mitra zandi

Olfactory dysfunction, a prominent complication of COVID-19, significantly impacts patients' quality of life, persisting for months after infection. Exploring diverse methodologies to address this issue necessitates scholarly investigation. Therefore, our primary objective was to assess the impact of olfactory training on enhancing olfaction sense among COVID-19 patients.

This randomized controlled trial employed a pretest-posttest design to assess COVID-19 patients experiencing olfactory dysfunction at the Babol Health Center in northern Iran. Patients were allocated to either the control or intervention group using closed envelopes. Both groups, consisting of 50 patients each, completed the Olfactory Disorders - Negative Statements (QOD-NS) questionnaire before the intervention. Over a six-week period, participants in the intervention group were exposed to Phenylethyl alcohol, Eucalyptus, Citronol, and Eugenol twice daily, rotating each scent for 20 seconds with ten-second breaks in between, while the control group received no intervention. Independent and paired t-tests were utilized to analyze the relationship between the groups before and after the intervention, with analysis conducted using SPSS 16. The significance level was set at less than 0.05.

The mean score of olfactory disorder among patients before the intervention in both the intervention and control groups was 24.32 ± 6.60 and 22.85 ± 8.04, respectively, showing no significant difference (P = 0.33). However, following the intervention, the scores decreased to 19.60 ± 5.74 and 22.52 ± 7.39 in the intervention and control groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference observed (P = 0.034).

Olfactory training demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing olfaction sense among patients with COVID-19 experiencing olfactory disorders. Consequently, it is recommended that nurses be trained to administer this program to COVID-19 patients with olfactory disorders upon discharge, facilitating their recovery process.

Emergency technicians face workplace violence and increasing occupational stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a virtual self-management training in communication skills on occupational stress and the degree of aggression among emergency technicians.

This study involved 60 emergency technicians randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. They completed surveys on workplace violence and occupational stress. The intervention group received six weeks of a virtual self-management training in communication skills. Data was collected after two months and analyzed using SPSS software.

The findings showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the control group (110.08±11.92) and the two intervention groups (114.39±11.25) in terms of the average occupational stress before the intervention; The average job stress score between the intervention (94.0±12,70) and control (98.81± 20,81) groups significantly differed following the intervention (p=0.034); After the intervention, the intervention group had lower verbal and physical abuse frequencies compared to the control group.

The virtual self-management communication training demonstrated the potential to reduce occupational stress but did not significantly decrease the violence towards the emergency technicians. A comprehensive training program addressing violence factors and communication techniques, implemented over a longer period, is recommended.

The efficacy of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) or technologies used to treat infertile couples has been approved. One such technique is embryo donation. However, there is insufficient knowledge of the experiences of mothers receiving donated embryos. Thus, the present study was conducted with the aim to determine the experiences of mothers receiving donated embryos.

This qualitative conventional content analysis study was conducted in 2018 for 8 months (from February to September). The research setting was Royan Institute. Mothers receiving donated embryos were selected from among those who were pregnant or were at the postpartum stage using the purposive sampling method. A total of 15 interviews were performed with 13 participants. The qualitative data were collected using deep unstructured interviews and analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman (2004) method in (version 10; VERBI GmbH, Berlin, Germany) software.

Data analysis resulted in 412 open codes that were then categorized into 7 main categories and their subcategories. The main categories were as follows: sociocultural constraint, feeling of insecurity in personal and family identity, protection of personal and family identity, confounded support, pressure and hardship, and achieving relative tranquility.

The results of this study showed that the mothers who underwent embryo donation experienced feelings of insecurity regarding both individual and family identities, were confronted with sociocultural difficulties, and faced various pressures. It is suggested that future care plans be focused on the identity crisis of these families and the children resulting from these methods, and that future plans balance the socioeconomic pressures resulting from the use of these methods.

Patient safety is a key indicator and element in securing quality healthcare and this goal is multi-step, systemic, and multidisciplinary. The aim of the study was to investigate the meanings and definitions of “feeling of safety” in patient’s view and experiences during their hospital stay and to identify the antecedents and consequences of the concept.

