Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research最新文献

Background: This study investigated the effect of Virtual Patient (VP) education on improving Clinical Reasoning (CR) skills among nursing students, addressing a major challenge in nursing education, particularly within the context of an oncology course.

Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental, two-group, pretest-posttest study was conducted in 2021 at the School of Nursing of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. A total of 148 fourth- and fifth-semester nursing students were selected through a census sampling method. After obtaining informed consent, the subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. After the pretest, five VPs (cancer module), designed and validated by eight nursing experts, were provided to the intervention group for 6 weeks, followed by a posttest. Data collection tools included two series of 23-item tests (KF) designed to assess CR skills, with a CVI = 0.94 and CVR = 0.84. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software using correlation tests and t-tests.

Results: The mean (SD) of pretest scores was 25.01 (2.51) in the intervention group and 25.03 (2.71) in the control group, with no significant difference (p > 0.05). After training, posttest scores increased significantly in the intervention group, 32.22 (3.47), compared to the control group, 25.18 (2.47) (p ≤ 0.05). The intervention group showed significant improvement from pretest to posttest (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusions: The use of VPs in nursing education can effectively improve students CR skills and provide a foundation for enhancing nursing education.

Background: Medical infrastructures, application of control strategies, and proper implementation of logistic policies are vital for successful management of an epidemic in a country, but all of them are under the influence of the health and management policies of countries. Thus, this study aimed to compare the strategies used by Iranian and Chinese nurses for management of patients with COVID-19.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted based on the conventional content analysis method of Graneheim and Lundman approach. Participants were recruited by purposeful sampling among the nurses working in the COVID-19 wards of Shariati Hospital in Tehran, Iran, and Haikou Hospital in Hainan, China. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews from August 2020 to February 2021. Then, the differences in used strategies by the nurses in the two countries were investigated using the data were analyzed using MAXQDA-10, qualitative data analysis software, and descriptive analysis technique.

Results: In-depth interviews were carried out with nine Chinese and ten Iranian nurses. With "Managers as the key element to overcome the crisis" as the main category, six categories and 22 subcategories were excluded from the Iranian interviews. With "Action to control crisis" as the main category, eight categories and 19 subcategories were excluded from the Chinese interviews.

Conclusions: Nursing managers in China focused on the process of training nurses to take care of patients with COVID-19 and reducing the transmission of infection among health care workers. However, nursing managers in Iran focused on compensating the shortage of nurses, shortening the duration of patients' hospitalization, daily monitoring of nurses' performance, and ventilator settings of patients.

Background: Nurses play a critical role in healthcare delivery and public health advancement, yet they face numerous challenges such as work pressure, financial constraints, job-related stress, and burnout. This research aims to identify the factors that influence enhancing nurses' performance in Iranian hospitals, as perceived by experts and stakeholders.

Materials and methods: This qualitative study, conducted in 2024, employed conventional content analysis. Participants included nurses, hospital administrators, human resources specialists, and healthcare policymakers, selected through targeted sampling from university hospitals with varied performance metrics. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and analyzed in three stages: identifying themes, comparing concepts, and categorizing subthemes to extract core concepts.

Results: The analysis revealed seven primary themes, 21 subthemes, and 70 specific issues. Key themes included skill and occupational knowledge, job satisfaction, organizational structure and managerial support, nurse involvement and roles, professional growth, standards and service excellence, and professional proficiency in nursing. For instance, the theme of Job Knowledge and Skills encompassed subthemes such as the necessity of domain-specific knowledge, the development of learning opportunities, and the importance of continuing education.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that improving nurses' performance requires a multifaceted approach, focusing on skill and knowledge enhancement, increased job satisfaction, stronger managerial and organizational support, and pathways for professional growth. Continuous educational improving working conditions and robust professional networks are essential to elevate nursing quality and job satisfaction. These insights can inform the development of effective policies to enhance nurses' performance and improve the overall quality of healthcare services.

Background: Globally, accidents rank as the third leading cause of mortality, following cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Accidents also account for 12% of the global disease burden. This study aims to examine the trends in mortality cases resulting from both traffic and non-traffic accidents.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study utilized recorded data from the Health Deputy of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, spanning from 2013 to 2022. A complete census was conducted across the entire province during the study period, yielding a total of 7716 fatalities due to traffic accidents and 7316 deaths due to non-traffic accidents. The Box-Jenkins AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARMA) models were employed for time series analysis. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS software, while modeling conducted using R Studio and SAS.

