Effect of the Digital Education Package (DEP) on prevention of anxiety in hospitalized children: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization of children is a stressful event. However, the child's education at the time of hospital admission can be effective for the prevention of their anxiety via the use of more attractive methods. The study's aim was to assess the effectiveness of the education using a digital education package on the level of anxiety of hospitalized children. METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental study with the randomized block method. The sample size was calculated based on Shahrabadi et al.'s study and sixty eligible hospitalized children were allocated to the two study groups from June 2019 to December 2020, in Hefdah-e-Sahrivar hospital which is the central pediatric hospital in Rasht city. The intervention was education using a digital package that was done 15 min after the hospitalization of the children. Pediatrics' Spielberger's anxiety Inventory was used for measuring the participants' anxiety before and after the intervention. We used Chi square test, Fisher exact test and paired t-test to analyze data. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the post-intervention phase, total mean scores of anxiety were significantly lower in the experimental group (60.17 ± 6.46) rather than in the control group (72.6 ± 8.83) (P < 0.001). The mean anxiety scores before and after the intervention were 87.43 ± 11 vs. 60.17 ± 6.46 in the intervention group and 81.5 ± 11 vs. 72.6 ± 8.83 in the control group, respectively. There were significant differences in intergroup anxiety scores between the two study groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed that the Digital Education Package (DEP) is an effective method for reducing children's anxiety during hospitalization. Therefore, we recommended it as a preferred and simple method rather than routine education for pediatric nurses.

Cost analysis of breast cancer: a comparison between private and public hospitals in Iran.

BACKGROUNDS: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women. Breast cancer imposes a considerable economic burden on the health system. This study aimed to compare the cost of breast cancer among patients who referred to private and public hospitals in Iran (2017). METHODS: This was a prevalence-based cost of illness study. A total of 179 patients were selected from private and public hospitals using the census method. The researcher-constructed checklist was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: The estimated total mean (SD) direct cost of patients who referred to the private hospital and the public hospital was $10,050 (19,480) and $3960 (6780), respectively. Further, the total mean indirect cost of patients who referred to the private hospital was lower than those referring to the public hospital at $1870 (15 % of total costs) and $22,350 (85 % of total costs), respectively. These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer imposes a substantial cost on patients, health insurance organizations and the whole society in Iran. Therefore, the adoption of effective measures for the prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer is urgently needed.

Exploring the Structure of a School-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Program: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: Training programs on sexual and reproductive health rank among the most effective strategies to empower individuals and engage in self-care in this field. This study aimed to explore the structure of a school-based sexual and reproductive health education program. METHODS: A qualitative, inductive, content-analysis approach was used in this study. Participants were selected through a purposeful sampling method. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with 21 students; 7 key informants; and 3 focus group discussions with parents. Interviews were recorded and transcribed into text manually. Data analysis was carried out using the content analysis method and the MAXQDA11 software. RESULTS: Three categories of health services emerged from the analysis of participant experiences: 1) empowerment-based education model; 2) optimal educational characteristics; and 3) adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that sexual and reproductive health education programs for adolescent girls should be based on empowerment, desirable educational characteristics, and adolescent-friendly mechanisms.

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Related Factors in Iranian Female Nurses.

Background: Lower Urinary Tract Symptom (LUTS) are common among female nurses. High levels of job stress in nurses may be associated with the prevalence of these symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of LUTS and factors related to these symptoms in female nurses. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study in which 460 nurses and nursing assistants participated was conducted. A questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic data, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, and Toileting Behavior - Women's Elimination Behavior Scale was used. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistical tests at a significant level of p < 0.05. Results: The highest and lowest scores of LUTS were related to the urgency and nocturnal enuresis with a mean (SD) score of 1.85 (1.03) and 0.05 (0.26), respectively. Concerning toileting behaviors, the highest score was for the place preference for voiding with a mean (SD) score of 4.13 (0.66), which correlated with LUTS. Among controllable variables, years of practice, urinary tract infections, use of perineal pads for urinary leakage, lifting heavy objects at work, and medical history were identified as predictors of LUTS (p < 0.05). Conclusions: LUTS was highly prevalent in the female nurses. The results revealed that unhealthy toileting behaviors may contribute to the prevalence of LUTS. Early identification of these symptoms and the development of an educational intervention program to enhance the knowledge of healthy toileting behaviors may prevent the occurrence of urinary symptoms.

Participatory Action Research Approach to improve Adolescent Girls' Reproductive Health.

OBJECTIVE: School-based reproductive health education programs (RHEP) motivate adolescent girls to maintain and improve their health, and prevent diseases. The purpose of this PAR was to design, implement and evaluate RHEP to strengthen adolescent girl's reproductive health. METHODS: The PAR process was selected as an RHEP strategy, and it has four main phases, including: 1) assessment to explore the reproductive health education needs (RHEN) of adolescent girls. We collected data through in-depth individual interviews with 11 adolescent girls (12-18 years) in high school, 2 focus group discussions (FGD), and 4 interviews with the key informants. 2) Intervention design involved a Delphi approach to design an intervention that would address each need using 7 expert participants with a background in primary health, health promotion and other youth-focused professions. 3) In the action plan phase, the workshops, lecture meetings, counseling, and FGD were organized by the research team. 4) The impact of the intervention was evaluated through a mixed evaluation methodology, a semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and key informant, quasi-experimental assessment and FGD. RESULTS: There were three themes we extracted from the data: (a) the need for RHP for adolescent girls, (b) sources of information about RH, and (c) the need to empower teachers to provide RHEP to their students. a) Workshops, (b Counseling, c) Lecture Meetings, d) Focus Group. The study showed that the level of knowledge about RH in more than half of the participants was poor and only in nearly half of them it was moderate. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that Iranian adolescents do not have adequate education regarding RH, and RHEP by PAR can be effective in improving the knowledge and behavior of female students.

MtDNA T4216C variation in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

MtDNA T4216C variation has frequently been investigated in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients; nonetheless, controversy has existed about the evidence of association of this variation with susceptibility to MS. The present systematic review and meta-analysis converge the results of the preceding publications, pertaining to association of mtDNA T4216C variation with susceptibility to MS, into a common conclusion. A computerized literature search in English was carried out to retrieve relevant publications from which required data were extracted. Using a fixed effect model, pooled odds ratio (OR), 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI), and P value were calculated for association of mtDNA T4216C variation with susceptibility to MS. The pooled results showed that there was a significant association between mtDNA T4216C variation and MS (OR = 1.38, 95 % CI = 1.13-1.67, P = 0.001). The present systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that mtDNA T4216C variation is a contributory factor in susceptibility to MS.