The effectiveness of reminiscence therapy on the symptom management, the life satisfaction, and the self-transcendence in palliative care patients: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of individualized reminiscence therapy on the management of global distress and physical and psychological symptoms, life satisfaction and self-transcendence levels of palliative care patients. METHODS: In a single-center palliative care service in western Turkey, 48 patients without cognitive impairment and able to communicate were included in the study. However, 44 patients completed the study. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the reminiscence therapy (intervention), unstructured social interviewing (placebo), and control groups (16 people for each group) before the start of the study. The sessions for the interview and placebo groups were conducted face-to-face in the patient's room (while the patient was sitting or lying down) for 15 days (2 weeks), every other day, for a total of eight sessions (each session was approximately 30 min). Data collection instruments-the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, the Contentment with Life Assessment Scale, and the Self-Transcendence Scale-were collected at baseline (first day) and after the intervention (day 15th). Statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05. RESULTS: There was no decrease in physical and total symptom burden (p > 0.05). There were significant reductions in general distress and psychological symptoms in the intervention and placebo groups within the group (p < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between the control group and all groups when compared (p > 0.05). Group × time interactions were statistically significant for life satisfaction and self-transcendence (p < 0.001), and there was a substantial increase in the intervention group compared to the other groups. CONCLUSION: It may be recommended that reminiscence therapy intervention be included in routine nursing care as it may contribute positively to the psychological recovery of palliative care patients approaching the end of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrails.gov (Registration number: NCT05242016). Prospectively registered on 1 February 2022.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the New Cleveland Clinic Colorectal Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire.

PURPOSE: This study aims to adapt and validate the Cleveland Clinic Colorectal Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (CCF-CaQL) in Turkish, addressing the significant need for reliable, language-specific QoL measures for colorectal cancer (CRC) in Turkiye. This effort fills a critical gap in CRC patient care, enhancing both patient-provider communication and disease-specific QoL assessment. METHODS: The CCF-CaQL was translated into Turkish, verified for accuracy, and reviewed for clarity and relevance. Eligible patients who underwent colorectal surgery for cancer between July 2021 and July 2022 from six hospitals completed the CCF-CaQL and SF-36 questionnaires. For analysis, confirmatory factor analysis using Smart PLS 4 and descriptive statistics were employed. The questionnaire's reliability and validity were assessed using Cronbach alpha, composite reliability, and the heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratio, along with multicollinearity checks and factor loadings. Nonparametric resampling was used for precise error and confidence interval calculations, and the Spearman coefficient and split-half method were applied for reliability testing. RESULTS: In the study involving 244 colorectal cancer patients, confirmatory factor analysis of the CCF-CaQL indicated effective item performance, with one item removed due to lower factor loading. The questionnaire exhibited high internal consistency, evidenced by a Cronbach alpha value of 0.909. Convergent validity was strong, with all average variance extracted (AVE) values exceeding 0.4. Discriminant validity was confirmed with HTMT coefficients below 0.9, and no significant multicollinearity issues were observed (VIF values < 10). Parallel testing with the SF-36 scale demonstrated moderate to very strong correlations, affirming the CCF-CaQL's comparability in measuring quality of life. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the CCF-CaQL was validated for assessing quality of life in colorectal cancer patients. This validation confirms its reliability and cultural appropriateness for use in Turkiye. The disease-specific nature of the CCF-CaQL makes it a useful tool in clinical and research settings, enhancing patient care by accurately monitoring treatment effects and interventions in the Turkish colorectal cancer patient population.

