Psychometric properties of the pediatric ward nurses' caring self-efficacy scale: A Turkish validity and reliability study.

PURPOSE: To translate the 51-item Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale into Turkish and to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the scale in the Turkish population. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was conducted with 308 nurses working in the pediatric/pediatric wards of two hospitals in Turkey between September 2021 and January 2022. A Personal Information Form, the Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Nursing Profession Self-Efficacy Scale (NPSES) were used to determine the care self-efficacy levels of the research sample. RESULTS: The Cronbach alpha value of the scale, which was adapted to Turkish culture, was 0.982, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.994. Factor loads varied between 0.40 and 0.89. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin sample fit coefficient of the scale was 0.963 and the Barlett sphericity test χ2 value was 15,259.02 (p < 0.001). It was determined to have a six-factor structure in Turkish culture and showed good fit indices for the Turkish scale (GFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96 and RMSEA = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The Pediatric Ward Nurses' Caring Self-Efficacy Scale was found to be valid and reliable for sensitively detecting changes in the care self-efficacy levels of nurses working in pediatric wards. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The scale can be used by professionals interested in scientific knowledge about pediatric population.

Evaluation of Gender Courses Offered in Accord with the Curriculum of the Faculties of Health Sciences in Turkish Universities.

AIM: This study, with the presence of gender course in mind, aimed to examine the core education programs, which provide the fundamental standards for the determination of the curriculum background and needs of the Turkish undergraduate programs in healthcare and for the improvement of the quality of the curriculum. METHODS: The research was prepared in a descriptive study. In this context, between April 1, 2018 and April 30, 2018, the study analyzed whether gender course was included in the curricula of the faculties of health sciences in 183 Turkish universities. To evaluate this, the study made use of the Bologna information system. RESULTS: The screening concluded that 56 faculties and departments of only 36 universities included the gender course. Courses related to gender was included in the curricula of 51 faculties and departments, and only 5 identified gender as a subject within the content of different courses rather than including the course in their curricula. CONCLUSION: To conclude, an analysis of the curricula of the faculties/departments that provide education in healthcare revealed that the courses related to gender were not included in the curricula at the desired level, and the gender course that is supposed to be taught in the first year was included in later semesters.

Determination of stress, depression and burnout levels of front-line nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are affected psychosocially due to reasons such as uncertainty and work intensity experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this descriptive study, it was aimed to determine the stress, depression and burnout levels of front-line nurses. Data were obtained from 705 nurses who worked at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic between May and July 2020, using a Personal Information Form, the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data collection tools were sent online to nurse managers, requesting front-line nurses to answer the forms and scales. The nurses were mostly women and had bachelor's degrees, single and worked as nurses for between 1 and 10 years. They had high levels of stress and burnout and moderate depression. Those who were younger and had fewer years of work experience felt inadequate about nursing care and had higher levels of stress and burnout. More burnout was detected in nurses who had a positive COVID-19 test and did not want to work voluntarily during the pandemic. The authors suggest that preventive and promotive interventions in mental health should be planned and implemented to improve the mental health and maintain the well-being of front-line nurses during the pandemic, and to prepare nurses who may work during pandemics in the future.

The Prevalence of Diurnal Urinary Incontinence and Enuresis and Quality of Life: Sample of School.

PURPOSE: Enuresis can cause loss of self-esteem in children, change relations with family and friends, and decrease the school success. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in school children aged between 11-14 years and identify the emotions and social problems of enuretic children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed methods approach was used on a group of students who reported UI by combining quantitative data from school population-based cross-sectional design with qualitative data using in-depth interview techniques. The data of this descriptive and cross-sectional study were collected from 2750 primary school students aged between 11-14 years in Istanbul. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of UI was 8.6% and decreased with age. Prevalence of the diurnal enuresis in children was 67.9% and all of them had non-monosymptomatic enuresis. 83.3% of the children were identifiedwith secondary enuresis for 1-3 years. UI was significantly more common in boys and those who had frequent urinary infections, whose first degree relatives had urinary incontinence problem in childhood, and who reportedlow socioeconomic level in the family. The emotional and social effects of urinary incontinence were given in the context of children's own expressions. CONCLUSION: Urinary incontinence is an important problem of school-age children. In this study the prevalence of UI was found to be 8.6%, diurnal UI and secondary enuresis were very common, and all of the children werenon-monosymptomatic. Enuresis has negative emotional and social effects on children.

