Iranian Journal Of Nursing and Midwifery Research
Volume:24 Issue: 4, Jul-Aug 2019

The aim of this study was to review the interventional studies about educating existential concepts to the nurses working in cancer care. In this systematic narrative review, the papers published in English and Farsi databases of PubMed, Elsevier, web of since, Scopus, ProQuest, ERIC, Google Scholar and Ovid, MagIran and SID, from 1990 to 2018 were reviewed. Methodological quality of the studies was independently assessed by, using checklists developed by Greenhalgh, and Cochrane Center. No statistical pooling of the outcomes was performed, due to heterogeneity of the outcomes. After wide search, the 17 studies entered to this narrative study. The results showed that educating the existential concept to the nurses dealing with cancer patients can improve their self‑competency in providing efficient care to these patients and their ability in decision making. It also enhances their quality of life and decreases the death anxiety and emotional exhaustion. There were limited and low quality interventional studies about the effects of educating existential concepts to the nurses dealing with cancer patients. These studies showed that knowing this philosophy can help nurses to address caring needs of cancer patients more efficiently. The specific method or content of education cannot be recommended because of the large differences in the methodologies between the studies.

The first year of clinical practice is one of the most important steps in nursing career life. Although, studies have been conducted on ethical issues in nurses, however, few studies have been conducted on the responses of novice nurses to ethical issues. The purpose of this study was to explore the responses of novice nurses to ethical challenges in the first year of clinical practice. This study is a qualitative study with content analysis approach was conducted with financial support of Arak University of Medical Sciences. In this study, about 11 novice nurses selected using purposive sampling from educational hospitals affiliated to Arak University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected by semi‑structured interviews. The duration of the interviews was 30‑110 minutes. In order to analyze the data, inductive content analysis was used. Data analysis revealed two important, and different responses over time in novice nurses. So that at the beginning of practice, the reaction to ethical challenges was “suffering” and after a few months it became “indifference”. This study showed that the response of novice nurses to ethical challenges in the first year of clinical practice was a transition from suffering to indifference. These findings can be used in nursing education, research and practice. Further research is recommended in this regard.

Many very‑preterm infants have difficulty in oral feeding during the first months of life after discharge. Since studies surveying the presence of feeding problems after the first year of life are limited and cultural/psychosocial differences can affect results, so the aim of this study was to compare scores of a feeding problems test between very‑preterm and full‑term born children at the age of 2 and study the relationship between obtained scores and explanatory variables. This is a retrospective descriptive‑analytic study conducted in 2014 in Semnan city of Iran. Thirty‑eight 2‑year‑old children with the history of very‑preterm birth were selected by census sampling method and 38 full‑term babies born in the same hospital were selected randomly. The Iranian version of Lewinhson Feeding Disorders questionnaire was used and the relationship between explanatory variables and the total score of the questionnaire was surveyed in each group by Mann‑Whitney and linear regression tests. Mean (SD) gestational age and weight of birth were 30.47 (1.63) weeks and 1630 (310) grams respectively in the very‑preterm group. Feeding scores were not significantly higher in very‑preterm babies, neither in total score (p 0.05) nor in subtests. A relationship was just found between total feeding score and female gender both in the exposed group (β = −0.36, p = 0.01) and non‑exposed group (β = −0.49, p = 0.002). Two‑year‑old children born very preterm did not have higher feeding problems scores than full‑term born peers. Male gender was related to more feeding problems at 2 years of age.

Achieving and improving professional confidence (PC) is an ongoing process from the studentship period to independent professional career. This study aimed to assess PC and compare it between nursing students (NS) and clinical nurses (CN). This cross‑sectional study was conducted in a medical sciences university in an urban area of Iran in 2015. Nursing students (NS = 230) and clinical nurses (CN = 192) participated in this study. Data were collected through the nurses professional confidence scale (NPCS), consisting of 35 questions on PC. A six‑point Likert scale was used for “never” to “always” corresponding to the score of 1–6. The analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and Backward Multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. The mean (SD) standardized scores of PC in the NS and CN were 64.59 (11.06) and 73.63 (10.05). LSD test showed that the PC score of CN with work experience of 10–20 years was significantly higher than those with less than 10 years (mean difference = ‑4.25, p = 0.019). Also, the mean scores of PC in the NS in the fourth and fifth academic semesters (mean difference = 12.25, p < 0.001) were higher than that in the students in the third academic semester (mean difference = 10.09, p < 0.001). CN experiences a higher level of PC during the middle years of work, and NS in their middle years of studying. Creating a supportive environment for learning and working can help them to maintain PC.

