Turkish Muslim Physicians' and Nurses' Views About the Do Not Resuscitate Order: A Cross-Sectional Two Center Study.

This study aims to determine Turkish Muslim physicians' and nurses' views about the Do Not Resuscitate order and the factors influencing these views. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The sample consisted of 327 health workers including 77 physicians and 250 nurses employed in internal and surgical clinics, intensive care units and emergency services of two different university hospitals located in the northeast of Turkey. 90.9% of Muslim Turkish physicians and 74.4% of nurses request the Do Not Resuscitate order to be legally implemented. The factors predicting 40.0% of Muslim Turkish physicians and nurses requesting the legal implementation of the Do Not Resuscitate order were determined as working at institution 1; requesting implemented before emergencies occur, in emergencies and in both cases; considering informing the patient and their surrogates about as a patient's right; and requesting to be a surrogate for one relatives.

Investigation of physiological and psychological effects of robotic cat and betta fish therapies in hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled study.

AIMS: This randomized controlled study was conducted to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of pet therapy in hemodialysis patients. BACKGROUND: Pet therapy has both physiological and psychological effects on individuals with chronic diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the physiological and psychological effects of pet treatment in hemodialysis patients worldwide. DESIGN: A randomized controlled study. METHODS: The study was completed with 18 robotic cats, 18 Betta fish, and 18 control group patients. The data were collected at XXX State Hospital between May and September 2021 using data collection tools. Robotic pet treatment was applied to the robotic cat group for 20 min a week for two months during hemodialysis. The Betta fish group was allowed to keep Betta fish at home for two months, and they were followed for another two months. The data were evaluated in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23.0 package program. The study was registered on Clinical Trials (NCT05339711). RESULTS: During robotic cat therapy, patients' loneliness and dialysis symptoms decreased, and happiness and treatment adherence to the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) increased; In the post-test follow-up, in the first measurement, the treatment adherence to the ESRD decreased, the loneliness and dialysis symptoms increased, the happiness did not change; In the second measurement of the post-test, happiness, and treatment adherence to ESRD decreased, loneliness and dialysis symptoms increased. During Betta fish therapy, patients' body mass index, happiness, and treatment adherence to ESRD increased, loneliness and dialysis symptoms decreased; in the first measurement, and loneliness, dialysis symptoms, body mass index, and treatment adherence to the ESRD increased; In the second measurement, loneliness, dialysis symptoms increased, body mass index and happiness decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that Robotic cat and Betta fish therapies had positive physiological and psychological effects in hemodialysis patients, and these effects were different from each other.

The effect of topically administered lavender aromatherapy on the pain of insulin injection in diabetic patients: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Needle phobia occurs in more than half of diabetic patients due to the pain caused by frequent insulin injections. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of topically administered lavender aromatherapy on the pain of insulin injections in diabetic patients. METHODS: In this double-blind randomized controlled and experimental study, patients who met the study criteria were divided into three groups; topical lavender oil (n = 60), placebo (n = 60), and control (n = 60) groups. The data were collected using the "Patient Information Form", the "Follow-up Form", the "Verbal Category Scale (VCS)", and the "Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)". RESULTS: The results revealed no significant difference between the patients in the topical lavender oil group before and during the insulin injection in terms of VAS and VCS pain scores (p > 0.05). In the placebo and control groups, the mean VAS and VCS pain scores during insulin injection were found to be significantly higher than before insulin injection (p < 0.05). Besides, the mean VAS and VCS scores during insulin injection were significantly higher in the placebo and control groups than the topical lavender oil group (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: : The study showed that patients who were administered topical lavender oil felt less pain after insulin injection than those in the placebo and control groups. Therefore, topically applied lavender aromatherapy can be easily used for pain control in insulindependent diabetic patients (clinical trial number NCT04767737).

Relationship of Cachexia with Self-Care Agency and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: The Case of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the effects of cachexia, causing major problems in the world and Turkey, on self-care agency and quality of life in cancer patients. METHODS: The population of this cross-sectional and relationship-seeking study consisted of cancer patients in Turkey from April 1 to April 20, 2021. Using the snowball sampling method, 174 patients were sampled. "Patient Information Form," "The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer C30 Cancer Quality of Life Scale," and "Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale" were used as data collection tools. RESULTS: In the study, 52 patients (29.9%) were found to have cachexia. Function, general well-being, symptom (except insomnia), and self-care agency, which are subdimensions of the quality-of-life scale, were found to be significantly lower in patients with cachexia than patients without cachexia (P < 0.001). It was determined that there was a significant negative correlation between the cachexia status of the patients and the five basic functions in the functional scale (physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social function), general well-being, and self-care agency, and there was a significant positive correlation between the cachexia status of the patients and the symptom scale (P < 0.001). According to the results of multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that the factor that significantly affected the cachexia status of the patients was their self-care agency (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that cachexia caused significantly lower self-care agency and quality of life in cancer patients. Furthermore, quality of life was related to self-care agency.