Physicians' and nurses' medical errors associated with communication failures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine medical errors associated with communication failures among physicians and nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at 20 state hospitals and 14 training and research hospitals affiliated with the Istanbul City Health Directorate in Turkey, and comprised physicians and nurses. Data were collected between August 2012 and February 2013. A 16-item questionnaire was used that included questions regarding socio-demographic features such as age, gender, educational status, institution, occupation and working years. Questions also aimed at determining medical errors related to communication failures. The questionnaire was completed by the participants during face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Of the 2,273 participants, 1,654(72.8%) were nurses and 619(27.2%) were physicians. Besides, 340(54.9%) physicians and 811(49.03%) nurses worked in state hospitals. The mean age of the physicians was 37.76±9.20 years (range: 22-62 years), and that of the nurses was 32.61±7.38 years (range: 17-62 years). Moreover, 137(22.1%) physicians and 258(15.3%) nurses had previously experienced medical errors. Also, 74(54%) physicians and 135(52.3%) nurses had experienced medical errors due to some communication error. The most common medical errors by physicians were incorrect drug administration 45(32.8%), and delivery of drugs to the wrong patient by nurses 103(40.7%). In addition, 58(42.3%) physicians made medical errors in adult surgical clinic services while 102(39.5%) nurses made medical errors in adult internal medicine clinics. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of medical errors originated from communication failures.

Pediatric Nurses' Information and Applications Related To Ethical Codes.

BACKGROUND: Ethics is defined as the entirety of moral principles that form the basis of individuals' behavior; it can also be defined as "moral theory" or "theoretical ethics". OBJECTIVES: To determinate information and applications related to ethical codes of pediatric nurses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were nurses attending the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursing Course and the Pediatric Nursing Course conducted in Istanbul between September 2011 and December 2012. A total of nurses attending the courses at the specified dates and who agreed to participate in the study were included in the analysis. Data were collected through a questionnaire that we developed in accordance with current literature on nursing ethics. RESULTS: 140 nurses participated in this study. Information and applications were related to ethical codes of nurses including four categories; autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice. The principle of confidentiality/keeping secrets. Exactly 64.3% of nurses reported having heard of nursing ethical codes. The best-known ethical code was the principle of justice. Furthermore, while the rates were generally low, some nurses engaged in unethical practices such as patient discrimination and prioritizing acquaintances. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that most nurses working in pediatric clinics act in compliance with ethical codes. We also found that the majority of nurses wanted to learn about ethical codes. For this reason, we recommended that nurses working in clinics and future nurses in training be informed of the appropriate ethical behavior and codes.

Nursing educators' perceptions about disaster preparedness and response in Istanbul and Miyazaki.

AIM: As healthcare professionals, nursing educators need to be prepared to manage and deliver care in what are often dangerous conditions. This research aims to determine and compare nursing educators' perceptions of disaster preparedness and response (DP&R) in Istanbul and Miyazaki. METHODS: An 18 question descriptive questionnaire was used. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-four nursing educators representing two state university nursing schools in Istanbul, Turkey, and one state and two private universities in Miyazaki, Japan were enrolled. Educators had an average age of 40 years and had been educators for 1-15 years. Just over half of the participants had basic knowledge regarding DP&R with most of them considering taking special courses in the future. The majority considered "caregiver" as a role they could undertake in a disaster situation. The existence of major concerns and conflicts in disaster responses were low. The top ranked item was in the area of conflict between family and job responsibilities. Age and academic levels showed significant differences in basic knowledge on DP&R. Regardless of knowledge in this subject area, no statistical significance on personal preparedness or being a volunteer to disaster events was found. CONCLUSION: Nursing educators were not thinking about what kinds of disasters occur in the areas where they currently teach and were underprepared to deal with disaster situations. To improve the perceptions of the nursing educators on DP&R, mass casualty care and disaster management skills need to be incorporated into formal education and training on disaster preparedness and workplace preparedness.

Prevalence of nocturnal enuresis and related factors in children aged 5-13 in istanbul.

