Intensive care unit, cardiac care unit, and emergency department nurses' perceptions of medical device-related pressure injuries: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' perception of medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) may affect their performance, but there is a lack of studies in this area. PURPOSE: The current study aimed to examine intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac care unit (CCU) and emergency department nurses' perception of proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for individuals with such injuries. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted in 4 general hospitals in Iran in 2021. All nurses (N = 310) working in ICUs, CCUs and emergency departments of these facilities were invited to complete a researcher-made demographic checklist and an 11-item questionnaire to assess attitudes toward MDRPIs. The questionnaire item responses were scored from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) with the total score for the 11 items ranging from 11 to 55. A score of 11 to 25 was categorized as indicating a negative attitude toward proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for such patients; a score of 26 to 40 indicated a neutral attitude, and a score >40 indicated a positive attitude. RESULTS: A total of 260 nurses fulfilled the data collection tool. The response rate was 83.8%. The mean total score of attitude toward MDRPIs was 41.7. No significant relationship was observed between the total score of nurses' attitudes and their demographic variables. Of the 260 participants, 159 stated they had not received any trainings on MDRPIs at nursing schools during their education, 212 stated they had not participated in any scientific workshops on MDRPIs, and 167 described their knowledge about the prevention and care of MDRPIs as insufficient. CONCLUSION: Among ICU, CCU, and emergency nurses in Iran, most had a positive attitude toward the prevention and care of MDRPIs, but steps should be taken to offer more opportunities for nurses to increase their knowledge in this area.

Validation and psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the fear of COVID-19 scale among pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: The Covid-19 epidemic, which has become the most challenging issue for health organizations and governments, has led to panic among people, especially pregnant women. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) on a sample of Iranian pregnant women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 500 pregnant women referred to gynecology offices in Tehran. Construct validity was performed using exploratory (with maximum likelihood method and Promax rotation) and confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald omega coefficients were used to examine internal consistency. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 28.98 (SD = 5.86) years. In exploratory factor analysis, two factors were extracted-emotional response and physiological response, which together explained 65.21% of the total variance of fear of Covid-19. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the final model had a good fit: CMIN/df = 1.515, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.981, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.956, normed fit index (NFI) = 0.979, Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.993, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.993, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.045 (95% CI: 0.001-0.085). Cronbach alpha and McDonald omega coefficients for the first factor were 0.874 and 0.878, and for the second factor were 0.853 and 0.854, respectively. CONCLUSION: The FCV-19S in pregnant women has a good construct validity and can be used in various studies.

Pressure Injury Prevention Knowledge Among Family Caregivers of Patients Needing Home Care.

One of the complications that patients in need of home healthcare might experience is pressure injury. Given that a significant part of the care of these patients is performed by their family caregivers, they must have sufficient knowledge about prevention and treatment of pressure injuries. We investigated the knowledge related to pressure injuries among family caregivers of patients needing home care who were at risk of pressure injury. Family caregivers of patients in Iran who needed home care services and were at risk of developing pressure injuries based on the Braden scale were invited to participate. A special questionnaire designed by Arboledas and Pancorbo-Hidalgo was used to assess the caregivers' level of knowledge. This questionnaire consists of 23 items, and with total scores between 23 and 46. A higher score indicates a higher level of knowledge about pressure injuries. A total of 323 family caregivers participated, most of whom were female. The mean total score of caregivers' knowledge about pressure injuries was 34.5 ± 3.4 (ranging 23 to 42). Most of the participants (n = 290) stated they did not receive adequate education related to pressure injuries. Among the demographic variables, a significant relationship was observed between the level of caregivers' knowledge with the level of education, younger age, offspring, admission in intensive care units, and male sex (p < 0.005). Family caregivers did not have sufficient knowledge about pressure injuries. Most of them did not receive the necessary education during the time of their patient's hospitalization. This issue should be considered by healthcare providers, and the necessary interventions should be considered to improve the situation.

The Role Descriptions of Triage Nurse in Emergency Department: A Delphi Study.

Background. Triage nurses play a pivotal role in the emergency department. However some researchers have attempted to expand triage nurse's role; remarkable discrepancies exist among scholarly communities. The aim was to develop a role description of triage nurse relying on the experts. Methods. A modified Delphi study consisting of 3 rounds was performed from March to October 2014. In the first round, an extensive review of the literature was conducted. Expert selection was conducted through a purposeful sample of 38 emergency medicine experts. Results. Response rates for the second and third rounds were 37% and 58%. Average age of panelists was (38.42 ± 5.94) years. Thirty-nine out of 54 items reached to the final round. Prioritizing had the higher agreement rate and least agreement on triage related interventions. Conclusion. Triage nursing as a relatively new role for nurses needs significant development to be practiced. Comprehensive educational programs and developmental research are required to support diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in triage practice by nurses.

Caring for dying patients: attitude of nursing students and effects of education.

BACKGROUND: Education about caring for dying patients could be effective in changing nursing students' attitude toward caring for dying patients. AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the nursing students' attitude toward caring for dying patients and effects of education on their attitude. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study enjoys a quasi-experimental method with using one-group pre-test/post-test design conducted in Bam in southeast of Iran. The attitude of nursing students was measured using Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale before and after an educational intervention. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 18 software. RESULTS: Of 32 students, 30 participated in this study (response rate of 94%). Only 20% of the students reported previous experience of dying patients in their clinical courses. Students showed moderately negative to neutral attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Education has improved students' attitude significantly (mean score of FATCOD before study were 3.5 ± 0.43 and after intervention were 4.7 ± 0.33) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Educational programs about death and caring for dying patients should be added to undergraduate nursing curricula. Further research recommended examining nursing students' knowledge about caring for dying patients and the effect of education on their knowledge.