The aim of this descriptive study was to investigate the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) applications and factors associated and its use among asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the southern region of Turkey. The study sample consisted of 197 patients. A percentage of 86.3 of asthma and COPD patients used at least one type of CAM. The most commonly used CAM methods are deep inhalation (51.8%), herb or herbal tea (46.7%), praying (41.1%) and applying vapour (36%). Patients generally use CAM methods for breathing comfortably, improving respiration, reducing dyspnoea, and relaxing. Patients frequently use CAM methods together with medical treatments, and they benefit from these methods without getting any harm. The rate of CAM usage is higher among patients who have a longer period of asthma and COPD and more than five symptoms of asthma and COPD. In conclusion, CAM is used commonly by asthma and COPD patients. The CAM usage rate is higher among patients who have a longer period of asthma and COPD and more than five symptoms of asthma and COPD.

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Background Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) face many physical and psychological stressors because of the environment of these units and their own critical conditions and experience stress in various degrees. Each stressor may affect patients' experiences in ICUs differently. Aim and objectives This study aimed to examine the relationship between stressors and patients' experiences in an ICU. Methods This descriptive, cross‐sectional study was conducted between September 2014 and June 2015 in a university hospital and included 116 patients who were admitted to the general ICU for at least 24 hours. Data were collected using the Intensive Care Experience Scale and a questionnaire that included questions about socio‐demographic and disease‐related characteristics of patients and their stressors. Results The mean age of the patients was 57.81 ± 13.81 years, and the mean duration of ICU stay was 2.28 ± 3.88 days. There was a moderate positive relation between the stressors noise (r = .534; P < .01), thirst (r = .438; P < .01), loneliness (r = .410; P < .01), and pain (r = .404; P < .01) and the subscale frightening experiences. However, there was a moderate, negative relation between the stressors inability to speak (r = −.444; P < .01), surrounding speeches (r = −.458; P < .01), equipment noise (r = −.490; P < .01), and physical exercise (r = −.546; P < .01) and the subscale satisfaction with care. Conclusions The patients associated stressors with satisfaction and frightening experiences in the early period of their discharge from the ICU. As stressors increases, so do frightening experiences, and satisfaction with care is affected negatively. Relevance to clinical practice Currently, stressors to which patients discharged from ICU are exposed during their admission to wards are not evaluated in practice. This study is important in that it can help health professionals be aware of effects of stressors on patients in the early period of their discharge.

This study aimed to compare the psychometric properties of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), which evaluates health-related quality of life in haemodialysis patients. Data were gathered using the NHP and the SF-36. Quality of life scores obtained from the NHP and the SF-36 were compared according to sociodemographic characteristics. It was found that the internal consistency values of the NHP and the SF-36 were similar. The floor effect of the two NHP subscales and the ceiling effect of all the NHP subscales were higher than those pertaining to the. It was observed that the NHP mean subscale scores were higher than those of the SF-36, except for one subscale of the SF-36. There was a significant positive correlation between the similar subscales of the NHP and the SF-36 and between the total scores. These results seem to support the utility of the NHP and the SF-36 in evaluating quality of life in haemodialysis patients.

Aim The study was conducted to examine the relation between self‐efficacy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and caregiver burden. Material and methods This descriptive, cross‐sectional study included 200 patients with stage II and III COPD presenting to hospital between June and November in 2017 and their caregivers. Data were gathered with a questionnaire, COPD Assessment Test and COPD Self‐Efficacy Scale from the patients. A questionnaire and Caregiver Burden Scale was used to collect data from the caregivers. Obtained data were analysed with the descriptive statistics numbers, percentages, mean, median and standard deviation. Spearman’s correlation analysis was utilised to examine the relation between paired groups. Results The mean age of the patients with COPD was 63.53 years and 51.1% of the patients were female. The mean age of the caregivers was 48.88 ± 14.09 years. 54.4% of the caregivers were aged 40–60 years, and 59.9% of the caregivers were female. The mean score was 26.97 ± 5.25 for COPD Assessment Test and 2.32 ± 0.43 for COPD Self‐Efficacy Scale. Of all the caregivers, 64.8% had mild caregiving burden and 18.1% had moderate caregiving burden. The mean score for Caregiver Burden Scale had a significant, moderate relation with the mean score for the subscale physical effort in COPD Self‐Efficacy Scale (r = −0.42; p < 0.01) and had a significant, weak, negative relation with the mean total score for COPD Self‐Efficacy Scale and the mean scores for its subscales. There was a significant, moderate, positive relation between the mean scores for Caregiver Burden and COPD Assessment Test (r = 0.51; p < 0.001) and a significant, negative relation between the scores for COPD Self‐Efficacy Scale and its subscales and the scores for CAT (r = −0.26 ‐ r = −0.52; p < 0.05). Conclusion As self‐efficacy in COPD patients increases, their health and daily lives are affected less by COPD and caregiver burden decreases.

