Caregivers' perception of teenagers' dignity in end of life stages: A phenomenological study.

Introduction: Maintaining patient dignity in a caregiving environment is one of the most important moral responsibilities for caregivers. Nonetheless, there are vulnerable groups, specifically teenagers, who in their final stages of life are prone to their dignity being threatened. Moreover, dignity is an abstract concept and there is no studies done on teenagers' dignity in the final stages of life available in Iran.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the caregivers' experiences regarding teenagers' dignity in the final stages of life.Research design: This study is a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research project. The data was collected using deep individual and semi-structured interviews as well as taking notes. The Colaizzi analysis method was used to analyze the data.Participants and research context: 22 caregivers working with teenagers in the final stages of life in a public health centers in Iran who had the criteria to enter the study were selected using a purposeful sampling method and invited to join the study from August 2018 to June 2019. The sampling continued until data saturation.Findings: The findings of the present study were presented in the form of three main themes including "private," "respecting individual identity," and "attention to teenagers' needs" and an additional eight categories.Ethical Considerations: The study's protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and all ethical principles were followed throughout the study.Discussion and conclusion: Based on the present study from the caregivers' point of view, teenagers in their final stages of life required to be cared for and taught in an environment that their privacy was maintained and their individual identity was respected as well as getting attention from the caregivers and companions. In such situations, the teenagers felt calm and their dignity was maintained; therefore, providing a cultural, professional, and organizational setting where all the components of maintaining dignity in teenagers are supported and prioritized is necessary.

The effect of peer support approach on communication skills of nursing students in pediatric clinical setting.

Peer support is a valuable teaching-learning approach to enhance deep learning in the clinical environment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer support on the communication skills of undergraduate nursing students when interacting with hospitalized children and their parents. This was a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental study with two groups. Through the cluster random sampling method, six practical groups of students who undertook a 3-week pediatric practicum were selected. Three groups were allocated to the experimental (n = 51) and control groups (n = 52). Two volunteer post-graduate students in pediatric nursing formed the peer group. First, the peers participated in three 45-min sessions using different scenarios about communication skills. They then tutored the intervention group to improve their communication skills. The communication skills with 5 children and 5 parents were observed for each undergraduate student via the checklist. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores of the communication skills than the control groups in post-test (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean scores of communication skills was significantly higher in post-test than pre-test in both the experimental and control groups (p < 0.001). Peer support approach promoted the communication skills of undergraduate nursing students in pediatric clinical setting.

The Relationship between Sleep Habits and Mental Health in Iranian Elementary School Children.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep is one of the basic elements which affects the growth and development and mental health of the child. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep habits and mental health in elementary school children in Nahavand/Iran. METHODS: In this correlation study, 240 children aged 6-11 years old were selected by cluster random sampling from schools of Nahavand city in Iran, 2017. Data were collected through questionnaires included demographic information, children's sleep habits (CSHQ) and children sickness indications (CSI-4). Questionnaires were completed by one of parents as self-report. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and regression analysis. RESULTS: Based on results, Trouble in sleeping was reported by 36% and mental health disorders by 24.5% of elementary schools children. The regression analysis showed sleep habits had significant associations with the mental health score. In other words, improper sleep habits were associated with higher scores of illness symptoms of mental health that are indicative of poor mental health. DISCUSSION: Sleep disorder is one of the problems of elementary schools children, which related to their mental health. Sleep health training for parents and trainers in schools can help to improve the mental health of children by reforming proper sleep habits.

Effect of lavender aromatherapy through inhalation on quality of life among postmenopausal women covered by a governmental health center in Isfahan, Iran: A single-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Various studies indicate the negative effects of menopausal symptoms and complications on the quality of life (QOL) of women. The tendency to use different methods of complementary medicine to control menopausal symptoms is increasing. In addition, lavender essential oil has been shown to have positive effects on some symptoms associated with menopause. Thus, the present study was conducted with the aim to determine the effect of lavender aromatherapy on the QOL of postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, controlled, clinical trial was conducted on 62 postmenopausal women referred to health centers of Isfahan, Iran. The subjects were divided into two groups of control and intervention. The intervention group inhaled 2% lavender essential oil every night before bedtime for 20 minutes during one month. The control group received the placebo (distilled water) in the same manner as the intervention group. The data collection tools were the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL)and a demographic characteristics questionnaire. The results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests in SPSS software. RESULTS: The independent t-test showed a significant difference in the mean total score of QOL and its various dimensions (vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual dimensions) after the intervention between the aromatherapy and placebo groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Inhalation aromatherapy using lavender essential oil can improve the QOL of postmenopausal women with a reduction in the severity of complications and physical-psychological symptoms.

Comparing the Effects of Agnugol and Metformin on Oligomenorrhea in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy and cause of oligomenorrhea in women. AIM: The present study was conducted with the aim to compare the effect of Agnugol and Metformin drugs on oligomenorrhea in patients with PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a clinical trial on 120 women with PCOS and had oligomenorrhea, referring to a gynaecology clinic Fatemieh, Hamadan city, Iran, 2015. Women were randomly divided into 2 groups using permutation blocks (getting the medications Agnugol and Metformin) and were treated with drugs Agnugol and Metformin for 3 months. Data collection included demographic questionnaire and check list was designed and completed before and at the end of interventions, by both groups. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-test, ANOVA with repeated measures was used. RESULTS: The mean and SD of age was 39.45±4.60 for women taking Agnugol and 38.466±0.84 for those taking Metformin. Based on the results between the subjects, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of menstruation length, cycle intervals, or the number of pads, meaning that the two drugs had similar effects on menstrual cycle regulation, menstruation length and the number of pads. More side effects were reported in the group using Metformin. CONCLUSION: Agnugol and Metformin drugs in the treatment of oligomenorrhea patients with PCOS have the same effect. Since Metformin is a chemical drug with side effects, Agnugol can be presented as its herbal alternative to treat oligomenorrhea.