BACKGROUND:A key component in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), the corner stone of which is exercise training.AIM:This study aims to evaluate the effect of a two-months, home-based PR program with outpatient supervision every two weeks, on exercise tolerance and health-related quality of life (HRQL) using Arabic-translated standardized generic and specific questionnaires in COPD patients recently recovered from acute exacerbation,DESIGN:Randomized clinical trial.SETTING AND SUBJECTS:A total of 39 COPD patients who recovered from acute exacerbation were randomly allocated either a two-month home-based PR program in addition to standard medical therapy or standard medical therapy alone in the period between July 2008 and March 2009.METHODS:Pulmonary function tests (PFTs), six-minute walk distance (6-MWD) test, Arabic-translated chronic respiratory disease questionnaire-self administered standardized format (CRQ-SAS) and quality of life scale Short Form (SF-36) were compared between 25 patients with moderate to severe COPD who underwent a two-month PR program (group 1) and 14 COPD patients who did not (group 2).RESULTS:Group 1 showed significant improvement in the 6-MWD, and HRQL scores at two months compared with the usual care patients in group 2 (P less than 0.05). Improvement in both CRQ-SAS and SF-36 scores were statistically significant and comparable in group 1.CONCLUSION:The supervised, post discharge, two-month home-based PR program is an effective non pharmacological intervention in the management of stable patients with COPD. The 6-MWD is a simple, inexpensive and safe test to assess physical and functional capabilities among COPD patients. HRQL can be measured in patients with COPD either by disease-specific tools that have been specifically designed for use in patients with respiratory system disorders or by generic HRQL tools that can be used across populations with a variety of medical conditions. The Arabic-translated CRQ-SAS is a new tool for assessment of Arabic-speaking patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

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Prostate cancer is one of the commonest types of cancer in men worldwide. The primary treatment option for localized prostate cancer is radical prostatectomy.Unfortunately, a considerable proportion of men may experience long-term post-surgical sequelae is to determine the effect of nursing interventions on urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction among post-radical prostatectomy patients. A quasi-experimental (one group, pre-test-post-test) research design.We included 30 post-radical prostatectomy patients in this study. Each patient was interviewed in five sessions. During these sessions, the information about the complications of RP, pelvic floor exercise training and sexual rehabilitation was given. International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF), The Revised Faecal Incontinence Scale (RFIS) and Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) were used to evaluate the effect of nursing interventions. The study results demonstrate that the incidence of urinary and sexual dysfunction is high among patients post-radical prostatectomy patients. Fortunately, urinary and sexual dysfunctions were improved post-implementation of nursing intervention with statistically significant differences (p-value <0.05). The incidence of faecal incontinence was 16.7% while it was 13.3% post-nursing implementation with no statistically significant differences. Nursing intervention is effective in the management of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy within a short period time while the improvement in sexual dysfunction may need more time.