the evening on the first to third days postoperatively. The increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) values between the control and experimental groups in the postoperative period was statistically significant (p < .001), in favor of the experimental group. The increase in forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV1)/FVC ratio was found to be significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p < .001). Patients who performed balloon-blowing exercises increased their FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio.

The palliative care difficulty levels of the nursing students during clinical practices.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the palliative care difficulties experienced by nursing students during their clinical practice. DESIGN AND METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 305 nursing students at a university in Turkey. Data were collected using a student identification form and the palliative care difficulties scale. FINDINGS: Nursing students experience a moderate level of difficulty in providing care for palliative care patients and receiving expert support facilitates their care initiatives. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is important to support nursing students during their nursing education courses and clinical training, along with psychiatric nursing skills.

Effect of Short Message Service Use on Bowel Preparation Quality in Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy.

This study aimed to determine the effect of SMS use on the bowel preparation quality and satisfaction in patients who underwent colonoscopy. This study was conducted as an experimental-control study with 200 patients who had received colonoscopy in the endoscopy unit of a university hospital in Eastern Thrace of Turkey between December 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017. All patients received a standard bowel preparation. The SMS was sent in addition to the standard bowel preparation to patients in an SMS group. In the SMS group, patients were informed about the standard bowel preparation practices via SMS 3 days before colonoscopy. "Patient identification," "bowel preparation quality," and "patient satisfaction" forms were used for data collection. Chi-square and independent sample t tests were used in data analysis. The average age of the participants was 57.57 ± 12.37 years, and it was determined that most of the participants were male (64.5%) and had colonoscopy experience (55%). The bowel preparation quality was significantly higher in the SMS group than in the no-SMS group (p = .044), and most patients (91%) were "very satisfied" with being informed via SMS. Sending SMS about bowel preparation practices to colonoscopy patients improves bowel preparation quality and patient satisfaction. Integrating SMS into standard care may help patients manage the bowel preparation process.

[Evaluating the pain management methods of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome]. / Karpal tünel sendromlu hastalarda agri kontrolünde kullanilan yöntemlerin degerlendirilmesi.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate pain severity and pain management methods of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted with patients who were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (n=99) in the neurology clinic of the university hospital between August 2014 and December 2015. Patient data form, visual analog scale (VAS) and a pain management inventory were used to collect data. RESULTS: Of the total, 64.6% of the patients experienced pain. Patients used prescription medication, massage, and exercise to control pain, and reported that the most useful method was exercise, followed by massage and, finally, prescription medication. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals may share the findings of relative benefit according to method of pain management and encourage patients to use non-pharmacological methods.