The effect of self-efficacy levels of patients with intestinal stoma on stoma adaptation.

OBJECTION: This study was conducted to examine the effect of self-efficacy levels on stoma adaptation in patients with intestinal stoma. METHODS: The study was planned as descriptive and analytical and was carried out in the university adult hospital general surgery stoma and wound care unit. Sixty-two patients with intestinal stoma who met the admission criteria were included in the study. Ethics committee approval, institutional permission and patient consent were obtained for the study. Data were collected from June to September 2021 using the Descriptive Feature Information Form, the Self Efficacy Scale for Individuals with Ostomy, and the Ostomy Adjustment Inventory (OAI-23). Data were analyzed by number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Mann Whitney U, t test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression analysis tests. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients with intestinal stoma who participated in our study was 53.12 ± 12.30 years; 71% of them were women, 83.9% were married, and 32.2% were primary and secondary school graduates. The duration of stoma was 8.45 ± 4.69 months, 80.6% of them were opened due to cancer, and 54.8% of them had temporary colostomy. There was a weak and significant correlation between the duration of stoma of the patients and their self-efficacy and stoma adaptation, and as their self-efficacy levels increased, their stoma adaptation increased (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy is one of the important factors affecting patients' adaptation with the stoma. For this reason, it is recommended to plan trainings to support the self-efficacy levels of patients and to conduct interventional studies in this direction.

The validity and reliability of the Diabetic Foot Scale-Short Form (DFS-SF) in the Turkish population: a methodological study.

Background/aim: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) cause decreased quality of life due to prolonged hospital stay, loss of workforce, disabilities, psychological trauma, and increased healthcare costs. This study aims to assess the validity and reliability of the Diabetic Foot Scale-Short Form (DFS-SF) for Turkish-speaking individuals with DFUs. Materials and methods: This was a methodological study conducted with 174 Turkish patients with DFUs from March 2020 to December 2020. Translation-back translation was performed for language equivalence and expert opinions were obtained for content validity. The scale's construct validity was tested with confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and known-group validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency. Correlation of the DFS-SF with the SF-36 was used to test criterion validity. The scale was then revised according to the TRIPOD checklist. Results: The content validity index value was 0.93 and Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.93 to 0.97. The scale maintained its six-factor structure and the factor loadings ranged from 0.52 to 0.86. The fit indices of the model revealed good validity. The correlations (r = 0.43-0.76, p < 0.001) and known-group comparisons supported the construct validity. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the DFS-SF is a reliable tool for measuring the quality of life of people suffering from DFUs.

Draft Genome Sequence of Virgibacillus sp. Strain AGTR, Isolated from Hypersaline Lake Acigöl in Turkey.

Virgibacillus sp. strain AGTR, which is a haloalkaliphilic microorganism, was isolated from a sediment sample collected in hypersaline Lake Acigöl in Turkey. It has the potential to produce biotechnologically essential proteases. Here, the whole-genome sequence and its annotations are reported.

Family relationship of nurses in COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: This research demonstrates that nurses feel pain because the pandemic process has separated them from their family and children. AIM: To examine the family relationship situation of nurses in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: The research adopted a descriptive qualitative design. Participants were selected by the snowball method. An individual in-depth interview technique was used while the participants were away. In-depth interviews were made with a total of 27 nurses. Nine of these nurses were excluded from the study due to communication problems and device problems during the interview. RESULTS: This research showed that nurses suffered from family relationship breakdown and insufficiency in intrafamilial coping. The nurses stayed away from their families due to overtime and fear of COVID-19. They cannot meet the needs of their children and spouses for whom they are responsible, and they cannot spare time for them. They were living a tiring life with great responsibility and faced with mental problems such as burnout syndrome and depression. This study was conducted in three cities with a high number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey. We investigated three themes: Breakdown in continuity of intrafamilial relationship, ineffectiveness in role performance, and ineffective individual coping. CONCLUSION: The nurses suffer from conditions such as change in parent-infant/child relation and insufficiency in intrafamilial process coping.

Determination of Intercultural Sensitivity Among Nurses.

