INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairments present challenges for patients, impacting memory, attention, and problem-solving abilities. Virtual reality (VR) offers innovative ways to enhance cognitive function and well-being. This study explores the effects of VR-based training programs and games on improving cognitive disorders. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched until May 20, 2023. Two researchers selected and extracted data based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, resolving disagreements through consultation with two other authors. Inclusion criteria required studies of individuals with any cognitive disorder engaged in at least one VR-based training session, reporting cognitive impairment data via scales like the MMSE. Only English-published RCTs were considered, while exclusion criteria included materials not primarily focused on the intersection of VR and cognitive disorders. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the MMAT tool. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test. The collected data were utilized to calculate the standardized mean differences (Hedges's g) between the treatment and control groups. The heterogeneity variance was estimated using the Q test and I2 statistic. The analysis was conducted using Stata version 17.0. RESULTS: Ten studies were included in the analysis out of a total of 3,157 retrieved articles. VR had a statistically significant improvement in cognitive impairments among patients (Hedges's g = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.68; p_value = 0.05). games (Hedges's g = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.39; p_value = 0.20) had a more significant impact on cognitive impairment improvement compared to cognitive training programs (Hedges's g = 0.29, 95% CI: -0.11, 0.69; p_value = 0.24). The type of VR intervention was a significant moderator of the heterogeneity between studies. CONCLUSION: VR-based interventions have demonstrated promise in enhancing cognitive function and addressing cognitive impairment, highlighting their potential as valuable tools in improving care for individuals with cognitive disorders. The findings underscore the relevance of incorporating virtual reality into therapeutic approaches for cognitive disorders.
Cognition Disorders , Cognitive Dysfunction , Virtual Reality , Humans , Cognitive Dysfunction/therapy , Cognition , Activities of Daily Living
Background and Aim: Anxiety, stress, and depressive disorders as common mental health problems have adverse effects in different populations. Holy Quran recitation and listening can help reduce these disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Holy Quran on anxiety, stress, and depression. Materials and Methods: To retrieve eligible studies, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The articles were screened and chosen by three researchers. The selection of studies and the data extraction from the studies were done by three researchers using the data collection form based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved by consulting the third and fourth researchers. To report scoping review, we used the PRISMA cheklist. Results: A total of 174 articles were retrieved from three databases and after removing irrelevant and repetitive articles, 15 articles were included in the current review. All studies were performed in Asia countries. Most studies have examined the effect of Holy Quran recitation and listening on anxiety (45%), stress (30%), and then depression (25%), respectively. The Beck Depression Inventory was the most widely used tool to evaluate the effect of Holy Quran recitation and listening on reducing anxiety, depression and stress. "Reducing the level of anxiety, stress, and depression" and "Simple, affordable, practical and cost-effective treatment to reduce depression and anxiety" were the most important outcomes of holy Quran recitation. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, Quran recitation and listening can be applied as a useful nonpharmacological treatment to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Depression and anxiety can cause social, behavioral, occupational, and functional impairments if not controlled and managed. Mobile-based self-care applications can play an essential and effective role in controlling and reducing the effects of anxiety disorders and depression. The aim of this study was to design and develop a mobile-based self-care application for patients with depression and anxiety disorders with the goal of enhancing their mental health and overall well-being. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study we designed a mobile-based application for self -management of depression and anxiety disorders. In order to design this application, first the education- informational needs and capabilities were identified through a systematic review. Then, according to 20 patients with depression and anxiety, this education-informational needs and application capabilities were approved. In the next step, the application was designed. RESULTS: In the first step, 80 education-information needs and capabilities were identified. Finally, in the second step, of 80 education- informational needs and capabilities, 68 needs and capabilities with a mean greater than and equal to 3.75 (75%) were considered in application design. Disease control and management, drug management, nutrition and diet management, recording clinical records, communicating with physicians and other patients, reminding appointments, how to improve lifestyle, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption, educational content, sedation instructions, introducing health care centers for depression and anxiety treatment and recording activities, personal goals and habits in a diary were the most important features of this application. CONCLUSION: The designed application can encourage patients with depression and stress to perform self-care processes and access necessary information without searching the Internet.
