Effects of love glove application on vital signs for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of love glove application on vital signs for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit. DESIGN: A single-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. TREND Statement Checklist was followed during the present study. METHODS: The study was conducted on 30 intubated/extubated adult patients. The gloves were filled with warm water and air to prevent pressure injuries. Then they were tied together and applied to both hands of the patient for 30 min. The patient's vital signs were recorded before and after the application. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed. RESULTS: It was determined that respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and oxygen saturation were significantly affected after the application of the love glove. The application of love gloves is a cheap and non-pharmacological method with no side effects. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients were involved in the design and conduct of this study.

Healthy life skills and related factors among university students: a cross-sectional study in Istanbul, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global deaths. University students with unhealthy lifestyle constitute a high-risk group for NCDs. Evaluating and developing healthy behaviors during this period is very important for future health outcomes. This study was conducted to determine healthy life skills in university students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a university, and data were collected between January and March 2023 in Istanbul. Data were collected using the healthy living skills scale in University Students and the Personal Information Form. Normal distribution conditions of the data were checked with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. According to data distribution, data with normal distribution were analyzed using parametric statistics including t-test, ANOVA and Chi-square tests and data with non-normal distribution were analyzed using non-parametric tests including Mann-Whitney U-test and Fisher's exact test. Logistic regression test was used to determine predictor variables. RESULTS: The average score for healthy life skills was 63.5 out of 84. Significant differences were found in the scores based on marital status, economic income, social security insurance coverage, and educational grade (p = 0.03, p = 0.001, p = 0.004, p = 0.04, respectively). Students who reported alcohol and smoking consumption had lower scores (60.8 ± 12) out of 84. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that university students in Istanbul possess a satisfactory level of healthy life skills. By providing social support, such as expanding the coverage of social security insurance and establishing conducive educational environments, while also paying attention to the influence of peers on students, we can contribute to the development of healthy life skills in university students.

Examination of the relationship between thanatophobia and resilience levels of nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units.

BACKGROUND: Nurses in critical care and palliative care units care for patients suffering from severe pain and suffering and at high mortality risk. For this reason, nurses working in these units should be psychologically resilient. However, nurses who are constantly exposed to the death process face the risk of thanatophobia. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between thanatophobia levels and the psychological resilience of nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units. METHODS: The sample of this descriptive and cross-sectional study included 158 nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units. Personal information form for nurses, Thanatophobia Scale and Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults were used. Data were collected through an online questionnaire in the study. Percentage calculations, mean measurements, Kruskal Wallis test and Mann Whitney U test were used in the statistical evaluation of the data. RESULTS: The mean of thanatophobia scale and psychological resilience scale was found 31.74 ± 10.08 and 108.34 ± 7.12, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the tanatophobia total scale score and age, receiving training on psychological resilience (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between perseption of self, family cohesion and perception of future and the status of receiving training on psychological resilience (p < 0.05). A statistically negative significant correlation was determined between the thanatophobia scale and the psychological resilience scale total scores. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, it was determined that as the thanatophobia of the nurses increased, their psychological resilience decreased. This situation may negatively affect nurses working in critical departments to provide quality health care to patients. Establishing and maintaining training programs to reduce thanatophobia and increase psychological resilience of nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units will ensure that nurses provide quality health care to the patient and reduce the physiological and psychological wear of nurses.