JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND CARE
Year:2015 | Volume:17 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Background & objectives: Assertiveness is a necessary skill for nurses and nursing students to effective use of knowledge and performing the professional practices. Determining assertiveness of nursing students and its barriers can help administrators in planning and solving the problems. The purpose of this study was to identify nursing students' level of assertiveness and its’ inhibiting factors.Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used to conduct this study. The study population was all bachelor nursing students at final year, during the second half of 2013. Seventy five bachelor nursing students were selected through consensus sampling method. Data were gathered by Gambryl and Ritchie assertiveness questionnaire which was used to determine the degree of assertiveness and a researcher made inventory for determining inhibiting factors of using assertive behaviors in personal, educational and environmental dimensions. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics with application of SPSS v.18.Results: The findings showed that 68% of students had moderate and 12% of them had a low level of assertiveness. From the perspective of students, educational factors (3.61±0.78) had more roles in inhibiting assertive behavior compared to the environmental and individual factors. The item “assertiveness is not one of the criteria for clinical evaluation” owned the most score as the main barrier for assertiveness (3.70±1.15) from the nursing student’s perspective.Conclusion: According to the results, nursing students need a preliminary training about assertive behaviors before starting the nursing program. Given the inhibitory role of education in promoting assertiveness, focusing on educating assertiveness skills by instructors of nursing in a proper environment is recommended.

Background & objectives: Infant feeding is one of the critical periods in the women’s life. Today, considering the multiple dimensions of health, in other words quality of life, is greater measure in assessing the health status. The aim of this study was to investigate quality of life of nursing mothers referring to healthcare centers in Isfahan.Methods: In this cross-sectional and correlational study, 189 mothers were selected during 2013 by the convenience sampling method in Isfahan. Demographic and World Health Organization WHOQOL- BREF quality of life questionnaire was completed by the each participant. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data in SPSS v.18.Results: the score of quality of life in breast feeding mothers was higer than other groups, although it was not significant(breast-feeding=85.7±10.6), formula=83.9±12.2 and combination feeding of breast-feeding and formula=82.1±13.1). Mean score of physical dimension of quality of life was significantly different among groups (breastfeeding= 24.7±3.6, formula=23.7±4.1 and combination feeding of breast milk and formula=22.7±4.1), but mean score of social dimension was not different (breast-feeding=10.7±2.3, formula= 10.9±2 and combination feeding of breast milk and formula=10.5±2.2).Conclusions: According to the results that showed higher quality of life score among the breastfeeding group, we can increase the mother's quality of life by encouraging them for breastfeeding as well as national program and supportive interventions by families and communities such as support and presence of husbands in breast-feeding time.

Background & objectives: Dust or particulate matters (PM) is one of the most important air pollutants that are considered as a risk factor for health. Change of behaviors is crucial in prevention of health related risk factors. One of the models for behavior change in individual level is Health Belief Model (HBM). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of education based on health belief model on the maintenance of protective behaviors in exposure to dust air pollution.Methods: Through a semi-experimental study design, 200 teachers were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups (n=100, in each group) in Ahvaz, 2013. A researcher made questionnaire consisting of four parts of demographic characteristics, knowledge, and health belief model’s constructs and protective behaviors in exposure to dust pollution was used for data gathering. The questionnaire was completed by both groups before intervention. The educational program was designed based on the results of pre-test and then the intervention group received the education for 4, 90 minutes sessions with lecture and discussion. The data were collected immediately and two months after the intervention and were analyzed with SPSS-16, by descriptive and analytical statistics. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: The findings showed that knowledge (p<0.001) and the mean scores of health belief model constructs including perceived susceptibility (p<0.001), perceived severity (p<0.001), perceived benefits (p<0.001), perceived barriers (p<0.002), perceived self-efficacy (p<0.001), cue to action (p<0.007) and behavior (p<0.001) significantly increased in the case group compared to control group immediately and two months after the intervention.Conclusion: Planning and implementation of educational program based on Health Belief Model can be effective in promoting and maintenance of protective behaviors of teachers exposed to dust particles.

Background & objectives: Clinical education plays a fundamental role in forming basic skills and professional competencies for operating room students. Understanding students’perspectives on clinical training can help us to improve the quality of their clinical performance in the future. This study was conducted to assess the present status of clinical education from perspectives of operating room students in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences.Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used to carry out the study in 2014. Using consensus sampling method, 96 operating room students from the school of nursing and midwifery were involved in the study. Data gathering tool consisted of demographic data form and a researcher made questionnaire for assessing the viewpoints of students about clinical education. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS v.16.Results: Most of the students were female (66.7%) and most of them believed the main factors influencing the quality of clinical training were “teachers did not trust on their students in clinical practices” (60.4%), “hospital personnel were not familiar with professional ethics” (42.7%) and “negative attitude of students towards their profession” (39.6%).Conclusion: According to the findings, accurate and concise implementation of the curriculum, providing appropriate educational atmosphere and giving awareness to instructors and hospital personnel about their responsibility regarding students and their duties may improve the quality of clinical education.

