The nursing metaparadigm concept of human being in Islamic thought.

The metaparadigm concept of person as a core emphasis for nursing theorizing has attracted considerable attention in western literature, but has received less attention in the context of eastern philosophical contexts. In this philosophical inquiry, we sought to clarify the concept of what it is to be a human being according to ideas deriving from Islamic tradition, drawing on concept analysis as general approach to advance an understanding of how nursing within an Islamic context might operationalize metaparadigm conceptualization. Specifically, we considered person as human being on the basis of its definition, attributes/characteristics and boundaries to explore the anatomy of the concept in this context. Our analysis revealed that Islamic thought is relevant to two distinct understandings of the holistic concept of human being. Reciprocal interaction worldview organizes the dimensions of being human (cognitive, emotion, social and spiritual) into a whole. Simultaneous action worldview emphasizes that the human is a coherent and unified creature in harmony with the universe. In Islamic thought, these two worldviews are integrated and operate concurrently. Nurse-patient interactions arising from an integrated perspective that aligns both of these worldviews will allow for informed applications of knowledge to practice and enhanced patient care.

A Whirlpool of Stress in Families of Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Qualitative Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Family members of patients admitted to the intensive care unit must tolerate high levels of stress, making them emotionally and physically vulnerable. However, little is known about the kinds of stress family members may experience. OBJECTIVE: To explore perceived stress in the families of patients admitted to the intensive care unit. METHODS: This qualitative content analysis study involved 23 family members of patients admitted to intensive care units. Participants were drawn from family members of patients hospitalized in intensive care units of 3 public and 2 private hospitals. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data: "distrust," "repeated stress exposure," and "a whirlpool of persistent negative emotional-physical state." The first theme had 2 categories: "fearful mindset" and "negative beliefs about professional caregivers." The second theme also had 2 categories: "fear of the future" and "sustained accumulation of tensions." The third theme had 3 categories: "impaired mental health," "impaired physical health," and "impaired family function." CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study may help critical care nurses better understand the nature and sources of family stresses during a patient's intensive care unit stay. Supervisory nurses should alert their staff to these issues so that family care programs can address them, thereby reducing family members' risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and post-intensive care syndrome-family.

The Effect of Group Discussion on the Quality of Life and HbA1c Levels of Adolescents With Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome and the most common endocrine disorder in childhood and adolescence. Diabetes occurs at any age but the highest outbreak is during ten to 15 years of age and 75% of the cases are diagnosed at the age 18. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a group discussion on the quality of life (QOL) and glycosylated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) levels of adolescents with diabetes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 56 adolescents with diabetes who were referred to Golabchi Diabetes Center in Kashan, Iran. After obtaining written informed consent from the patients, blood sample was drawn for measuring sugar and HbA1c levels. The participants completed the questionnaire regarding the QOL. Patients were randomly allocated to four groups. All the groups attended similar group discussion sessions, which were conducted according to the guidance of diabetic specialists. The groups' members followed the discussed instructions for four months. Then, another questionnaire was completed and blood sugar and HbA1c levels were measured again. The results were compared by paired-samples t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: After the group discussion sessions, in 56% of the patients the HbA1c levels (8.45 ± 1.35 and 6.98 ± 0.89 before and after intervention, respectively) and QOL were improved significantly. The mean age of these patients was 14.75 ± 1.80 years and the mean of daily insulin injection was 35.70 ± 13.42 units. CONCLUSIONS: Sharing experiences trough group discussions and receiving instructive feedbacks can improve the QOL and metabolic status of adolescents with diabetes.

Patients' perception of comfort facilitators during hemodialysis procedure: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The patients receiving hemodialysis spend a lot of their lifetime in the hemodialysis departments, which is an unpleasant experience. Therefore, some interventions are necessary to relieve this experience. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to explore the hemodialysis patients' perceptions of comfort facilitators during the hemodialysis procedure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted by a qualitative content analysis approach. Twenty four patients receiving hemodialysis participated in this study by purposive sampling. The sampling was over when the data saturation occurred. The semi-structured interviews were applied as the main data gathering tool. The data analysis was conducted by conventional qualitative content analysis in eight phases. RESULTS: THREE THEMES EMERGED: The presence of competent nurses, the delightful presence of the others, and coping with comfort obstacles. Each theme consisted of some categories. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that to achieve the patients' comfort during the hemodialysis procedure, the health care teams, hospitals in charge and the patients themselves have to do their best to provide the patients' comfort.

Nursing in Islamic thought: Reflection on application nursing metaparadigm concept: A philosophical inquiry.

BACKGROUND: Metaparadigm of nursing is one of the nursing discipline challenges of the present century, which should take into consideration the diversity of different cultures and viewpoints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The purpose of this study is to evolve the concept of "nursing" (one of the concepts in nursing metaparadigm) on the basis of the Islamic scholars' view. In this philosophical inquiry, we sought to clarify the concept of nursing according to the ideas derived from the Islamic scholars' view. To achieve the research objectives, Islamic texts were studied and analyzed based on the criteria of concept anatomy (definition, attributes/characteristics, and boundaries). RESULTS: Based on Morse's criteria, with regard to Islamic thought, the concept of nursing in scientific literature is an immature concept. In Islamic viewpoint, human is a unique and integrated reality that implies a holistic paradigm in nursing theories. Since in Islamic thought human is described precisely and delicately, nursing concept can be delineated more clearly and can be helpful in enhancing and producing nursing clinical knowledge, nursing care, and nursing philosophy, specially clarifying holistic nursing. CONCLUSION: According to the criteria of concept anatomy, nursing is caring for and fulfilling the needs of patients, and it believes that nursing has a holistic paradigm and includes all of the dimensions and aspects of human beings.