نشریه پرستاری ایران
پیاپی 117 (اردیبهشت 1398)

Nowadays, the issue of Authorship has increasingly expanded in the academic world and has resulted in a lot of problems for scholars and the editorial board of scientific Journals. Given the increasing number of postgraduate students and subsequent research activities, every day we witness the formal and informal arguments on the ambiguity and unfairness of decisions regarding authors' names and the dissatisfaction of students and professors in this regard. These discontents make it clearer that there is an urgent need for the policies that address the road map for researchers. Knowing about these policies and their practical application can play an effective role in preventing potential misuse and managing common disputes over authorship.
Authorship is a proper method of assigning responsibility and giving credit for doing intellectual work to individuals. The credit is given to an individual to collaborate on research and its importance in fostering reputation and support for academic promotion for the author and increasing the strength and credibility of the affiliated organizations.
Individuals violate ethical principles in authorship in a variety of ways; sometimes by placing names of people who did not have a role in doing research or played a very small role, and sometimes by removing the names of people who have been involved in a part of the research. Preventing such events is always better than confronting it after the occurrence.
Many academic institutions and organizations, such as universities and research institutes, have developed standards for authorship, although they are similar in basic principles, may vary somewhat over time and from one discipline to another. Various motivations may reinforce the temptation to violate these standards and fundamental principles in individuals. For example, young researchers may believe that putting senior faculty names in the list of authors can increase the credibility of the paper and the chance of accepting it for publication, or not placing the names of people who own power, would endanger their job position. Sometimes, investment in expanding job and research opportunities and receiving financial support may encourage researchers to add people's names, conflicting with the authorship standards.
The responsibility for deciding to give authorship credit when publishing the results of research activities in journals is to those who have conducted the research. Sometimes there may be disagreements about the authors of the product of an intellectual effect, which usually interfere with the work. Researchers need to be aware of and apply the principles of authorship, which usually referred to in the section of author’s guideline in each journal. As well, the documentation of ethical codes in publications should always be considered an acceptable source.
One of the important points to prevent possible disagreements is that the authorship criteria are agreed upon by all members of the research team in the first phase of the research. Whenever possible, it is recommended that written records of authorship decisions be maintained by the team leader and, if necessary, revised by the team members according to the role and participation of individuals during the research.
Harvard Medical Schoo considers the basic principles of authorship as:

Having a significant and direct contribution to the work from conceptual development to design, analysis, and/ interpretation of data.
Motivating and guiding intellectually for the basic idea and supporting the continuity of work. (It should be noted that financial support does not include the criteria for authorship).
In research conducted by specialized teams, individual engagement and responsibility may be limited to certain aspects of work, but everyone should be involved in writing the article and finalizing its final version. 
The corresponding author, even if does not have a deep understanding of any specialized part of the work, must have a complete understanding of the overall work.
The corresponding author should ensure that all authors have the basic standards of authorship, and she/he should have a written brief description of their participation in the research process to provide the editor.


The order of authors may be determined in different ways in different countries, organizations, and research groups. One of the common ways to determine the order of the authors is based on each author’s contribution, and who has been the leader of the research and writing of the article. In some cases, the most experienced person is considered the last author and correspondence, and sometimes the names may be mentioned in alphabetical order. Usually, selection based on the roles and responsibilities of people in the research, and then in writing the article, is more common than other methods. In this way, it is expected that the first author will have the greatest role in doing the work.
Sometimes the names of people are on the list of authors who have not played any role in the work. These people may be in the role of head of the department or influential people. On the other hand, you may add your friends’ names to your list, hoping that he will do the same for you. These people are called "honorary authors," and adding their names is conflicting with the principles of publication ethics.
The International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (ICMJE) in 2018 made recommendations for conducting, reporting, editing, and disseminating scientific works in medical journals, according to which authorship has four essential requirements:

Having a significant contribution to designing, collecting, analyzing or interpreting data
Preparing the draft of a paper or accurately reviewing and criticizing its intellectual content
Reviewing and approving the final version of the article before its publication
Agreeing to address all aspects of work and ensuring that questions about the accuracy or integrity of each part of work are appropriately considered and resolved.


