Sustainability consciousness among nursing students in Egypt: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Recognizing nurses as pivotal change agents and urgent preparation for the next generation is crucial for addressing sustainability issues and cultivating a sustainable healthcare system. Reports highlight gaps in the integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) into nursing curricula, prompting the International Council of Nurses to stress the importance of sustainable development in nursing education. The extent to which nursing students are aware of sustainability issues remains to be determined. This study addresses a global and Egyptian research gap by evaluating and comparing Sustainability Consciousness (SC) levels among nursing students at three universities, providing insights into awareness, attitudes, and behaviors related to sustainability. METHODS: This descriptive comparative study was conducted across three nursing faculties within three Egyptian public universities. The target population for this study was undergraduate nursing students enrolled in these universities during the academic year 2022-2023. This study used the extended version of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ-L) to measure individuals' knowingness, attitudes, and behaviors related to the three dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, social, and economic. RESULTS: More than half of the nursing students across the three universities expressed unfamiliarity with the SDGs. Social media was the most common source of information across the three universities. Sohag University recorded the highest median (IQR) scores in sustainability knowingness (72.0, IQR: 70.0-81.0), attitudes (56.0, IQR: 53.0-61.5), and behavior (65.0, IQR: 60.0-69.0) across their respective dimensions, as well as in overall SC (195, IQR: 184.5-208.5). This was followed by Damanhour University, with a median score of 179.0 (IQR: 124.5-194), and then Alexandria University, with a median score of 116.0 (IQR: 85.5-153), all of which were significantly different (all with p values=0.000). Older students from rural areas exhibited higher SC median scores, while students with insufficient family income and no familiarity with the SDGs had lower SC scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the prevalent reliance on social media for information among nursing students across these universities, emphasizing the pivotal role of academic institutions in integrating sustainability development concepts in nursing education. Sohag University's notable commitment to sustainability practices has contributed to the higher SC of its students compared to Alexandria and Damanhour Universities. The study also identified age, place of residence, family income, and familiarity with the SDGs as consistent predictors of sustainability consciousness.

A nurse versus a chatbot ‒ the effect of an empowerment program on chemotherapy-related side effects and the self-care behaviors of women living with breast Cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The high levels of unmet needs in relation to provision of self-care information reported by women living with breast cancer suggests that pre-chemotherapy education is suboptimal. Chatbots are emerging as a promising platform to provide education to patients helping them self-manage their symptoms at home. However, evidence from empirical studies on the effect of chatbots education on women living with breast cancer self-care behaviors and symptoms management are scarce. METHODS: This three-arm randomized controlled trial was performed in a chemotherapy day care center within an oncology center in Egypt. A total of 150 women living with breast cancer were randomly selected and randomized into three groups: the ChemoFreeBot group (n = 50), the nurse-led education group (n = 50), and the routine care group (n = 50). In the ChemoFreeBot group, women were given a link to interact with ChemoFreeBot and ask questions about their symptoms and self-care interventions by typing questions or keywords at any time. On the same day as their first day of chemotherapy, the nurse-led education group received face to face teaching sessions from the researcher (nurse) about side effects and self-care interventions. The routine care group received general knowledge during their chemotherapy session about self-care interventions. The self-care behaviors effectiveness and the frequency, severity and distress of chemotherapy side effects were measured at baseline and postintervention for the three groups. The ChemoFreeBot's usability was assessed. RESULTS: The mixed design repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed a statistically significant both group effect and interaction effect of group*time, indicating a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the physical symptoms frequency (F = 76.075, p < .001, F = 147, p < .001, respectively), severity (F = 96.440, p < .001, F = 220.462, p < .001), and distress (F = 77.171, p < .001, F = 189.680, p < .001); the psychological symptoms frequency (F = 63.198, p < .001, F = 137.908, p < .001), severity (F = 62.137, p < .001), (F = 136.740, p < .001), and distress (F = 43.003, p < .001, F = 168.057, p < .001), and the effectiveness of self-care behaviors (F = 20.134, p < .001, F = 24.252, p < .001, respectively). The Post hoc analysis with Bonferroni adjustment in showed that women in the ChemoFreeBot group experienced a statistically significant less frequent, less severe and less distressing physical and psychological symptoms and higher effective self-care behaviors than those in the nurse-led education and routine care groups (p > .001). CONCLUSION: ChemoFreeBot was a useful and cost-effective tool to improve increase self-care behavior and reduce chemotherapy side effects in women living with breast cancer through the provision of personalized education and the improvement of the accessibility to real-time and high-quality information compared to "one size fits all" approach used by nurses to provide the information. ChemoFreeBot can be an empowering tool to assist nurses to educate women with breast cancer and allow women to take an active role in managing their symptom. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered in the University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Center, Clinical Trials Registry on 26/09/2022; Registration No:R000055389,Trial ID:UMIN000048955.

