Fatigue in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: Its relationship with sleep quality, pain and depression.

OBJECTIVE: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the relationship between fatigue, and sleep quality, pain and depression in patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. The study sample comprised 151 individuals with knee osteoarthritis and 147 healthy individuals. To collect the study data, the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire (SCQ), Visual Analogue Scale to Evaluate Fatigue Severity (VAS-F), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Visual Analogue Scale and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used. To analyze the study data, appropriate tests were used. RESULTS: It was found that the patients with knee osteoarthritis had higher fatigue scores, and higher PSQI and BDI total scores than did the healthy participants, and that the difference between them was significant (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between fatigue score and PSQI, VAS and BDI scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The participants with knee osteoarthritis suffered fatigue more than did the healthy participants. This fatigue suffered by them affected their sleep quality, pain and depression negatively.

Investigating the sexual function and its associated factors in women with chronic illnesses.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate sexual dysfunction and the factors that affect sexual dysfunction in women with chronic disease. BACKGROUND: Sexual dysfunction is one of the most common problems in women with chronic disease. There is limited understanding of the related factors of sexual dysfunction in women with chronic disease, with research currently limited to other problems and problems related to chronic diseases. DESIGN: This research was conducted as a descriptive survey. METHODS: This study involved 100 female inpatients at clinics of internal medicine of a university hospital. Data were collected with a patients identification form and a female sexual function index (KCFI). Kruskal-Wallis test, test of significance of difference between two means and test of significance of difference between two pairs were used in the data analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-five percentage of women in the sample were defined to have sexual dysfunction. The majority of women expressed pain during sexual intercourse, problems in orgasm and satisfaction, and reluctance to have sex. Older age, being unemployed, being in menopause, fatigue, sleep disorder, and pain and weakness in extremities were the factors that were found to significantly affect the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study concluded that sexual function of women with chronic disease is affected negatively. Chronic disease-related symptoms, experienced changes in the body and psychosocial problems are changing the lives of women. Ultimately, these changes also affect sexual activity. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Determination of the factors affecting sexual activity in women with chronic disease is important for women' ability to cope with sexual dysfunction and keep it under control. To be able to accomplish this, it is necessary for healthcare personnel, the partners and family to work together.

O efeito das abordagens herbais na mucosite oral em pacientes adultos com câncer - uma revisão sistemática de estudos de enfermagem / The effect of herbal approaches on oral mucositis in adult cancer patients - a systematic review of nursing studies / El efecto de los enfoques herbales sobre la mucositis oral en pacientes adultos con cáncer - una revisión sistemática de estudios de enfermería

Objetivo: examinar os efeitos das abordagens herbais na mucosite oral em pacientes adultos com câncer. Método: revisão sistemática seguindo as diretrizes da Cochrane, com uma busca por estudos experimentais e randomizados entre 2013 e 2023. Foram incluídos estudos em inglês sobre intervenções herbais em pacientes com mais de 18 anos. Resultados: foram avaliados oito estudos que usaram intervenções herbais para tratar a mucosite oral. As ervas testadas incluíram aloe vera, raiz de althaea, cúrcuma, camomila, vinagre de uva, água de rosas, suco de frutas/vegetais e extrato de amoreira. As intervenções variaram em frequência e duração, mas mostraram resultados positivos, reduzindo a intensidade da mucosite oral, dor e outros sintomas. Algumas intervenções foram tão eficazes quanto tratamentos convencionais como a clorexidina. Conclusão: a pesquisa sugere que abordagens herbais podem ser benéficas no manejo da mucosite oral em pacientes com câncer, mas mais estudos são necessários para confirmar esses resultados

Objective: to examine the effects of herbal approaches on oral mucositis in adult cancer patients. Method: systematic review following Cochrane guidelines, with a search for experimental and randomized studies from 2013 to 2023. English studies on herbal interventions in patients over 18 years were included. Results: eight studies that used herbal interventions to treat oral mucositis were evaluated. The herbs tested included aloe vera, althaea root, turmeric, chamomile, grape vinegar, rose water, fruit/vegetable juice, and mulberry extract. The interventions varied in frequency and duration but showed positive results, reducing oral mucositis inten-sity, pain, and other symptoms. Some interventions were as effective as conventional treatments like chlorhexidine. Conclusion: the research suggests that herbal approaches can be beneficial in managing oral mucositis in cancer patients, but more studies are needed to confirm these results

