Are smartphones a tool to cope with the fear of childbirth? The correlation between the fear of loss of connection and the fear of childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: With the spread of smartphones, they have become an indispensable part of life, and nomophobia (No-Mobile-Phone Phobia) has emerged. METHODS: The present research is a cross-sectional study and was conducted with 3,870 primiparous pregnant women between April and May 2022. The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Nomophobia Questionnaire, and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire. RESULTS: The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire score of the pregnant women who participated in the study was 22.3% (n=863) had a clinical fear of childbirth and 19.5% (n=753) had extreme nomophobia. Considering the correlation of the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire scores with other variables, it was found that the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire scores increased with the increasing Nomophobia Questionnaire total score (p=0.000, r=236) and the Nomophobia Questionnaire total score and fear of childbirth increased with an increase in the daily phone usage time. It was also revealed that women who had smartphone applications related to fetal development had higher nomophobia levels (p=0.0001), while they had a lower fear of childbirth. CONCLUSION: This study found that one in every five pregnant women was extremely nomophobic and had a clinical fear of childbirth and that nomophobia and the fear of childbirth were correlated at the clinical level. In this regard, women should prefer face-to-face communication rather than smartphones throughout the pregnancy period.

A long-lasting Sphingomonas paucimobilis outbreak: A potential for pathogens to persist on environmental devices despite disinfection measures.

BACKGROUND: Sphingomonas paucimobilis, an aerobic, non-fermentative, Gram-negative opportunistic bacillus, can colonize everywhere in hospital settings where water is used. We reported a hospital S paucimobilis outbreak that persisted for nearly 2 years despite all necessary preventive measures. METHODS: Over a period from February 13, 2020 to December 3, 2021, 67 patients were identified to have S paucimobilis as documented by positive cultures from clinical samples, along with 19 positive environmental samples. RESULTS: Bacterial regrowth for molecular analysis could be obtained in 49 isolates (39 clinical, 4 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) water heater devices, 1 unused mouthwash solution, 5 water samples from thoracic drainage aspirators). Two distinct clonally indistinguishable genotypes were detected in AP-PCR and PFGE analyses, with 100% consistency. The main cluster was obtained consistently throughout the outbreak from 30 samples (61.2%: 24 clinical, 4 ECMO, 1 unused mouthwash solution, 1 water sample from the thoracic drainage aspirator). The other cluster involved 15 clinical samples and 4 water samples from the thoracic drainage aspirators. CONCLUSIONS: Given that waterborne pathogens can spread to a wide range of equipment used in healthcare environments, the pathogens can persist on the surfaces of environmental devices even after recommended disinfection measures have been applied. Therefore, individual tracking of all devices used in critical care settings, such as thoracic drainage aspirators and ECMO water heater devices, with records of pre- and post-disinfection procedures is of paramount importance for complete elimination of the source of infection.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia outbreak with a commercial blood gas injector as the culprit and interventions for source and prevention: A possible passage between patient and ECMO water heater device.

BACKGROUND: Despite low virulence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, it represents one of the leading drug-resistant bacteria. We report a large outbreak of S. maltophilia infection associated with an unexpected source, which turned out to be a commercial needleless blood gas injector. METHODS: Over a period from January 1 to December10, 2021, 113 patients were identified to have S. maltophilia infection as documented by positive cultures from the clinical samples, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) water heater devices and commercial needleless blood gas injectors. RESULTS: Sixty-seven isolates (59 clinical, 4 ECMO, 4 blood gas injectors) were sent for molecular analysis. Both arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses showed 12 distinct genotypes. Of 67 isolates, 58 were clonally related (86.6%), with 52 indistinguishable strains from 4 blood gas needleless injectors, 46 patients' samples (78%), and 2 ECMO samples (50%). Two ECMO samples and 1 clinical sample were clonally identical. CONCLUSIONS: In the event that eradication of infections would not be possible despite taking all environmental disinfection measures including the ECMO devices, unexpected sources, such as a commercial needleless blood gas injector, should not be omitted from the list for surveillance. In addition, obtaining surveillance cultures of ECMO water reservoirs should be placed in the routine clinical practice.

A qualitative study on the experiences of the first nurses assigned to COVID-19 units in Turkey.

AIM: To explore the experiences of the first nurses assigned to work in COVID-19 units with the onset of the outbreak in Turkey. BACKGROUND: Even though the risks faced by nurses while performing a dangerous task during the epidemic are similar, their experiences may differ. METHOD: This qualitative study was carried out with 17 nurses. The interviews were carried out individually and online. The data were analysed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. RESULTS: From the analyses of the data, four key themes have emerged as follows: 'needs', 'anger', 'questioning' and 'decision'. Needs include visibility, support, adaptation and sleep/rest. Nurses were angry because of their unmet expectations, feelings of injustice, and selfish and insensitive behaviours they faced. They questioned their profession and decided to either alienate from the profession or continue with the gains they had made. CONCLUSION: This study found that nurses perceived an imbalance between their efforts and their achievements. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This study provides evidence for nursing managers to anticipate problems that may arise both during and after the outbreak. Nurses should be made to feel that they are valued members of the health care institution, and effective strategies should be implemented to improve their perceptions of organisational justice.