Incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting in a group of maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a rising problem across the world, including Iran. Most of the patients will require hemodialysis for survival. Despite the great progress has been made in the hemodialysis equipment, but it is still associated with complications. Nausea and vomiting are common complication of during hemodialysis, which leads to unpleasant feeling in patients. Objectives: This study aimed to determine incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting in a group of maintenance hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical study on 60 hemodialysis patients of dialysis wards in Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Verbal Numeric Rating Scale (VNRS) and Korttila vomiting severity scale were used to measure the severity of nausea and vomiting during hemodialysis respectively. Results: In this study, the incidence of nausea and vomiting during hemodialysis were 28.3% and 11.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean severity of nausea was 1.15 and the mean rank of vomiting was 2.08. Conclusion: The results of the study showed a relatively high incidence of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing hemodialysis, hence nurses must consider these problems by suitable measures to prevent the occurrence of the these unpleasant feelings in the patients during hemodialysis.

Attitudes toward menopause among middle-aged women in Semnan, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The menopause marks a major biological transition in the lives of all women. Understanding the attitude of women about menopause facilitates the implementation of public health policies that focus on improving women's health. This study was designed to determine the attitude of a group of Iranian women toward menopause with respect to sociodemographic variables and menopausal status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Primary Health Centers of Semnan during 2012. A total of 747 women aged 45-60 years were interviewed. Sociodemographic characteristics and attitude toward menopause were collected through a structured pretested questionnaire. The attitude scale consisted of 17 questions, each rated on a five-point Likert scale with a total score of 85 points. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) age of women was 51.3 (±4.5) years. Women were classified as premenopausal (38.4%), perimenopausal (16.9%), and postmenopausal (44.8%). The majority of respondents (63.5%) were illiterate or have had low level of education (<9 years), and 86.3% were unemployed. The mean (±SD) attitude score was 53.3 (±6.8). Most of the women (71%) had neutral attitude, 22.8% had positive, and only 6.3% had negative attitude toward menopause. Menopausal status, educational level, marital status, place of residency, and employment were not associated with women's attitude. CONCLUSION: In general, women's attitude toward menopause ranged from neutral to positive. The attitude did not differ significantly on the basis of menopausal status, educational level, marital status, place of residency, and employment.