Nurses interventions to reduce unwanted noise.

The study evaluated the nurses' interventions to reduce unwanted noise. This hospital-based, descriptive study was conducted at a Training Hospital in the Eastern part of Turkey, Trabzon, between 15-30 January 2016. It was participated by 248 volunteer nurses. Nurses express the noise of visitors (96.3%) on the first rank among the kinds of noise. The results of the study showed that most of the nurses were determined to use "a picture hanging technique on the wall" (53.2%) for preventing noise. No significant correlation was found between the descriptive characteristics of the nurses and nursing interventions to prevent noise (p> 0.05). A significant difference was found between the nurses working in internal medicine and surgical service in terms of the effect of noise on their work (p <0.05).

Therapeutic Effects of Nurse Telephone Follow-up for Lung Cancer Patients in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Patients with lung cancer can encounter many difficulties as they adjust to the side effects of chemotherapy treatments. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the therapeutic effects of nurse telephone follow-up for lung cancer patients. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, the sample consisted of 60 patients with lung cancer assigned to an intervention group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The control group participants were sequentially enrolled first and then the intervention group participants were enrolled. The data were collected using the Patient Information Form, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, and the Functional Living Index-Cancer. The Nursing Care Guide was created by the nurse researchers' team and given to both the intervention and control groups. Telephone follow-up calls were conducted with intervention patients within the first week after their chemotherapy session. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Pearson χ, Fisher exact, Mann-Whitney U, and Friedman test and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: Patients in the intervention group demonstrated significantly better adjustment to the symptoms secondary to chemotherapy and higher social functioning quality of life scores compared with reported scores in the control group. CONCLUSION: Nurse telephone follow-up can reduce chemotherapy-related symptoms for lung cancer patients and improve participants' social functioning. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse telephone follow-up is an acceptable and feasible form of patient contact and is a convenient and efficient way to offer patients the support and continuity of care they need.

Factors affecting the sleep status of surgical and medical patients at a University Hospital of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors that affect sleep status of surgical and medical patients during hospitalisation. METHODS: This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at Karadeniz Technical University's Farabi Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey, from July to October 2014. Data was gathered using a questionnaire and the Form of Factors Affecting Sleep Pattern. SPSS 15 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 184 participants, there were 92(50%) each from the surgery and medical clinics. The mean score for the Form of Factors Affecting Sleep Pattern was 84.57±8.65 among the surgical patients and 78.01±17.61 among the medical patients. It was found that noise at the hospital affected sleep patterns among 73(79.3%) of the surgical patients and among 64(69.6%) of the medical patients. There were statistically significant differences between mean scores of the surgical patients and gender and marital status (p=0.001 and p=0.012, respectively), whereas among the medical patients statistically significant differences existed between mean scores and having operation (p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Both groups of patients underwent changes in sleep routines during hospitalisation.

Assessment of death anxiety among medical and surgery clinics patients of a teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of death anxiety among inpatients in Medical and Surgery clinics. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Medical and Surgery clinics of the University Hospital of Trabzon, Turkey, from June 15 to October 15, 2014. Data was gathered using a questionnaire and Death Anxiety Scale was applied. RESULTS: There were 170 subjects in the study. Mean death anxiety score was 7.82±2.73 among Medical patients, while it was 8.09±2.73 for surgical patients. Those who stayed at Medical Clinic showed statistically significant differences between death anxiety and gender, patients' profession, the type of patient room, and patients' previous surgeries (p<0.05 each). Patients who stayed at Surgery Clinic showed statistically significant differences between death anxiety and age, marital status, having visitors, frequency of thoughts about death and sharing thoughts of death with others (p<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: Death anxiety was higher among patients who stayed at the Surgery Clinic than those at the Medical Clinic.

Nonmedical methods to relieve low back pain caused by lumbar disc herniation: a descriptive study in northeastern Turkey.

