Validity and reliability study for the Turkish version of global pain scale.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the validity and reliability of the "Global Pain Scale" for Turkish population . METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Algology outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey, between March and December 2015, and comprised patients with chronic pain aged at least 18 years. Linguistic equivalence, content validity and construct validity were used for establishing the validity of the Global Pain Scale, while the Content Validity Index was used for the assessment of expert views. SPSS 16was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 222 subjects, 142(64%) were females. Overall mean age of the sample was 54.22±13.79 years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire scale was 0.95. Total item correlation coefficients of the items in the scale ranged between 0.502 and 0.794, and no items were removed from the scale. CONCLUSIONS: The Global Pain Scale was found to have adequate validity and reliability indicators, and can be used with confidence in patients experiencing chronic pain.

Health related quality of life and care dependency among elderly hospital patients: an international comparison.

Many countries in Europe and the world have to cope with an aging population. Although health policy in many countries aims at increasing disability-free life expectancy, elderly patients represent a significant proportion of all patients admitted to different hospital departments. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the care dependency status among elderly hospital patients. In 2012, a descriptive survey was administered to a convenience sample of 325 elderly hospital patients (> 60 years) from The Netherlands (N = 125), from Poland (N = 100), and from Turkey (N = 100). We employed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) Measurement System and the Care Dependency Scale. FACIT is a collection of HRQOL questionnaires that assess multidimensional health status in people with various chronic illnesses. From demographic variables, gender (female) (r = -0.13, p < 0.05), age and informal care given by family members (r = -0.27 to 0.27, p < 0.01) were significantly correlated with the care dependency status for the whole samples. All HRQOL variables, hearing aid and duration of illness correlated with care dependency status (r = -0.20 to 0.50, p < 0.01). Moreover, the FACIT sum score (Poland and Turkey) and functional wellbeing (The Netherlands) are significantly associated with the decrease in care dependency status. Thus, the FACIT variables are the most powerful indicators for care dependency. The study provides healthcare professionals insight into improvement of quality of care in all three countries.

Effect of music on pain, anxiety, and patient satisfaction in patients who present to the emergency department in Turkey.

AIM: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of music therapy on pain, anxiety, and patient satisfaction in patients who present to the emergency department in Turkey. METHODS: This controlled and experimental study was conducted in the emergency department of a hospital in Turkey between July and October 2012. The study sample consisted of 200 patients in total, 100 forming the intervention group and 100 being the control group, who fell under color code green in the triage system and came with complaints of pain due to nausea/vomiting and diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches, and joint pain. A questionnaire, the State Anxiety Scale, and the Visual Analog Scale to measure the patients' level of pain were used in the study. The questionnaires of the intervention group were administered after playing the music. RESULTS: When the intervention and control groups were compared, it was observed that there was a significant decrease in the VASP and STAI-S scores in favor of the intervention group. It was observed that 21.0% of the patients in the intervention group were very pleased to hear music in the emergency department, 58% of them were moderately or at least a little pleased, and 21.0% were not pleased at all. CONCLUSION: The results showed that music therapy had a positive effect in terms of reducing the severity of pain and the level of anxiety in patients, that only a very small portion of the patients were not pleased to listen to music in the emergency department.

Examination of ethical dilemmas experienced by adult intensive care unit nurses in physical restraint practices.

Nurses are more likely to face the dilemma of whether to resort to physical restraints or not and have a hard time making that decision. This is a descriptive study. A total of 55 nurses participated in the research. For data collection, a question form developed by researchers to determine perceptions of ethical dilemmas by nurses in the application of physical restraint was used. A descriptive analysis was made by calculating the mean, standard deviation, and maximum and minimum values. The nurses expressed (36.4%) having difficulty in deciding to use physical restraint. Nurses reported that they experience ethical dilemmas mainly in relation to the ethic principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, and convenience. We have concluded that majority of nurses working in critical care units apply physical restraint to patients, although they are facing ethical dilemmas concerning harm and benefit principles during the application.

