Dysmenorrhea (pain during menstruation) is one of the most common medical conditions among women of reproductive age. Dysmenorrhea has been studied around the world but not yet in Greece. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of dysmenorrhea on the wellbeing (exercising, and social and academic functioning) among nursing students in Greece. A cross-sectional study of 637 nursing students was conducted by administering a questionnaire at a university in Athens. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 89.2% and the rate of severe intensity was 52.5%. Factors that were associated with severe dysmenorrhea were family history (p = 0.02), early menarche (p = 0.05) and menstruation duration (p = 0.05). Women with moderate and severe pain reported using pain relievers (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), paracetamol etc., p < 0.0005). Finally, activities affected by severe pain were class attendance (p = 0.01), personal studying (p < 0.0005), exercising (p < 0.0005), and socializing (p < 0.0005). Exam attendance (p = 0.27) and clinical placement attendance (p = 0.48) were not affected by severe dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea has a high prevalence among nursing students and seems to affect important aspects of wellbeing and academic performance when the pain intensity is severe. The present findings lay the foundation for further investigation of dysmenorrhea both in the Greek population and cross-culturally.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between patient's education in compliance with their medical regimen and the external variables: (1) "years of schooling," (2) duration of treatment, and (3) compliance with the medical regimen. The hypothesis tested in this study was as follows: "Hypertensive individuals who are educated about the importance of their medication and about the consequences of not taking the prescribed dosage will show better compliance with their prescribed drug regimen than those who are not thus educated." The sample of the study consisted of 40 hypertensive patients. A "posttest-only" control group design was used in this study. The hypothesis of the study was tested by using the Mann-Whitney U test. For the relationship between the external variables (years of schooling, duration of treatment, and compliance with the medical regimen), the Spearman test was used. The findings of the study revealed a statistically significant difference between compliance levels in the experimental group and in the control group (U = 130, p < 0.05), a positive correlation between "years of schooling" and compliance (rs = 0.33, p = 0.04), and a negative correlation between duration of treatment and compliance (rs = -0.45, p = 0.005). The findings support the hypothesis of the study.

PURPOSE: Explore levels of perceived social support and the associated factors among patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Outpatients (n = 140) with DFUs attending a diabetic clinic affiliated with a public hospital in Athens, Greece, for wound care and follow-up visits after healing. METHODS: Data collection included demographic, clinical, self-report, and perceived social support, measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), during one-on-one interviews at the post-healing follow-up visit. RESULTS: For perceived social support, 50% of patients (average age 70 years) scored above 24, 24, and 18 (median) on the MSPSS in the categories of receiving support from significant other, family, and friends, respectively, suggesting high levels of perceived social support. Other statistically significant associations were observed for perceived social support from significant other, family, and friends and marital status (P = .001, P = .001, and P = .004, respectively), patients level of information about their health (P =.002, P =.001, and P =.001, respectively), family level of information (P = .001, P = .001, and P = .004, respectively), and how closely they followed period foot checks (P = .001, P = .002, and P = .011, respectively) and diet (P = .001, P = .001, and P = .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Data from our study show that higher levels of perceived social support from significant others, family, and friends were linked to patients and others, being better informed about health status, and other self-care behaviors. Findings underscore the need for health care providers to recognize that social support is an important component of overall DFU management and may guide future interventions to determine which are most effective in enhancing socially supportive behaviors.

Introduction: Nursing activities score scales are valuable instruments for assessing the quality of nursing care provided in critically ill patients and easy to use in validating nurse staffing. The aim of this study was the assessment of nursing workload (NW) as a predictive factor of mortality by using the nursing activities score (NAS) scale. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 91 days during 2019, convenience sampling was employed to recruit 82 registered nurses (RN) from three intensive care units (ICUs) of two public hospitals with 41 beds in total. Data were collected using the NAS scale, the researcher’s observation, the information given by the staff, and the nursing care reports. Descriptive and inductive statistics were used with significance level α = 0.05. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 25.0) was used for analyzing the data. Results: Females were the majority of the sample (84.1%), with a mean age of 38.9 (7.7) years, 87.8% had a nursing degree from a technological educational institute (T.E.I), the average working experience was 14 (8.1) years and the ICU experience was 12.9 (8.5) years. There were 3764 daily records of NAS with an average of 54.81 (2.34) and total NAS of 756.51 (150.27). The NW of the first day’s admission in the ICU was 65.15 (13.05), NW was 13.15 h/day and the NW of patients who died was 57.37 (4.06). The optimal nurse/patient ratio (NPR) was 1:1.82, while the existing NPR was 1:2.86. The mortality rate was 28.7%. Conclusion: Although the study results did not demonstrate a significant correlation between NW and mortality, the NW in ICU appeared to be relatively higher for patients who died than for those who survived. This result may serve as an indication for a positive correlation between these two variables. In addition, NW was found to be moderate, while one ICU nurse can take care of more than one patient.

