Influenza vaccination coverage and obstacles in healthcare workers (HCWs) and the follow up of side effects: a multicenter investigation in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Seasonal influenza is an annual common occurrence in cold seasons; but the COVID-19 pandemic is also currently ongoing. These two diseases can't be distinguished from their symptoms alone; therefore, the importance of preventing influenza by vaccination is more than ever. Due to the high exposure of hospital personnel, widespread influenza vaccination of these high-risk groups seems to be a necessity. This Study conducted to determine vaccination coverage in the personnel of four tertiary referral collegiate hospitals in 2019 and to further investigate individual obstacles for Influenza vaccination. METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 637 personnel were selected randomly from distinctive hospitals in a list-wised. Ones vaccinated filled the side effects questionnaire and who not vaccinated filled the vaccination obstacles questionnaire. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences with this reference number: IR.TUMS.IKHC.REC.1398.218. RESULTS: The mean vaccination coverage was 29.4% and the coverage difference among centers was not statistically significant (p = 0.192). The following items had the most impact on personnel decision: confidence about one's immune system (p < 0.05), the experience of side effects from previous vaccinations (p = 0.011), attitude about vaccination in colleagues (p = 0.021) and work experience (p < 0.05). About 23% of vaccinated individuals reported side effects following vaccination and the most common side effect was mild cold symptoms with 12.3% prevalence. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study revealed that influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs is not satisfactory in Iran. Hospital authorities and infection control units should plan to remove the obstacles of influenza vaccination.

Effect of Laughter Therapy on Depression and Quality of Life of the Elderly Living in Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are common among the elderly with serious symptoms of depression and social isolation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of laughter therapy (LT) on depression and quality of life (QOL) of the elderly living in Abadeh nursing homes. METHODS: This is a controlled semi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design. Ninety eligible ones of the elderly living in the Abadeh nursing homes and from July to September 2017, entered the study. Some of the criteria for entering the study include being over 60 years old, orientation, not having blindness and deafness, lack of physical and mental problems. After determining the intervention and control groups, the scale of depression and QOL was administered to the subjects and their scores were collected in the pre-test. RESULTS: Most of the study samples were in the intervention (35.55%) and control (37.77%) group in the age range of 60-69 years. In both intervention and control groups, respectively, 31.11% and 68.88% elderly were males and females. The mean scores of depression in the intervention group after LT (M = 2.57) were lower than those before the intervention (M = 6.87) [CI = -5.58-(-3.02)] and also the results of independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference before and after the intervention between the two groups (P < 0.001). The mean score of dimensions of QOL after LT was higher than that before in the intervention and there was a statistically significant difference in all dimensions with paired t-test (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Since the implementation of this programme could improve the mental status and QOL of the elderly, this method of therapy can be used as an alternative or complementary model to enhance the health of the elderly.

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Their Associated Factors in Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in nursing are regarded as an important factor for creating tension since they may often cause discontent, leave profession, and provide incorrect services to their clients. The present study aimed to determine WMSDs and their related factors among the nursing staff in university hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). METHODS: In the present descriptive cross-sectional study, 300 nurses in SUMS were selected based on systematic random sampling. To this aim, demographic information, and Nordic musculoskeletal disorder questionnaires were used for data collection. The data were analysed by descriptive and analytical tests (mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, and ANOVA) by SPSS/21 software. RESULTS: Based on the findings of WMSDs, low back disorders (88.33%) were more prevalent. In addition, a significant relationship was observed between WMSDs in different areas of the body with age, sex, and work experience and hours (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Regarding the high prevalence of WMSDs among nurses, it is recommended to adopt interventional program for preventing WMSDs by reducing working hours and physical pressure control.