Uncivil behavior is a widespread problem among nursing students. Using a proper strategy can help teachers to reduce incivility, and its negative outcomes. The aim of this research was to compare the effects of group discussion, and self–learning on perceived level and rate of incivility in nursing students. A two group quasi‑experimental design was used to perform the present study. The course was approved by ten members of the nursing faculty for teaching in January 2018. There are about 82 bachelor degree nursing students participated in a course that was designed to teach civility as a course syllabus. Subjects were randomly allocated to discussion group (41 students), and self‑learning group (41 students). Incivility in Nursing Education‑Revised Questionnaire (INE‑R) was used to measure perceived level and occurrence rate of incivility in nursing students. In discussion group, eight sessions were conducted to teach course contents and each session lasted one hour. Self‑learning group studied a booklet about civility. Paired and independent t‑test was used to compare pretest and posttest mean scores. Both groups indicated an improvement in perceived level of incivility. The mean score for occurrence rate of incivility in the discussion group was significantly higher than in the self‑learning group (t80 = 4.63, p < 0.001). There were significant differences between two groups for perceived level (t80 = 2.81, p = 0.02) and rate of incivility (t80 = 3.01, p = 0.01). Using course syllabus to educate nursing students can lead to reducing perceived level of incivility and providing active discussion is an appropriate strategy for promoting academic civility.

Sexual health is a state of physical, mental, and social well‑being in relation to sexuality. Sexual assertiveness is a person’s ability to meet sexual needs. Considering limited sexual information of women and the taboo nature of talking about sexual needs, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the sexual assertiveness training on sexual health. This randomized clinical trial assignment parallel study with a control group was performed in September and October 2016 on 60 married women referred to Imam Reza Health Center in Mashhad. The sample size was estimated to be 30 subjects per group. Instruments included demographic characteristics, sexual assertiveness, and sexual health questionnaire. The pretest was completed in two groups at the beginning of the study and post‑test was done for both groups 1 week after educating the experimental group. Descriptive statistic tests included Chi‑square, t‑test, and paired t‑test, and one‑way analysis of variance. A p value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The two intervention and control groups showed no significant difference in terms of sexual health level before starting the study (t58 = 0.854, p > 0.05). After the study, based on the independent t‑test, the two groups showed significant differences (t58 = −4.077, p 0.001). Sexual assertiveness training can improve women’s sexual health. Considering the lack of research in this area and due to the effect of mutual understanding of couples on emotional and sexual issues, further research is necessary for this field.

The suggested treatment for patients with ST‑segment elevation is the Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) for coronary reperfusion. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of pre‑hospital and hospital emergency systems in the interval time for PPCI among patients with the ST‑segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in selected hospitals of Tehran city. This cross‑sectional study was carried out on patients with typical chest pain transferred to the emergency wards of three large general hospitals in Tehran city by Emergency Medical Services. They received the PPCI. The information about admission time to the triage, time of conducting electrocardiography (ECG), diagnosis time of STEMI, and time of the PPCI were recorded and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. In this study, 121 patients were evaluated, and of which 94 (77.68%) were men and 27 (22.32%) were women. The average time (SD) of patient admission in the triage until to receive the PPCI (door‑to‑balloon) was 104.60 (62.30) min. The door‑to‑balloon time was 104.60 min. If ECG is taken by pre‑hospital emergency nursing staff and diagnosis of STEMI is performed by the pre‑hospital emergency service, and the patient is delivered directly to the angiography department, the door‑to‑balloon time is significantly reduced.

With regard to the high rate of death anxiety in women with breast cancer and low levels of health literacy in these patients, this study aimed to investigate the effect of a health literacy promotion program on the level of health literacy and death anxiety in women with breast cancer. This is a clinical trial that was conducted in two groups of 30 women with breast cancer using a convenient sampling method in 2018. An educational program consisting of four sessions was arranged once every 2 weeks for the intervention group. The data collection tools were Templer Death Anxiety Scale and the Health Literacy For Women with Breast Cancer (HELBA) questionnaire with a demographic information record form. Mann‑Whitney test showed that there were no significant differences in the level of death anxiety and health literacy before the intervention between the control and intervention groups (p ≥ 0.05). But there were significant differences in the level of death anxiety between the intervention and control groups immediately after the intervention (Z = 3.38, p = 0.001) and one month later (Z = 3.10, p = 0.002). Also, there was significant differences in the level of health literacy immediately after the intervention (Z = 4.74, p < 0.001) and 1 month later (Z = 4.92, p < 0.001). The findings of this study showed that the use of a health literacy promotion program for women with breast cancer might increase their health literacy while it might decrease their level of death anxiety.

Cancer is the second most common cause of mortality after cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Resilience is one of the best strategies for coping with diseases in patients with cancer. This study was aimed to determine the effect of resilience‑based group therapy intervention on coping in mothers of children with cancer. This randomized clinical trial was carried out on 48 mothers of children with cancer in Shahid Motahhari Hospital of Urmia, Iran, in 2017. Samples were randomly divided into two groups in Excel. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‑28), and the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the two groups at three different times. All p values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. A significant difference was observed in the mean scores of integration between the intervention group and control group (F 1, 47 = 426.41, p < 0.001); the mean (standard deviation) of the integration score in the intervention and control groups was 40.80 (2.54) and 18.04 (3.05), respectively. Moreover, there was significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean scores of social support and health status perception (F 1, 47 = 176.59, p < 0.001). The mean (standard deviation) of social support and health status perception scores in the intervention group was 39.88 (2.81) and 22.72 (5.91) and in the control group was 16.87 (4.19) and 10.95 (2.01), respectively. Resilience‑based group therapy intervention can be an effective strategy for coping with childhood cancer among mothers of children with cancer.

