Advances in Nursing and Midwifery
Year:2007 | Volume:16 | Issue:55|Papers Count:11

Background: Fatigue is one of the common complaints of women in pregnancy. Physical, emotional and situational factors are involved. Gestational fatigue with %72 prevalence in moderate and severe cases significantly affects on maternal morbidity.Purpose: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted to determine the intensity of fatigue and its related factors in pregnant women referring to Urban Health Centers affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2006.Methods: Subjects included 180 women after 32ndweek of their pregnancy selected by multistage sampling method. A questionnaire for fatigue was used to collect data with a scoring range between 0 and 60. The scores were then classified into mild, moderate and severe groups. Finally, the related factors and their correlation were assessed.Results: Findings showed that mean age of the subjects was 26.±4.7 marital age was 20.6±4 and gravidity was 2.4±1.3%. 37.7, %35, and %27.2 of women experienced mild, moderate, and sever fatigue respectively. There was a significant relation between fatigue intensity and number of family members, rest level, gravidity, parity, interval between previous pregnancy and the present one, facing with tiring factors, household affairs, and weight gain during pregnancy. No significant relation was found between fatigue and education, planned pregnancy and age.Conclusion: With respect to high rate of moderate and sever fatigue in pregnancy, including the instruction of relaxation techniques in prenatal care is recommended.

Background: Critical thinking and learning are interrelated. Critical thinking can increase the ability of nurses to make thoughtful decisions. Therefore, its measurement with valid and reliable tools is essential.Purpose: This study was performed in nursing, midwifery and occupational therapy students of Medical Universities in Tehran to translate make fluent and measure the content validity index and reliability of "California Critical Thinking Skills Test."Methods: Face validity was identified through translating the test by the researchers and two Farsi and English professors. Then, the translation was evaluated by 13 faculty members of Tehran and Shaheed Beheshti Nursing and Midwifery Colleges and 6 selected students of each discipline. Content validity was determined in three domains including relativeness, clarity and simplicity.Reliability of the tool was identified by internal reliability of subscales and external reliability. The former was calculated by measuring the correlation of each question with total score of the test and the latter was identified by test retest method in 16 students with a 2-weeks interval to measure coefficient of correlation between the responses.Results: Findings showed the range of content validity between %80 and %96.87, denoting a proper amount. Coefficients of correlation for each subscale were 0.71 for analysis, 0.77 for evaluation, 0.71 for inference, 0.77 for inductive reasoning, and 0.71 for deductive reasoning. These indicated a positive and significant correlation of subscales with one another as well as with the total score of the test (r=0.86). The correlation between test-retest results was 0.90 with Kappa coefficient equal to 0.81.Conclusion: Findings showed a proper validity and reliability of the test. Further measurements of other types of validity such as concurrent validity are suggested.

Background: Nurses' job satisfaction affects on nurse-patient relationship and, in turn, on quality of services provided by them. Recently, some changes have been occurred in healthcare system, which can influence on nurses' satisfaction with their job. Researches have indicated that nurses are dissatisfied with their job in Iran.Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to assess job satisfaction of nurses at medical-surgical units in hospitals affiliated to Shaheed Beheshti Medical University.Methods: A questionnaire was used for data collection, validated by content validity and made reliable by Cronbach's a (0.86) and test-retest methods (r=0.86). 220 questionnaires were given to nurses, which 202 of them were then collected. Only 198questionnaires were appropriate for analysis.Results: Job satisfaction of nurse was between moderate to (igh. Nurses were most satisfied in order with relationship of coworkers, job status, and supervision as well as management, and least satisfied with salary and bonuses, working condition and job security.Conclusion: Comparing the results with corresponding ones in other studies reveals that, firstly, salary and job security are the most important factors of dissatisfaction among nurses. Secondly, relationship of coworkers is a source of satisfaction in Iran. Therefore, nurse managers should attend to enhance nurses' job satisfaction and, consequently, increase their performance and quality of services.

Background: Uterine leiomyomas are very frequently found as benign tumors of the uterus and, approximately, %75 of women have myomas diagnosable by - histological studies. %20-%30 of women has symptomatic uterine myomas.Myomas are the most common reason for gynecologic surgeries; therefore, they are considered as a very important gynecologic problem.Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to assess the high incidence of these tumors, their effects on fertility and pregnancy and their complications such as menorrhagia, anemia, pain and discomfort.Methods: 360 abdominal hysterectomy patients between 1998 and 2002 were enrolled in the study at Imam Khomeini Hospital. Their age and the history of cigarette smoking, oral contraceptive (OCP) consumption, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as well as GNRH therapy, pelvic mass, pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding and polycythemia were studied.Results: Uterine leiomyoma was reported in 117 patients (%32.5). The highest incidence of leiomyoma was between 40-60 years in premenopausal women. 95 patients had no history of OCP consumption (%81.2) and only 6 women in leiomyoma group had the history of cigarette smoking. Pelvic pain and pelvic mass were observed in %36.8 and %56.4 of the subjects respectively. The incidence of leiomyosarcoma was %1.7 according to pathologic reports.Conclusion: The incidence of leiomyosarcoma in Iranian patients is higher compared with corresponding figures in other studies. Further studies to detect high risk women for leiomyosarcoma can help in diagnosing this malignant tumor at early stages.

