Iranian Journal Of Medical - Surgical Nursing
Volume:12 Issue: 2, May 2023

Phlebitis and pain are among intravenous injection’s most common side effects. Different pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques have been used to treat phlebitis. Aloe vera gel and warm compress are non-pharmacological nursing methods for phlebitis.

The present study compares the effect of Aloe vera and warm compress on pain due to phlebitis in children admitted to pediatric wards.

This single-blind clinical trial study was conducted on 90 children with phlebitis. The participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three control, Aloe vera compress intervention, and warm compress intervention groups. The data in this study were collected using the patient demographic information questionnaire andWong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. The pain scores were evaluated in all three groups before the intervention. The intervention for the children in the warm compress group was a warm compress for 20 minutes twice daily (once every 12 hours). The intervention for the Aloe vera compress group was 5 cc of Aloe vera gel applied twice daily (once every 12 hours) for three days. Pain intensity was recorded and assessed in the pre-intervention stage for the children in all three groups. It was also measured for the warm compress group half an hour after the intervention and for the Aloe vera group at the beginning of the intervention. Pain intensity was also measured and evaluated for the children in the control group. Data analysis was performed with SPSS-22 software at a significance level of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) using the chi-square test, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Fisher’s exact test.

The ANOVA results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups (P > 0.05) in the average pain intensity scores before the intervention and the first day after the intervention, but the average pain intensity scores in the three groups on the second day (P = 0.04) and the third day (P = 0.002) showed a statistically significant difference after the intervention. On the third day, the difference in the pain intensity scores was significant between the two intervention groups (P = 0.03) and the control group. Moreover, the pain intensity score for the children in the Aloe vera group decreased more significantly compared to the warm compress group (P = 0.001).

The results showed that applying both Aloe vera and warm compresses effectively reduced the pain induced by phlebitis, but Aloe vera reduced the pain caused by phlebitis more than warm compress. Thus, the Aloe vera compress can be used as an easy and simple method to reduce the pain caused by phlebitis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to various psychological consequences. Its sudden emergence has caused widespread confusion, disrupted people’s daily lives, and inflicted severe psychological trauma.

This study seeks to explore the effectiveness of emotional cognitive training in reducing stress and promoting post-traumatic growth among COVID-19 patients discharged from Zahedan hospitals in 2021.

This quasi-experimental study involved 70 COVID-19 patients who were discharged from Zahedan hospitals in 2021. The participants were selected using a convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group, with each group consisting of 35 patients. The intervention group received seven online sessions of cognitive-emotional training in groups of 4 to6 people. The patients completed the Post-traumaticGrowth Inventory (PTGI)andthe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist before and 12 weeks after the cognitive-emotional training. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 and statistical tests such as analysis of covariance, chi-square, and independent t-tests. The significance level was considered< 0.05.

The independent t-test and analysis of the covariance test revealed that the mean score of post-traumatic stress in the intervention group (32.34 ± 5.75) was significantly lower than that in the control group (57.88 ± 4.28) following the cognitive-emotional training (P = 0.001). Additionally, themeanpost-traumatic growth score in the intervention group (69.8 ± 11.73) was significantly higher than that in the control group (48.71 ± 5.08) after the training (P = 0.001).

The results suggest that emotional cognitive training has a positive and significant impact on reducing stress and promoting post-traumatic growth among COVID-19 patients. Therefore, incorporating this online training into the standard treatment is recommended to enhance the well-being and welfare of patients with COVID-19 after discharge.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is prevalent among overweight or obese women. Due to the chronic nature of diabetes, individuals with this condition often experience psychological complications, such as anxiety and depression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on anthropometric indices, anxiety, and depression in women with diabetes attending diabetes clinics in Zahedan, Iran.

This two-group quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test assessments included 60 female patients diagnosed with T2DM who attended diabetes clinics in Zahedan within March 2021 and July 2022. The participants were selected using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the Pilates exercise group or the control group using a random allocation method with permutation blocks. Initially, anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), were measured, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was completed by both groups. The intervention group participated in Pilates exercises three times a week for 8 weeks, with each session lasting 60 minutes and supervised by a Pilates exercise expert. The control group received routine care at the diabetes clinic, including diet counseling and medication adjustments. After 8 weeks, the data were collected again and statistically analyzed using SPSS 22 software. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.

Significant differences were observed in anxiety scores before and after the intervention (13.33 ± 2.6 and 3.2 ± 5.41, respectively; P = 0.001), depression scores (11.9 ± 2.61 and 2.56 ± 1.85, respectively; P = 0.001), and anthropometric indices (P < 0.05). Waist circumference (96.20 ± 9.86 and 92.25 ± 8.56, respectively; P = 0.001), BMI (27.75 ± 1.99 and 26.67 ± 2.03, respectively; P = 0.001), and WHR (0.97 ± 0.06 and 0.93 ± 0.17, respectively; P = 0.001) all showed significant improvements.

