OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to measure the sleep quality and anxiety level of a group of employees, as well as determine the relationship between sleep quality and anxiety and other factors.METHODS:A total of 130 of 185 employees at a university campus were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. A descriptive questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were the data collection instruments. In addition to univariate analysis, the relationship between the 2 scales was examined with Spearman correlation analysis.RESULTS:Of the participants, 38.9% had poor sleep quality. Gender, income level, presence of a chronic disease, regular medication use, and relationship with family and the social environment were found to affect both sleep quality and anxiety. A decrease in sleep quality was associated with an increase in the level of anxiety.CONCLUSION:Poor sleep quality and a high anxiety level are common in this country, as in the rest of the world. Socioeconomic interventions and psychosocial support to improve the status of individuals with risk factors, such as chronic disease, will reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality and overall psychosocial health. Further prospective studies should be conducted with different groups of participants and with larger samples to expand knowledge of the relationship between sleep quality and anxiety.
Background: We aimed to evaluate the Long COVID frequency, and related factors in patients followed up after hospitalization. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 133 inpatients with COVID-19 PCR test positivity from Nigde Province, Turkey between 01.01.2021 and 28.02.2021. The characteristics of the patients were recorded by examining the files, and the symptom questioning was made by telephone interviewing with the patients approximately four months after the date of diagnosis. The presence of at least one symptom lasting more than four weeks was described as Long COVID. Results: The frequency of Long COVID was 64.7%. The most common Long COVID symptoms were fatigue (45.9%), respiratory distress (25.6%), and muscle / joint pain (24.8%), respectively. In comparison analysis to identify factors associated with Long COVID; Long COVID was found to be more frequent among women (P=0.04); patients with severe COVID-19 (P<0.01), patients with prolonged hospital stay (P=0.03), patients with the comorbid disease (P=0.03), and Diabetes Mellitus patients (P=0.02). Additionally, the frequency of Long COVID increased as the depression score stated by the person increased after COVID-19 disease (P=0.02). Conclusion: The treatment of COVID-19 patients should not end when they are discharged from the hospital. On the contrary, these patients, especially high-risk patients, should be followed up in post-COVID clinics and rehabilitated physically and psychosocially with a multidisciplinary approach following the recovery period of the acute illness.
Introduction: Studies indicate that adherence to hand hygiene guidelines is at suboptimal levels. We aimed to explore the reasons for poor hand hygiene compliance. Methodology: A qualitative study based on the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework in explaining compliance, consisting four focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews. Results: Participants mostly practiced hand hygiene depending on the sense of "dirtiness" and "cleanliness". Some of the participants indicated that on-job training delivered by the infection control team changed their perception of "emotionally" based hand hygiene to "indication" based. Direct observations and individual feedback on one-to-one basis were the core of this training. There was low social cohesiveness and a deep polarization between the professional groups that led one group accusing the other for not being compliant. Conclusions: The infection control team should continue delivering one-to-one trainings based on observation and immediate feedback. But there is need to base this training model on a structured behavioral modification program and test its efficacy through a quasi-experimental design. Increasing social cohesiveness and transforming the blaming culture to a collaborative safety culture is also crucial to improve compliance. High workload, problems related to work-flow and turnover should be addressed.
Objective: It is important to put forward the characteristics of the COVID-19 cases to fight the disease effectively. The aim of this study is to determine the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in Turkey. And also to determine the risk factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the characteristics of the confirmed COVID-19 cases who applied to a University Hospital in Turkey between March 19th and June 11th, 2020, were analyzed. Variables such as epidemic trend, case fatality rate, need for hospitalization, ICU admission rate, and ICU mortality were calculated. In addition, risk factors affecting ICU admission and death were determined by logistic regression analysis. Results: 19.8% of 654 cases participating in the study were asymptomatic at admission. ICU admission rate was 7.6% and case fatality rate found to be 7.8%. Age, male gender, and cancer were associated with ICU admission. Each 1-unit increase in age increased ICU admissions by 8% (OR: 1.08; CI: 1.06-1.10). Men had a 2.71 times higher risk of ICU admission (OR: 2.71; CI: 1.37-5.39); and cancer patients showed 3.72 (OR: 3.72; CI: 1.35-10.20) times more ICU admissions (p<0.05). Age, cancer, and ICU admission were associated with death. Each 1-unit increase in age increased the risk of death by 10% (OR: 1.10; CI: 1.06-1.15). The risk of death was found to be 5.22 times higher in cancer patients (OR: 5.22; GA: 1.09-24.89) and 87.42 times higher in those admitted to ICU (OR: 87.42; GA: 30.15-153.46) (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was revealed that the course of the disease worsens, and deaths increase with age. Male gender has been associated with the increased need for intensive care. Cancer was significantly associated both with ICU admission and death. Attention should be paid to the groups of elderly, men and those with a comorbidity. More detailed studies with larger samples are of critical importance in fighting against the pandemic. Key Words: Turkey, COVID-19, coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, epidemiology.
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