The effect of two different types of music played to cancer patients during chemotherapy on anxiety, nausea, and satisfaction levels.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of two different types of music on anxiety, nausea, and satisfaction levels in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (CT) for the first time. METHODS: The study was conducted as a single-blind, pre-test, post-test, three-group randomized controlled trial in an outpatient CT unit between August 2022 and February 2023. A simple (computer-based) and stratified (age and gender) randomization method was used to assign 75 patients to the relaxing music group (RMG), Turkish classical music group (TCMG), and control group (CG) (n = 25 each). The primary outcome was the change in anxiety levels measured by Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory before (T0) and after (T1) CT session. Secondary outcomes were the change in the severity of nausea from T0 to T1 and the level of satisfaction at T1. RESULTS: The groups were similar in terms of baseline sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. Anxiety levels were lower than the baseline in RMG and TCMG in comparison to CG, and repeated measures analysis showed a significant group × time interaction (p = 0.001, F = 210.221, η2 = 0.745). Nausea severity increased from T0 to T1 for CG but decreased for RMG and TCMG with a significant group × time interaction (p = 0.001, F = 100.785, η2 = 0.583). The satisfaction level was significantly higher in TCMG than in CG and RMG (8.64 ± 0.95 vs. 7.88 ± 0.72, and 7.00 ± 0.70, respectively). CONCLUSION: Music may be an effective non-pharmacologic option to relieve patients' anxiety and nausea during first-time CT. Larger, multicenter studies evaluating the long-term effect of music are needed to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05687838)/2022-13/18.

Prognostic significance of the immuno-peritoneal cancer index in peritoneal metastatic patients treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: A valid comparison of immune function among different patients with different primary pathologies or even with different tumour burdens requires the common use of a reliable assessment of the patient's condition. The combined immuno-PCI system can translate a complex clinical situation into a simple point value to improve postoperative outcomes to assess the prognostic significance of combined immuno-PCI in peritoneal metastatic patients treated with cytoreductive surgery(CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred twenty-four patients from the prospectively maintained database of Dokuz Eylul University Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Center were retrospectively analysed. In addition to the demographic findings and the well-known clinicopathologic factors, several systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores, including the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), CRP-albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil-thrombocyte ratio (NTR), and thrombocyte count, were all searched and stratified into scoring categories as prognostic determinants of surgical complications, final oncologic outcomes, recurrent disease, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). ROC analyses were performed, and cut-off values were obtained for all immune parameters by using the Youden index method. RESULTS: There were 314 (74%) women and 110 (26%) men. The median age was 56 (ranging from 18 to 86) years. The most frequent sites of peritoneal metastasis were colorectal (n = 204; 48%) and gynaecologic carcinomas (n = 187; 44%). Thirty-three patients (8%) had primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The median follow-up was 37.8 (ranging from 1 to 124) months. The overall survival was 51.7%. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates were estimated as 80%, 48.4%, and 32.6%, respectively. PCI-CAR-NTR (1 to 3) (p < .001) scoring was an independent prognostic factor for DFS. In a Cox backwards regression analysis, anastomotic leak (p = .002), completeness of cytoreduction (p = .0014), number of organ resections (p = .002), lymph node involvement (p = .003), and PCI-CAR-NTR (1 to 3) scoring (p = .001) were found to be independently significant prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSION: The PCI is a reliable and consistently valid prognostic factor to evaluate the tumour burden and tumour extent in patients treated with CRS/HIPEC. Staging the host by combining the PCI with an immunoscore may help to improve the outcomes of complications and overall survival in these complex cancer patients. The aggregate maximum immuno-PCI tool may be a better prognostic measure for outcome evaluation.

Comfort Level in Caregivers of Palliative Care Patients and Affecting Factors: What Should We Know?

Caregivers are an important source of support for patients in palliative care. Comfort is an important concept in nursing care for both patients and their families, and nurses aim to increase comfort. The aim of the study was to determine the comfort level and influencing factors in caregivers of palliative care patients. The research sample consisted of 102 caregivers related to palliative care patients. The data were obtained with an Individual Information Form, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the End of Life Comfort Scale (Caregiver/Family). The study was conducted in the palliative care clinic of Aksaray University Training and Research Hospital between October 2018 and April 2019. There was a significant relationship between the total comfort score of the caregivers and the patient's performance status, the caregivers' age, their economic situation, the length of the caregiving period and receiving help in care (social support) (p < 0.05). Providing comfort is an important function and challenge for holistic nursing care, as comfort is a lifelong need in health and disease. Caregivers in the risk group should be aware of this issue and necessary precautions should be taken.

