فهرست مطالب mokhtar mahmoudi

The triage system of the emergency department prioritizes patients to receive medical care, and errors in prioritizing patients can have serious consequences. This study aims to evaluate the Performance Emergency Severity Index in the triage of trauma patients referred to the emergency department of Ashayer Shohada Khorramabad Hospital in 2023.

The current cross-sectional study was conducted using an available sampling method on 375 trauma patients referred to the emergency department. First, the reliability of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage was calculated by examining the agreement between observers (inter-rater reliability) and Cohen's kappa statistical test. Then, to validate the levels of severity, in the absence of a gold standard, the outcome of trauma patients was used as an alternative marker. Researchers compared the results of nurse's triage for each of the outcomes, and based on this comparison, the validity of ESI triage was evaluated in terms of heavy and light triage. The obtained data were analyzed using STATA-17 software, and the chi-square test was used to validate the triage. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The findings of the present study showed that the percentage of patients assigned to levels one; two, three, four, and five were 2.94, 15.2, 61.6, 12.53, and 7.73, respectively. Kappa calculated from the inter-rater agreement for ESI triage was determined to be 0.7. The ESI triage system generally had an error in 23.2% of the performed care prioritization.

According to findings, ESI triage has high inter-rater reliability in performance. In terms of validity however, it needs a serious review, and most of the trauma patients are placed at the level of three ESI triages, and a large collection of undifferentiated patients is created, which weakens the main purpose of triage.

Regarding the importance of nursing education promotion, there is a need to use methods to create nurses' knowledge and skills. This study aimed to compare two training methods on nurses' skills in using ventilators in medical-surgical (Med-Surge) department.

This quasi-experimental study was performed in the internal and surgical wards of Amir Al-Moemenin Hospital in ArakCity, Iran, in August 2019 to May 2020. The samples were 100 nurses who were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly divided into two groups of 50 samples. After the pretest administration, nurses in the control group were educated using face-to-face or usual method education; in the experimental group, they were trained using video-based education. After ten days, the post-test was completed. Finally, dataanalysis was done using SPSS software.

The mean total score of the performance was significantly different among the two groups after the intervention (P < 0.001), so that after the intervention, the mean of performance score in video-based education was higher than the usualmethod.

It seems that the use of video-based education enhanced the clinical skills of nurses. Therefore, it is recommended to use more video-based education to enhance clinical nurses' learning.

Due to the high mortality of patients admitted to the intensive care unit, the provision of high quality nursing care, especially for patients admitted to these wards, is of great importance, so the quality of death and dying in these wards is necessary. The aim of this study was to determine the quality of dying and death from the perspective of nurses working in intensive care units.

The present study was performed cross-sectional in the teaching hospitals of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The research samples in this cross-sectional study were 105 nurses working in intensive care units who were selected by census. Data collection tools included two sections: demographic information, Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire (QODD).

The results of the present study showed that the mean and standard deviation of the quality of dying and death variable were 37.15±13.47 and below the mean. Among the items related to the quality of death, the highest average was related to receiving appropriate sedation during the stay in the intensive care unit (5.80±2.41) and being touched or hugged by loved ones (4.90±2.78) and the lowest average quality of care was related to having a spiritual ceremony before the patient's death (2.12±2.59) and having one or more visits to a religious or spiritual counselor (2.24±2.66). There was a statistically significant relationship between the quality of dying and death and the history of passing training courses related to dying and death (P=0.03).

It is recommended to hold training courses related to quality dying and death care criteria for personnel working in intensive care units, as well as to evaluate the quality of mortality care from the perspective of the families of patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

It is clear that The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted an education system like other areas of society. The current research aimed to investigate faculty members' and medical students’ perceptions towards E-learning challenges during the Covid-19.

This qualitative study was performed by purposive sampling among students (N=16) and faculty members (N=6) in Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences in 2020. After obtaining informed consent from the participants, all semi-structured interviews were recorded one by one, handwritten, and analyzed by qualitative content analysis. To assess the accuracy and reliability of data was confirmed from various methods. 

From the data analysis, two main themes include "turmoil in the organization" (with the main classes of technical concerns, time concerns, and educational alienation) and "organizational uncertainty" (with the main classes of fundamental inconsistency and managerial inconsistency) were extracted.as virtual educational challenges.

