Opinions and Experiences of Foreign Student Nurses Regarding Patient Care Practices in Türkiye: A Qualitative Study.

Aims: We aimed to identify the unique challenges and opportunities faced by international student nurses in Türkiye when practicing patient care. This understanding is essential for educators, healthcare institutions, and policy makers to create more inclusive and supportive environments that enhance learning and professional development. Addressing these challenges can lead to better integration of foreign student nurses into the healthcare system, ultimately improving patient care quality. This research is important for all stakeholders in healthcare - educators, administrators, policymakers, and patients - because a diverse and well-supported nursing workforce is essential for the delivery of culturally competent and high-quality care. Methods: This study employed interpretative phenomenology. Data were collected from 12 foreign nursing students from Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Netherlands. Data were collected between 01 and 20 May 2023 in the Nursing Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a state university in the province of Sanliurfa, located in the southeastern region of Türkiye. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results: We identified four themes: "Metaphors describing patient care practices," "Factors affecting care practices," "Needs for education and support," and "Opportunities during patient care practices." Positively influencing factors included better education and living standards and economic benefits, while negatively influencing factors were traumatic events before studying abroad, racial discrimination, language and cultural differences, negative emotions, peer victimization, and lack of use of standards. Interviewees reported a need for training and support and that patient care practices provided opportunities for greater awareness, responsibility, and professional integration. Discussion: Positive and negative experiences of foreign student nurses were evident in the delivery of patient care practice. Interventions are needed to alleviate negatively influencing factors, provide training and support for students, and improve opportunities for foreign nationals. Identification of these factors can help medical educators to develop culturally sensitive and inclusive approaches, as well as individual/organisational facilitators that enhance existing opportunities and remove barriers.

The impact of earthquakes on women: assessing women's mental health in aftermath of the Kahramanmaras-centred earthquake in Türkiye.

BACKGROUND: Earthquakes disproportionately affect women and exacerbate gender and social inequalities. This study aims to investigate the psychological impact of the earthquake in Türkiye on women and the associated factors. METHODS: This is a survey-based study. We collected data from 498 women residing in cities most affected by the earthquake. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 27.72 ± 5.4. Over 78% of the participants lost at least one family member, and 43.7% lost at least one child due to the earthquake. The mean average of Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) scores was 100.8 (SD = 8.37), and the Global Severity Index was 1.9 (SD = 0.16). Regression analysis showed that higher education levels predicted poor outcomes across most BSI dimensions. Losing a family member and shelter and injury status were also predictors for several mental health outcomes of the BSI subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Earthquakes significantly impact women's well-being and may have a broader impact on the whole family. There is an urgent need to provide psycho-social interventions in the response and recovery phases of the crisis to meet the affected women's needs. This includes providing basic needs with attention to women-specific needs, restoring social networks, addressing gender-based violence and providing gender-sensitive specialized interventions for those who need further support.

Validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) among a sample of Turkish university students. METHODS: This study was conducted with 291 university students. The SHIS was evaluated in terms of language equivalence, validity and the reliability. Content validity was assessed with the content validity index (CVI). Construct validity was determined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was used for the analysis of internal consistency, a Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for parallel form reliability, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used for the test-retest technique. RESULTS: The CVI of the SHIS was between 0.80 and 1.00. When the results of the CFA were examined, the factor loadings of all items were above 0.50. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was found between the SHIS and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scores for parallel form reliability (r = 0.489). Within the scope of the test-retest analysis, an ICC = 0.762 was determined (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings obtained from this validity and reliability study carried out on a sample of Turkish university students showed that the SHIS was both valid and reliable.

Qualitative examination of the attitudes of healthcare workers in Turkey regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

PURPOSE: The attitudes of healthcare workers toward COVID-19 vaccines ensure that health services are able to run without interruption and potentially have a role in the messaging about vaccination that they convey to the public. Hence, healthcare workers' attitudes ultimately have a significant role in controlling the pandemic. This study aimed to qualitatively investigate the attitudes of healthcare workers in Turkey in relation to COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS: The study used the phenomenological approach. The sample consisted of 36 healthcare workers who were employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected online using focus group interviews. A total of four focus group interviews were conducted. FINDINGS: Following analysis of the data, the attitudes of healthcare workers in Turkey toward the COVID-19 vaccine were divided into three themes: "influencing factors," "priority group" and "trust." CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination was found to create negative emotions among some of the healthcare workers. Their opinions about the COVID-19 vaccines were affected by the negative emotions and burnout they experienced during the pandemic. In addition, they saw the vaccination process as impacted by contraindications and uncertainty about the duration of the protection, the balance of the benefits and harm of the vaccines, and by vaccine myths and prejudices about the country where the vaccine was developed. Healthcare professionals expressed the need for trust to be established in the whole vaccination process. They suggested that different vaccine options should be offered, that the appointment and process notification system for vaccination should be improved, that evidence-based information about vaccines should be provided and that a safe environment should be created. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Vaccine hesitancy can be addressed by careful attention to the application of vaccination programs, correct and effective use of social media, transparent, and precise management of political processes, and the provision of evidence-based information about the vaccines.

Opinions and experiences of nursing students about evaluating the sexual health of individuals with mental disorders: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To explore the views and experiences of nursing students about evaluating the sexual health of individuals with mental disorders. DESIGN AND METHODS: A phenomenological approach was used. The purposeful sampling method gathered 11 nursing students. Data were collected in-depth interviews, which were analyzed using Colaizzi's method of data analysis. FINDINGS: The findings were grouped under three themes: Barriers to sexual health evaluation, lack of supervision and knowledge, and increasing personal growth. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Barriers to sexual health evaluation need to be determined. Educators and clinicians should supervise students during clinical placement. Learning holistic care is an opportunity to increase personal growth.

Experiences and opinions of nurses working in psychiatric wards on assessing patients' sexual health: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To determine the experiences and opinions of nurses working in psychiatric wards regarding the assessment of patients' sexual health. DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative, interpretative phenomenological design was used. Purposeful, snowball sampling identified eight nurses. Data were collected online through in-depth, individual interviews, and analyzed with Colaizzi's seven-step method. FINDINGS: The nurses' experiences and opinions were grouped under three themes: challenges, requirements, and opportunities. The theme of challenges was divided into attitude and environment; the requirements theme was divided into training, self-knowledge, and procedural arrangements; the opportunities theme was divided into awareness. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Psychiatric nurses should know their sexual values and integrate personal/professional values. Institutions should train nurses in assessment' importance and scope and establish procedures/guidelines, supporting sexual health assessments.

Experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses, who are playing an important role during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, are exposed to a range of psychosocial stressors due to unforeseen risks. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine the experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey. SETTINGS: The data were collected between 9 May and 12 May 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: The study sample consisted of 10 nurses, who cared for patients diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS: The research employed the descriptive phenomenological approach. The interviews were conducted face-to-face via the internet and were analysed with Colaizzi's seven-step method. RESULTS: The experiences and psychosocial problems among nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were categorised under three themes, which were further divided into subcategories. The theme of the effects of the outbreak was divided into working conditions, psychological effects and social effects; the theme of short-term coping strategies was divided into normalisation, refusal to dwell on experiences, avoidance, expression of emotions and distraction; and the theme of necessities was divided into psychosocial support and resource management. CONCLUSION: The nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey were adversely affected, both psychologically and socially, by the pandemic; they used short-term coping strategies, and they needed psychosocial support and resource management. They also faced stigmatising attitudes and experiencing burnout and were at risk for secondary traumas due to witnessing disease and death.