The effectiveness of music interventions on stress response in intensive care patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of music interventions on physiological and psychological stress response in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. BACKGROUND: ICU patients are exposed to several physiological and psychological stressors during their treatments. Music interventions can be implemented to control these negative effects. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis conducted according to PRISMA Guidelines. METHOD: Seven electronic literature databases, reference lists of similar reviews, grey literature and the Clinical Trials Registry were searched for potential studies up to 30 January 2022. Studies were expected to meet PICOS inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias of the included studies by using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Overall, meta-analysis and subgroup analyses (comparator group and music session frequency) were performed using RevMan 5.4. Meta-analysis was conducted when data were available; otherwise, a narrative description was provided. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles were included in this meta-analysis. Across all studies, regardless of the comparator, music was found to significantly reduce anxiety scores with an SMD of 1.81 ([95% CI: -3.09,-0.53]; p = .006). Music was found to significantly reduce anxiety scores with an SMD of 1.97 (95% CI: -3.66, -0.28) compared to standard care (p = .02), but there was no significant change in anxiety scores in comparison with the noise cancellation group (p > 0.05). It was found that multiple music sessions reduced the anxiety level better than a single music session. Music had no effect the systolic/diastolic blood pressure, respiratory or heart rate level in both subgroup and general analyzes concerning the physiological stress (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Music interventions involving multiple sessions can be used as a nursing intervention to control the anxiety levels of ICU patients. RELEVANCE TO THE CLINICAL PRACTICE: Using music to reduce anxiety and stress levels may reduce the pharmacological need (for sedative or antipsychotic medications) and the risk of associated side effects in ICU patients.

The effect of music on delirium, pain, sedation and anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of music for patients under mechanical ventilation support in the intensive care unit on their delirium, pain, sedation, and anxiety. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: The study was conducted with delirium positive patients between August 2020 and September 2021 in the medical/surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey. METHODS: The study sample was selected through a simple and stratified randomization method; patients who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to the music, noise reduction or control group. The data were collected by using a Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), CAM-ICU-7, Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), Facial Anxiety Scale (FAS), PRE-DELIRIC model, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The interventions were repeated twice a day for five days. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients were included, with 12 patients in each group. Significant decreases were found in the severity of delirium and pain and the level of sedation and anxiety in the music compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). The number of patients with delirium and the number of days with mechanical ventilation was found to be significantly lower in the music group compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Music intervention may be used as a nursing intervention to control delirium, pain, need for sedation and anxiety in intensive care unit patients. However, additional studies with larger sample is needed to validate findings.

Urgent re-laparotomies in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to evaluate the morbidity-mortality results in terms of immunscore factors and to predict the outcomes of urgent re-laparotomized patients treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). METHODS: Prospectively maintained database of 661 patients treated with potentially curative intent of CRS and HIPEC through the years of 2007 and 2020 was evaluated. URL was done for 28 (4.2%) patients as unplanned re-explorative surgery; 22 (78.6%) of them was female. The median age was 57 year (ranging, 24-76 years). There were 22 (78.6%) elderly patients over 65 years old. All standard clini-co-pathological characteristics, re-operative findings, and the morbidity-mortality results were analyzed. The well-known immunoscores such as neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil-thrombocyte ratio (NTR), and CRP-albumin ratio (CAR) were determined. RESULTS: The main indication for URL was small bowel anastomotic leak (n=13, 46.4%). The abdominal wall disruption (n=5, 17.9%) was the second indication. The frequent localization of injured organ was again small bowel. The 28.6% of patients (n=8) were re-op-erated in early postoperative period (in 7 days), while as the rest of them (n=20, 71.4%) in 90 days. There was only one repeat-URL patient in this series. Many of the URL patients (n=16, 57.1%) had more than one co-morbidities. Delving into the overall group, there were Clavien-Dindo (C-D) Grade I-II complications in 104 (16.4%) patients and C-D Grade III-IV in 88 (13.9%) patients, whereas in URL patient group, C-D Grade III-IV complications were seen in 22 (78.6%). In this prospective cohort, the overall mortality rate was 3.2% (n=20) in patients who were not re-explored. Six (21.4%) patients were lost in URL patients, which the main reason for fail-ure-to-rescue was sepsis due to entero-enteral anastomotic leak. In four of them, multiple co-morbidities were affected the post-URL period of complex cancer care. Pre-URL median NLR, NTR, and CAR values were 9.12 (ranging, 1.72-37.5), 0.03 (ranging, 0.01-0.12), and 41.4 (ranging, 4.2-181.3), respectively. NLR and CAR values (4.71 and 28.8) estimated before pre-CRS were also significantly high (p=0.01 and p<0.01) in patients who were going to be operated for URL. These immunoscores values did not show any association in between pre-CRS and pre-URL mortal patients. CONCLUSION: The crucial decision-making factors at work were complex and complicated in 'unplanned' URL. The overall mor-bidity-mortality results seemingly depends on the severity and extent of peritoneal metastatic disease. Medically-unfit URL patients with high-risk factors should be selected to a vigilant monitoring and clinical care. Timely surgical intervention and intense management strategy are utmost important issues to lower morbi-mortality results in patients treated with URL.