Objetivo: examinar los efectos de los enfoques herbales en la mucositis oral en pacientes adultos con cáncer. Método: revisión sistemática siguiendo las directrices de Cochrane, con una búsqueda de estudios experimentales y aleatorizados entre 2013 y 2023. Se incluyeron estudios en inglés sobre intervenciones herbales en pacientes mayores de 18 años. Resultados: se evaluaron ocho estudios que utilizaron intervenciones herbales para tratar la mucositis oral. Las hierbas probadas incluyeron aloe vera, raíz de althaea, cúrcuma, manzanilla, vinagre de uva, agua de rosas, jugo de frutas/verduras y extracto de moras. Las intervenciones variaron en frecuencia y duración, pero mostraron resultados positivos, reduciendo la intensidad de la mucositis oral, el dolor y otros síntomas. Algunas intervenciones fueron tan eficaces como tratamientos convencionales como la clorhexidina. Conclusión: la investigación sugiere que los enfoques herbales pueden ser beneficiosos para el manejo de la mucositis oral en pacientes con cáncer, pero se nece-sitan más estudios para confirmar estos resultados

Effect on anxiety of education programme about care of arteriovenous fistula in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the impact of education, provided to individuals, in whom AV fistula was preferred as a vascular access, regarding information and anxiety. METHODS: This experimental study was performed on 32 patients undergoing hemodialysis between November 2009 and February 2010 in the Nephrology Clinic of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Hospital. Patients' data was collected by means of Personal Information Form (PIF), AV Fistula Information Form (AV-FIF), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); education brochures were used in order to inform the individuals. Collected data were assessed with SPSS . Statistical analyses were used in order to assess the data: percentage account, paired samples t test. RESULTS: When comparing information and anxiety score of individuals prior to and following education about AV fistula care, it was seen that information and anxiety scores were low and high respectively, prior to the education. Following education, patients' information and anxiety scores became higher and lower respectively. All these results were statistically significant (P< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Education about fistula increased the information level about fistula care and decreased anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis. It is important to perform patient education regularly, because it increases the level of orientation towards illness and interventions in patients.

Fatigue and disability in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and severity of fatigue and to investigate relationships between fatigue, and disability in elderly COPD patients. This descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 98 patients. Three instruments were used: Personal information form (PIF), visual analog scale for fatigue (VAS-F) and brief disability questionnaire (BDQ). The statistical analyses were used in order to evaluate the data: Student's t-test, Kruskall-Wallis test, Pearson correlation coefficient calculation and logistic regression analysis. All of patients in the sample experienced fatigue. The level of fatigue and disability experienced by the patients with COPD was high, their energy level was low. It was determined that as COPD patients' fatigue increases their disability also increases, that there are relationships between fatigue and marital status and that there are relationships between disability and gender. Furthermore, in this study significant differences were found in COPD patients' VAS-F and BDQ scores for some symptoms of COPD, such as dyspnea, fatigue, cough and sputum. The results of the study indicated that high levels of fatigue are experienced which impacts on patients' functional condition and needs to be professionally assessed managed.

Disability in elderly patients with chronic neurological illness: stroke, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate disability in patients with elderly stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy, and to analyze its relationship with demographic characteristics. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 113 patients with neurological diseases. The data were collected with a Personal Information Form, the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and the Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ) were used. The data were evaluated using percentage, variance analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Pearson correlation analysis. The study results demonstrate that among three disorders, the severity of disability increased in patients with stroke, epilepsy and MS, respectively. It was also found that in patients with stroke, MS and epilepsy experiencing disability in mobility, 32.7% had experienced moderate physical-social disability, and 63.3% had experienced severe physical-social disability, and that there was a significantly high relationship between mobility disability and physical-social disability. The severity of disability was found to be higher for older age, low level education, self-employed and widows. Especially in stroke patients, disability is a common problem in patients with epilepsy and MS. Detecting the level of disability is very important for decreasing the limitation in elderly patients with neurological illness.

Mobility disability and life satisfaction in elderly people.

The objective of this descriptive and analytical study is to examine mobility disability and life satisfaction in elderly people living in nursing home residences and analyze the relationship between them. The study was conducted over 78 elderly people in two nursing home residences. The data of this study were obtained through a personal information form (PIF), the Rivermead mobility index (RMI) and the life satisfaction scale (LSS). It was detected that life satisfaction levels of elderly people were average, a great majority of them went through mobility disability and there was a significant correlation between mobility and life satisfaction. It was established that in elderly people mobility was affected by the age, gender and chronic diseases while life satisfaction was related to age, education level and health perception level. Disability is a factor that has a significant effect on the life satisfaction of elderly people. The findings of this study will be useful for planning interventions to improve mobility and satisfaction with life among nursing home elders in Turkey.