Result: A total of 7716 deaths were recorded due to traffic accidents, and 7316 deaths were attributed to non-traffic accidents. Among traffic-related fatalities, 19.67% were female and 80.33% were male. In contrast, for non-traffic accidents, 29.65% of the victims were female and 70.35% were male. The ARIMA model was employed for modeling based on autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation plots, with the ARIMA (2, 0, 0) (2, 0, 0) model identified as the best fit for traffic accidents and the ARIMA (1, 0, 1) (2, 0, 0) model for non-traffic accidents in the context of monthly mortality time series.

Conclusions: The predictions for both traffic and non-traffic accidents indicated a decreasing trend in mortality. Furthermore, mortality trends and distributions for both categories of accidents exhibited similarities.

Background: A well-trained Infection Control Nurse (ICN) plays a crucial role in the management of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). The primary responsibilities of an ICN include identifying, developing, and implementing best practices related to the sanitation, infection prevention, and control strategies within healthcare settings. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an ICN on supervised patient care, proper sampling techniques, and infection control in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting.

Materials and methods: A prospective, non-randomized controlled study was conducted involving 406 ICU-admitted patients over 6 months (October 2022 to March 2023) at a tertiary care ICU in KGMU, Lucknow, India. During the first 3 months (October 1^st to December 31^st), no ICN was appointed, and this group served as the control group (Group A). In the following three months (January 1^st to March 31^st), one trained ICN was deployed in each shift, forming the intervention group (Group B). In both groups, patients were treated following standard ICU protocols. However, in Group B, care was additionally supervised by ICNs. Blood, tracheal aspirate, and urine samples were collected from all patients for culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing.

Results: The presence of an ICN significantly improved sampling techniques, leading to the notable reduction in sample contamination. Moreover, supervised patient care under ICN guidance yielded better clinical outcomes.

Conclusions: Supervision by an Infection Control Nurse is vital in ICU settings for effective infection prevention, accurate sampling, and timely management, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and reducing hospital-acquired infections or Nosocomial Infection.

Background: Vitality, as a key component of mental wellbeing, is considered essential within research systems and academic institutions. This study aims to identify the factors associated with the research vitality of faculty members at medical universities.

Materials and methods: This scoping review was conducted in 2024 following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Between April and August 2024, a comprehensive search was performed across databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest (based on MeSH), as well as the Persian databases such as Magiran, Noormags, and the Scientific Information Database. A total of 1998 studies were initially retrieved. After removing duplicates and screening the records, 27 studies were ultimately selected for inclusion. The extracted data were summarized, synthesized, and categorized based on the study objectives.

Results: The findings were organized into four main categories, ten subcategories, and 66 codes. The main categories included individual factors (e.g., personality traits and professional characteristics), organizational factors (e.g., management style, regulations, and facilities), professional factors (e.g., nature and importance of research), and environmental factors (e.g., interaction and collaboration, rewards and recognition, and institutional values).

Conclusions: Policymakers and academic administrators should prioritize enhancing the key factors that influence research vitality across individual, organizational, professional, and environmental domains. Addressing these dimensions can foster greater motivation, creativity, and productivity, among faculty members, ultimately contributing to the improvement of research quality in medical universities.

Background: Reducing the milk premature neonates receive threatens their lives and growth. Many studies have examined the effectiveness of milk booster drops and acupressure. This study aimed to compare the impact of milk booster drops and acupressure on milk volume in mothers with premature infants.

Materials and methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed in three Children's Specialized Hospitals of Mashhad, Iran, from June to November 2022. Fifty-four women with premature neonates were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to milk booster (n = 27) and acupressure (n = 27) groups using permutation blocks. The milk booster group received 30 drops of milk booster drops three times and placebo point pressure for 2 weeks. The acupressure group also performed acupressure twice a day, for 10 min at points Stomach Meridian 16 (ST-16), PERICARDIUM-1 (PC-1), and Extra Point Head and Neck 3a (EX-HN3), and they also received placebo drops. The volume of milk expressed before the intervention on the 14 day of the intervention was measured using electric breast pumps.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the volume of milk measured by mothers before the intervention in the two groups (p = 0.699). The mean (SD) of the mother's measured milk volume in the morning shift on the fourteenth day of the intervention in the milk-booster drop 31.85 (8.68) and acupressure group was 38.07 (9.38) cc (p = 0.005).