Nursing diagnoses determined by first year students: a vignette study.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to determine the ability of first year students in identifying nursing diagnoses. METHODS: In a descriptive evaluation study, an expert-validated vignette containing 18 nursing diagnoses was used. RESULTS: The students determined 15 nursing diagnoses. The highest percentages of diagnoses identified were disturbed sleep pattern and nutrition imbalance. Students also considered medical diagnoses as nursing diagnoses: hypertension and tachycardia. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that students were only at the end of their first semester and had limited clinical experience, they successfully identified the majority of nursing diagnoses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Patient case study vignettes are recommended for education. To foster students' knowledge and experience, it is also suggested that evaluating nursing diagnoses in clinical practicals becomes a requirement.

The effects of music therapy on pain in patients with neuropathic pain.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of relaxing music on pain intensity in patients with neuropathic pain. A quasi-experimental study, repeated measures design was used. Thirty patients, aged 18-70 years, with neuropathic pain and hospitalized in an Algology clinic were identified as a convenience sample. Participants received 60 minutes of music therapy. Classical Turkish music was played to patients using a media player (MP3) and headphones. Participants had pain scores taken immediately before the intervention and at the 30th and 60th minutes of the intervention. Data were collected over a 6-month period in 2012. The patients' mean pain intensity scores were reduced by music, and that decrease was progressive over the 30th and 60th minutes of the intervention, indicating a cumulative dose effect. The results of this study implied that the inclusion of music therapy in the routine care of patients with neuropathic pain could provide nurses with an effective practice for reducing patients' pain intensity.

Factors affecting experiences of intensive care patients in Turkey: patient outcomes in critical care setting.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors affecting a patient's intensive care experience. METHODS: The descriptive study was conducted at an intensive care unit in the Aegean Region of Turkey, and comprised 158 patients who spent at least 48 hours at the unit between June and November 2009. A questionnaire form and the Intensive Care Experience Scale were used as data collection tools. SPSS 11.5 was used for statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS: Of the total, 86 (54.4%) patients related to the surgical unit, while 72 (45.5%) spent time at the intensive care unit. Most of the subjects (n=113; 71.5%) reported that they constantly experienced pain during hospitalisation. Patients receiving mechanical ventilation support and patients reporting no pain had significantly higher scores on the intensive care experience scale. Patients who reported pain remembered their experiences less than those having no pain. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions are needed to make the experiences of patients in intensive care more positive.

Geriatric patient profile in the cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: To determine hospitalization durations and mortalities of elderly in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted in a Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit in Turkey and comprised patient records from January 1 to December 31, 2011. Computerized epicrisis reports of 255, who had undergone a cardiac surgery were collected. The patients were grouped according to their ages, Group I aged 65-74 and Group II aged 75 and older. European society for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation scores of the two groups were compared using SPSS 17. RESULTS: Overall, there were 80 (31.37%) females and 175 (68.62%) males. There were 138 (54.1%) patients in Group I and 117 (45.9%) in Group II. Regarding their hospitalization reasons, it was determined that 70 (27.5%) patients in Group I and 79 (30.9%) patients in Group II were treated with the diagnosis ofcoronary artery disease. The average hospitalization duration of patients in the intensive care unit was determined to be 11.57 +/- 0.40 days. Regarding the EuroSCORE score intervals of patients, 132 (51.8%) had 3-5 and 225 (88.2%) patients were transferred to the Cardiovascular Surgery and then all of them were discharged; 5 (4.1%) had a mortal course; and 11 (7.7%) were transferred to the anaesthesia intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: The general mortality rates are very low in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit and the patients have a good prognosis.

The care dependency scale for measuring basic human needs: an international comparison.