Sexual Function and Factors Affecting Menopause: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this review study is to evaluate sexual function and its effective factors in menopause. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The key words of "menopause," "postmenopause," "postmenopausal," "premenopause," "pre-menopausal period," "sexual function," "sexual health," "sexuality," "sexual and gender disorders," "sexual development," "sexual dysfunction," "sexual disorders," "sexual behavior and "sexual activity" were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. After reviewing the selected articles, 27 papers were selected based on the criteria for entering the study and the goals set. The results of the reviewed articles showed that, in the physical domain, the factors affecting sexual function can be mentioned, age, hormonal changes, medical problems and reproductive history. Sexual disorders in menopause can be affected by some of the individual and social characteristics and psychological problems. Considering the fact that many psychological and social injuries occur in this period following sexual disorders; therefore, policies and programs for improving the quality of life of women in menopause should be aimed at eliminating sexual dysfunction, correcting attitudes and negative emotions and help to women for more comfortable in menopause.

Comparing Quality of Life of Elderly Menopause Living in Urban and Rural Areas.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the quality of life of elderly menopause living in urban/rural areas of Abadeh, Iran. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 312 urban and 68 rural elderly population using the two-stage (systematic random classification) and objective-based sampling methods. Data were collected by Leiden-Padua questionnaire for assessment of quality of life in elderly menopause. SPSS software (version 21) and descriptive-analytical tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the overall quality of life was 37.5 and 34.2 in rural and urban areas, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed between them. However, there was statistically significant difference in the mean score of depression and anxiety, cognitive function, social function, life satisfaction, and sexual activity in urban and rural elderly menopause (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It seems necessary to pay more attention to the elderly menopause to improve their quality of life and consider proper planning for their empowerment and coping skills training.

The Effect of Spiritual Care on Perceived Stress and Mental Health Among the Elderlies Living in Nursing Home.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spiritual care on the perceived stress and mental health of the elderlies living in nursing home in Isfahan. This is a semi-experimental study with pretest and posttest design with control group. Ninety eligible elderlies living in the nursing home were divided into intervention and control groups through census and random allocation. The interventional spiritual care was conducted for the intervention group for 90 days. After conducting the spiritual care, the majority of the elderlies (62.22%) in the intervention group had a low perceived stress level and the majority of the subjects (64.44%) in the control group had a high perceived stress level. Therefore, after performing spiritual care, a significant difference was observed at the perceived stress level of the two groups (X2 = 3.22 and P = 0.001). The results of mental health level indicated that the mean score of the general health questionnaire was ranged between 10.95 and 27.2. After performing care, a significant difference was observed in mental health level of both groups, and 31.11% and 53.33% of the participants were suspected to general disorder in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Based on the results, there was a significant difference in the mental health level of both groups after the implementation of spiritual care (X2 = 6.56 and P = 0.001). Further, a significant negative correlation was found between the perceived stress and mental health (r = - 0.241 and P = 0.01). Considering the spiritual health as one of the health dimensions influencing the psychosocial variables of elderlies seems necessary. Policymakers and planners of health area contribute to the improvement of mental health level by using comprehensive care approach with an emphasis on the spiritual dimension of care for the elderly people.

Effects of problem-solving skill training on emotional intelligence of nursing students: An experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students are generally trained to acquire the knowledge, skills, and approaches required for solving problems and contradictions in life and at work. In fact, problem-solving skills are the core of effective nursing activities. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of problem-solving training on the promotion of emotional intelligence in nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This interventional case-control study used a pretest-posttest design. All senior nursing students (n = 43) attending the seventh semester of their undergraduate studies at Hazrat Fatemeh School of Nursing and Midwifery of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were recruited in the present study. The participants were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 20) or the control group (n = 23). The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: While the mean standardized scores of Emotional Quotient Inventory of the two groups were not significantly different before the intervention, the scores were significantly higher in the intervention group both immediately and 2 months after the intervention. Comparison of the standardized emotional intelligence scores revealed the intervention group to have significantly higher mean scores immediately and 2 months after the intervention compared to baseline scores (105.87 ± 9.82 and 109.44 ± 9.56 vs. 101.22 ± 10.93; P < 0.001). Such significant differences were absent in the control group. CONCLUSION: Using the results of this research in nursing education, it is possible to improve the level of nurses' knowledge and personal skills and to increase the level of services and increase the satisfaction of the clients.