The Effects of a Web-Based Interactive Nurse Support Program Based on the Health Promotion Model on Healthy Living Behaviors and Self-Efficacy in Patients Who Regained Weight after Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to determine the effects of web-based interactive nursing support program prepared in line with Health Promotion Model (HPM) on healthy lifestyle behaviors and self-efficacy of patients who regained weight following metabolic and bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 62 patients with a history of weight regain at least two years after metabolic and bariatric surgery were divided into intervention (n = 31) and control (n = 31) groups by stratified randomization. The intervention group was given a web-based interactive nurse support program based on HPM for 10 weeks and followed up by telephone 12 times (every two weeks) in 6 months. No attempt was made to the control group during the study. The data were collected a total of 3 times before the training, in the 12th week and in the 6th month. RESULTS: In the last test after the web-based interactive nurse support program and telephone follow-up, the difference was found to be statistically significant in terms of BMI, healthy lifestyle behaviors, eating behaviors, and general self-efficacy mean scores of the patients in the intervention group (p < 0.05). In addition, after the study, it was determined that the physical activity, nutrition, spiritual development, emotional eating and the Dutch Eating Behavior scales total score averages and Self-Efficacy Scale total score averages of the intervention group changed positively compared to the control group, and this change was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was no difference between the groups in the mean scores of health responsibility, interpersonal relationships, stress, restrictive eating, external eating and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors-II Scale (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be stated that the web-based interactive nurse support program based on HPM is applicable in patients who regain weight after metabolic and bariatric surgery, and it contributes positively to the healthy lifestyle behaviors, BMI, eating behaviors, and general self-efficacy of these patients. In order to ensure the continuity of post-operative patient follow-up, it is recommended to increase the importance of telephone counseling and to establish follow-up program based on the HPM.

The effect of new device on pain and comfort levels in individuals undergoing peripheral intravenous cannula insertion.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to see how ShotBlocker® affects the pain and comfort level associated with short peripheral intravenous cannula (PIV) insertion. METHODS: The study was conducted on a single sample group using a pre-post design. Individuals in the sample group who underwent a brief PIV insertion procedure served as both the study's control and intervention groups. In the sample group, the same nurse inserted a peripheral intravenous catheter into the cephalic veins of the right and left forearms using a standard insertion and ShotBlocker®. The pain and comfort levels were assessed using the VAS and Comfort Scale. RESULTS: When the distribution of the average pain and comfort scores of the individuals treated with the peripheral intravenous catheter was examined, it was found that the average pain score of the peripheral intravenous catheter insertion using ShotBlocker® was statistically significantly lower than the peripheral intravenous catheter insertion using the standard method, and the comfort score averages were statistically higher. When the correlation between the pain and comfort score averages of individuals undergoing peripheral intravenous catheter insertions was investigated, a statistically significant and strong negative relationship (p = 0.001) was discovered. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, the use of ShotBlocker® during the short PIV insertion procedure is an effective method to reduce the pain caused by the peripheral intravenous catheter. It was determined that the comfort level of the individuals increased as the pain due to peripheral intravenous catheter insertion decreased.

Violence management proficiency scale in application areas for nursing students: A Turkish validity and reliability study.

AIM: The aim of this study is to perform the validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of the Management of Workplace Violence Competence Scale (MWVCS) for Nursing Students. METHOD: The methodological and cross-sectional study design was used in the method of the study. The research was carried out with 300 nursing students in Turkey. Data were collected using the personal information form and MWVCS. RESULTS: Explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis results confirmed the four-factor structure of the scale. Cronbach's α, item-total correlation, test-retest analysis, and equivalent form analysis showed high reliability. The MWVCS consists of 28 items on a five-point Likert-type scale. Four factors explained 88.729 of the total variance explained. The content validity index of the scale is 0.99. Cronbach's α of the scale was 0.880 and test-retest correlations were found as 0.76. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the MWVCS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing students' workplace violence.

Reflection of nursing students violence tendencies on care behaviors.