Low back pain due to the effects of lumbar disc herniation is a common complaint of patients who often subsequently seek help from medical professionals. It is also a significant health problem which is quite difficult to treat. This descriptive study was conducted to determine nonmedical methods used by patients with lumbar disc herniation to relieve low back pain; the patients' intensity of low back pain when they were admitted to the hospital was also explored. Ninety-two patients with lumbar disc herniation participated in this study, which was carried out at a university hospital in northeastern Turkey. Data were collected using a patient information form and the visual analog scale (VAS). When the patients were admitted to hospital, their mean VAS score was 6.56 ± 2.45. The study results showed that as a first choice nearly all of the patients (94.6%) with lumbar disc herniation preferred consulting with their physicians before to obtain relief for low back pain. However, in addition to seeing their physician, more than one-half of these patients (57.6%) also used nonmedical methods. The primary nonmedical methods were hot/cold compresses, wrapping various substances on the back, and herbal preparations. An increase in pain was noted by 17.0% of patients after using nonmedical methods. Findings indicated that more than two-thirds of patients experienced either no change or an increase in pain after using nonmedical methods to find relief.

Alexithymia among elderly patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine alexithymic characteristics and affecting factors in the elderly with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This study was planned as a cross-sectional and descriptive study and was conducted in a state Hospital with 120 elderly patients with diabetes. Data were collected using a personal information form and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. RESULTS: Alexithymia was found in 75.8% of the elderly with diabetes mellitus. It was determined that patients experienced higher than average difficulty in describing and identifying feelings. They also had more externally-oriented thinking styles. Patients' income levels, family structure and illness duration affected their manifestation of alexithymic characteristics. CONCLUSION: Majority of elderly patients with diabetes exhibited alexithymic characteristics. However, these were not shown to be associated with sex, age, marital, educational or professional status. In addition, no connection was found between alexithymia and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), postprandial glucose (PBG), and the treatment and complications of diabetes mellitus.

Nursing and midwifery college students' expectations of their educators and perceived stressors during their education: a pilot study in Turkey.

Nursing and midwifery education is known to be negatively affected by several factors. Nevertheless, the present learning environments for students can be effectively altered to optimize their learning and practical training and decrease their stress levels. In order to minimize the stressors and to encourage the qualities needed of a competent educator, it would be important to first determine students' perceived stressors and the expectations they have of their educators. The main purpose of the study was to define the expectations that nursing and midwifery college students have of their educators as well as the stressors they perceive during their education. The present descriptive study was carried out with 474 students; there were 345 nursing students and 129 midwifery students at a college in northeastern Turkey. Data were obtained with a questionnaire and assessed with X(2) analyses. The findings of the study demonstrated that a majority of the students had some expectations of the educators and perceived stressors during their education. The students' most common expectations of the educators included their desire to be understood during their clinical education. In addition, students wanted the educators to make more use of visual materials during the theoretical part of their courses. The study also determined that the students felt very stressed when they were questioned by the educator on both clinical and theoretical aspects of their coursework.

Attitudes and health beliefs associated with breast cancer screening behaviors among Turkish women.

PROBLEM: This research was undertaken to determine the attitudes and health beliefs of a sample of Turkish women about breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination, and mammography. DESIGN: Data were collected by means of a researcher-designed questionnaire and the Champion Health Belief Model Scale. A total of 1,342 women participated in this study. RESULTS: It was found that 10.1% of the women practiced BSE once a month, 19.8% of the women had had a clinical breast examination, and 15.0% had had a mammogram. Age and marital status were significant variables that influenced whether the women used only one or multiple methods for early detection of breast cancer. Participants who had higher levels of confidence for BSE and lower perceptions of barriers to BSE were more likely to perform BSE. Participants who perceived higher levels of confidence to perform BSE were more likely to be using all three early detection methods. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Interventions and strategies that help women develop confidence in their abilities to perform early breast cancer detection methods are likely to encourage them to engage in regular screening for breast cancer.

The effects of peer education on university students' knowledge of breast self-examination and health beliefs.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of peer education on breast self-examination (BSE) knowledge and health beliefs. 180 female university students were trained in BSE by the nursing students. Students instructed in groups by their peers showed a much higher degree of BSE knowledge. It was also found that perceived confidence of the students educated both individually and in groups increased afterward. Study results further revealed that the methods used for peer instruction do not affect students' sub-dimensions of health beliefs differently after the education.

The effect of home healthcare on quality of life in patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer.

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of home healthcare on the quality of life (QOL) in patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. A total of 42 patients, who met eligibility criteria, were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. Control group patients received "usual care" defined as pain control and management through the pain clinic. Experimental group patients received pain control through the clinic plus three home visits. During the home visits, their nursing care was guided by an evidence-based protocol developed by the research team. Data were collected on pain, performance, symptoms, and QOL by using previously developed and validated instruments.Significant differences were found between the two groups on physiological function, psychological concerns, and total stress. In the experimental group, there was a significant decrease in pain and increase in performance from baseline to the final data collection period. For the control group, a significant decrease in QOL over the study period was observed. There were no significant differences between the two groups on pain, performance, QOL, and QOL subscales at the final visit.