Experiences of Nurses in Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Qualitative Research.

Background: The Covid-19 disease was raised as a fundamental public health problem worldwide, and nurses were exposed to many problems and challenges at the front line of fighting this disease. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain the experiences of nurses who took care of Covid-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This study was a conventional content analysis qualitative study using Granheim and Lundman approach. The study participants included 20 nurses working in Corona referral hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted from September 2020 to March 2021. To assess the trustworthiness of the obtained data, credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability criteria were used. Results: Data analysis led to the production of 700 primary codes, 15 sub-sub-categories, 5 sub-categories and 2 main categories. These two main categories consisted ofpsychological reactions and organizational challenges. Negative emotional experiences and positive emotional experiences were placed in the category of psychological reactions and expectations from superiors, lack of facilities and resources and insufficient quality of care in the category of organizational challenges. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that managers and policy- makers should prioritize the nursing empowerment to ensure effective epidemic fight and the psychological and financial support of Covid-19 ward nurses.

The Effect of a Health Literacy Promotion Program on the Level of Health Literacy and Death Anxiety in Women with Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: With regard to the high rate of death anxiety in women with breast cancer and low levels of health literacy in these patients, this study aimed to investigate the effect of a health literacy promotion program on the level of health literacy and death anxiety in women with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a clinical trial that was conducted in two groups of 30 women with breast cancer using a convenient sampling method in 2018. An educational program consisting of four sessions was arranged once every 2 weeks for the intervention group. The data collection tools were Templer Death Anxiety Scale and the Health Literacy For Women with Breast Cancer (HELBA) questionnaire with a demographic information record form. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney test showed that there were no significant differences in the level of death anxiety and health literacy before the intervention between the control and intervention groups (p ≥ 0.05). But there were significant differences in the level of death anxiety between the intervention and control groups immediately after the intervention (Z = 3.38, p = 0.001) and one month later (Z = 3.10, p = 0.002). Also, there was significant differences in the level of health literacy immediately after the intervention (Z = 4.74, p < 0.001) and 1 month later (Z = 4.92, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that the use of a health literacy promotion program for women with breast cancer might increase their health literacy while it might decrease their level of death anxiety.