PURPOSE: Although violence is a preventable phenomenon, whose negative effects may be reduced, it should be analyzed with a holistic approach to determine its possible effects on caring behaviors, which constitute the basis of the profession of nursing. This study aims to reveal the reflections of the tendency to violence among the nursing students on their caring behavior. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was conducted within a convenient sample of 292 nursing students. Personal Information Form, Tendency to Violence Scale, and the Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI-24) were used for data collection. FINDINGS: There was a negative and moderate relationship between the tendency to violence and the scores obtained from the CBI-24 and its subscales. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that tendency to violence explained 10% and had a significant effect on caring behaviors (ß = -0.328, p < .001). PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Tendency to violence among the nursing students might be determined before their graduation and the students with such tendencies might be closely monitored and supported to reduce these tendencies.

The effect of manual pressure after subcutaneous injection on pain and comfort levels.

BACKGROUND: The pain experienced after subcutaneous injections can also disturb the comfort of the individual. An individual who experiences pain may refuse treatment by experiencing anxiety for subsequent injections. OBJECTIVE: This experimental study was conducted to compare the effects of standard injection application and manual pressure application use on injection pain and comfort level of having an subcutaneous injection. METHODS: This study was carried out on a single sample group with pre-post design. The individuals in the sample group constituted both the control and intervention groups of the study. In the sample group, subcutaneous injection was applied to the upper outer side of the right and left arms by the same nurse by applying standard application and manual pressure, and then the pain and comfort levels were determined using the VAS and Comfort Scale. RESULTS: It was determined that the mean pain scores of the SC injection application performed by applying manual pressure were statistically significantly lower than the SC injection application using the standard method. Again, it was determined that the mean comfort score of SC injection applied by applying manual pressure was statistically higher (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It has been determined that manual pressure application is a more effective method in reducing pain due to subcutaneous injection compared to the standard application. It was determined that as the pain experienced by the individuals due to subcutaneous injection application decreased, their comfort level increased. In line with these results, it is recommended that health professionals, especially nurses, use non-pharmacological methods with proven efficacy more frequently to relieve pain in SC injection, follow the developments in this field and put them into practice.

Autonomy Levels and Professional Attitudes of Nurse Educators.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the autonomy levels and the professional attitudes of nurse educators. METHODS: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional design. Total of 486 people, including 172 faculty members, 103 lecturers, and 211 research assistants were included in this study. The individual information form, Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale autonomy subscale, and the inventory of professional attitude at occupation were used to collect the research data. RESULTS: The mean age of academics participating in the study was 35.14±8.39. In total, 94.2% of them were women. Of the academics, 35.5% were faculty members, 21.2% were lecturers, and 43.4% were research assistants. The mean autonomy score was 80.04±15.69 and the mean score of the professional attitude inventory was 146±10.59. The mean autonomy score was found to be the highest among professors, the mean score of professional attitudes inventory was highest among associate professors, while the mean value of both scale scores was the lowest in research assistants. CONCLUSION: According to the research findings, it was concluded that the autonomy levels of the nurse educators were above average, their professionalism was at a high level, and they developed more professional attitude as the professional experience increased.

The Effect of a Guide Based Application Bundle on the Catheter-Related Infection.

AIM: Central venous catheters are used extensively in intensive care units but can sometimes lead to catheter related blood stream infections. This study was carried out to determine the effect of guideline-based care bundle on possible catheter-related bloodstream infection in the application and care of central venous catheter in patients receiving follow-up and treatment in anesthesia intensive care unit. METHOD: The study is a retrospective and experimental one. The study population consisted of patients who were treated in an anesthesia intensive care unit of a university hospital between June 2015 and June 2016, to whom the central line was inserted in this unit by the team working in the unit and who required central line insertion for at least 48 hours. The patients in the study population also comprised the study sample. The guideline-based application and care bundle was administered under the supervision of the researcher in the intensive care unit and the patients were evaluated on a daily basis for bloodstream infection. RESULTS: When comparing data obtained from the study with data from the previous period, it was found that the guideline-based application and care bundle decreased the catheter-related bloodstream infection rate from 10.59/1000 to 2.88/1000 and this reduction was considered statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to this study's data, the guideline-based care bundle is an effective and useful way to reduce infection.

A scale-development study: Exploration of intensive-care nurses' attitudes towards futile treatments.

