The aim was to determine the symptoms and information needs of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). The study population consisted of 345 RT patients accrued over 6 months. Patients' needs for information, sources of information, levels of satisfaction with information, symptoms and demographic factors were assessed by questionnaire and personal interview. Chi-square tests were used to test the correlation between patient variables and information needs/experiences. Most patients (80.9%) experienced RT side effects--fatigue, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite were the most frequent. More than half of the patients had not received information about RT; however, patients (83.2%) who had problems during the treatment wanted to have information (P < 0.05). The majority of the patients receiving information identified doctors as the primary source. The patients' prioritized needs for information were all the aspects of their diagnosis and treatment and side effects of RT. Overall, the results indicate that most patients require information about their treatment and also experienced a variety of symptoms.

SUMMARYObjectivesSleep adequacy is one of the major determinants of a successful professional life. The aim of this study is to determine the sleep quality of emergency health workers and analyze its effects on their professional and social lives.MethodsThe study was carried out on 121 voluntary emergency health workers in 112 Emergency Aid Stations in Kayseri, Turkey, in 2011. The data was collected through the Socio-Demographics Form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and analyzed via SPSS 18.00. The statistical analysis involved percentage and frequency distributions, mean±standard deviations, a chi-square test, correlations, and logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe mean score of the participants according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was 4.14±3.09, and 28.9% of participants had poor sleep quality. Being single and being a woman accounted for 11% (p=0.009, 95% CI: 0.111–0.726) and 7% (p=0.003, 95% CI: 0.065–0.564) of poor sleep quality respectively. There was a positive correlation between sleep quality scores and negative effects on professional and social life activities. Negative effects on professional activities included increased loss of attention and concentration (40.0%, p=0,016), increased failure to take emergency actions (57.9%, p=0.001), reduced motivation (46.2%, p=0.004), reduced performance (41.4%, p=0.024), and low work efficiency (48.1%, p=0.008). Poor sleep quality generally negatively affected the daily life of the workers (51.6%, p=0.004), restricted their social life activities (45.7%, p=0.034), and caused them to experience communication difficulties (34.7%, p=0.229).ConclusionsOne third of the emergency health workers had poor sleep quality and experienced high levels of sleep deficiency. Being a woman and being single were the most important factors in low sleep quality. Poor sleep quality continuously affected daily life and professional life negatively by leading to a serious level of fatigue, loss of attention-concentration, and low levels of motivation, performance and efficiency.

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer type and cause of death among women in many countries. Monthly breast self-examination (BSE) is an effective diagnostic method for breast cancer. This study aimed to determine the knowledge level and practice frequency of BSE among healthcare workers in Kayseri, Turkey. Data were collected via a questionnaire that was prepared based on information in the literature. The questionnaire was composed of 2 sections: sociodemographic characteristics and practice and knowledge related to BSE. The sample group included 246 healthcare workers. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, (post hoc) Dunn, and chi tests were used in the analyses of data. The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 29.0 (5.6) years. Most (58.1%) were married, and a family history of breast cancer was reported by 12.2%. Of the respondents, 35% stated that they did not know how to conduct an examination of their breasts. Although 52.4% (n = 129) of the women reported that they performed BSE, only 17.0% (n = 22) reported doing so on a monthly basis. The practice of BSE was significantly associated with older, more educated medical secretaries; a positive personal history of breast problems; and a positive family history of breast cancer (P < .05). Healthcare workers had a low mean level of knowledge about the practice of BSE (mean [SD] score, 11.70 [10.07]; range, 0-40). The scores of the women who stated that they practiced BSE were significantly higher (P = .000) than those who reported that they did not. Healthcare workers need to improve their knowledge of and sensitivity toward BSE.

Özet Amaç: Bu çalışmada bel ağrısı dolayısı ile transforaminal anterior epidural steroid injeksiyonu (TAESİ SummaryObjectives: Transforaminal anterior steroid injections are frequently used for low back pain. In the current study, It was aimed to investigate the effects of transforaminal anterior epidural steroid injection (TAESI) in patients with low back pain in regards to quality of life and sleep, and neuropathic pain. Methods: Ethics committee approval and patient consent were obtained. Patients with low back pain scheduled to receive transforaminal epidural steroid injections between October 2011 and October 2012 were included into the study. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Short form 12 (SF 12), DN4 tests and Visual Analog Scale Score (VAS) were measured prior to procedure and three months later. All the tests were compared with baseline evaluations prior to injections. Results: One hundred and two (female/male: 52/50) patients with a mean age of 53.3±1.4 were included. Primary diagnoses were lumbar disc herniation in eighty-seven patients, spinal stenosis in seven and failed back surgery syndrome in eight patients. Statistically significant improvement was seen in the total VAS, DN4 and PSQI scores (p=0.0001) of the patients at the third month follow-up. Sleep duration (p=0.0001), habitual sleep efficiency (p=0.0001), subjective sleep quality (p=0.003), sleep latency (p=0.014), sleep disturbances (p<0.001), sleep medication use (p=0.003), and day time dysfunction (p=0.015) showed a significant decrease in sub-components. There was no significant difference in SF 12 quality of life. Conclusion: It was determined in the study that transforaminal epidural steroid injection provided a substantial improvement in patients' pain and neuropathic pain and quality of sleep, but had no effect on the quality of life.