This descriptive study was carried out between July 2017 and August 2017 in an Obstetrics/Gynecology and Children Hospital affiliated to Gaziantep provincial directorate of health. The study population consisted of 363 nurses working in the aforementioned Obstetrics/Gynecology and Children Hospital, and the non-probability sampling method was implemented to reach them. Of the nurses included in the study population, 183 who volunteered to participate in the study comprised the sample of the study. The data were collected from the nurses who filled in the data collection forms given by the researchers using the paper pencil technique. To collect the study data, the Personal Information Form questioning the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) were used. The mean scores the participants obtained from the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and its subscales are as follows: 24.18 ± 3.87 for the Interaction Engagement subscale, 20.68 ± 4.41 for the Respect for Cultural Differences subscale, 17.10 ± 3.27 for the Interaction Confidence subscale, 10.27 ± 2.81 for the Interaction Enjoyment subscale, 10.64 ± 2.06 for the Interaction Attentiveness subscale and 82.62 ± 12.83 for the overall Intercultural Sensitivity Scale. In conclusion, the cultural sensitivity levels of the nurses in this study were above average.

Developing and Evaluating a Mobile Foot Care Application for Persons With Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Pilot Study.

Ulceration of the foot is a major complication of diabetes mellitus, and optimal self-care may help prevent its development. Research suggests that mobile applications (apps) may affect behavioral change. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop the Mobile Diabetic Foot Personal Care System (m-DAKBAS) and evaluate its effectiveness for patients with diabetes. METHOD: During Phase 1, a mobile app that included communication features, remote patient monitoring, and information was developed and pilot-tested among 10 patients. The Phase 2 study, conducted from June 2017 to April 2018, used a 2-group, pre-test/post-test design to evaluate the effect of the app on patients' knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy scores when used for 6 months. Both the experimental (app) and control groups participated in 1 education session at the start of the study. RESULTS: Of 106 patients who enrolled, 88 completed the study (44 in the experimental group and 44 in the control group). Only 6 patients had received education about foot care previously. The average age of all participants was 51.63 years (SD = 8.08). There were significantly more women in the experimental group than in the control group (65% vs. 45.5%; P = 0.5). Each participant used the app for 24 weeks, and the data entry rate was 72.9%. Throughout the study, participants had 1977 data entries (blood glucose and foot observation) in total. Differences between pre- and post-intervention test scores were significantly higher for knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy in both groups, but the difference was greater in the experimental group (P < .05). Only post-test knowledge scores were significantly higher in the experimental compared with the control group (P < .05). Compared to the start of the study, the proportion of participants with cracked/dry skin and inappropriate footwear was significantly lower in the experimental group but not in the control group. CONCLUSION: In this study, education and follow-up via the mobile app and verbal-only instruction increased the knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy scores of patients in both groups. Post-study knowledge scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Patient education remains a crucial component of optimal care, and further development, refinement, and testing of mobile applications to improve self-efficacy and reduce the risk of diabetic foot are warranted.

Effects of Occupational Health and Safety on Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors of Workers Employed in a Private Company in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that inappropriate working conditions and unsafe environments at construction sites, longer working hours, and inadequate workplaces adversely affect the health behaviors of workers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of occupational health and safety (OHS) practices on healthy lifestyle behaviors of workers employed at a construction site of a private company in Gaziantep, Turkey. METHODS: The sampling size of this descriptive study consisted of 400 employees working at the construction site between December 2014 and January 2015. In all, 341 employees still working or participating in the study during the period of this questionnaire study were included in the sampling. Data from the survey were derived from responses to questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics, OHS applications, health state, and working conditions, as well as to the questions in on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale (HLBS), under direct surveillance. FINDINGS: Male workers with a mean age of 30.61 ± 8.68 years constituted the study population. Of the workers, 41.9% had a primary school education. The majority received professional and OHS training (65.7% and 79.2%, respectively). Although 83.9% reported using personal protective equipment (PPE), only 2.1% said they had experienced an occupational accident. Total mean score of HLBS scale was 116.91 ± 25.62 points. Workers who had positive thoughts about their jobs demonstrated healthy lifestyle behaviors (P = .0001). A positive direct correlation was detected between the training the workers received and the use of PPE (P = .0001). In all, 38.1% of the workers reported experiencing work stress at the time of the study. Mean HLBS scores of those experiencing work stress were lower than the scores for workers not experiencing stress (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Receiving OHS and professional training and using of PPE favorably affect healthy lifestyle behaviors.