Based on the result, there are challenges of management and organization in relation to managers' emphasis on the importance of e-learning and the issue of supporting these training. Paying attention to the challenges and obstacles in e-learning can greatly improve the quality of higher education.

Blinding is one of the critical criteria of clinical trials that prevents probable bias. Judgment regarding results of an intervention significantly depends on the quality of such studies, one of which is blinding. This study aimed to investigate blinding and its quality in clinical trials in patients with breast cancer.

A systematic review was conducted on the online databases of PubMed, ScienceDirect and ProQuest using keywords, MeSH terms and grey literature. Articles were screened by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were evaluated based on the checklists introduced by Cochrane database.

From 22519 articles obtained at the initial stage, 20 articles remained after screening for the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifteen articles had used single, five: double and none had used triple or quadruple blinding. Seventeen studies had described the details of blinding. Of the 15 single blind articles, the blinded subjects were patients in five, patients and research assistants in three, research assistants in five studies, and two had not given any details.

The majority of researchers had used the single blind method, though using double, triple or quadruple blinding increases the trustworthiness of results and increases the quality of clinical trials. The details of blinding should be explained to other researchers and for a better understanding of the method if it is to be repeated. Thereafter, nurses can apply new interventions and earn their patients’ trust and help those with breast cancer by relieving them of their disease symptoms and its treatment complications.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on the Pender’s health promotion model (HPM) on lifestyle and self‑e fficacy of the patients with diabetic foot ulcer.

In this clinical trial conducted in 2019, 74 patients based on inclusion criteria were selected through convenience sampling and allocated to two groups of intervention (n = 37) and control ( n = 37) using the randomized permuted block method. In this study, Demographic characteristics and localized Diabetes Foot Care Self ‑Efficacy Scale and Health‑Promoting Lifestyle Profile Questionnaire for diabetic foot care were completed by two groups. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 16 and through descriptive and comparative statistics, independent t‑test, paired t‑test, and ANCOVA.

After the intervention, the mean score of the intervention group significantly increased in all lifestyle dimensions (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean score of self‑effcacy increased in the intervention group after the intervention (P < 0.001). Comparing the change in the mean scores of lifestyle and self‑efficacy in both the groups 50 days after the intervention, an increase was observed in the mean scores of self‑efficacy (P < 0.001) as well as those of lifestyle and its dimensions in the intervention group compared to those in the control group (P < 0.001).

Educational intervention based on the Pender’s HPM can promote the self‑efficacy, lifestyle, and its dimensions in the patients with diabetic foot ulcers. The results of this study can be used in educational interventions aiming at patients with diabetic foot ulcers to change their lifestyle and improve their self‑efficacy.

Swap as one of the new methods of international trade can have a great impact on solving the country's economic problems. This contract has become widespread in the field of international trade. But no research has been done on its advantages and disadvantages in Iran. The present article examines the issue using library resources and answers the question: What are the benefits of swap contracts? And what effect can it have on the country's economic development? It concludes that the swap can prevent the negative impact of price changes on the value of assets and cover the risk of commodity, currency and interest rate fluctuations. Swaps reduce the cost and time of moving goods and currency, and boost the country's transportation, eliminating intermediary currency and using the national currency, and making sanctions ineffective. So the swap has a very positive effect on economic development, but there are also criticisms of it, which is that this contract increases crude sales and reduces domestic production and the value of the national currency. But the important point is that in addition to economic benefits, swaps have significant benefits in political convergence. Communicating with countries around the world through swaps provides political and security benefits, as well as access to the consumer markets for the sale of Iranian goods.

Considering the importance of psychometric evaluation of the male sex hormone deficiency questionnaire by Iranian nurses, this study aimed to determine the translation and validation of the Iranian version of the Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males (ADAM) questionnaire.

This study was cross‑sectional. After obtaining permission from the instrument maker, translating it into Farsi, retranslated it into English, and determining validity and reliability. The study population was 200 Iranian men who admitted to hospitals affiliated with Iran University of medical science and were older than 50 years and selected by convenience sampling method. They were evaluated and monitored based on the Iranian version of the ADAM questionnaire. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed and analyzed by Rock Chart analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistical tests were used at a significant level of 0.05.