The study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the tool used to assess nurses' attitudes towards futility, and to explore intensive-care nurses' attitudes towards futility. Principal components analysis revealed that 18item scale was made up of four subdimensions that assess Identifying(beliefs), Decision-Making, Ethical Principles and Law, and Dilemma and Responsibilities related to futile treatments. The internal consistency of the scale was in the acceptable range, with a total Cronbach's alpha value of 0.72. Overall the results of study suggest that scale can be used as a valid and reliable assessment tool to assess nurses' attitudes towards futility.

Investigation of self-compassion, self-confidence and submissive behaviors of nursing students studying in different curriculums.

INTRODUCTION: Today, nursing education which educates the future members of the nursing profession aims to gain them high self-esteem, selfconfidence and self-compassion, independence, assertiveness and ability to establish good human relations. This aim can only be achieved through a contemporary curriculum supporting students in the educational process and enabling those in charge to make arrangements by taking the characters and needs of each individual into account. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to investigate self-compassion, self-confidence and submissive behaviours of undergraduate nursing students studying in different curriculums. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study was carried out with the 1st- and 4th-year students of the three schools, each of which has a different curriculum: conventional, integrated and Problem Based Learning (PBL). The study data were collected with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Self-Confidence Scale (CS) and Submissive Acts Scale (SAS): The data were analyzed through frequency distribution, means, analysis of variance and the significance test for the difference between the two means. RESULTS: The mean scores the participating students obtained from the Self-Compassion, Self-confidence and Submissive Acts Scales were 3.31±0.56, 131.98±20.85 and 36.48±11.43 respectively. The integrated program students' mean self-compassion and self-confidence scores were statistically significantly higher and their mean submissive behaviour scores were lower than were those of the students studying in the other two programs (p<0.05). The analysis of the correlation between the mean scores obtained from the scales revealed that there was a statistically significant relationships between the SCS and CS values (r=0.388, p<0.001), between the SCS and SAS values (r=-0307, p<0.001) and between the CS and SAS values (r=-0325, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In line with the study results, it can be said that the participating nursing students tended to display moderate levels of selfcompassion, self-confidence and submissive behaviours, and that the selfcompassion and self-confidence scores of the 4th-year students in the integrated program were higher than were those of the students in the other two programs.

Moral distress in Turkish intensive care nurses.

BACKGROUND: Moral distress is a common problem among professionals working in the field of healthcare. Moral distress is the distress experienced by a professional when he or she cannot fulfill the correct action due to several obstacles, although he or she is aware of what it is. The level of moral distress experienced by nurses working in intensive care units varies from one country/culture/institution to another. However, in Turkey, there is neither a measurement tool used to assess moral distress suffered by nurses nor a study conducted on the issue. AIM/OBJECTIVE: The study aims to (a) validate the Turkish version of the Moral Distress Scale-Revised to be used in intensive care units and to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the scale, and (b) explore Turkish intensive care nurses' moral distress level. METHOD: The sample of this methodological, descriptive, and cross-sectional design study comprises 200 nurses working in the intensive care units of internal medicine and surgical departments of four hospitals in three cities in Turkey. The data were collected with the Socio-Demographic Characteristics Form and The Turkish Version of Moral Distress Scale-Revised. Ethical considerations: The study proposal was approved by the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University. All participating nurses provided informed consent and were assured of data confidentiality. RESULTS: In parallel with the original scale, Turkish version of Moral Distress Scale-Revised consists of 21 items, and shows a one-factor structure. It was determined that the moral distress total and item mean scores of the nurses participating in the study were 70.81 ± 48.23 and 3.36 ± 4.50, respectively. CONCLUSION: Turkish version of Moral Distress Scale-Revised can be used as a reliable and valid measurement tool for the evaluation of moral distress experienced by nurses working in intensive care units in Turkey. In line with our findings, it can be said that nurses suffered low level of moral distress. However, factors which caused the nurses in our study to experience higher levels of moral distress are inadequate communication within the team, working with professionals they considered as incompetent, and futile care.

Effects of back massage on chemotherapy-related fatigue and anxiety: supportive care and therapeutic touch in cancer nursing.

This quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the efficacy of back massage, a nursing intervention, on the process of acute fatigue developing due to chemotherapy and on the anxiety level emerging in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy during this process. The study was conducted on 40 patients. To collect the data, the Personal Information Form, the State Anxiety part of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Brief Fatigue Inventory were used. In our study, it was determined that mean anxiety scores decreased in the intervention group patients after chemotherapy. The level of fatigue in the intervention group decreased statistically significantly on the next day after chemotherapy (p=.020; effect size=0.84). At the same time, the mean anxiety scores of the patients in the intervention group decreased right after the massage provided during chemotherapy (p=.109; effect size=0.37) and after chemotherapy. In line with our study findings, it can be said that back massage given during chemotherapy affects anxiety and fatigue suffered during the chemotherapy process and that it significantly reduces state anxiety and acute fatigue. Therefore, the effective use of back massage in the process of chemotherapy by oncology nurses who have a key role in cancer treatment and care can make it more modulated.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Turkish intern nurses regarding physical restraints.

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of intern nurses who completed the nursing internship program on the use of physical restraints. DESIGN: This research was conducted using descriptive and cross-sectional research design. METHODS: The study sample comprises 91 fourth-grade students who took an integrated curriculum and completed the nursing internship program. The data were collected with the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire and the Levels of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Staff Regarding Physical Restraints Questionnaire. For the assessment of the data, percentages, the arithmetic mean, and t test were used. RESULTS: The findings indicated that, of the intern nurses, 95.6% observed the use of physical restraints during their education, and 69.2% applied physical restraints. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of the nurses for physical restraint were 9.38 ± 1.19 (0-11 points), 34.70 ± 5.62 (12-48 points), and 37.95 ± 2.32 (14-42 points), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intern nurses' knowledge about how to use physical restraints was at a very good level; they displayed positive attitudes, and they used their knowledge and attitudes in their practices to a great extent. IMPLICATIONS: Although there are studies on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses working in the fields of elderly care, rehabilitation, and psychiatry in acute care units, there are no studies investigating intern nurses and other nursing students. However, intern nurses about to begin their careers should make accurate decisions regarding the use of physical restrains if they are to ensure patient safety and to fulfill this application effectively in their professional lives.

Intensive care nurses' perception of futility: job satisfaction and burnout dimensions.

Suffering repeated experiences of moral distress in intensive care units due to applications of futility reflects on nurses' patient care negatively, increases their burnout, and reduces their job satisfaction. This study was carried out to investigate the levels of job satisfaction and exhaustion suffered by intensive care nurses and the relationship between them through the futility dimension of the issue. The study included 138 intensive care nurses. The data were obtained with the futility questionnaire developed by the researchers, Maslach Burnout Inventory and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. It was determined that nurses who agreed to the proposition that the application of futility demoralizes health-care professionals had low levels of job satisfaction but high levels of depersonalization. It was determined that nurses had moderate levels of job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and personal achievements but high levels of sensitivity. Nurses' job satisfaction and sensitivities are positively affected when they consider that futility does not contradict the purposes of medicine.

Effects of music therapy and guided visual imagery on chemotherapy-induced anxiety and nausea-vomiting.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To reveal the effects of music therapy and visual imagery on chemotherapy-induced anxiety and nausea-vomiting. BACKGROUND: Behavioural techniques such as music therapy and visual imagery are becoming increasingly important in dealing with chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting. DESIGN: The study is an experimental and cross-sectional one and performed on a single sample group with the pre-post-test design consisting of 40 individuals. The individuals in the sample group comprised both the control and the case group of the study. METHODS: To obtain the study data, the following forms were used: the Personal Information Form, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Visual Analogue Scale and Individual Evaluation Form for Nausea and Vomiting adapted from The Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Vomiting. RESULTS: In the study, the participants' state and trait anxiety levels decreased significantly (p < 0·05). Music therapy and visual imagery reduced the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting significantly (p < 0·05). In our research, 40% of the patients did not have anticipatory nausea and 55% of the patients did not have anticipatory vomiting during the third chemotherapy cycle during which music therapy and guided visual imagery were implemented. CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that complementary approaches comprising music therapy and visual imagery had positive effects on chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting, which are suffered too often and affect the patients' whole lives adversely. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study is worthy of interest as it has revealed that music therapy and visual imagery which have been proven to be effective in many health problems in different areas are also important, and practical complementary approaches that are effective in getting chemotherapy-induced anxiety, nausea and vomiting under control.