This qualitative systematic review was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009. Six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Embase, Cochrane) were searched up to 2019 with no time and language limit. Two authors individually evaluated the study quality using Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Data from studies meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed with concept analysis using of Walker and Avant approach (2011).

Twenty-five papers were included in this study. Data analysis resulted finally in eleven main categories: “receiving safe care”, “appropriate physical environment”, “resorting to spirituality”, “having previous negative experiences”, and “presence of family and friends”, “Feeling of Protection in a Safe Place”, “Emotional Enrichment and Confidence”, “Comfort and Tranquility”, “Feeling of Control on the Situation”, “Optimism towards Life” and “Coping”.

Safe care is one of the fundamental needs in creating feeling of safety in patients. Focusing on this type of patient-centered care may promote quality care and improve the treatments provided in the hospital setting.

Yoga is one of the rehabilitation programs that engage the mind and body for positive health outcomes and it plays an essential role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breathing exercises and yoga relaxation on tension, depression and anxiety in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

This experimental- intervention study was done in Kermanshah city in 2016. In this study, 100 patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomly divided into test group (50 patients) and control group (50 patients) in selected hospitals. Breathing exercises and yoga relaxation were performed for three days before and three days after removing the endotracheal tube in the case group. Data collection tool was dass21 questionnaire which was measured before and after the intervention. Then, the findings were analyzed using SPSS software and independent t-test, paired t-test, Spearman and Mann-Whitney test.

According to the findings, no significant relationship was found between the frequency distribution of gender, marital status, education, employment status and age of patients in the case and control groups (P-Value > 0.05). There was a significant difference between the mean scores of tension, anxiety and depression before and after the intervention in the case group (P-Value < 0.05). While this difference was not significant in the control group. There was also a significant difference between the mean of tension, anxiety and depression in case and control groups after the intervention (P-Value < 0.05).

By performing low-cost and simple breathing exercises and relaxing yoga in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, can act to improve and prevent psychological problems, especially anxiety, tension and depression.

There is no consensus on the performance of decision rules in predicting the prognosis of traumapatients. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the value of Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and physiologicscoring systems in predicting mortality and poor outcome of trauma patients.

This diagnostic accu-racy study was conducted on multiple trauma patients admitted to the intensive care units of two hospitals inTehran, Iran, from 21 November 2020 to 22 May 2021. The patients’ demographic characteristics, length of stayin the intensive care unit (ICU), the vital signs, and the GCS on admission were recorded. Finally, the mortal-ity, disability, and complete recovery of patients at the time of discharge were evaluated and receiver operatingcharacteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to compare the performance of physiologic scoring systems withGCS.

200 trauma patients with the mean age of 43.53±19.84 years were evaluated (74% male). The areaunder the ROC curve for New Trauma Score (NTS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Worthing Physiological Scor-ing System (WPSS), Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), ModifiedEarly Warning Score (MEWS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), Glasgow Coma Scale, Age, and SystolicBlood Pressure score (GAPS) ,Glasgow coma scale (GCS) in prediction of mortality were 0.95, 0.95, 0.83, 0.89,0.91, 0.84, 0.77, 0.97, and 0.98 respectively. The performance of GCS was statistically superior to RTS (P=0.005),WPSS (P=0.0001), RAPS (P=0.0002), REMS (P=0.002), MEWS (P<0.0001), and NEWS (P<0.0001). However, theperformance of GCS, NTS (P=0.146), and GAPS (P=0.513) were not significantly different. Also, in predictionof poor outcomes, the AUC of GCS (0.98) was significantly higher than RTS (0.95), RAPS (0.85), REMS (0.85),MEWS (0.84), NEWS (0.77), and WPSS (0.75).

The GCS score seems to be a better instrument topredict mortality and poor outcome in trauma patients compared to other tools due to its high accuracy, wideapplication, and easy calculation.

Paying attention to the needs of infertile couples and involving them in the treatment program allows them to deal with this problem more effectively. The patient-centered care is based on the principle that all resources and activities of the organization should be organized around the patient. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the quality of patient-centered care from the viewpoints of infertile clients.

This descriptive study was performed in 2019 on 200 infertile clients referring to the assisted reproductive centers of Shahid Beheshti selected hospitals. Data were collected using a patient-centered questionnaire in infertile clients. This questionnaire consists of 50 questions in 8 areas including: access, information, communication, patient participation, respect for patient values, patient's continuity and support, staff's competence and care organization area; the minimum score in each area is zero and maximum is 3. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 18) and descriptive and regression tests.