The Impact of the Otago Exercise Program on Frailty and Empowerment in Older Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the impact of Otago exercises on frailty and empowerment in older nursing home residents. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 72 individuals aged over 65 years residing in a single nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. The participants were randomly assigned to the Otago exercise group (OEG) or control group (CG). The OEG performed Otago exercises for 45 minutes, 3 days per week for 12 weeks plus a walking program the 3 other days of the week. In addition to Otago exercise training, the OEG received training based on empowerment consisting of 10 sessions lasting 30 minutes each. The CG received no intervention except routine care in the nursing home. The data collected were sociodemographic characteristics, Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) scores, and Elderly Empowerment Scale (EES) scores before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: We observed significant differences between the mean EFS (p=0.0001) and mean EES (p=0.0001) before and 3 months after the intervention in the OEG compared to the CG. We also observed a significant difference between the OEG and CG in mean EFS (p=0.018) and EES (p=0.0001) 3 months after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrated the positive impact of the Otago exercise program on preventing/delaying frailty and enhancing empowerment in older people.

Nursing students' spiritual caregiving status: Comparison of Western and Central Anatolia regions of Turkey.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the status of spiritual caregiving education in nursing students belonging to two different state universities in Turkey. DESIGN AND METHODS: The descriptive, cross-sectional study was completed with 326 students. FINDINGS: Turkey's western regions in mean scale scores of students (147.27 ± 19.40) in central Anatolia (140.83 ± 18.82) was higher than the students and the difference was statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found between the total score averages of the Spiritual Caregiving Scale and their year of study, self-perception of spirituality, and relating their profession to spirituality (p < 0.05). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is recommended to include spiritual care issues and principles in the nursing education curriculum.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of pressure ulcer knowledge assessment tool-updated version (PUKAT 2.0).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the measurement tool developed and updated by Manderlier et al. to evaluate the nurses' evidence-based knowledge about pressure ulcers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A methodological study design was used. The instrument was translated to Turkish and back-translated to English. A group of faculty members, including physicians and nurses who are experts in the subject area, evaluated the content validity of the tool with the Lawshe technique. A group of 240 nurses who met the inclusion criteria were reached, and then a pilot study was conducted with 35 nurses by using the test-retest method to determine the invariance of the tool over time. The nurses in the pilot study were excluded from the overall sample, and the evaluations were performed with 205 nurses. Item difficulty index and discrimination index were used for the validity of the items since they were multiple-choice items; Kuder-Richardson 20 analysis was used to determine the internal consistency. RESULTS: The translated and modified instrument demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties as follows: 1) overall content validity index was 0.90, 2) overall test-retest reliability was 0.83 (0.70-0.92 for the sub-themes), 3) item difficulty indexes were 35-75%, 4) discrimination indexes were 0.44-0.92, and 5) overall Cronbach's alfa for the internal consistency was 0.72. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to the earlier version, the Turkish version of PUKAT 2.0 was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the nurses' knowledge of evidence-based current information about pressure ulcers.

Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of modified Freedman questionnaire for sleep quality.