The fatigue and self-care agency levels of the elderly people staying in rest homes and the relation between these two conditions.

This study was carried out to determine the fatigue and self-care levels of the elderly and the relation between these two conditions. One hundred forty-two individuals at the age of 65 or over were included in the descriptive-analytic study. Data were collected using Personal Information Forms to determine socio-demographic features and social relationships, and the Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue (VAS-F) to determine the fatigue status and Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale (ESCA) to measure the self-care agency. The mean age of the elders who participated in the survey was 76.15±8.61 and their fatigue and energy level scores from VAS-F were 5.08±2.20 and 3.70±1.51 respectively. The value obtained from ESCA was 82.68±16.39. There is, statistically, a weak negative correlation (r=-0.459; p=0.00) between fatigue and energy levels, a weak positive correlation (r=0.284; p=0.01) between self-care agency and energy levels, a weak negative correlation (r=-0.258; p=0.02) between self-care agency and fatigue levels. According to the survey findings, it can be hypothesized that as elders living in rest homes, their energy level falls down, they experience moderate fatigue and have self-care agency a little more than moderate level, and the lack of energy and fatigue they experience affect their self-care agency.

Nursing students' level of autonomy: a study from Turkey.

Nursing curriculum programs developed to train future professional nurses, methods of teaching and learning and practice can either prepare or be an obstacle to the students' thinking and acting like independent professionals. This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the level of autonomy of nursing students in the baccalaureate degree program at Cumhuriyet University School of Nursing. The research was conducted with a total of 326 students. Two forms were used for data collection in the research. The first was a 15-question personal information form. The second was the 30 item autonomy subscale from the Sociotropy/Autonomy Scale (SAS). The research data were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0 and frequency distribution, arithmetic mean, variance analysis (One-Way ANOVA) and Independent Samples t-test were used in the analysis of data. According to the General Autonomy (GA) score mean from the SAS administered in this study the nursing students' GA score mean was 83.03+/-14.51 and the highest level of autonomy was found to be in the 1st year students (84.87+/-14.44), followed consecutively by 2nd year (83.18+/-15.09), 3rd year (82.72+/-15.80) and 4th year (81.47+/-12.81) students. The conclusion of the study is that the autonomy levels of the students who regarded the professional qualities given them by the nursing education as enough have been remarkably high. This suggests that the nursing curriculum program being used is not adequately supporting the development of autonomy in students.

Sleep quality and job satisfaction of Turkish nurses.

This research was conducted as a descriptive study for the purpose of examining nurses' sleep quality, job satisfaction, and the relationship between them. The research population was comprised of nurses who work at Inönü University Turgut Ozal Medical Center (Turkey) and the research was conducted with a total of 418 nurses. A Personal Information Form, developed by the researchers based on information in the literature, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Short Form Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), which have been adapted for Turkish and had validity and reliability studies conducted, were used for data collection in the research. For data analysis, frequency distribution, arithmetic mean, variance analysis (One-Way ANOVA), Tukey test, and Independent Samples t test were used. According to the findings obtained from the research it was determined that nurses' total sleep quality score mean was 7.28 +/- 3.56 and job satisfaction score mean was 48.05 +/- 11.77 and a weak negative correlation was found between the 2 tools (r = -0.25) (P < .05). As the nurses' sleep quality increased (that is, as their sleep quality score mean decreased) their job satisfaction increased (their job satisfaction score mean increased). In general, the results obtained from our research show that nurses' sleep quality is low and their job satisfaction is at a moderate level. In parallel with this, as the nurses' sleep quality decreases their job satisfaction also decreases.

Level of autonomy of Turkish students in the final year of university baccalaureate degree in health related fields.