AIM: To report a study conducted to compare the utility of the care dependency scale across four countries. BACKGROUND: The care dependency scale provides a framework for assessing the needs of institutionalized patients for nursing care. Henderson's components of nursing care have been used to specify the variable aspects of the concept of care dependency and to develop the care dependency scale items. DESIGN: The study used a cross-cultural survey design. METHOD: Patients were recruited from four different countries: Japan, The Netherlands, Poland and Turkey. In each of the participating countries, basic human needs were assessed by nurses using a translated version of the original Dutch care dependency scale. Psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity of the care dependency scale have been assessed using Cronbach's alpha, Guttman's lambda-2, inter-item correlation and principal components analysis. Data were collected in 2008 and 2009. RESULTS: High internal consistency values were demonstrated. Principal component analysis confirmed the one-factor model reported in earlier studies. CONCLUSION: Outcomes confirm Henderson's idea that human needs are fundamental appearing in every patient-nurse relationship, independent of the patient's age, the type of care setting and/or cultural background. The psychometric characteristics of the care dependency scale make this instrument very useful for comparative research across countries.

Comparison of oxygen saturation values and measurement times by pulse oximetry in various parts of the body.

The aim of this study, which included 40 patients, was to compare the values pulse oximetry and the measurement times in various regions of the body. Data were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient test and paired-sample test. The confidence power value was found to be .81 for the comparison of oxygen saturation values by arterial blood gas analysis and measurement by the forehead probe. It was found that the time for oxygen saturation measurement using the forehead probe was shorter than those using the finger and toe probes.

The effect of music therapy on physiological signs of anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate if relaxing music is an effective method of reducing the physiological signs of anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support. BACKGROUND: Few studies have focused on the effect of music on physiological signs of anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support. DESIGN: A study-case-control, experimental repeated measures design was used. METHOD: Sixty patients aged 18-70 years, receiving mechanical ventilatory support and hospitalised in the intensive care unit, were taken as a convenience sample. Participants were randomised to a control group or intervention group, who received 60 minutes of music therapy. Classical music was played to patients using media player (MP3) and headphones. Subjects had physiological signs taken immediately before the intervention and at the 30th, 60th and 90th minutes of the intervention. Physiological signs of anxiety assessed in this study were mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation in blood measured by pulse oxymetry. Data were collected over eight months in 2006-2007. RESULTS: The music group had significantly lower respiratory rates, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, than the control group. This decrease improved progressively in the 30th, 60th and 90th minutes of the intervention, indicating a cumulative dose effect. CONCLUSION: Music can provide an effective method of reducing potentially harmful physiological responses arising from anxiety. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: As indicated by the results of this study, music therapy can be supplied to allay anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Nurses may include music therapy in the routine care of patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Comparison of oxygen saturation values obtained from fingers on physically restrained or unrestrained sides of the body.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare semiexperimentally the pulse oximetry values obtained from a finger on restrained or unrestrained sides of the body. BACKGROUND: The pulse oximeter provides a noninvasive measurement of the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in arterial blood. One of the procedures most frequently applied to patients in intensive care units is the application of physical restraint. Circulation problems are the most important complication in patients who are physically restrained. Evaluation of oxygen saturation from body parts in which circulation is impeded or has deteriorated can cause false results. METHODS: The research sample consisted of 30 hospitalized patients who participated in the study voluntarily and who were concordant with the inclusion criteria of the study. Patient information and patient follow-up forms were used for data collection. Pulse oximetry values were measured simultaneously using OxiMax Nellcor finger sensors from fingers on the restrained and unrestrained sides of the body. Numeric and percentile distributions were used in evaluating the sociodemographic properties of patients. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between the oxygen saturation values obtained from a finger of an arm that had been physically restrained and a finger of an arm that had not been physically restrained. The mean oxygen saturation value measured from a finger of an arm that had been physically restrained was found to be 93.40 (SD, 2.97), and the mean oxygen saturation value measured from a finger of an arm that had not been physically restrained was found to be 95.53 (SD, 2.38). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that nurses should use a finger of an arm that is not physically restrained when evaluating oxygen saturation values to evaluate them correctly.