OBJECTIVE: Enuresis is a health problem frequently encountered in childhood. This study was carried out in two socio-demographically different districts of the province of Istanbul, for the purpose of determining the relationship between the prevalence of primary nocturnal enuresis and certain demographic characteristics. METHODS: The study design is a cross-sectional carried out on 420 children (5 to 13 yr old) through random sampling. The research was conducted at two health centers in two different districts in the province of Istanbul. Data was collected with a questionnaire created by the researchers. Diagnosis of enuresis considered nocturnal voiding twice a week for at least three consecutive months. FINDINGS: Enuresis was a complaint expressed by 16.2% of the cases in the study group; 8.3% reported intermittent bedwetting. The data collected in the two districts pointed to a significant difference in terms of the frequency of enuresis in favor of the district where socio-demographic features were inferior (P<0.005). When family histories were explored in cases of children with enuresis, it was found that the mothers of 76.2% had the problem of enuresis while 14.9% had enuretic fathers. Thus statistically, the presence of enuresis in the family history was seen to have had a markedly significant impact on the occurrence of enuresis in the child (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that familial predisposition to the condition constituted a more significant risk factor for enuresis compared to socio-demographic or economic characteristics.

Cyberbullying among primary school students in Turkey: self-reported prevalence and associations with home and school life.

The current study examined the self-reported prevalence and nature of cyberbullying and victimization among second, third, and fourth grade students (N=372) and explored associated features of home and school life. Of the children in the current sample, 27 percent had been victims of cyberbullying, 18 percent had been aggressors, and 15 percent had been both cyberbullies and victims. Boys were significantly more likely to carry out cyberbullying than girls. Cyberbullying exposure (as both a bully and a victim) was significantly associated with low levels of self-reported school satisfaction (bullies odds ratio [OR]: 2.45; victims OR: 2.10; p<0.05) and achievement (bullies OR: 3.85; victims OR: 3.47, p<0.05). Paternal unemployment was also associated with a three-fold increase in the likelihood of being a cyberbully. Increased awareness and regulation is now required within schools and within the home to tackle this escalating problem.

Prevalence of peer bullying in high school students in Turkey and the roles of socio-cultural and demographic factors in the bullying cycle.

This research was conducted as a descriptive and relational study to determine the frequency of bullying among high school students and the relationships between some of their characteristics and their roles in the bullying cycle. The research data were obtained from 1670 students in the 9th and 10th grades of six high schools in Istanbul province. The data were analyzed with percentage distribution, Chi square, t test, correlation and Tukey test.The Determination of Peer Bullying Scale and a Personal Information Form were used for data collection in the research. According to the Determination of Peer Bullying Scale 17% of the students were in a bullying cycle (5.3% as bully, 5.9% as victim, and 5.8% as both bully and victim). The boys used more direct methods of bullying and girls more indirect methods of bullying. The rate of bullying behavior was also higher in boys and being a victim was higher in girls; the majority of the girls were bullied by girls and the majority of the boys were bullied by boys. More of those involved in bullying incidents had unexcused absenteeism from school and stated that they did not like school. The results obtained from this research show that the prevalence of bullying in high schools in Turkey is similar to the results in other countries. Determination of the causative factors that support and maintain bullying behavior for implementation of prevention programs is required.

A controlled evaluation of a school-based obesity prevention in Turkish school children.

This research was conducted to assess the effect of a weight management program in Turkish school children with overweight and obesity. Forty one students formed the intervention group while 40 students formed the control group in two elementary schools. Students in intervention group were given seven training sessions in a period of 2.5 months. Concurrently, parents were given two trainings and consultancy. The Body Mass Indices (BMIs) of the intervention group at the third measurement were decreased (p < .05) significantly when compared to the control group. The findings suggest use of school-based weight management programs starting from elementary school.

Observation results of handwashing by health-care workers in a neonatal intensive care unit.

This research was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the status of handwashing, which is important and an effective method of preventing and controlling hospital infections, by health-care workers in a neonatal intensive care unit and to make recommendations based on the results. The research sample included 28 health-care workers (physicians and nurses) who agreed to participate voluntarily in the study. A total of 344 observations were made of situations requiring handwashing. The health-care workers' handwashing compliance rate was 58.14% and no statistically significant difference between physicians and nurses was found in whether or not handwashing was done. However the percentage of handwashing compliance was higher for the nurses (62.50%) than for the physicians (52.63%). In the analysis of handwashing technique and duration, the physicians (23.75%) had a higher percentage of correct technique and duration than the nurses (13.33%), but the difference was not statistically significant.