Background & objectives: Social phobia is the most common anxiety disorder and usually develops in early adolescence or young adulthood, when there is a normal increase in self-consciousness. Few studies have examined the prevalence of social phobia among university students. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of social phobia among nursing and midwifery students.Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used for doing this project during 2013. Two hundred and twenty (123 nursing and 97 midwifery) students from Nursing and Midwifery School of Qazvin University of Medical sciences were selected using consensus sampling method. A questionnaire in two parts (demographic data form and Social Phobia Inventory) was used for data gathering. Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytic statistics in SPSS v.16.Results: Mean age of students was 21.23±3.8 year and the majority of the students were female (76.7%). Prevalence of social phobia was 28.6%. Intensity of social phobia was mild in 19.5%, moderate in 7.3%, severe in 0.9% and very severe in 0.9% of students. Mother’s literacy was strongly associated with social phobia (OR=0.534, p<0.01); and residence area had a significant relationship with social phobia (OR=2.613, p<0.05); so lower level of education in mother and living in urban area increased chance of having social phobia.Conclusion: Prevalence of social phobia was relatively high in this study. Preventive and therapeutic strategies are recommended to reduce the prevalence and adverse impact of social phobia among students.

Background & objectives: Confrontation with the phenomenon of patient death is an inevitable part of work in therapeutic professions, especially for nursing staff. In many cases, the nurse is the only person at the time of patient death and the attitude toward death is an important factor that may affect the behaviors of health care professionals. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of nurses in hospitals affiliated to Social Security Organization in the Province of Golestan towards patient death.Methods: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, 106 nurses working in the hospitals of social security organization in Golestan province were selected to participate in the study through the consensus sampling method. Demographic caracteristic form and the revised standard scale of attitude toward death (DAP-R) were used for data gathering. Descriptive (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t student, ANOVA, Tukey& Shefeh test, Pearson) were used to analyze data in SPSS v.16.Results: The results showed the mean and standard deviation of attitudes towards death was above the standard average (150.23±14.48). Multivariate regression analysis showed a significant correlation between attitudes toward death and work experience of nurses (p<0.007). So, with each year of work experience, negative attitude towards death was decreased by 5 times. Also there was significant correlation between attitude to death and education (p<0.003). The nurses who had passed courses or workshops about care of deceased patients had better attitudes.Conclusion: This study showed that nurses almost had a positive attitude towards death. They spend longtime and closer relationship with patients and their families or relatives.Positive perspective of nurses regarding death care can be effective in supporting of patients and their family members.

Background & objectives: Mostly, strengthening the immune system is possible by consumption of body energy through physical activity that prevents persons from sicknesses due to sedentary life in the years following childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of inflammatory, immune and hormonal markers to incremental exercise in the healthy girls.Methods: This quasi- experimental study was performed in the spring of 2014. Twenty eight 10-12 years old healthy female children from Urmia province of Iran were selected by cluster sampling method. They were divided randomly into two groups; experimental and control. Brachial vein blood samples were collected by the nurse in the two stages; before and immediately after a session of Graded exercise test. ELISA method was used for measurement of immunoglobulin (I, G, M), cortisol, creatine- kinase, and C-reactive protein and fibrinogen serum levels. The data were analyzed using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient test, multiple linear regression, independent and paired t-test on SPSS (v.21).Results: Immediately after exercise, IgA (p=0.012), IgG (p=0.028), IgM (p=0.027), creatine ki-nase (p=0.039), fibrinogen (p=0.011) and CRP concentrations (p=0.048) were decreased significantly but cortisol level (p=0.001) was increased in the experimental group. A positive relationship was observed between inflammatory (creatine-kinase, CRP and fibrinogen) and immune (immunoglobulin I, G and M) markers (p=0.05) after exercise. There was a negative relationship between immune (immunoglobulin I, G and M) and hormonal (cortisol) markers (p=0.05) and also between inflammatory (creatine-kinase, CRP and fibrinogen) and hormonal (cortisol) markers (p=0.05).Conclusions: With regard to changing in inflammatory and hormonal markers in response to intensive exercise, girls’ immune system is weakened. Also results of this study is so important in the pathology of Immune system, muscular damage and inflammation for cutting intensive exercise training programs and codifying suitable training programs such as moderate intensity exercise for children.

Background & objectives: Mental patient’s family usually experience emotional stress, depression, anxiety and social relationship problems by accepting the caring responsibility for their patient that could effect on their quality of life. So present study was conducted with the aim of determining the quality of life and its associated factors in families of mental patients’ in Rasht.Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted on 242 families (first degree relatives) of mental patients referring to Shafa psychiatric center of Rasht by convenience sampling method during 2013. Data were gathered by interview and using 2-part tool consisting European Quality of Life Scale (EQLS) including quality of life questionnaire and combined questionnaire for social isolation. Higher score in these questionnaires were indicated poor quality of life. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA, t test and logistic regression model, back ward) in SPSS (v.19).Results: The sample contained 152 female (62.8%) and 90 male (37.2%) and 92 persons (38%) were in the age group of 40-55 years. Mean and standard deviation of total quality of life score was 52.4 ± 4.4 (with the range of 0-63). There was a significant relationship between poor quality of life and female sex (p=0.001), also between housekeeper job (p=0.003) and higher social isolation (p=0.02). Finally, regression test showed that female gender with 34.5 percent variance can predict the sample’s quality of life.Conclusion: Poor quality of life in females indicates the need for more attention on therapeutic-caring interventions and social supports to improve the well-being of this care giving group.