Findings showed that the Iranian version of the ADAM questionnaire had good face validity. Results showed that Cronbach’s alpha in this questionnaire was 0.93, which indicates high reliability, and all the valid questionnaires were reported for the Scale‑Content Validity Index (SCVI) calculation. Hence, the questionnaire has good content validity. The Iranian version of the ADAM questionnaire has a sensitivity of 93.85% and a specificity of 77.14% at the cut‑off point of 2.2, indicating high sensitivity and specificity.

The Iranian version of the ADAM questionnaire is valid and reliable and has high sensitivity and specificity. Nurses can also use it as an adjunctive scale to screen andropause men over 50 years of age.

Current nursing shortage is becoming more complicated because of turnover intention among nurses. Most of the inactive nurses in Iran after a long time for various rations Returned To Professional Nursing Practice (RTPNP). Because the RTPNP program does not exist in Iran to prepare inactive nurses returning to practice, this study aimed to explore the strategies that contribute to preparing nurses for RTPNP.

The present study was a part of the findings of a larger grounded theory study that lasted about 9 months from April 2019 to December 2019. The data were collected through semi‑structured interviews with participants after signing an informed consent form. The average interview duration was 40 minutes. The study participants were selected through purposeful sampling from both public and private hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Participants included eight nurses, two education supervisors, two matrons, and two head nurses. Interviews were verbatim transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method.

Struggle turning back to PNP was the main category that emerged from four categories of “seeking learning resources,” “return to practice support,” “getting used to a practice,” and “building a new family life” from the data analysis process.

Returners struggle to get prepared for providing PNP to clients if there is no definite process of RTPNP. Organizational support and RTPNP programs are efficient strategies and could help these returners get prepared for PNP.

The current nursing shortage is complicated because of turnover intention among nurses. Most of the inactive nurses returned to professional nursing practice. Returned to professional nursing practice program was low attrition rates and a more cost‑effective strategy that prepared inactive nurses returning to practice. This study aimed to explain the process of returned to professional nursing practice.

This study was a grounded theory study, which lasted from about 2018 to 2020. Data were collected through semi‑structured interviews and observations with participants after signing an informed consent form. The average interview duration was 45 min. The study participants were selected through purposeful sampling from both public and private hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Interviews were verbatim transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method.

In this study, 16 participants were selected, including ten nurses, two educational supervisors, two head nurses, and two matrons. The “transformed competence” as the core concept and the four main concepts of “feeling alienated with the new environment,” “getting prepared for restart,” “gradual maturity in clinical practice,” and “components of organizational culture” were extracted from the data analysis process.

The process of returned to professional nursing practice in the context of the organizational culture of incentive learning leading to a high level of competence, and in the context of the organizational culture of inhibiting learning, is leading to deficiency incompetence.

The Pender’s health promotion model is a framework used for determining health-promoting lifestyle behaviors in people with chronic diseases. This study aims to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on the Pender’s health promotion model on the lifestyles of patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

In this clinical trial conducted in 2019, 74 patients were selected based on inclusion criteria by convenience sampling and allocated into two groups, the intervention and control, using the randomized block method. Both groups completed the demographic characteristics- and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile Questionnaires. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 16, using descriptive & comparative statistical methods, including independent t-test, paired t-test and ANCOVA.

After the intervention, a significant increase was observed in the average score of the intervention group in all lifestyle dimensions (P<0.001). Comparing the changes in the average scores of lifestyle and its dimensions in both groups 50 days after the intervention, an increase was observed in the average scores of lifestyle and its dimensions in the intervention group, compared to those in the control group (P<0.001).

Educational intervention based on the Pender’s health promotion model can promote the lifestyles of patients with diabetic foot ulcers, results of which can be used in educational interventions aimed at patients with diabetic foot ulcers to change their lifestyles.

The endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure must be kept within the range of 20 to 30 cmH2O in order to prevent tube displacement and air leakage, maintain the circulation of the tracheal capillaries, and prevent the aspiration of oral and gastric contents to the lower parts of the respiratory tract. This study aimed to determine the ETT cuff pressure and appropriate intervals for measuring it in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients after cardiac surgery with general anesthesia admitted to ICUs between May and November 2017. For each research unit, the ETT cuff pressure was measured twice at a 6-hour interval using a cuff pressure manometer. Descriptive (ie, mean, standard deviation, and frequency distribution) and inferential (ie, t-test, Pearson, and ANOVA) statistics were used to describe the data. All the ETT cuff pressure measurements were performed with a calibrated manometer. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 22.0.

The mean ETT cuff pressure was 38.3 ± 24.9 cmH2O. In the first measurement, the ETT cuff pressure was normal in only 17% of the subjects, while this figure increased to 78% after the 6-hour control period and cuff-pressure correction. There was a significant relationship between the number of days of intubation and the ETT cuff pressure in both first (P = 0.003) and second (P = 0.01) measurements.

The ETT cuff pressure often exceeds the recommended normal range, which can serve as a reminder that it may be necessary to control it at shorter intervals to avoid complications caused by increases or decreases in the cuff pressure. (Iranian Heart Journal 2020; 21(3): 33-39)

Self-management programs on needs of burn patients are still essential. So this study determined the effect of self-management training on anxiety and comfort of burn patients who were candidate for skin grafting.

In a continuous sampling method in Shahid Motahari Burn Center affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, 80 burn patients candidate for skin grafting were divided into equal groups of intervention and control. Educational intervention was undertaken in the form of booklet during two sessions before and after skin grafting. Visual comfort scale questionnaire and Spiel Berger state-trait anxiety inventory were completed by patients before training and one month after intervention.

There was a significant difference between the frequency of comfort level in both groups before and after the intervention. The level of comfort in the intervention group increased more than control group. The mean level of patients' anxiety showed a significant difference between groups and scores in intervention group were significantly more than control group.

Attention and control of anxiety and comfort in burn patients are one of the essential elements of their care. It can be suggested that self-management training can reduce anxiety and increase burn patients’ comfort.

The use of swap contracts as a new method of trade has become internationally widespread and results tosome important advantages such as reduction of shipping costs, time saving in movement of the goods and elimination of export and import risk. The increasing significance and prevalence of such contracts, give rise to some questions including: what are the nature and characteristic of the swap contract in the Iranian legal system? Is there any similar concept to the swap contract in our domestic law? The present article considers similar legal concepts in response to the questions and comes to the conclusion that swap is an innominate contract under Article 10 of the Iranian Civil Code based on party autonomy. Despite undeniable similarities with barter contract, swap has a particular nature,the subject matter of the contract usually consists of fungible goods and includes special obligations based on mutual agreement of the parties as a general rule. Accordingly, the swap contract has its own specific characteristics, which have been examined in detail.

Burn is the fourth most common cause of trauma worldwide and is the fourth among the injuries and surgeries requiring medical care. This study was designed to determine the effect of a short-term training course by nurses on body image in patients with burn injuries.
This study was a semi-experimental single-group survey assessing before and after interventions. Totally, 130 subjects (65 women and 65 men) were enrolled. The training course was held in 3 sessions of two hours. The contents of the group training course (a group of 5 people) were in relation to the body image and the factors affecting it, and the ways to improve the body image. The data collection instrument was the satisfaction with appearance scale (SWAP).
The mean scores of the body image of patients before and after the intervention were 49.44±11.39 and 41.63±11.89, respectively. There was a significant difference between the mean scores of body image before and after educational interventions (T=6.013, P≤0.001). The mean score of body image in women before and after intervention was 49.2±10.9 and 41.2±11.65, respectively (T=4.51, P≤0.000). The mean score of body image in men before and after intervention was 49.6±11.89 and 42.07±12.19, respectively (T=4.51, P≤0.000).
Short-term courses held by nurses were shown to have a significant role in improving the body image of burn patients.