Posttraumatic growth and recovery among a sample of Egyptian mental health service users: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Delivery of recovery-oriented mental health practice is fundamental to personal recovery. Yet, there is lack of service users' accounts on what constitutes mental health recovery in Egypt. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore mental health recovery meaning informed by people with personal experience of recovery. METHODS: A phenomenological research design was used. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 adult community-dwelling individuals who identified as recovered/recovering from mental health issues. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyses participants' responses. RESULTS: Participants predominately reported personal and functional definitions of mental health recovery. Posttraumatic growth was the strongest theme comprising: relation to others, spirituality, new possibilities, identity & strengths, and appreciation of life. Themes of acceptance and forgiveness, functional and clinical recovery, and finding hope were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to explore mental health recovery meaning among a sample of people with lived experience of mental health issues in Egypt. Findings suggest that developing and implementing psychosocial interventions to support posttraumatic growth among people with mental health issues is a priority.

Perspectives on mental health recovery from Egyptian mental health professionals: A qualitative study.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Personal recovery concept is dominant in mental health systems when service user involvement is emphasized; however, service user involvement in mental health research and practice does not exist in Egypt. Definitions of recovery from high-income and English-speaking countries should be carefully adapted to other settings. Nurses providing mental health care in Egypt generally do not have specialized mental health nursing qualifications. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Both cultural and contextual uniqueness of Egypt as a Middle Eastern, low-middle-income country were clear in the findings of this paper. There are differences in the definition of family and service user engagement in the current study and in high-income countries. Seeking faith healers as a barrier to mental health recovery is culturally unique. Functional recovery prevails as a model in Egypt as there is limited service user involvement. Nursing values and code of ethics are consistent with enablers of mental health recovery. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Changing the pre-registration nursing education to prepare specialized graduates in mental health nursing. Training of mental health professionals on recovery approaches which involve service users is needed in Egypt. Mental health nurses in Egypt can use the current findings to implement national campaigns to raise public awareness of mental health problems. ABSTRACT: Introduction Recovery-oriented mental health practice is an emerging approach that aims to empower individuals to define their goals and take responsibility for their own recovery. However, mental health practice in Egypt is still custodial. Aim To explore perspectives of Egyptian mental health professionals on recovery. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 mental health professionals identified through snowball sampling. Results The current study identified that functional recovery outweighed other definitions. Four facilitators of mental health recovery were identified: therapeutic relationship; family engagement; cultural sensitivity; and professionals' self-awareness. Six barriers to recovery were found, comprising mental health stigma and lack of awareness, seeking traditional healers, shortage of psychiatrists, cost of treatment, lack of training and effective rehabilitation programs. Discussion The concept of functional recovery predominates among nurses and other mental health professionals, which may be due to limited training and the historical lack of service user involvement in Egypt. Lack of support from family and society, inadequate training MHPs and perceived system inefficiencies are also major impeding factors for recovery. Implications for Practice There is a need for nurses to be involved in designing intervention programs targeting the general public and to support increased involvement of people with mental health issues.

Novice Nurses' Communication Skills When Addressing Aggression in Individuals Experiencing Psychosis: The Role of Emotional Regulation Capacity.

Effective nursing practice is linked to a nurse's ability to regulate emotions and effectively communicate with patients. Novice nurses can feel unprepared when approaching individuals with psychosis who show aggressive behaviors. The current descriptive correlational study aimed to examine relationships among novice nurses' emotional regulation (ER) capacity, length of service, and communication skills, and investigate the predictive capacity of ER on communication skills in dealing with aggression among individuals with psychosis. A convenience sample of 133 novice nurses was obtained. Nurses who had been working for 19 to 24 months demonstrated significantly higher overall communication skills than those who had been working for 12 to 18 months and those who had been working <12 months (mean = 45.05 [SD = 10.89], mean = 41.43 [SD = 12.16], and mean = 38.44 [SD = 9.33], respectively; p = 0.03). In addition, a strong positive correlation was detected between ER strategies and communication skills. ER strategies were identified as independent precursors of novice nurses' communication skills. Incorporating ER and communication skills training in mental health nursing curricula is recommended. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60(1), 23-30.].