Ameliyat sonrası dönemde cerrahi hastasında ortaya çıkabilen fiziksel ve psiko-sosyal sorunlar hastanın konforunu olumsuz etkileyerek iyileşme sürecini geciktirebilir. Çalışma göğüs cerrahisi olan hastaların konfor düzeyleri, konfor ile anksiyete ilişkisi ve etkili faktörleri belirlemek amacı ile tanımlayıcı olarak planlandı. Gereç-Yöntem: Çalışmanın evrenini göğüs cerrahisi servisinde Aralık 2012-Aralık 2013 tarihleri arasında operasyon sonrası serviste yatan erişkin hastalardan; Türkçe iletişim kurulabilen, en az ilköğretim mezunu, psikolojik tedavi görmeyen, çalışmaya katılmaya istekli olup, onay veren 112 hasta oluşturdu. Veriler Bireysel Özellikler Formu, Erken Postoperatif Konfor Ölçeği, Genel Konfor Ölçeği, Durumluk-Sürekli Anksiyete Ölçeği kullanılarak yüz yüze görüşme yöntemi ile toplandı. Bulgular: Yaş ortalaması 51.71, olan hastaların %47.3'ü ilköğretim mezunu, %59,8'i sigara kullanmakta ve %48.2'sine akciğer kanseri nedeniyle ameliyat uygulanmıştır. Grubun, %67'sinin tek kişilik odada kaldığı, %81.3'ünün kaldığı odadan memnun olduğu, %81.3'ünün daha önce hastane deneyimi olduğu, %69,6'sının daha önce ameliyat olduğu, %94,6'sının hasta kabul sürecinden memnun olduğu saptandı. Hastaların erken postoperatif konfor düzeyi 4.96±0.56, genel konfor düzeyi 2.89±0.32 olarak belirlendi. Durumluk anksiyete düzeyi 49.05±4.50, sürekli anksiyete düzeyi ise 46.37±4.57 bulundu. Sonuç: Hastaların erken postoperatif konfor düzeyi ve genel konfor düzeyi ortalamanın üstünde tespit edilirken, durumluluk anksiyete düzeyi ve süreklilik anksiyete düzeyi orta düzeyde bulundu. Konfor ile anksiyete arasında negatif yönde bir ilişki olduğu, daha önce hastane deneyimi olması, cerrahi girişim süresi, geçirilmiş operasyon deneyiminin olması, kaldığı odadan memnun olup olmaması konfor ve anksiyeteyi etkileyen faktörler olarak tespit edildi.

The aim of this study is to determine the level of comfort among nursing students during sexual counseling to patients who have chronic medical conditions. The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 161 students who study at the third and fourth years at a health college. More than half of the students reported being comfortable or a slightly comfortable during providing sexual counseling to patients who have chronic conditions. Students who are not comfortable with answering questions related to sexuality (p = 0.000), find initiating a conversation on future sexual problems with the patient is inappropriate unless the patient brings it up (p = 0.007), and nurses should not talk about sexual issues in a routine way with patients (p = 0.026) who do not feel comfortable during sexual counseling. In order to provide nursing students feeling comfortable, the issue of sexual counseling to patients who have chronic conditions should take place during the nursing education.

The aim of the study was to assess undergraduate nursing and midwifery students' hand hygiene (HH) compliance. The questionnaire included questions about HH behaviours and compliance during patient care, and Fulkerson scale was used to relate HH to cleanliness of various activities. 57.4% of them reported that they used liquid soap for HH. 18.6% of them did not dry their hands after washing. 65.9% of them said that they performed HH when passing from one patient to another. HH rates were 80.7% after removing gloves. The first six activities on the Fulkerson scale were described as 'clean'; most of the students assessed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth activities as 'dirty'. Compliance with HH was high for all dirty and clean activities. Self-report method indicates compliance with HH which was an easy and inexpensive way to provide the information on HH.