Evaluation of the birthweight values of newborns presenting at the Mother-Child Health and Family Planning Center in Yenibosna, Istanbul, Turkey.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of a number of variables related to the mother (age, educational level, employment status, cigarette smoking during pregnancy) and to the baby (sex and birth order) on newborns' birthweight. The research was carried out in the province of Istanbul, one of Turkey's large metropolises, at the Mother-Child Health and Family Planning Center in the district of Yenibosna, where 0-1 month old infants had been brought in for phenylketonuria screening and vaccinations. The mean age of the mothers was 26.1 +/- 4.8 years and the mean birthweight of the newborns was 3236.7 +/- 542.2 g. Of the infants, 6.3% were classified as having a low birthweight and 8.3% were large infants. The mean birthweight showed a statistical significance depending upon the infants' sex and birth order. The mean birthweight of the infants of the working mothers, as opposed to the unemployed mothers and the mothers in nuclear families, as opposed to the mothers in extended families, was higher.

Comparison of the health-promoting lifestyles of nursing and non-nursing students in Istanbul, Turkey.

Undertaking a health-related course at university can facilitate an awareness of health-promoting lifestyles. We carried out a descriptive and cross-sectional study with 1616 university students in Istanbul, Turkey. Students from the nursing schools were compared to those from the schools of social sciences using a Turkish version of the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II after a validation study. The nursing students had more positive health-promoting lifestyles than those of the non-nursing students. Furthermore, fourth-year nursing students had higher scores in most of the subscales of the HPLP II than did the students from the lower years; conversely, the fourth-year non-nursing students had lower scores. The sociodemographic variables, self-perceived health status, relations with family and friends, and self-perceived academic performance were associated with the HPLP. The implications are discussed for the curricula and on-campus facilities that focus on health promotion activities.

The effect of two different methods used during peripheral venous blood collection on pain reduction in neonates.

The purpose of the present study was to examine and compare the analgesic effects of breast feeding and sucrose solutions in reducing pain due to venipuncture in term neonates. 102 term infants requiring a venous blood sample for routine screening of phenylketonuria (n=26) and hyperbilirubinemia (n= 76) were included in the study. The participants were allocated into one of the sucrose, breast feeding, and control groups. Allocation of the infants into groups was performed due to mothers' wishes whereas the control group included the infants on whom routine procedures of the hospital were performed. In order to assess the pain response of the neonates before, during and after venipuncture, Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) was used and their heart rates, oxygen saturation levels and length of crying were noted. The crying time (seconds) was shorter both sucrose (9.56+/-12.96) and breast feeding (28.62+/-33.71) than the control group (103.50+/-63.69). No difference was found in the analgesic effect of breast feeding compared with sucrose, when assessed with the NIPS. The mean heart rate did not significantly differ among three groups before, during and after procedure. During procedure, the mean oxygen saturation levels of sucrose group were found significantly higher than the control group, but no difference was observed between sucrose and breast feeding groups. This study has confirmed some well known information that breast feeding and oral sucrose solution have pain reducing effects in infants undergoing venipuncture.

Knowledge and attitudes of high school students about AIDS: a Turkish perspective.

This study was conducted with 705 high school students (360 ninth graders and 345 11th graders; 305 female, 400 male) for the purpose of determining their knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Data were obtained using a self-completed questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. Section A included questions about descriptive characteristics of the students. Section B included questions about HIV/AIDS knowledge. Section C included questions about students' attitudes towards AIDS and their information sources. The percentage, correlation, and one-way analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Research findings showed moderate knowledge levels (59.15 +/- 14.22 out of 100 points) in a sample group of 705 Turkish high school students on all AIDS-related questions. Students in private schools had higher scores than those in public schools; boys had higher scores than girls; 11th graders had higher scores than ninth graders, and the methods of transmission were better known than methods of nontransmission. Scores increased in parallel with student age. Knowledge scores of students were also positively correlated with a higher level of parent education and the ease with which sexuality-related subjects were discussed at home. About half of the students believed that people with HIV/AIDS should be able to attend school and should not have to stop working. Most of the students were informed about HIV/AIDS by media. To prevent the illness, the most important role of the nurses is to focus on education and information for individuals, families, and communities.