Postintensive care syndrome: Development and psychometric validation of a knowledge test.

INTRODUCTION: Postintensive care syndrome (PICS) is a combination of short-, medium- and long-term morbidities that occur in patients discharged from the Intensive care unit (ICU). ICU professionals have a crucial role in managing and understanding the PICS. This study aimed to develop the PICS Knowledge Test (PICS-KT), which measures ICU professionals' awareness and knowledge levels regarding PICS, and to determine its validity and reliability. METHODS: The databases were searched in detail, scientific research related to PICS was analyzed, and the draft scale was created accordingly. A total of 117 doctors and nurses who had been working in the ICU for at least 6 months were included in the study. For the validity and reliability analysis of the test, content validity ratio, item difficulty index, item discrimination index values and Cronbach α were examined. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α reliability coefficient for the 46-item PICS-KT is 0.93, indicating high reliability. Scores range from 0 to 46, with 32 or higher considered successful, suggesting adequate knowledge of PICS among ICU professionals. Scores of 14 or less indicate minimal knowledge. Those with scores between 14 and 32 possess some knowledge but need improvement. PICS-KT assesses knowledge in four main areas: general information, risk factors/causes, symptoms and findings and interventions. ICU professionals show high awareness of interventions for preventing and treating PICS, as indicated by a high mean score in the interventions subdimension. CONCLUSION: The PICS-KT is crucial in assessing healthcare professionals' understanding of the various short-, medium- and long-term morbidities associated with PICS. The study ensures that the test is a robust and dependable instrument for evaluating ICU professionals' knowledge about PICS.

The Symptom Experience and Functioning of Non-Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Within the First 20 days.

The adverse physical, psychological, and mental health consequences associated with COVID-19 illness are well-documented. However, how specific symptoms change over time and how COVID-19 affects one's day-to-day activities of daily living (ADL), Quality of Life (QoL), sleep quality, and fatigue severity are not well described. This longitudinal and descriptive study examined the changes in COVID-19 symptoms, ADL, QoL, sleep quality, and fatigue severity within the first 20 days. A convenience sample (n = 41) of non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were recruited and followed for 20 days. Participants completed self-report measures: COVID-19 symptoms, ADL, QoL, sleep quality, and fatigue severity at days: 1, 10, and 20 following a diagnosis. Findings revealed that symptoms decreased over 20 days (p < .001). In parallel with the decrease in symptoms, QoL and ADL improved over 20 days (p < .05). However, sleep quality and fatigue severity did not improve within 20 days (p > .05). Our findings contribute to the growing evidence that COVID-19 symptoms can linger, especially fatigue and sleep quality, that affect overall day-to-day functioning for at least 20 days after diagnosis. To mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on QOL and ADL, findings underscore the need for clinicians to work collaboratively with patients to develop a symptom management plan for a variety of symptoms including fatigue and sleep quality. Beginning to repurpose existing self-management strategies for the longer term COVID-19 symptoms could be beneficial and help to optimize patient outcomes. Future work should examine these variables over a longer timeframe and among different samples of non-hospitalized patients.

The effect of upper limb lymphedema in posture of patients after breast cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Upper limb lymphedema is one of the complications following breast cancer-related surgery. It is a fact that there are alterations in posture of the trunk following surgery, however, there is not much data on whether upper limb lymphedema has any effect on body posture. OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of upper limb lymphedema in the trunk posture and spine mobility of patients following breast cancer surgery. METHODS: Twenty-seven women with lymphedema and 29 women without lymphedema with mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery participated in the study. Posture was evaluated by the New York Posture Rating Chart and spinal stability and thoracic mobility were evaluated by the Spinal Mouse device. RESULTS: Posture and spine posture scores were significantly higher in the without lymphedema group (p= 0.004; 0.041; respectively). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of lateral (p< 0.001) and posterior (p< 0.001) view of shoulders, spine (p= 0.027), upper (p< 0.001) and lower back (p= 0.009), and trunk postures (p= 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Body posture and spine are more affected due to upper limb lymphedema following breast cancer surgery. Alterations of posture mainly occur on shoulders, spine, upper and lower back, and trunk, but not on head and neck postures.