A standardized method to measure and quantify women’s birth experiences is required to study satisfaction of childbirth care. Therefore, this study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) for use in Iran. This was a cross‑sectional study including 203 women who attended 2 hospitals and 2 health centers and met the inclusion criteria in Ahvaz city, between February 2013 and June 2014. After forward and backward translation of the Swedish CEQ into Persian language, content validity was assessed by an expert panel. Scale reliability (internal consistency and test‑retest reliability) was assessed with respect to the psychometric properties of the scale. Minor cultural differences were identified and resolved during the translation process. One item was excluded. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranging from 0.63 to 0.90 was satisfactory. The Persian version of the CEQ appears to be valid and reliable; hence, it can be an effective tool in designing childbirth experience interventions and also childbirth care and education interventions for the promotion of positive childbirth experience in Iranian women.

Primary dysmenorrhea is the most common complaint of women. Imbalance secretion of prostaglandin from the endometrium during menstruation cycle is effective in primary dysmenorrhea and menstrual bleeding. The aim of this study was to compare rosemary capsule and mefenamic acid on menstrual bleeding and primary dysmenorrhea. This randomized double‑blinded study was conducted on 82 students with primary dysmenorrhea in the Islamic Azad University of Mashhad in 2016. Participants had moderate dysmenorrhea and normal menstrual bleeding. No intervention was carried out at the two cycles. During the next two cycles, participants were randomly divided into two groups (rosemary and mefenamic acid(. Participants in the intervention group received 250mg rosemary capsules and the control group received 250mg mefenamic acid capsules in the first 3 days of menstruation. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to determine the severity of pain and Hingham chart to determine the amount of bleeding in menstruation. Independent t‑tests, Mann‑Whitney were used for statistical analysis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Pain intensity score standard deviation (SD) before and after intervention for rosemary group were 40.39 (11.41) and 23.57 (12.78) (t41 = 9.90, p < 0.001). For the control group, they were 46.75 (13.32) and 28.29 (17.21) (t39 = 9.10, p < 0.001). Menstrual bleeding score (SD) before and after intervention for rosemary group were 55.21 (21.32) and 46.30 (24.16) (t41 = 2.60, p = 0.01). For the control group, they were 51.05 (23.87) and 43.43 (29.47) (t39 = 2.10, p = 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the pain severity and menstrual bleeding score SD in these two groups. Rosemary capsules reduce the menstrual bleeding and primary dysmenorrhea the same as mefenamic acid capsules.

Occupational stress, and the unfavorable consequences associated with it, is something frequently experienced by nurses. This cross‑sectional study comparing occupational stress experienced in public and private hospitals was conducted in Iran during 2017 and involved 203 critical care nurses. Data were obtained through a self‑administered questionnaire and was analyzed using an independent sample t‑test. The overall mean (SD) score of occupational stress experienced by critical care nurses in public hospitals was greater than that experienced in private hospitals; 3.65 (0.77) vs. 3.18 (0.94). This difference was statistically significant (t = 3.77, p < 0.001). Among the five dimensions of occupational stress, the highest mean (SD) scores in both public and private hospitals related to organizational policies, the respective scored was 3.66 (0.94) and 3.34 (1.18). Hospital managers, especially those in public hospitals, should review existing organizational policies and improve the workplace environment in order to decrease occupational stress.

Most cases of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) are associated with the use of exogenous gonadotropins for the induction of multiple oocytes. However, OHSS is rarely associated with a spontaneous ovulatory cycle in women with multiple gestations, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome, or molar pregnancies. Herein, we report a case of OHSS in a woman with spontaneous pregnancy, without any underlying diseases or risk factors. The clinical findings showed abdominal pain, nausea, dyspnea, and amenorrhea. After imaging and laboratory tests, the final diagnosis was established. The patient was managed successfully without any complications. In conclusion, although spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation is a rare condition, physicians should be able to diagnose this condition. In fact, early diagnosis and successful management can potentially prevent serious complications, which are likely to develop rapidly in patients

Dear Editor, The present letter is to concern the article written by Akbari et al.[1] First off, we appreciate the efforts made by the editors of Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research to help publish such an important article. However, there seem to be some points neglected by the authors. Review studies are used because of their important role in evidence‑based decision making in health care, ........

Dear Editor, Our paper on “Challenges of Family Caregivers of Patients with Mental Disorders in Iran: A Narrative Review”[1] has recently been published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. This is a response to concerns raised about methodology of our paper......