Andropause syndrome is caused due to the deficiency in sex hormones and brings about symptoms of physical, psychological, and sexual nature. This study aims at investigating the prevalence of andropause syndrome in 40-65-year-old men in the central city of Iran (Arak). This study is a descriptive cross-sectional research conducted on 600 men living in the city of Arak in 2017. The subjects were selected through cluster sampling and qADAM was used for collecting data including three areas (level of energy, psychological and sexual). The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test and ANOVA) and using SPSS 16. The results showed that the average questionnaire score increased with an increase in age up to 50 years and above. Correlation test for the three subscales of physical, psychological, and sexual showed that the psychological subscale had the highest correlation with andropause score (p < 0.05). Among the items related to the subscales, the statement” I feel my sex drive has decreased” with mean and standard deviation of 3.62 ± 1.06 had the highest correlation with andropause and the statement “I feel I have no value for society” with mean and standard deviation of 1.7 ± 0.86 had the lowest correlation with andropause. Andropause age in Arak is 50 years and above. Average questionnaire score showed a positive direct relation with age. Decreased sex drive had the highest correlation and losing social value had the lowest correlation with andropause state.

Regarding the importance of nursing education promotion, there is a need to use methods that have the ability to create knowledge and skills in students. This study aimed to assess the effect of education (problem base learning, cooperative training and routine approach to clinical education) on critical care nursing student's clinical learning, anxiety and satisfaction.
This quasi-experimental study performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Amir Al Moemenin hospital in Arak, Iran, during 2015-2017. The subjects were 60 nursing students who were selected via Fixed blocked randomization method and randomly were allocated into three groups (60 subjects). After the administration of pretest, students in control group were educated using common method; in one of the experimental groups, the cooperative learning and for other experimental group, problem- based learning was used for 9 days. Then, the three groups completed the questionnaires at the end of education again. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 (analysis of variance, Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, Fisher).
The mean total score of the learning was significantly difference among three groups after the intervention. after intervention, the mean of learning was in problem based solving and collaborative learning higher than usual method. There was no significant difference between means of satisfaction and anxiety in three teaching methods.
It seems that two methods of problem-based learning and cooperative training enhanced clinical skills of students. Therefore, it is recommended to use these two methods to enhance students’ clinical learning.

Myocardial infarction is one of the main causes of death and disability in the world. Adherence of therapeutic regimen is an important caring option in these patients. This study has been conducted to determine the effect of family-centered education on laboratory index of patients after acute myocardial infarction.
This clinical trial was performed between October and March 2014 in CCUward of Amirkabir hospital of Arak. Research samples were 60 patients with 30-70 years old who had been selected by convenience method after the first heart attack and randomly assigned into two groups: control (patient-centered education: 30 individuals) and intervention (family-centered education: 30 individuals). On admission, blood sugar and blood lipids (Chol, TG, HDL, LDL) were examined. Theneducation to patients was done in the intervention group associated with close family member through computers in three domains (diet, pharmaceutical regimen and exercise program) in three sessions of 30-45 minutes and the same educational content were taught to the patient (without family members) in the control group. Three months after the intervention, all aforementioned items were recorded again in two groups and, finally, data were analyzed using independent t-test and Chi-square test.
The results indicated that laboratory indexincluding blood sugar (P=0.03), blood lipids (P=0.0001) in the family-centered group was better than patient-centered group. However, there was not a significant difference between the two groups in aforementioned items before the intervention (P> 0.05).
According to the findings of this study, it seems that family-centered education model improves laboratory index of the patients with myocardial infarction. It is recommended that the educational interventions for the patients with myocardial infarction to be done with the participation of the family.

Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common causes of occupational injuries in nursing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of education of occupational safety on knowledge and improvement of employee performance during moving patients in intensive care units of hospitals.
This study is an educational trial and was accomplished in Amiralmomenin and Vali-e-Asr educational hospitals in Arak. 60 subjects (nurses, health workers and services) were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. In both groups, the rates of musculoskeletal disorders are assessed. Then intervention group was trained for safety instructions during moving patients, but the control group was not. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.
Results showed that before intervention, both groups based on demographic characteristics and musculoskeletal disorders did not have significant different (P> 0.05). In intervention group a significant difference between knowledge level of before (12.73± 6.61) and after the intervention (88± 19.27) was seen (P 0.05).
The results showed that increasing the knowledge level of nurses and health workers about correct transportation of patients in intensive care units have had a surprisingly effectiveness on their knowledge levels and performances.