Depression , Mobile Applications , Humans , Depression/therapy , Self Care , Anxiety Disorders/therapy , Anxiety/psychology , Anxiety/therapy , Mental Health
Background and Aim: Nursing reports are necessary for clinical communication and provide an accurate reflection of nursing assessments, care provided, changes in clinical status, and patient-related information to support the multidisciplinary team to provide individualized care. Nurses always face challenges in recording and documenting nursing reports. Speech recognition systems (SRS), as one of the documentation technologies, can play a potential role in recording medical reports. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the barriers, benefits, and facilitators of utilizing speech recognition technology in nursing reports. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional was conducted through a researcher-made questionnaire in 2022. Invitations were sent to 200 ICU nurses working in the three educational hospitals of Imam Reza (AS), Qaem and Imam Zaman in Mashhad city (Iran), 125 of whom accepted our invitation. Finally, 73 nurses included the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0. Results: According to the nurses, "paperwork reduction" (3.96, ±1.96), "performance improvement" (3.96, ±0.93), and "cost reduction" (3.95, ±1.07) were the most common benefits of using the SRS. "Lack of specialized, technical, and experienced staff to teach nurses how to work with speech recognition systems" (3.59, ±1.18), "insufficient training of nurses" (3.59, ±1.11), and "need to edit and control quality and correct documents" (3.59, ±1.03) were the most common barriers to using SRS. As well as "ability to fully review documentation processes" (3.62, ±1.13), "creation of integrated data in record documentation" (3.58, ±1.15), "possibility of error correction for nurses" (3.51, ±1.16) were the most common facilitators. There was no significant relationship between nurses' demographic information and the benefits, barriers, and facilitators. Conclusions: By providing information on the benefits, barriers, and facilitators of using this technology, hospital managers, nursing managers, and information technology managers of healthcare centers can make more informed decisions in selecting and implementing SRS for nursing report documentation. This will help to avoid potential challenges that may reduce the efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of the systems.
Background: Controlling and managing the side effects of chemotherapy is one of the most serious challenges that patients with gastrointestinal cancer encounter. A promising technique to overcome these challenges is using informative mobile-based applications. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate a mobile-based application to help patients with gastrointestinal cancer to manage the possible side effects caused by chemotherapy. Methods: This descriptive-applied study was performed in 2 stages. In the first stage, a needs assessment was performed where the opinions of 4 oncologists and 27 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were obtained by use of a researcher-designed questionnaire. In the second stage of the study, based on the identified needs from the first stage, an application prototype was designed and later evaluated. Participants were asked to use the application for 1 week to evaluate the usability of the application. The Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction Version 5.5 was used for evaluation. The results of the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS software Version 22. Results: Of the 34 data elements obtained in the first step, 30 gained a mean above 3.75 and were considered in designing the application. The following features were included in the application: demographic data, history, clinical data, managing psychological and psychiatric challenges, lifestyle information, management of side effects, communication possibility, and other application features. Also, the evaluation results showed that the users gave a mean of 7.12 to the application and believed its usability was good. Conclusion: This application and its capabilities can help patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing chemotherapy to better perform self-care processes, improve their health status, and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
Background: Patient involvement with diabetes self-care is critical to reducing complications, morbidity, and mortality. Social media, as one of the most important forms of digital health, has always been available for diabetes self-care, although the role of these media in supporting patient self-care is unclear. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of social networks in diabetes self-care. In this study, the most important social networks used to receive self-care services, diabetes self-care behaviors, diabetes self-care educations and benefits of using various services provided through social networks were identified. Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional study that was conducted through an electronic researcher-made questionnaire in 2021. Two hundred and eighteen patients were selected to participate in the study from centers of diabetes of Fasa city, south of Iran. Sampling was performed by convenience sampling and in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analytical tests. Results: In the data analysis section on Diabetes self-care behaviors, there was no significant relationship between gender (p = 0.292), age (p = 0.49), type of diabetes (p = 0.909) and duration of diabetes (p = 0.076) with the use of self-care services provided through social networks. There was a significant relationship between education level and the use of self-care services provided through social networks (p = 0.01). "Recognizing diabetes and its complications," "observing personal hygiene," and "the impact of physical activity on diabetes control" were the most important educations. "Increasing patient knowledge and understanding about diabetes and its complications," "reducing the consumption of high-calorie foods and sugars," and "observing personal and public health" were the most important social network's benefits, respectively. Conclusions: Various self-care educations and services provided through social networks can increase the in-depth knowledge of diabetic patients about self-care techniques and their effective role in controlling and managing diabetes and performing more self-care processes.