According to the results, the most infertility factor was related to female factor with 132 cases (66.0%) and then the common factor of male and female with 62 cases (31.0%). The mean duration of infertility was 5.35±3.67 years. The results of this study showed that in the score range between 0 and 3, the mean focus of patients in infertility treatment was 1.50. The lowest patient-centered score was related to access area (0.37 from 3) and the highest was related to care organization area (2.40 from 3).

According to the results of the study, the quality of patient-centered care has been obtained moderate-level (1.5) from the desired level (3). It is necessary to reform the infrastructure of the country's health system and the patient-centered approach be widely trained and implemented in the country. In order to make this important, we should identify the influencing factors on patient-centered care.

Cerebrovascular angiography is a method of diagnosing cerebrovascular disorders. Invasive procedures induce anxiety in patients. Poor management of anxiety may be life-threatening for patients. It is the duty of nurses to reduce anxiety. Given the prevalence of anxiety in patients awaiting cerebrovascular angiography and its detrimental complications and also the criticalrole of nurses in the psychosomatic support of patients and their struggle to reduce anxiety, the use of different methods of patient education such as familiarizing them with diagnostic and therapeutic processes is of utmost significance. This study investigated the effect of orientation tour on anxiety in candidates of cerebrovascular angiography.

In this experimental study, 114 patients awaiting cerebrovascular angiography presenting to Imam Hussein Hospital and Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, capital of Iran, were selected with a convenient sampling method and assigned randomly to either case or control groups. The controlgroup just received routine education in the ward. In contrast,the case group received routine education in the ward and instructions on performing angiography and its pre-, peri-, and post-operative care. Demographics questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to collect data. Patients'anxiety was measured twice with this instrument at hospitalization and after the intervention. The gleaned data were analyzed with SPSS21 using independent t-test, Chi-square test, and ANOVA.

Distribution of age was the same in both groups (P<0.11). Independent t-test showed a significant difference in the mean score of anxiety before intervention in the control group (9.2) and case group (7.2) (P=0.02). This test also indicated a significant difference in the mean score of patients'anxiety after intervention in both the control group (9.7) and case group (6.7) (P=0.001). However, using data collected before the orientation tour as the covariate, repeated measures ANOVA showed a significantly more significantreduction of anxiety in the case group.

According to our findings, participation in the angiography room orientation tour leads to reduced anxiety in patients awaiting cerebrovascular angiography. The use of this method is advisable for patients before diagnostic and therapeutic processes.

Background:

 Due to the increased survival of children with chronic and complex diseases, transferring a part of care provision to home and harnessing the family’s potential with the aim of shortening the length of stay and returning the child to the safe and familiar atmosphere of the family can affect the health system and the family. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of home-based palliative care for children with complex health care needs based on the literature review.

After selecting the keywords related to the research question, by examining MeSH, EMTREE and the experts’ opinions mentioned in articles, searching the databases PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science was done through a combination of them.

Finally, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, which were investigated in three groups of methodological features, economic outcomes and indirect outcomes. The reviewed studies were of medium to high quality. Eight were cohort studies, one pre-post study, and 2 economic evaluation studies. Studiesshowed that the decrease in the costs of home-based palliative care for the children in need of special health care, although little, was the result of either reduced hospital stay or the decreased number of hospitalizations. 

Conclusion:

 In order to set up pediatric palliative care services in Iran, considering the cultural atmosphere and the limited resources of the health system, attention should be paid to the cost effectiveness of care settings and the provided services, and measures should be taken in order to improve the situation of the children with special care needs, based on social conditions.

Patients are meticulous supervisors of their self-care. Their perceptions and experiences play a significant role in their awareness of the overt and covert problems in the healthcare settings. However, few studies have focused on the exact details of the nature of safety experienced only by the patients.

This study aimed to carry out the conventional content analysis of patients’ feelings of safety during hospitalization.

This qualitative study was conducted on a total of 31 patients hospitalized in various wards of hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, using purposive sampling in 2019. The data, obtained through semi-structured interviews, were analyzed by conventional content analysis using Graneheim and Lundman’s approach (2004) with MAXQDA software (version 2010).