Introduction: Living with a permanent colostomy brings severe changes in patients’ lives. The general health status as well as the personal, social and professional life of patients are significantly affected. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the lived experience of patients undergoing permanent colostomy. Material and Methods: A qualitative research design based on interpretive phenomenology was carried out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as the data collection method to obtain in-depth information regarding the research topic. The study sample consisted of eight (8) patients who had undergone a permanent colostomy. The data analysis was performed by the method of content analysis. Results: From the analysis of the data, three main themes emerged, namely: (A) Experiencing a traumatic event; (B) Living a new reality; (C) Efforts to improve quality of life. Five subthemes were formulated which were encompassed within the respective main themes accordingly. Conclusion: Patients with permanent colostomy face significant life changes that are experienced in a traumatic way. Issues such as autonomy, family and organizational support, self-management and empowerment can significantly improve the patients’ quality of life. Further research, regarding caregivers’ experience, improved community nursing care as well as nurses’ views on the needs of colostomy patients and their families, is suggested.

This study gives an overview of the views and beliefs of nurses about the problems and barriers involved in PU prevention and treatment. The study reveals that although some barriers to good practice may exist, nurses can hold a positive attitude toward PU prevention and treatment, and their perceived value of prevention and treatment may help nurses to overcome the barriers in managing PUs.

Introduction: Heparin is a sulfated polysaccharide belonging to the glycosaminoglycan family with strong anticoagulant activity. It has been widely used to maintain intravascular catheters in patients requiring intravenous medication. It is believed that heparin prevents thrombus formation in the intravascular catheter, but since the 1980s, the necessity of the heparin solution for peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) flushing has been questioned in several clinical trials. According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), there are four special categories of High Alert Medications (HAMs), including heparin. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the efficacy of normal saline versus heparin solution in maintaining the patency and functionality of the PIVC and avoiding complications. Methodology: A systematic review using PubMed and Cochrane Library databases was conducted. Original research studies of hospitalized patients with PIVC, regardless of age, published in English, over the last decade (2009-2019) were eligible for inclusion. Results: The review concluded in 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria. From these studies, it appears that it is not fully documented whether the normal saline (N/S 0,9%) is superior to heparin solution (H/S) in the flushing of the PIVC for maintaining its patency and prevent complications. Researchers tend to support the use of N/S 0,9% due to safety, error avoidance, efficiency, ease of use and cost-effectiveness. Concern about the possible complications of the heparin solution was the cause of guidelines development for N/S 0,9% in countries such as Australia. Conclusions: The use of normal saline seems to outweigh the heparin solution in maintaining the patency of PIVC.

Purpose:Post-operative pain after breast cancer surgery is a major problem and women undergoing mastectomy and breast reconstruction experience post-operative pain syndromes in approximately one-half of all cases. Patients who have undergone breast reconstruction after mastectomy can suffer from acute postoperative pain with moderate or strong tension. In some cases, chronic neuropathic pain syndromes may occur after surgery. Opioids are used to treat pain, with serious side effects. The systemic postoperative analgesic regimen as thiocochlicoside P.O. along with paracetamol and NSAIDs I.V., which may limit the administration of opioids without reducing pain relief, seems to be necessary.Materials and Methods:This study was a clinical trial randomizing 70 patients undergoing breast reconstruction. Two main protocols of systematic post-operative analgesia, one using thiocochlicoside (group A) and the other without them (group B), were used. Both groups received paracetamol X3 and lornoxicam X2 I.V. systematically. The pain measurement scale (NPS) used to measure post-operative pain. Likert scales were used to evaluate patient’s satisfaction and the difficulty from the side effects . An anonymous questionnaire was used for the data collection.Results:Statistically significant difference was found between pain on the day of surgery (p = 0.017) as well as the three subsequent days (p = 0.000). In group A , pain was reduced directly to half (Χ2 surgery pain = 93.888, p = 0.000) especially on the first post-operative day. In group A the satisfaction with analgesic treatment was higher than in group B (p = 0.002).Conclusion:The use of thiocochlicoside in post-operative analgesia in breast reconstruction after mastectomy contributes to reduce the pain intensity experienced by patients and to reduce the side effects of opioid analgesics as a result of reduced demand for opioid analgesics. Patients who received the analgesia using muscle relaxants-spasmolytic reported greater satisfaction.