This descriptive type study was conducted for the purpose of determining the level of autonomy of final-year students at Cumhuriyet University Nursing School, School for Health Sciences Midwifery School, Medical Faculty and Doctor of Dentistry Faculty. The research was conducted with a total of 221 students. Two forms were used for data collection in the research. The first was a 25-question personal information form including factors that affect autonomy in university students, which was prepared based on information in the literature. The second was the 30-item autonomy subscale from the Sociotropy/Autonomy Scale (SAS), which was developed by Beck et al (1983). It has been adapted for Turkish and has been tested for validity and reliability by Sahin et al (1993). The research data were loaded on the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 11.0 program, and then frequency distribution, arithmetic mean, variance analysis (One-Way ANOVA) and Independent-Samples t Test were used in the evaluation of the data. According to the General Autonomy score mean from the SAS used in this study, the students' General Autonomy score mean was 80.94 +/- 15.40, the final year midwifery students had the highest level of autonomy (X = 83.48 +/- 11.98), followed by medical students (X = 81.23 +/- 15.36), nursing students (X = 77.33 +/- 15.19) and dental students (X = 72.90 +/- 14.41). According to the results obtained, the nursing students' level of autonomy was lower than the students' levels of autonomy in the other health-related branches except for dental students.

Self esteem and assertiveness of final year Turkish university students.

This study developed a quantitative methodology to ascertain the level of self esteem and assertiveness of last year students in baccalaureate degree programs at Cumhuriyet University Nursing School, School for Health Sciences' Midwifery School, Education Faculty's Mathematics Teacher, Classroom Teacher, and Social Sciences Teacher programs and to determine if there is a correlation between self esteem and assertiveness. The research population was a total of 372 students who were in their final year of university in these programs. Sampling was not done in the research, the entire population was studied. However there was a total of 82 students who were not included in the research because of illness, absenteeism, registration on hold, who could not be found on campus or who did not want to participate in the research and who did not correctly complete the survey form. The research was conducted with total of 290 students. Total response rate was 77.9%. The data were collected using a "Personal Information Form," Stanley Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory (SEI) and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS). Frequency distribution, t test, correlation and variance analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The results of the study were that the nursing students had the highest scores from SEI (80.64+/-15.83). Similarly the nursing students had the highest scores on the RAS (36.29+/-25.33).

Chemotherapy: the effect of oral cryotherapy on the development of mucositis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of oral cryotherapy on the development of chemotherapy-induced mucositis in patients administered combined chemotherapy. BACKGROUND: Mucositis has been of interest to scientists for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in the development of standard procedures for prevention and management. To cope with this side-effect and to prevent opportunistic infections that may emerge during treatment, attempts are taken to provide preventative and comfort measures. In this context, cryotherapy (oral cooling) has become popular as a cheap and readily applicable method in preventing the developing due the rapid infusion of chemotherapy agents, or decreasing its severity. DESIGN AND METHOD: Study involved 60 patients, 30 of whom were in the study group and 30 in the control group. Ice cubes at a size that can be moved easily in the mouth and whose corners have been smoothed in order that they will not cause irritation in the mouth has been used in oral cryotherapy in the study group. Oral chemotherapy was initiated five minutes before chemotherapy and maintained during venous infusions of etoposide (Vepesid), platinol (Cisplatin), mitomycin (Mitomycin-C) and vinblastin (Velbe) depending on the chemotherapy course. RESULTS: According to Patient-Judged Mucositis Grading, the rate of mucositis is 36.7% in study group and 90.0% in control group, the difference between two groups being statistically significant (P < 0.05). According to Physician-Judged Mucositis Grading, the rate of mucositis is 10.0% in the study group and 50.0% in the control group, the difference between two groups being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Oral pH values decreased in 90% of the subjects in study group, i.e. mucositis risk was reduced whereas oral pH values remained unchanged or decreased in 86.7% of the subjects in the control group, namely mucositis risk increased. The difference between study and control groups in terms of the change in pH values after chemotherapy was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings have demonstrated that oral cryotherapy makes an important contribution to the protection of oral health by reducing the mucositis score according to patient- and physician-judged mucositis score and by increasing oral pH values. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Aggressive cancer therapy places patients at greater risk for oral complications and treatment-related consequences. Unfortunately, prevention and/or treatment of such oral sequelae have often become overlooked as priorities of the treatment team. Effective approaches for the prevention or treatment of oral mucositis have not been standardized, and vary considerably among institutions. Prophylactic measures begin with an increased emphasis on improved oral status. Oral cryotherapy, the therapeutic administration of cold, is a prophylactic measure for oral inflammation. The relevance for clinical practice will be to understand the content of mucositis; comprehensive care should focus on the prevention of this complication in the clinical practice.