Conclusions: Acupressure is more effective in increasing mothers' milk volume, so it is recommended that acupressure be taught to mothers in the neonatal intensive care units.

Background: Disturbances in emotion regulation and emotional adaptation are common problems in drug users. This issue affects the quality of life in different dimensions. Therefore, training these people in cognitive emotion regulation strategies as a supplement to drug treatment helps improve their adaptation skills. In this study, we investigated the effect of a training program based on the cognitive emotion regulation on the emotional adaptation of patients with substance use disorder.

Materials and methods: This study was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial that was conducted in 2022-23. Forty-eight men with substance use disorder (SUD) under methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) participated in the study. The participants were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention consisted of six training sessions based on the cognitive regulation of emotion. The emotional adjustment was examined using the Emotional Adjustment Measure (EAM) before and 1 month after the end of the intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics, such as independent and paired t-tests were used for data analysis.

Results: Forty-eight male patients with SUD under MMT participated in the present study. There was a significant difference in the mean score of the EAM between the intervention and the control group after conducting the intervention (p = 0.012).

Conclusions: Educational programs based on emotion regulation can play a significant role in improving emotional adaptation in patients with substance use disorder. Therefore, this educational program is suggested as a complementary psychological approach to improving the level of psychological health of patients with substance use disorder.

Background: One of the key factors affecting attitudes toward childbearing is women's physical fitness. Dissatisfaction with body image may affect mother's and child's physical and mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the predictive role of body image in shaping attitudes toward childbearing.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-predictive study was conducted on 265 mothers with children aged 2-4 years who visited the comprehensive healthcare centers in Kashan, Iran, in 2023-24. The sampling method was multistage clustering. A demographics questionnaire, Söderberg's Attitudes to Fertility and Childbearing Scale, and Littleton's Body Image Concern Inventory were used for data collection. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed. Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis were used for data analysis in SPSS. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results: According to the results, a one-unit increase in women's body image concerns was associated with a 0.309-point decrease in their positive attitudes toward fertility and childbearing. Additionally, there were significant negative correlations between body image concern and the dimensions of attitudes toward fertility and childbearing: the child as a pillar of life (r = -0.20, p < 0.001), the child as an obstacle to a relationship (r = -0.33, p < 0.001), postponing childbearing to the future (r = -0.33, p < 0.001), and childbearing prerequisites (r = -0.02, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The study findings corroborated the predictive role of body image in shaping attitudes toward fertility and childbearing. Appropriate interventions should be developed to enhance women's body image during pregnancy and identify and control the factors negatively affecting it.

Background: AngiomiRs are a specialized subclass of microRNAs that target genes related to angiogenesis, such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Angiogenesis is crucial in all stages of pregnancy and is essential for creating a receptive endometrium for embryo implantation. Both ovarian stimulation and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), a major component of green tea, can influence angiogenesis. This study aims to examine endometrial quality, with a focus on angiogenesis, as well as serum levels of estradiol and progesterone, following EGCG administration in ovarian-stimulated mice, as a valuable model for studying human reproductive health and diseases.

Methods and materials: Forty adult female mice were assigned to four distinct groups: 1) control, 2) ovarian stimulation (7.5 IU HMG followed by 7.5 IU HCG 48 hours later, administered intraperitoneally), 3) EGCG (5 mg/kg EGCG for 4 days, IP), and 4) ovarian stimulation + EGCG groups. Gene expression analysis of miR-16-5p was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. VEGF protein and CD31-positive cell density were assessed through immunohistochemistry, and serum estradiol and progesterone levels were measured using ELISA.

Results: Endothelial cell density, VEGF protein, and miR-16-5p expression and estradiol concentration significantly increased in the ovarian stimulation group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The smallest reduction in these parameters was observed in the group that received EGCG. EGCG also significantly reduced the progesterone level (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: EGCG significantly reduced endometrial angiogenesis, and angiomiR-16-5p may mediate the effects of EGCG on endometrial quality; however, further studies are needed.