To investigate the psychometric characteristics of the modified Freedman Sleep Quality Questionnaire (mFSQQ) to assess sleep in Turkish intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2020 and August 2021 with patients older than 18 years, who stayed in the ICU for ≥ 24 h and were cooperative with a Glasgow Coma Scale score ≥ 10 in medical and surgical ICUs of a university hospital. During the adaptation of the items of the mFSQQ, language, content, and construct validity were examined, and the test-retest method and internal consistency were used to examine its reliability. The content validity index of the questionnaire was 0.82. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.71, which indicates adequate sampling; Bartlett's test of sphericity was χ2 = 2868.97, p < 0.001. The Turkish version had three subscales. The factor loadings of the items were above 0.30, and the factors explained 60.59% of the total variance. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.85, indicating high consistency. The Cronbach α reliability coefficient was 0.80, indicating high reliability. The item-total correlations were found to be sufficient (between 0.25 and 0.78). The Turkish version of the mFSQQ showed good psychometric characteristics and can be used as a routine evaluation instrument to determine sleep quality by the ICU team and to promote sleep. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41105-022-00389-2.

The Effect of Foot Reflexology Applied Before Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty on Anxiety, Stress, and Cortisol Levels of Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty procedures cause anxiety and stress in individuals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology applied before coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty on the anxiety, stress, and cortisol levels of individuals. METHODS: A simple randomized trial design was used. The patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into 4 groups including experimental and control groups of coronary angiography patients (30 patients in each group) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (26 patients in each group) by randomization method. Data were collected with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Distress Thermometer 90 minutes before coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and the laboratory samples were taken. After these procedures, foot reflexology was applied to both feet of the patients in the experimental group for 30 minutes, and the control group received only standard care. The inventories were reapplied 30 minutes after the reflexology application and after coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. RESULTS: Whereas there was no statistically significant difference (P > .05) between the coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty experimental and control groups in Anxiety Inventory and stress median scores before reflexology, a significant difference was found (P < .001) 30 minutes after reflexology application and after coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. After the reflexology, anxiety and stress scores were significantly lower in the experimental group compared with the control group (P < .001). Whereas there was a significant difference (P < .001) in the within-group cortisol values of both reflexology groups, no significant difference was found in the control groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The application of reflexology before coronary angiography and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty reduces the levels of anxiety, stress, and cortisol without any side effects.

Effects of the Otago exercise program on falls, balance, and physical performance in older nursing home residents with high fall risk: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Otago exercises on falls, balance, and physical performance in old-aged adults with high fall risk living in a nursing home. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 72 individuals over 65 years of age residing in a single nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. The participants were randomized into the Otago exercise group and walking (control) group. The Otago group performed 45 min of Otago exercises 3 days/week for 12 weeks plus a walking program on 3 other days of the week. The control group did only the walking program (minimum of 30 min 3 days/week). Number of falls, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), 30-s Chair Stand Test (30 s-CST), and 6-min Walk Test (6MWT) were assessed before the intervention and at the end of the 3-month intervention. The primary outcome was number of falls. RESULTS: The groups were well matched in terms of age (74.6 ± 5.9 vs. 75.8 ± 4.5) and sex (p > 0.05). The Otago group showed a significantly greater reduction in number of falls at the end of the intervention (p < 0.05). Of the secondary outcomes, the Otago group had greater median increases in BBS score (p < 0.05) and 30 s-CST score (p < 0.05) post-intervention compared to the walking group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of post-intervention change in 6MWT distance (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Otago exercise program improved balance and physical performance and reduced falls in our sample and may be effective in falls prevention interventions for old-aged nursing home residents.

Adaptation of Diabetic Empowerment Scale-Short Form to Older Individuals and to Turkish Language: Validity and Reliability Study.

OBJECTIVE: The empowerment of old people is important in order for them to gain control over their own lives and to raise their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to adapt the Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form (DES-SF) to old people and to the Turkish language, and to determine its validity and reliability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This methodological type study was conducted between 1 January and 30 March 2017 with 106 old people fitting the criteria of acceptance in the study who attended the geriatrics clinic of a university hospital. In determining validity, language equivalence, content, and predictive validity were used, while reliability was tested with temporal invariance, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and item total correlation. We examined its reliability and validity via item analyses, content validity (expert panel), confirmatory factor analyses, and construct validity (exploratory factor analyses). RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.883. The scale items were grouped under a single factor in accordance with the original. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis showed good fit signs. CONCLUSION: After conducting validity and reliability testing on the adaptation of the Diabetic Empowerment Scale-Short Form to old people and the Turkish language, it is was concluded that it is a reliable scale to determine the empowerment levels of old people. Based on the statistical analyses applied to evaluate the validity and reliability of the scale obtained by adapting the DES-SF to old people, it was inferred that it is an instrument with high validity and reliability. The scale is a short and practical instrument to evaluate the empowerment levels of old people. The new name of the scale is the elderly empowerment scale.