Lipid disorders of the most important factors involved in the development and progression of cardiovascular lesions, The aim of this study was to evaluate the role and use of a combination of honey and apple cider vinegar on blood lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia is.
This study was clinical trial and its demonstrate in in Amiralmomenin and Vali- Asr hospital. 30 samples were selected that For one group before and after the intervention by ethical satisfaction. For subsequent investigations, levels of blood lipids are measured at the beginning of and 4 weeks after the intervention for the participants in groups using blood tests, in the intervention group administered one tablespoon each honey and apple vinegar in a glass containing 200cc water twice a day in addition to their usual lipid-lowering drugs. After 4 weeks, levels of blood lipids were measured in groups and were analyzed by SPSS v.20.
after intervention, result shown that TG Min & Sd before 314.13(79.8) and after164.56(42.9), CHOL(Min & Sd before 256.8(58.13) and after137.7(31.26), LDL Min & Sd before 185.4(48.6) and after120.43(25.07), have significant difference with group, and HDL) Min & Sd before 43.30(10.6) and after64.03(16.1), increased after intervention.
This study demonstrated that a combination of honey and apple vinegar is very effective role in reducing bad fats and good fats increase in patients with high blood fat.

Regarding the importance of nursing education promotion, there is a need to use methods that have the ability to create knowledge and skills in students. This study aimed to assess the effect of education (inquiry, bedside education and routine approach to clinical education) on critical care nursing student's clinical learning.
This quasi-experimental study performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Valiasr hospital in Arak, Iran, during Octobers to March 2014. The subjects were 60 nursing students who were selected via census method and randomly were divided into three groups of 20 subjects. After the administration of pretest, students in the control group were educated using common method; in one of the experimental groups, the inquiry-based method and the other group, bedside method were used for education for 10 days. Then, the three groups completed the questionnaires at the end of education again (posttest). Finally, data were analyzed using ANOVA, paired-t and independent-t tests.
The mean total score of the clinical skills and cognitive domain was significantly difference among the three groups after the intervention (F = 136.75, degree of freedom = 2, P = 0.0001). After testing the homogeneity hypothesis of variances and using Games-Howell post-hoc tests, the total scores of training in bedside and inquiry-based education were significantly more than the routine training after the intervention (P It seems that two methods inquiry-based and bedside education enhanced clinical skills of students. Therefore, it is recommended to use these two methods of clinical educating to enhance students’ clinical learning.

The studies on animal models have shown positive effects of Kelussia odoratissima on different health problem cases including digestive disorders. However, there has been no research on the effectiveness of Kelussia odoratissima on peptic ulcers in humans. In this study, "the effect of Kelussia odoratissima on the rate of improvement in patients with peptic ulcer" has been investigated.
The present study was a Randomized clinical trial which is done in March- September, 2015 in Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Arak, Iran. The subjects were 60 patients with peptic ulcer, selected by simple random sampling and acquiring their informed consents. After taking written informed consent, they were divided into two groups randomly: the control group (administering prescribed medicines) and the intervention group (administering medicines along with Kelussia odoratissima powder). One month after intervention, the types of peptic ulcers were determined by follow-up endoscopy. Finally, the data was analyzed using SPSS v. 16 and statistical independent samples t-test and Fisher’s exact test.
The two groups were homogenous in terms of demographic features. The findings showed that the groups were not significantly different regarding the type of peptic ulcers (p= 0.91) before intervention; but one month after intervention, the highest frequency in the control group was related to the ulcers Type II and III, and the lowest frequency to the ulcers Type I, while the highest frequency in the intervention group was related to the ulcers Type I and the lowest frequency to the ulcers Type III and higher. Accordingly, Fisher’s exact test showed a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.008).
Given the results of the present study, it seems that administering Kelussia odoratissima powder along with the medicines effective for treating stomach ulcers has a positive effect on patients with peptic ulcer.