Exercise is a crucial non-pharmacological intervention in the management of diabetes. The results of this study demonstrate that Pilates exercises can effectively reduce anxiety anddepression while improving anthropometric indices inwomen with T2DM. Therefore, it is recommendedto incorporate Pilates exercises as a method to reduce anxiety and depression and enhance anthropometric indicators in this population.

Sleep is one of the basic physiological needs of human life. Hospitalization causes disturbances in the sleep pattern and decreases the quality of sleep. The present study aimed to compare the effect of Swedish massage and earplugs/eye masks on the quality of sleep of patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of the teaching hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in Zahedan, Iran, in 2022.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 40 patients admitted to the ICUs of Khatam Al-Anbia and Ali Ibne Abi-Talib hospitals in Zahedan. The participants were selected through convenience sampling from the patients who met the inclusion criteria. By using the permuted block technique with colored cards (red and yellow), the patients were placed into two Swedish massage and earplug/eye mask groups. After enrollment in the study, the patients in both groups did not receive any intervention during the first night, and their sleep quality was checked using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) as a pre-test during the first night. The participants in both groups received the intended interventions on the second night after entering the study, and their sleep quality on the second night was measured as a post-test. The participants in the first intervention group received a Swedish massage one night for 20 minutes before bedtime in the back area (lumbar cavity to the shoulder). Moreover, the participants in the second intervention group were asked to wear earplugs and eye masks for one night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The collected data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, and chi-square test with SPSS software (version 26).

The results showed that the mean sleep quality scores for the participants in the Swedish massage group and earplug/eye maskgroupwere 130.25 ± 41.91 and 135 ± 44.36 before the intervention, respectively. In addition, themeansleep quality scores for the participants in the Swedish massage group and earplug/eye mask group were 202 ± 46.03 and 184.79 ± 39.5 after the intervention, respectively, showing a significant increase in the sleep quality scores for the participants in both groups after the intervention (P = 0.001). In addition, the independent samples t-test confirmed that the mean sleep quality score for the participants in the Swedish massagegroupwassignificantly higher than that of the participants in the earplug/eyemaskgroupafter the intervention (P=0.037).

Non-pharmacological interventions, such as Swedish massage and wearing earplugs and eye masks, can have a significant effect on increasing the sleep quality of patients admitted to the ICU. The data in this study indicated that compared to the earplug/eye mask group intervention, Swedish massage had a greater effect on improving the sleep quality of the patients. Therefore, the Swedish massage technique, which does not cause sensory restrictions similar to those of earplugs/eyemasks, can be applied as an inexpensive intervention without any complications to improve patients’ sleep quality.

Technological advancements have facilitated disease management.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of mobile health training on the fatigue levels of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Zahedan.

This quasi-experimental study involved 80 MS patients who joined the Zahedan Multiple Sclerosis Association in 2023. Patients were selected through convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Patients in the intervention group received mobile health education on fatigue reduction strategies using a website (www.Betterlifems.ir) created by the researcher, in addition to the standard education. The control group received only the standard education. In both groups, data were collected through a demographic information questionnaire and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at the beginningandtwomonths after the intervention, using the interview method. The SPSS software (version 26) was used to analyze the collected data via paired t-test, independent t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at a significance level set at less than 0.05 (P < 0.05).

In the control group, the average fatigue score increased from 43.72 ± 9.04 to 44.07 ± 9.13, which did not demonstrate a significant increase (P = 0.69). Conversely, in the intervention group, the average fatigue score significantly decreased from 43.47 ± 8.15 to 30.10 ± 8.28 (P = 0.001). The ANCOVA results, which accounted for significant pretest score effects, revealed a significant difference in mean fatigue scores between the two groups after the intervention (P = 0.001).

This study confirms that mobile health training has a significantly positive effect on the fatigue experienced by patients with MS. Therefore, mobile health can be utilized to teach self-care strategies to manage and alleviate fatigue inMSpatients.

 Limitations of activities of daily living (ADLs) are well-known in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, a lack of consensus regarding the concept of ADL in COPD patients causes problems in their measurement. This study was conducted to clarify and conceptualize the concept of ADLs in COPD.

 The hybrid model of concept analysis consisting of a literature review phase, a fieldwork phase, and an analytical phase was applied. In the first phase, an extensive literature review was performed by searching the accredited databases for relevant articles published within 2000-2022. In the second phase, 18 in-depth interviews with COPD patients were carried out in Tehran, Iran. Field observational notes were transcribed verbatim, and qualitative content analysis was performed. In the analytical phase, attributes of ADLs were derived from the previous two phases.

 Based on the attributes derived from the final analytical phase, ADLs in COPD patients are complex and multifactorial and are affected by dyspnea and factors influencing it. The pattern of daily activities, communication, and self-care in COPD patients changes toward living normally and independently.

 The concept analysis of ADLs in COPD patients revealed some key attributes. The results might be useful for designing nursing models, developing theories and measurement tools, and increasing the capacity to perform ADLs in COPD patients.