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Subcutaneous administration of the anticoagulant heparin sodium is a frequently performed nursing intervention. Subcutaneous heparin injection often causes problems such as bruise, pain, induration, and hematoma at the injection site. Bruising that result from heparin injections may lead to anxiety, disruption of body image, the rejection of the treatment in patients, and the reduction of the reliance of patient to nurse. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the effects of four different injection technique pain and on bruising associated with subcutaneous heparin. The research involved ninety-five patients. Each subject received four injections by the same investigator using four different techniques. Site bruising was measured at forty-eight and seventy-two after each injection. The bruising size was measured using milimetric transparent palyethylene wrap and the verbal pain scale. There was significant difference in the incidence or size of bruises and pain perception the subject among techniques. Results of the study show that use of air lock technique without aspiration and two-minute cold application to the area of injection with methods reduce bruise and pain.

The assessment of the family support, self-efficacy and self-care behaviours of the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be an essential part of nursing practice. The study also provides the foundation for the conduct of future studies of self-care training for managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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This research was performed as a single group pretest--posttest experimental design to determine the effect of education given to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on self-care. The research was performed between October 2007 and June 2008 in the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinics located in A and B Blocks of Erzincan State Hospital. The research population included 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended the above mentioned units between the specified dates and met the inclusion criteria. Patients were subjected to a pretest using a patient identification form, Diabetes Self-Care Scale (DSCS) form in Turkish language and metabolic control parameters. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean values of pre-education and posteducation DSCS scores with an increase in mean posteducation scores. These results demonstrate that the education given to patients improves their self-care and metabolic control variables.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the practices of patient education provided by nurses in hospital clinics. The data were collected using a questionnaire form developed by the researcher in the light of relevant literature. The questionnaire form included questions to help determine descriptive characteristics of nurses and practices of patient education. Statistical analysis was performed using percentages. Most of the nurses (82.4%) did not define a certain place or time for patient education, almost all of the nurses (98.9%) did not record the education process, and patients' family/relatives were not included in the education (82.4%). The results of this study have shown that clinical nurses do not adequately implement the phases of patient education. During nursing education, nurses' knowledge and skills in patient education should be developed, and they should be made to fully internalize their educational role.

Self-efficacy is important in determining which activities or situations an individual will perform or avoid. This is a case study report to explore the utility of structured education programme on strengthening self-efficacy in an older adult with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To comprehensively evaluate this intervention, a combined qualitative and quantitative approach was used. Although qualitative data were collected following the interview guide, quantitative data were collected by the demographic data form and the COPD Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) at the preprogramme and postprogramme stage. The patient's self-efficacy scores improved after 8 weeks of the structured education programme and remained relatively constant on all the repeated measurements after education. Qualitative data were identified as 'difficulties' and 'facilities'. This study indicates that, by applying a self-efficacy theory, a planned education programme could be useful in improving both short-term and long-term self-efficacy in patients with COPD.