Design of vestibules as transitional spaces in infection control: Necessity of working space changes to cope with communicable infections.

BACKGROUND: After the spread of infectious diseases, people stay at home as a shelter space to be safe and sound. Current homes and work spaces have shown not to be a good environment for health and hygiene. During different crises of infectious diseases, architects and designers analyze the needs for change and evolve of environments to achieve a suitable design that prevents the spread of pathogens. OBJECTIVES: This proper design should help improve people's living standards and mental health in terms of functionality and environmental psychology. METHODS: In the traditional architecture of some countries, such as Canada, Japan, and Iran, the vestibule has provided some possibility of separating the external and internal space. The design of the intermediate space with the appropriate scale of today's buildings at the entrance can create a filter between the indoor and outdoor environments by dividing these spaces. RESULTS: The use of intermediate space by modern technology can prevent the transfer of viral infection into the interior of the building. This can be done by removing the virus from clothes, changing or covering shoes, disinfecting equipment, separating infected items, and creating proper ventilation in the intermediate space so that microorganisms cannot be transferred into the safe environment. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we looked at the architectural design in a new light to have a healthier life and more security, by inspiration of the patterns in traditional architecture and the human body.

Comparing the Effects of Mobile-Based Education and Booklet-Based Education on Iranian Mothers' Perception on Antibiotics: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mobile-based education in comparison with booklet-based education on mothers' perception on antibiotics. DESIGN AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 160 mothers of children aged 1 to 6 years (80 in the experimental group and 80 in the control group) who referred to the urban community health centers in Iran. Both groups were taught about the proper use of antibiotics. The experimental group was taught using a mobile application and the control group was taught using a booklet. The Parental Perception on Antibiotics (PAPA) scale was used to collect data at the beginning and two to four weeks after the educational intervention. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. RESULTS: The results showed that 91.9% of mothers used the knowledge of nurses or other health care providers and 86.3% used their previous experience as the source of information about antibiotics. Also, mothers' perceptions about antibiotics in the subscales of knowledge and beliefs, behaviors, adherence and awareness about antibiotics resistance in the experimental group improved significantly compared to the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mobile-based education was more effective in improving mothers' perception on antibiotics than booklet-based education. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health care providers can use mobile-based educational method for different groups of society to promote health in various fields.

Usability of a Disease Management Mobile Application as Perceived by Patients With Diabetes.

The use of mobile applications in chronic disease management has grown significantly over the past decade. When properly designed, these apps provide a convenient, safe, high-quality service to patients. In this study, a health management app was developed, and its usability among patients with diabetes mellitus was examined. A convenience sample of 136 patients, referred to two academic centers from December 2016 to July 2017, was enrolled. Upon completion of informed consent, the participants were asked to install the app on their smartphone. Two weeks later, they were required to complete a postapplication usability questionnaire, comprising 21 questions classified into six domains. The response rate was 89%. The highest scores were given for "ease of use and learnability"; the lowest-scored domains were "interaction quality" and "reliability." Urban residents, participants with lower educational qualifications, and retirees were significantly more satisfied with the app. Overall, patients with diabetes mellitus perceived the app as useful for disease management. However, the overall usability of health apps is expected to improve when a multidisciplinary team (health professionals, computer engineers, art designers) is involved in the development process.

Investigating the effect of local warming on vein diameter in the antecubital area in adults aged 20-40 years.

BACKGROUND: peripheral intravenous cannulation is the most prevalent invasive procedure performed on patients admitted to hospital. The procedure is not always easy to undertake and can lead to problems for the patient and nurse. Alongside various procedures, local warming is one technique that could be used to increase the diameter of superficial veins. This prospective non-randomised trial aimed to determine the effect of local warming on vein diameter in the antecubital area in adults aged 20-40 years. METHOD: the subjects included 55 volunteers who were in good health. The cephalic vein diameter of the right arm cubital area was measured for each participant using ultrasound guidance. The arm was warmed for 10 minutes using a heating device maintained at 42ºC. A second ultrasound scan was then undertaken immediately afterwards and cephalic vein diameter measured. RESULTS: local warming increased the cephalic vein diameter in the cubital area by 0.43±0.4 mm. There was no significant relationship between change in cephalic vein diameter and participants' gender, age or body mass index. CONCLUSION: the results indicate that the application of heat is an effective technique for venodilation and could be considered in emergencies or in cases when other veins are difficult to access.

Competence development among nurses: the process of constant interaction.

BACKGROUND: The importance of competence to nursing practice was the motivation for this study, which explored nurses' experience in developing their competence as they progress through their careers. METHODS: In accordance with grounded theory method, data collection and data analysis were performed simultaneously using the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Data revealed that nurses developed competence through an iterative process called "the process of constant interaction." This five-stage process was found to be a complex, ongoing interpersonal dynamic between the nurse and the surrounding world. CONCLUSIONS: Although the nurse is the key player in the process of his or her own competence development, employers have a pivotal responsibility in facilitating the nurse's progress toward ongoing professional competence, which is a key element of the quality of care.

Nursing education in Iran: past, present, and future.

Nursing education in Iran has undergone significant change since its genesis with foreign missionaries over one hundred years ago. More recently, following the 1979 Islamic revolution, nurse education has followed the direction taken by most other countries in moving from an apprenticeship model of training to an academic model. A series of transformative changes to nursing education specifically-and across the higher education system generally-has resulted in nurses now being able to undertake study across all university-based programs up to and including doctoral level. Contemporary nursing students have access to full-text professional journals through the internet, and they may pursue their doctoral studies in other countries. Although these improvements in nursing education in Iran are to be applauded, much more needs to be accomplished to ensure that highly competent nurse practitioners continue to be produced in this country. This article presents an historical overview of the development of nursing education in Iran, within its economic and sociopolitical contexts. Recommendations based upon lessons learned from historical and contemporary realities are presented in order to advance nursing education in this part of world.