Background: For many nurses, working in healthcare settings is yet a stressful part of their lives. These stressors can be identified and measured.Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to determine nurses' occupational stressors at medical-surgical wards of teaching hospitals in Zanjan in 2005.Methods: All 111 nurses in the wards participated in the study. A questionnaire based on Gray-Taft and Anderson (1981) was used to collect data. Content validity and Cronbach's alpha (a=0.95) were used for validity and reliability of the tool.Results: Work stressors in the settings included death and dying, conflict with physicians, inadequate preparation to deal with the needs of patients, lack of staff support (with no stress), difficulty in working with other nurses, workload, and uncertainty concerning treatment.Conclusion: Occupational stressors such as death and dying, workload and uncertainty concerning treatment were found more stressful than inadequate preparation to deal with the needs of patients and lack of staff support in medical-surgical wards.

Background: Clinical training as the core of professional education is very important in nursing and midwifery education with many expenses provided for its requirements.Tutors are considered as bases in clinical training with many deep and great effects in educational outcomes but their characteristics are not clearly identified.Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to identify the characteristics of an effective clinical tutor according to the opinions of nursing and midwifery students at universities of Tehran in 2004.Methods: The opinions of 882 students were asked by a questionnaire in two parts: the first part was related to demographic information and the second part consisted of statements regarding the characteristics of an effective clinical tutor in five domains (professional competence, personality characteristics, interpersonal relationships, educational skills, and students' evaluation). Each statement was ranked by a 5-point Likert scale. Validity of the questionnaire was achieved by content validity and its reliability was measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.78. The subjects included all junior and senior nursing and midwifery students of Shaheed Beheshti, Tehran, and Iran Universities.Results: Findings showed that almost all students agreed with the statements as the characteristics of effective clinical tutor with some differences in the domains.Students emphasized mostly on personality domain and student's evaluation received the lowest emphasis. There was a significant relation between such variables as age, year of education, interest in university in terms of educational facilities and the rate of agreement regarding effective clinical D utor.Conclusion: It can be concluded that students focus on all aspects of characteristics in their tutors not only on their professional competencies.

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children after injuries and accidents.Purpose: This clinical trial was conducted to compare between the effectiveness of chlorhexidine gluconate %0.2 and compound (DND) mouthwashes in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in children with cancer at Mofid Pediatric Hospital affiliated to Shaheed Beheshti Medical University.Methods: 70 children with leukemia and lymphoma (30 new cases and 40 chronic ones) took part in the study. A questionnaire and an observation form for stomatitis were used for data collection. Different statistical tests were used for data analysis.Results: No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of age, sex, caregivers and their educational level, dental health, antibiotics, body mass index, laboratory tests, white blood cell count and injected drugs. Although stomatitis was observed in the two groups, the mean levels of it were 1.40 and 2.08 in chlorhexidine and DND groups respectively. In addition, treatment lasted 19 days in chlorhexidine group while it took 28 days in the other group. In chronic cases, the corresponding findings were 11 and 18 days. In general, stomatitis relieved after 14 and 21 days of interventions respectively.Conclusion: With respect to less severity of stomatitis and shorter duration of treatment in chlorhexidine group than DND group, using this effective agent is recommended for prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in children with cancer.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in many societies (about 700,000 a year in Europe, and 330,000 in the United States and Canada of which 250,000 have occurred out of hospitals). Most victims of SCA demonstrate ventricular fibrillation (VF) at the first analysis of heart rhythm. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) plus defibrillation within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates as high as %49 to %75. The American Heart Association (AHA) established guidelines for resuscitation in 1974 and has continued to revise CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) guidelines based on the latest findings. Updates to AHA guidelines are published approximately every 5 year, and are used as a basis for other major organization's resuscitation training. The AHA published new guidelines for CPR and ECC in Nov., 2005. These guidelines were the product of rigorous documentation, analysis and evaluation of existing scientific literature related to emergency care by 380 international experts on resuscitation convened by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) over a 3-year period preceding the 2005 consensus conferences on CPR and ECC. The most significant changes in the new guidelines attempt to simplify CPR instruction, to increase the number of chest compressions delivered per minute and to reduce interruptions in chest compressions during CPR. This article reviews the newest recommendations for CPR in individuals at all age groups.