Most hospitals have restricted visitation time in intensive care units (ICUs) for various reasons. Given the advantages of family presence and positive effect of emotional touching, talking and smiling on nervous system stimulation and vital signs of the patients..
The present study aimed to determine the effect of increased visitation time on physiological indices of the patients hospitalized in ICUs..
This clinical trial study was conducted in the ICUs of Vail-e-Asr hospital in Arak city, Iran. A total of 60 subjects were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups with visitation time for 10 minutes 3 times a day and 10 minutes once a day, respectively. Then, the patients’ physiological indices were measured before, during, and 10 and 30 minutes after the hospital visiting hours. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20..
Findings showed no statistically significant differences among mean values of all physiological indices in measurement stages before, during, and 10 and 30 minutes after the visitation times in the control group (P > 0.05). While, in the intervention group, systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements at 9 (previous mean: 126.9, 30 minutes later: 111.9), 12:00 PM (previous mean: 126.9, 30 minutes later: 114.9), and 3:00 PM (previous mean: 125.2, 30 minutes later: 105.8), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurements at 9:00 AM (previous mean: 87.4, 30 minutes later: 83.2), 12:00 PM (previous mean: 86.6, 30 minutes later: 81.7), and 3:00 PM (previous mean: 87.1, 30 minutes later: 85.0), heart rate (HR) measurements at 9:00 AM (previous mean: 90, 30 minutes later: 78.4), 12:00 PM (previous mean: 89.8, 30 minutes later: 78.6), and 3:00 PM (previous mean: 89.3, 30 minutes later: 78.3), repertory rate (RR) measurements at 9:00 AM (previous mean: 20.9, 30 minutes later: 15.0), 12:00 PM (previous mean: 20.6, 30 minutes later: 15.4), and 3:00 PM (previous mean: 21.0, 30 minutes later: 15.9) showed statistically significant differences (P 0.05)..
Increasing visitation time leads to reduced physiological indices’ mean values. Hence, it is recommended to extend hospital visiting times in order to improve the condition of patients admitted to ICU..

Open heart surgery is performed by two methods of off or on cardiopulmonary bypass. Both methods may affect the rate of depression, level of functionality and adaptation of the elderly undergoing the operations.. The current study aimed to assess depression, level of functionality and adaptability in elderly patients undergoing open heart surgery with off or on pump in the in open heart surgery intensive care unit of Imam Khomeini and Shariati Hospitals, Tehran University of Medical Sciences..Patients and This cross-sectional study was conducted from 23 September 2013 to 22 March 2014. The samples were 160 elderly patients who were selected by convenience sampling method and divided into two groups of on-and off-pump coronary artery bypass graft. The rate of depression and level of functionality of the patients were assessed before and six weeks after surgery by Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Medical Outcome Study SF 12 (MOS SF-12) questionnaires respectively, in a self-reporting approach. The rate of patient''s adaptability was also evaluated six weeks after the surgery by Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ).. In on-and off-pump groups, there were statistically significant differences in terms of depression rate and level of functionality before and six weeks after the surgery, respectively, as (P = 0.001) and (P = 0.0001). The t-test results also showed that the patients'' adapt ability in the on-pump group with the mean ± SD of 111.1 ± 56.17 was significantly different from that of the off-pump group with the average changes of 70.88 ± 91.15 (P = 0.0001).. It is recommended to further support the patients undergoing on-pump open heart surgery, and some programs will be designed to reduce the level of their depression and increase their adaptability and functionality levels..

The patients’ families in intensive care units (ICUs) experience excessive stress which may disrupt their performance in daily life. Empathy is basic to the nursing role and has been found to be associated with improved patient outcomes and greater satisfaction with care in patient and his/her family. However, few studies have investigated the nursing empathy with ICU patients. This study aimed to assess nursing empathy and its relationship with the needs, from the perspective of families of patients in ICU. In this cross-sectional study, 418 subjects were selected among families of patients admitted to ICUs in Tabriz, Iran, by convenience sampling, from May to August 2012. Data were collected through Barrett-Lennard Relationship inventory (BLRI) empathy scale and Critical Care Family Needs Intervention (CCFNI) inventories and were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. Findings showed that most of the nurses had high level of empathy to the patients (38.8%). There was also statistically significant relationship between nurses’ empathy and needs of patients’ families (p < 0.001). In this study we found that by increasing the nurse’s empathy skills, we would be able to improve providing family needs. Through empathic communication, nurses can encourage family members to participate in planning for the care of their patients. However, further studies are necessary to confirm the results.