The effects of fatigue and pain on daily life activities in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pain and fatigue on daily life activities of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHODS: The study sample included 74 SLE patients who presented to outpatient departments of a university hospital and two local hospitals between 30.9.2009 and 15.5.2010. Data was collected using the Fatigue Severity Scale, Katz's Activity's Daily Living Index, Lawton and Brody's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean scores were 6.0 (fatigue) on the Fatigue Severity Scale, 18.0 (independent) on the Daily Life Activities Index, 24.0 (independent) on the Instrumental Daily Life Activities Index, and 1.56 (discomforting) on the McGill Pain Scale for pain felt at the moment of questioning. A low-level negative relationship was observed between the scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale and the Daily Life Activities Index (p<0.05, r=-0.298), and between Fatigue and Instrumental Daily Life Activities scores (p<0.05, r=-0.354). A medium-level positive relationship was observed between the scores on the Fatigue Severity Scale and the McGill Pain Scale (p<0.05, r=0.478). CONCLUSION: This study determined that pain and fatigue affected the daily lives of SLE patients. The study should be repeated on a larger sample.

A multicenter analysis of the use of complementary and alternative medicine in Turkish patients with rheumatoid arthritis: holistic nursing practice review copy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis living in different regions and cities of Turkey as well as the factors affecting the use of CAM modalities. Planned as a descriptive and cross-sectional study, this research was conducted as a study covering the rheumatology units of 10 university and 4 state hospitals in Turkey. A total of 594 patients meeting the research inclusion criteria comprised the sample. It was detected that 46.9% (n = 279) of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose average disease duration was 10.32 ± 9.05 years used CAM modalities. The most common 3 modalities used by these patients were herbs taken orally, nutritional supplements, and mind-body therapies, with rates of 54.5%, 41.2%, and 40.5%, respectively. It was determined that such variables as age, sex, marital status, education status, and economic situation did not affect the use of CAM (P > .05).

The effects of self-pain management on the intensity of pain and pain management methods in arthritic patients.

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of pain management education on the intensity of pain and frequency of utilization of pain management methods in two groups of patients with arthritis of different pathogenesis and clinical features, and to compare whether a significant difference existed between the two groups. The study was carried out between September 2007 and June 2008 on 30 female patients with gonarthrosis and 30 female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed at the rheumatology outpatient clinic of a university hospital. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and those related with the illness were collected using a special survey. Each patient was given information about the features, causes, and treatment of the arthritis and how to cope with pain, emphasizing the importance of pain management methods. The intensity of pain and efficacy of pain management methods were assessed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Pain Management Inventory at baseline and the second and sixth weeks after the education. The SPSS (v15.0) statistical package was used for statistical analysis. After education, significant improvements in pain intensity scores compared with baseline scores were observed in both groups (p < .05), and there was no significant difference between the RA and gonarthrosis groups. Among the various pain management methods, the education program led to significantly more utilization of massaging the painful area, exercising, and using complementary methods to control stress in both groups of patients, and there was no significant difference between the groups. In conclusion, the pain management education given in this study alleviated the intensity of pain and significantly increased the use of some pain management methods in both gonarthrosis and RA cases.

Case management in care of Turkish rheumatoid arthritis patients.

This study examined the effectiveness of a case management (CM) intervention in the care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a pilot study in a teaching hospital in Turkey. Two groups were compared with respect to disability, quality of life, cost, and patient satisfaction: RA patients who received CM plus usual nursing care and RA patients who received usual nursing care alone. All patients underwent follow-up interviews at 3 and 6 months after being discharged from the hospital. Disability scores were significantly better in the RA group receiving CM, but there were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to quality of life, patient satisfaction, and total healthcare costs. Using CM in the care of patients with RA may favorably affect disease-related outcomes.

The relationship between disability and self-care agency of Turkish people with rheumatoid arthritis.

AIM: This study aims to determine the relationship between disability levels and self care agency scores in Turkish patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to investigate the factors affecting them. BACKGROUND: Self-care agency is the complex acquired ability to meet one's constant requirements for care that regulates life processes, maintains or promotes the integrity of human structure, functioning and development, and promotes well-being. DESIGN AND METHODS: Forty-three consecutive patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (M/F: 11/32; mean age 49.53 +/- 13.37 years; disease duration 118.32 +/- 76.55 months), being followed up by Ege University Rheumatology Outpatient Department and all fulfilling ACR 1987 criteria were included in this study. Data collection instruments used in this study were Informative-Demographic Data Form, Health Assessment Questionnaire (including disability index and pain scale) and Self-as-Carer Inventory. RESULTS: The mean disability index, the mean pain score and the mean self-care agency score of patients were 0.53 (SD 0.45), 1.48 (SD 0.74) and 80.95 (SD 27.80) were respectively. Self-care agency of patients found moderate level. It was found that a positive correlation between the disability index and the self-care agency scores (r = 0.488; p < 0.01). It was found that in male (t = 0.907; p = 0.000), in patients graduate from university (F = 0.271; p = 0.001), the self-care agency was better than other patients. CONCLUSION: In conclusion we found that in Turkish patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, the higher the disability rate was, the lower the self-care agency score was. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Disability, pain and their impact on self-care agency should be focused on in everyday care for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients. These areas are most important in nursing care and should be considered while organizing the medical treatment and rehabilitation programme.