Each person on the list of authors, in addition to taking responsibility for the parts of the work that has personally done, must be able to recognize the roles of other authors. Also, those who have contributed to the performance of the project, or compilation of the article, but their participation was not so much that they can be on the authors’ list, should be appreciated in the acknowledgment section.
The above items are a general guide, and different disciplines or journals may apply different standards in their field. For example, some journals emphasize that all those designated as authors must meet all four ICMJE criteria for authorship. The corresponding author is responsible for identifying the individuals who meet these criteria. Other responsibilities of the corresponding author include communicating with the journal when submitting a manuscript, determining the contribution of individuals to the research work, and ensuring the fulfillment of all the administrative requirements of the journal, such as providing correct details of authors, ethics committee approvals, trial registration records and the form of conflict of interest. The corresponding author also receives comments from the reviewers and the final version of the paper for approval by the authors. However, these tasks may be assigned to one or more colleagues by prior agreement.
The corresponding author must be identified before the start of the work, and when a large team with several authors have conducted a research, the team should ideally decide who is going to be in the author's list. All members of the team that are supposed to be in the list of authors need to meet all four criteria for authorship, including the review and approval of the final version of the paper, and be able to assume overall responsibility of the work and responsibility for the accuracy of the work of other authors in the team. However, when there are disagreements among authors, it is imperative to follow the instructions of the Publication Ethics Committee or the recommendations of the editors of medical journals and other guidelines in this area. But first and foremost, developing and strengthening of an ethical culture in the field of publications is a key issue that professors are expected to take into account and act as a role model in their academic role with both their students and colleagues. Speaking about this issue from the beginning of the work and making a decision about it before writing an article, can be very effective in preventing future disagreements.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects 4.5 million individuals in Iran. DM has a chronic, progressive nature and is associated with long-term complications, which adversely affect health due to the adoption of improper coping mechanisms, stemming from the psychological factor of ageing perception. The present study aimed to determine the correlation between the perception of aging and functional independence in the elderly patients with DM admitted to the diabetes center in Boroujen, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 elderly patients with DM (age range: 60-74 years), who were selected via non-probability sampling in Boroujen, Iran. After obtaining written informed consent, data were collected using Barthel functional independence scale and brief ageing perception questionnaire (B-APQ) via face-to-face interviews with the subjects (20 minutes) to complete the questionnaires. The mean total score of ageing perception in the patients was 58.21±7.5, which indicated the unfavorable perception of ageing, encompassing 16.1% of the dimension of negative perception of aging. In addition, the mean total score of functional independence was 95.71±4.8, indicating that 52.8% of the subjects had slight dependence, while the lowest number of the patients (11.4%) had moderate dependence. The obtained results of the study indicated an inverse, significant correlation between the total scores of functional independence and perception of aging (P≤0.001; r=-0.76). According to the results, which demonstrated the inverse, significant correlation of the perception of aging and functional independence in the patients, it seems that the awareness of the influential psychological factors in the health and functional capacity and independence of various age groups could help policymakers to adopt preventive strategies for comprehensive geriatric healthcare as a form of holistic care, which in turn results in the implementation of educational and counseling interventions. Therefore, it is recommended that the perception of ageing be enhanced in the elderly through the empowerment of these individuals and increasing their functional independence. Some of the suggested approaches to the reduction of the negative perception of ageing include empowerment education and counseling in order to enhance the positive perception of ageing, thereby helping the elderly in functional independence and health promotion.

Candidiasis accounts for 50-90% of vaginal infections in women. Resistance to azole drugs has prompted research into new drugs for the treatment of vaginal infections. The present study aimed to compare the effects of Glycyrrhiza Glabra vaginal cream and clotrimazole on the symptoms of fungal vulvovaginitis. This triple-blind clinical trial was conducted on 60 women with candida vaginitis. The inclusion criteria were the presence of two symptoms of fungal vulvovaginitis (itching, burning, discharge, dyspareunia, and dysuria) and positive vaginal smear. After obtaining informed consent, eligible subjects chose the cards A or B and were assigned to each study group. The patients used an applicator containing clotrimazole or Glycyrrhiza Glabra vaginal cream every night, which were prepared in identical tubes (50 mg) and labeled A or B by a pharmacist. Data were collected using demographic and fertility forms, a checklist of clinical observations, and a record of the results of vaginal smear. After completing the treatment period for seven days, the subjects referred to the gynecological clinic again for examination and vaginal smears. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using Chi-square, McNemar's test, and generalized estimating equation. The results of vaginal smear and improved symptoms of vulvovaginitis (discharge, dyspareunia, irritation, and irritation) were similar in clotrimazole and Glycyrrhiza Glabra groups, while the improvement of the symptoms of itching and burning was more significant in the clotrimazole group compared to the Glycyrrhiza glabra group. According to the results, Glycyrrhiza Glabra vaginal cream could be used as an adjunct therapy to major treatments in the women who are willing to use herbal medication. Therefore, it should be recommended to midwives and gynecologists.

Patients with intestinal stoma experience periods of psychological and physical disorders, including disturbances in self-efficacy. It is presumed that factors such as emotional intelligence could be associated with self-efficacy in these patients. The present study aimed to determine the correlation between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in patients with intestinal stoma. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 155 patients (79 men and 76 women) with intestinal stoma (colostomy and ileostomy) referring to the selected hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences and Iranian Ostomy Association in 2018. The patients were selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, ostomy self-efficacy questionnaire, and Schutte self-report emotional intelligence test. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test. The results of Pearson's correlation-coefficient indicated a positive, significant correlation between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy (P<0.001; r=0.49). However, no significant associations were observed between demographic variables and emotional intelligence. On the other hand, self-efficacy was significantly correlated with the marital status of the patients (P=0.03), so that the married patients had higher self-efficacy compared to the single patients. According to the results, the patients with higher emotional intelligence had higher self-efficacy. Therefore, it is recommended that proper planning and educational interventions be implemented regarding emotional intelligence in order to enhance self-efficacy in patients with intestinal stoma.

