High levels of risk factors and poor secondary prevention for coronary heart disease patients in public hospitals: A descriptive repeated measures study.

BACKGROUND: Secondary prevention is a priority after coronary revascularization for effective long-term cardiovascular care. Coronary Heart Disease is a major health problem in Jordan, but little is known about the current provision of secondary prevention. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors and explore the current provision of secondary Coronary Heart Disease prevention among patients presenting with first-time Coronary Heart Disease at two time points: during hospitalization (Time 1) and 6 months later (Time 2), in multicentre settings in Jordan. METHODS: A descriptive, repeated measures research study design was applied to a consecutive sample of 180 patients with first-time Coronary Heart Disease. Demographic and clinical details were recorded from medical files. Self-administered questionnaires developed by the researchers were used to measure secondary prevention information related to Coronary Heart Disease, including secondary prevention services, lifestyle advice received and medical advice topics. A short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to measure physical activity. Participants were assessed at Times 1 and 2. RESULTS: Unstructured lifestyle advice given to the patients at Times 1 and 2 most frequently related to medications, smoking, diet and blood lipids control advice topics, with no statistically significant improvement in cardiovascular risk factors among patients between Times 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: Despite an extremely high prevalence of risk factors in this population, the provision of secondary prevention is poor in Jordan, which requires urgent improvement, and the contribution of nurses' to secondary prevention should be enhanced.

Relationship between anxiety, post-traumatic stress, insomnia and fibromyalgia among female refugees in jordan: A cross-sectional study.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome of chronic widespread pain, typically associated with fatigue, sleep, cognitive dysfunction and disordered mood. FM may limit an individual's ability to participate in everyday work and social activities, thereby making it difficult to maintain normal relationships with other individuals. While it has been studied in different populations and settings, the impact of FM and associated psychological factors has not been previously studied among female war refugees. WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The study showed the high impact of FM on female refugees in Jordan; approximately three quarters of the participants had a moderate to severe FM impact. Refugees settled in Irbid city, Iraq, showed increased age, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder correlated with a higher FM impact. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The study recommends evaluation of the impact of FM among all female refugees living in Jordan, along with its neighbouring countries hosting refugees. Healthcare providers, including mental health nurses, should be aware of the role of PTSD and anxiety on the impact of FM. Accordingly, healthcare workers should design appropriate mental health treatment plans to help to decrease the impact of FM. Mental health nurses should evaluate FM impact among all refugees worldwide. Nurses in Jordan are recommended to share their experience with nurses outside of Jordan as this may help with funds being obtained and the implementation of advanced psychological interventions. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome of chronic widespread pain. While it has been studied in different populations and settings, the impact of FM and its associated psychological factors has not been previously studied among female war refugees. AIM: To assess the impact of FM and its associated factors in female refugees. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The impact of FM, anxiety, post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and insomnia was investigated. RESULTS: 288 refugees previously diagnosed with FM were recruited. The results showed that 73.62% of the participants had a moderate to severe FM impact. Refugees settled in Irbid city were six times more likely to have a higher FM impact than refugees settled in Zarqa, and Iraqi refugees were more likely to have a higher impact than Syrian. Increased age, anxiety and PTSD were correlated with a greater impact. CONCLUSION: Mental health nursing services should be directed towards female refugees, particularly those with increased age, anxiety and PTSD. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Mental health nurses should evaluate the FM impact among all refugees worldwide. Furthermore, nurses in Jordan are recommended to share their experiences with nurses outside of Jordan, as this may help to raise funds and implement advanced psychological interventions.

Anxiety, stress, and quality of life among Iraqi refugees in Jordan: A cross sectional survey.

This study was conducted to identify the predictors, levels, and prevalence of anxiety and stress and to assess the relationship between these factors and quality of life in recently displaced Iraqis. A cross-sectional design was used. A convenience sample of 171 Iraqi refugees was recruited. The results indicated that more than half of the sample suffered from high anxiety levels, while 42.8% reported high stress. The regression model explained 46.3% of the variance in levels of quality of life. Unemployment, fewer than three family members, and high anxiety significantly predicted low-level quality of life. These three predictors need to be taken into consideration when developing health-related interventions to improve the quality of life of Iraqi refugees.

Salivary Nitric Oxide, a Biomarker for Stress and Anxiety?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if salivary nitrate correlates to the daily psychological stress and anxiety in a group of human subjects. METHODS: The convenient sample recruitment method was employed; data from seventy three subjects were analyzed. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) inventories were used to determine stress and anxiety scores respectively. Salivary nitric oxide was measured through nitrate (NOx) levels using the Griess reaction method. RESULTS: Although stress and anxiety were correlated. No significant correlation exists between salivary nitrate and daily psychological stress and anxiety in the study's participants. CONCLUSION: While all previous studies focused NOx levels in acute stress models. This is the first study to investigate the correlation between salivary nitrates and daily psychological stress and anxiety. Although stress and anxiety were correlated, there is no correlation between salivary nitrates and daily psychological stress and anxiety. Further studies are required to investigate this correlation using other biological samples such as plasma.