Effect of Inhalation Aromatherapy on Pain, Anxiety, Comfort, and Cortisol Levels During Trigger Point Injection.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of inhaler aromatherapy on the level of pain, comfort, anxiety, and cortisol during trigger point injection in individuals with myofascial pain syndrome. Lavender oil inhalation was found to reduce pain and anxiety during trigger point injection and to improve patient comfort, but it did not affect the saliva cortisol level.

Validity and reliability of Turkish version of the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form for patients with chronic nonmalignant pain.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form for patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. METHODS: An analytical design was used. A total of 192 patients were included in the study. A demographic questionnaire and the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form were used to collect data. Content validity was assessed by experts and construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis. Reliability analyses estimated the internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha and the item-total correlations were calculated for the subscales to examine internal consistency. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis yielded 2 factors: pain severity and pain interference, which accounted for 68.81% of the total variance. The coefficient alpha of both subscales demonstrated good internal consistency. The item-total correlations of the scale ranged between 0.56 and 0.87. The test-retest reliability was r=0.774 for pain severity and r=0.808 for pain interference (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form is a valid and reliable instrument to assess chronic nonmalignant pain.

Validity and reliability of the Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QoLRAD) questionnaire in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease for the Turkish population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastroesophageal reflux disease negatively affects quality of life. The aim is to improve quality of life because of high recurrence rate. There is a strong need for patient-reported outcome measures. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia Questionnaire (QoLRAD) to adopt it into Turkish. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 142 patients with complaints of heartburn or regurgitation once a week or commonly diagnosed with 24-hour intraesophageal impedance-pH monitoring and/or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included in this study. Sociodemographic Data Collection Form, QoLRAD-TR, and Short Form-36 (SF-36) were applied to patients who were off proton pump inhibitors. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient value of the questionnaire was 0.97, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value of the result of test-retest method was between 0.97 (Vitality) and 0.99 (Eating/Drinking Disorders). There was a positive correlation between all subdomains of QoLRAD-TR and SF-36 scales. The lowest correlation (0.10) was between Emotional Distress and Role-emotional Limitations, and the highest (0.34) was between Energy and Vitality. CONCLUSION: The QoLRAD test measuring quality of life, except some subdomains in our study that we performed on patients diagnosed with GERD, was found to be valid and reliable.

Knowledge and attitudes of nursing students about pain management.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of Turkish nursing students about pain management. METHODS: The participants in this cross-sectional study were 190 nursing students who were studying at a nursing faculty in western Turkey. The research data were collected between March and June of the academic year 2015-2016, using a Student Description Form and the Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP). RESULTS: The mean age of the students in the study sample was 23.06+-1.44 years. In all, 83.7% were female, 96.8% were unmarried, 94.7% were working as a nurse, and all had social security. The mean score of the NKASRP was 15.85+-3.25%. A comparison of the knowledge scores with student characteristics revealed that only the status of current employment as a nurse demonstrated a significant difference. No significant difference was detected between the NKASRP score and variables such as age and the score of the worst pain ever experienced (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that the students had a generally poor level of pain knowledge. It will improve the quality of life of patients if pain management is given a greater place in undergraduate education.

The use of herbal supplements by individuals with diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the use of herbal supplements by individuals with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the endocrinology clinics of two hospitals in Izmir, Turkey, between June and August 2016. The sample consisted of diabetic patients. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews guided by a questionnaire. SPSS 17 was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: There were 455 subjects with a mean age of 47.02±16.6 years. Of the total, 373(82%) were female, and 352(77.4%) were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Overall, 262(57.6%) subjects used herbal supplements like cinnamon, sage, thyme, turmeric and ginseng. Significant differences in the use of herbal supplements were found according to gender, marital status, and duration of diabetes (p<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: About half of the diabetic patients used herbal supplements.