Recognition of the emotional, social, and mental health of infertile women could contribute to their quality of life. The assessment of psychological wellbeing is considered to be essential in this regard. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the research focused on the psychological wellbeing of infertile women in Iran. This review study was conducted to find the studies regarding Iranian infertile women via searching in Persian databases (MagIran, SID, and IranMedex) and English databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus) using a combination of Persian keywords, including infertile, infertility, wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, and Iran with no time limitation. In total, 24 related articles were retrieved, 12 of which were specifically focused on the psychological wellbeing of infertile women in Iran and further reviewed. According to the literature, the psychological wellbeing of infertile women has increased in recent years, and the average psychological wellbeing is reported to be higher in large cities with various ethnicities (especially Persian-speaking ethnicities) compared to smaller cities. In addition, the educational interventions and consultations that have been performed regarding the psychological wellbeing of infertile women using various methods in Iran have largely contributed to the improvement of this factor. Although the psychological wellbeing of Iranian infertile women has been reported to increase in recent studies, the effects of some demographic variables on the psychological wellbeing of these women have not been adequately investigated in most of the studies in Iran. Therefore, it is recommended that the associations of various demographic characteristics and psychological wellbeing be further explored. It seems that descriptive studies on large sample sizes are required in order to assess the effects of some demographic variables (e.g., education level, ethnicity, and residence) on the psychological wellbeing of infertile women.

Medication errors are major healthcare concerns across the world, which cause mortality and physical and psychological complications in patients, their families, and the community every year. Considering the key role of nurses in direct patient care, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, barriers to medication error reports, and influential factors in medication errors in the viewpoint of nurses. This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 140 nurses employed in the teaching hospitals in Bojnurd, Iran in 2017. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of four sections, including the demographic data, evaluation of the type of medication errors, cause of not reporting medication errors, and their influential factors. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16. The most important causes of medication errors included ward-related factors (3.40±0.69), factors related to nursing management (3.31±0.91), and nurse-related factors (3.16±0.78). In addition, the most important cause of not reporting medication errors was the process of error reports. Significant associations were also observed between the demographic characteristics of the nurses, medication errors, medication protocols, nurse-related factors, ward-related factors, fear of the consequences of error reporting, factors related to the error report process, and fear of the managerial factors. Considering that most medication errors were correlated with ward-related and managerial factors, nursing managers must focus on correcting the influential processes in medication errors and their reporting, simultaneously seeking strategies to control and mitigate these errors.

The level of tension and stress is comparatively higher in psychiatric units due to the nature of the disorders and conditions of the patients under treatment, which could threaten various aspects of the general health of psychiatric nurses. Furthermore, this issue could adversely affect the quality of work life in nurses. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the quality of work life and general health of the nurses in the psychiatric wards of the teaching hospitals affiliated to the medical universities in Tehran, Iran. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 200 nurses engaged in the psychiatric wards of the teaching hospitals affiliated to the medical universities in Tehran. The participants were selected via stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the quality of work life questionnaire and general health questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20 using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Pearson's correlation-coefficient, independent t-test, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The mean scores of the quality of work life and general health of the nurses were moderate and favorable, respectively. Significant inverse correlations were observed between the quality of work life and general health in the dimensions of anxiety and sleep disorders (P=0.026) and depressive symptoms (P=0.041), so that the increased quality of work life could reduce the scores of these dimensions of general health. According to the results, the quality of work life could affect the general health of psychiatric nurses in terms of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disorders. Therefore, the adoption of effective policies to improve the quality of work life could positively influence the general health of the nurses employed in psychiatric wards.

Patient safety is considered to be an inherent element of healthcare quality. Unsafe attitudes of healthcare employees are a major issue for healthcare providers in promoting the quality of care, which is closely correlated with the occurrence of hospital errors and incidents. On the other hand, development of optimal patient safety is not possible without establishing safety attitudes in healthcare facilities. The present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of healthcare providers toward patient safety in the operating room in the teaching hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 217 healthcare practitioners in the teaching hospitals in Isfahan, Iran in 2018. The research units were selected via quota sampling. Data were collected using the standard safety attitude questionnaire (SAQ). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18 using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test and Pearson's correlation-coefficient). The mean score of the total safety attitude of the healthcare providers was 59.06±11.84 (total: 100). The highest score belonged to the dimension of stress recognition, with the mean score of 79.93±17.46, and the lowest score belonged to the dimension of working conditions, with the mean score of 48.01±18.07. Accordingly, 49.3% of the participants described their patient safety attitude to be good/excellent, while 50.7% described their attitude to be average/poor. According to the results, the average safety attitude was not ideal in the operating room personnel. Therefore, it is recommended that hospital managers and staff attempt to implement effective interventions in order to promote the culture and attitude of patient safety in the operating room personnel.