Due to their unique relationship with patients, nurses should be involved in EOL care decision making; however, patients, families or nurses are not often involved in the decision-making process in Turkey.

Policymakers and nurse managers should be aware of any negative issues regarding nursing practice environments and job security to improve nursing outcomes.

Physicians and nurses are responsible for the fulfilment of highly important tasks for their organisations. Their contributions help their organisations remain competitive, improve the health services, ensure and sustain patient safety. Hence, these results will provide information to facilitate an understanding of the topics, causes and consequences of organisational silence among physicians and nurses, two key healthcare professions, and will be helpful in the development of medical and nursing human resources in clinical settings.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of added beta-glucan (b-glucan) levels on the lipid oxidation, physicochemical, microbiological, textural and sensorial properties of fermented sausage produced with various amounts of beef fat during fermentation and storage periods. To determine the effects of b-glucan, twelve sausage treatments included four controls (no b-glucan) with or without beef fat and starter culture addition and eight b-glucan incorporated groups produced with addition of starter culture, various levels of b-glucan (0, 1, 2%) and different levels (0, 10, 15, 20%) of beef fat were manufactured. The results indicated that addition of b-glucan decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values compared to control groups which had 20% beef fat (P \ 0.05). b-glucan enhanced the growth of lactic acid bacteria during fermentation and storage periods (P \ 0.05). The addition of b-glucan caused a decrease in water activity and pH values of sausage during the fermentation and storage (P \ 0.05). Color values, fatty acid composition, protein, fat, moisture and ash content were not influenced by the use of b-glucan (P \ 0.05). Higher levels of b-glucan in sausage formulation caused an increase in the hardness values of sausage (P \ 0.05).

The Middle East has been struggling with basic issues of cancer care, and in specific, palliative care, at the primary health care level in the communities. The Middle East Cancer Consortium designated this issue as the highest priority of its activities in the region. Following basic and advanced courses and national and international workshops, local governments recognized the essentiality of developing palliative care services in their respective countries. As the result of these training activities, in 2010, the Ministry of Health in Turkey initiated a novel program whereby population-based and home-based palliative care teams were developed throughout the country, including peripheral regions in the countries where appropriate care was not available. This initiative led to a dramatic increase in the number of cancer patients receiving palliative care at their homes. The Turkish initiative can serve as a model to other countries in the Middle East and beyond it.