Comparing the Efficacy of Zinc Oxide Versus Barrier Creams for Pressure Injury Prevention: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of zinc oxide versus barrier creams for the maintenance of skin integrity in intensive care patients with a risk of pressure injury (PI). METHODS: This was a retrospective and cross-sectional study. The authors included data from 95 patients treated in the neurology and respiratory ICUs of a training and research hospital between January and June 2022. Patients in the neurology ICU were treated with zinc oxide cream (group 1, n = 48), and patients in the respiratory ICU received classic barrier cream (group 2, n = 47). Sociodemographic characteristics and PI data (Braden Scale score, Pressure Ulcer Healing Assessment Scale [PUSH] score, and PI stage) were obtained from each patient's file. RESULTS: The mean PUSH score of the patients who received zinc oxide cream was 3.83 ± 4.39 at discharge versus 6.79 ± 4.40 for the group who received barrier cream. When PUSH scores and PI stages during hospitalization and discharge were compared, the authors found a statistically significant between-group difference in mean discharge scores (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this retrospective study based on patient records, zinc oxide creams had more positive effects on the prevention of PIs than barrier creams.

Experiences of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Who Recovered From COVID-19 in the Pandemic Period: A Qualitative Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can induce acute and chronic complications by affecting the self-management behaviors of individuals with diabetes. The objective of this study is to examine the physical, psychosocial health, and self-management experiences of type 2 diabetes patients who have recovered from COVID-19, 1 year after the infection. The study adopted a qualitative research design, specifically content analysis. In all, 14 patients with type 2 diabetes who presented to the diabetes outpatient clinic were interviewed by teleconferencing, which lasted approximately 25 to 30 minutes. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines were used. Based on the participants' responses, four main themes were determined: obstacles in activities of daily living, feeling of psychosocial problems, changes in health and treatment management, and patient self-management practices. Amid the pandemic, diabetes nurses should strive to recognize the issues that diabetes patients encounter. To assist patients, telemedicine should be leveraged, and evidence-based practices must be developed.

Turkish Validity and Reliability of the Self-care of Hypertension Inventory (SC-HI) among Older Adults.

PURPOSE: To assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Self-care of Hypertension Inventory (SC-HI) among older adults with hypertension. DESIGN: This was a methodological study. METHODS: The study sample enrolled 176 older adults. The study carried out preliminary psychometric analyses. FINDINGS: Item-level content validity index ranged between 0.87 to 1.0, and the index of content validity was 0.98. The Cronbach's α for the total scale was 0.84. CONCLUSION: The cross-cultural adaptation of SC-HI has been realized successfully in Turkish. CLINICAL EVIDENCE: Health care providers may utilize the scale to evaluate "older individuals" hypertension self-care abilities.