Finally, data analysis resulted in the establishment of three main categories, namely feeling of insecurity, insolvency, and seeking safety and security.

The obtained results of the present study can be helpful in designing a patient-based care program focusing on patient safety. The healthcare team can improve patient care through the consideration of factors contributing to the feeling of safety in patients.

Liver cancer is one of the common cancers. Despite many advances in medical sciences, it continues to be one of the main problems in the care systems. Diagnosis of the disease and its treatments result in many problems for affected patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the consequences of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

 The study was performed on 84 patients at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, using available sampling methods. Questionnaires on cancer treatments, Fatigue Severity Scales, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales, Edmonton Symptoms Scales, and demographic characteristics were filled before and after treatment. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Descriptive statistics, t test, and correlation test were used as appropriated.

The study showed many consequences such as anxiety, pain, and fatigue. Mean physical and psychological outcomes after treatment showed a significant increase (P˂0.05), which led to a significant decrease in FACT??.

Consequences have an inverse and significant relationship with patients’ performances and their quality of life. Due to the direct effects of consequences on life, they should be reduced or eliminated.

Physical and psychological outcomes are one of the most important problems in patients with liver cancer, which can affect new patients' ability and their quality of life. Regarding the necessity of reducing and eliminating these consequences, the study was conducted to investigate the consequences of surgery in patients with liver cancer.

This descriptive study was performed on 53 patients with liver cancer referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex in Tehran using the available sampling method from November 2019 to June 2020. During the study, Functional Cancer Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety, and Depression Scale, Fatigue Severity, Edmonton Symptom Evaluation, and Demographic Characteristics were used in two stages (before and one month after the treatment). Data were analyzed using SPSS 21, descriptive statistics, Pair T-test, and correlation.

Fatigue, loss of appetite, pain, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other problems were significantly increased in comparison with the pre-treatment period (p˂0.05). There was a significant relationship between these outcomes and the quality of life of the patients (p˂0.001).

Patients with cancer have experienced moderate to severe physical, and psychological consequences. Considering the impact of these outcomes on the survival and quality of life, one of the important tasks in the cancer department is, to prevent, identify, and control the complications of liver cancer treatment.

Primary liver cancer is one of the most malignant and deadly cancers, which reduces the quality of life. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important criterion for evaluating the health care, controlling diseases, outcomes, benefits, and disadvantages of treatments, quality of medical treatment and nursing care, and screening individuals at risk for physical and psychological problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors of HRQOL in patients with liver cancer. The results of this study can improve the quality of life of the patients and the level of health care.

This study was performed on 272 patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran (2018-2019), by using convenience sampling method. For assessing patients, we used Function Assessment Cancer Therapy, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Edmonton Symptoms Assessment Scale, and Characteristics Demographic. Data were collected in two stages (before and one month after treatment). In order to validate these tools, previous studies were cited and their reliability was assessed by test-retest. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 21. Descriptive statistics, correlation test, paired t test, and linear regression were used as appropriated.

The mean HRQOL score in patients with liver cancer was 58.11 (±17.31). Effective factors in HRQOL was the type of treatment, physical and psychological consequences, and some demographic characteristics.

The present study showed that many factors can predict HRQOL in patient with liver cancer. Also, awareness of these factors provides the basis for developing effective care plans to promote HRQOL and increase life expectancy in affected patients. These factors are very important because based on them HRQOL of patient with liver cancer can be estimated with 59/8% accuracy.

Advancements in assisted reproductive technology (ART) has increased the nurses' contribution to the provision of ART services. The present descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine essential care skills for nurses working at the selected infertility clinics in Tehran, Iran, based on their perspectives within 2016-2017. A total of 59 nurses were selected via a convenience sampling method and the data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21). Furthermore, the results of the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient highlighted items associated with three domains of knowledge, attitudes, and practices required for nurses from their perspectives (94.9%). Given that nurses have constant contact with clients in infertility clinics and considering the lack of studies on essential care skills for nurses working at such centers, the results of this study would help to define job descriptions and determine the necessary care skills for the nurses.