Consequently, a planned inhaler training given to the patients with COPD was found to decrease attack frequency and dyspnea, and improve quality of life.

ÖZETAmaç: Bu araştırma hemşirelerin profesyonel değerlerini ve etkileyen faktörleri belirlemek amacıyla tanımlayıcı olarak yapıldı. Gereç ve Yöntem:Çalışmaya bir ilin Devlet Hastanesinde çalışan, ça-lışma kriterlerine uyan ve çalışmayı kabul eden 120 hemşire alındı. Araştırmanın verileri tanıtım formu ve profesyonel değerler ölçeği kullanılarak toplandı. Bulgular:Araştırma bulgularına göre; hemşirelerin; %57.5'i 30-39 yaş grubunda, %85.8'i kadın, %79.2'si evli ve %56.7'si lisans mezunudur. Araştırmada hemşirelerin profesyonel değerler puanı ortalaması 90.7±14.7 olarak bulundu. Çalışmada 40 yaş ve üstü gruptakilerin, erkeklerin, bekâr olanların, yüksek lisans yapanların, idari görevi olanların, dernek üyeliği bulunanların, bilimsel toplantılara katılanların ve profesyonel değerler konusunda eğitim alanların profesyonel değer-ler ölçeği puanları daha yüksek bulundu fakat istatistiksel olarak bir anlamlılık saptanmadı (p>0.05).Sonuç: Hemşirelerin profesyonel değerler ölçeğinden aldıkları puanların orta düzeyin üzerinde olduğu belirlendi. Hemşirelere profesyonel değerlerle ilgili eğitimlerin planlanması ve bu konuda daha kapsamlı araştırmaların yapılması önerilmektedir.

This is an experimental research aiming at identifying the effect of terminal patient care training on the nurses' attitudes toward death. The sample of this study (n = 41) involves 20 nurses in the training group and 21 nurses in the control group. Nurses were offered terminal patient care training and their attitudes toward death were assessed before and after the intervention. The Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) subscale mean scores for fear of death (3.9-4.6, p < .05) and approach acceptance (2.9-3.3, p < .05) were found to significantly increase at the end of training in the training group while mean scores in the control group displayed no significant change (p > .05) in any of the five DAP-R subscales. In accordance with these findings, this study suggests that terminal patient care training should be implemented in the nursing curriculum more extensively and should be frequently repeated as part of the nurses' in-service education.

No abstract

This descriptive study was conducted to determine the care burden and social support levels of caregivers to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The primary caregivers of 112 patients with COPD hospitalized in the chest diseases service of a university hospital were involved in the study. Data of the study were collected by using the Patient and Caregiver Information Form, which was prepared by reviewing the literature, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living, Zarit Burden Interview, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. While the care burden mean score of caregivers of patients with COPD was 40.91 ± 20.58, the mean score of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was 54.13 ± 18.84. In this study, it was determined that female caregivers, as well as individuals stating that their physical and psychological health was affected and those having difficulty giving care and needing help, had higher levels of care burden, whereas the spouses, as well as individuals with lower levels of income and those stating that their physical and psychological health was affected, had lower levels of social support.

ÖzetAmaç: Bu araştırma; osteoartritli bireylerin ağrı ve öz-etkililik düzeylerini belirlemek amacıyla tanımlayıcı olarak yapıldı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırma fizik tedavi ve rehabilitasyon kliniğinde yatan ve polikliniğe başvuran primer tanısı osteoartrit olan 83 bireyle yapıldı. Araştırmanın verileri, hasta tanıtım formu, vizüel analog skala (VAS), osteoartrit indeksi (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index-WOMAC) ve artritlerde öz-etkililik ölçeği kullanılarak toplandı. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde; pearson korelasyon analizi, t-testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi kullanıldı. P<0.05 değeri istatistiksel olarak anlamlı kabul edildi. Bulgular: Osteoartritli bireylerin %78.5'inin en fazla yaşadığı şikayetin ağrı ve hareket kısıtlılığı olduğu, %69.9'unun yaşadıkları ağrının günlük yaşam aktivitelerini çok fazla etkilediği belirlendi. Çalışmaya katılan bireylerin VAS puan ortalaması 5.7±2.3, WOMAC puan ortalaması 56.3±14.8 ve öz-etkililik puan ortalaması 103.7±29.5 bulundu. Erkeklerin, eğitim düzeyi yüksek olanların, ev hanımı olmayanların, günlük yaşam aktivitelerinde bağımsız olanların ve ek kronik hastalığı olmayanların öz-etkililik düzeyleri diğer gruplara göre daha yüksekti (p<0.05). Çalışmada öz etkililik puanlarıyla VAS ve WOMAC puanları arasında negatif, VAS puanıyla WOMAC puanları arasında ise pozitif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki saptandı (p<0.05). Sonuç: Osteoartritli bireylerin öz-etkililikleri orta düzeyde bulunmuş olup, cinsiyetin, eğitim düzeyinin, bağımsızlık durumunun, ağrı ve fonksiyon düzeyinin öz-etkililiği etkilediği belirlendi.Anahtar sözcükler: Ağrı; hemşirelik; osteoartrit; öz-etkililik. SummaryObjectives: This descriptive study was conducted to determine pain and self-efficacy levels of individuals with osteoarthritis. Methods: 83 patients, who were hospitalized in and admitted to physical therapy or rehabilitation outpatient clinic and had a primary diagnosis of osteoarthritis, were included in the study. The data of the study were collected by using patient information form, visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and arthritis self-efficacy scale. Pearson correlation analysis, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used to assess the data. A p value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The most frequent complaints of 78.5% of the individuals with osteoarthritis were pain and limitation of movement. The pain experienced by 69.9% affected their daily life activities so much. VAS mean score of the participants was 5.7±2.3, their WOMAC mean score was 56.3±14.8, and their self-efficacy score was 103.7±29.5. Self-efficacy levels of those, who were men, had a higher educational level, were not housewives, were independent in daily life activities and did not have an additional chronic disease, were higher compared to the other groups (p<0.05). In this study, a negative correlation between self-efficacy scores and VAS and WOMAC scores and a positive correlation between VAS and WOM...

The research was performed to determine the problems that caregivers experience with patients with Alzheimer disease. The research was carried out qualitatively with those who were responsible for the care of eight Alzheimer patients who were being treated at the Neurology Polyclinics of Gevher Nesibe Hospital at Erciyes University in Kayseri, Turkey. Research data were collected through questionnaires designed to understand the characteristics of the individuals who provided care and focus group interviews. A written consent from the institution and an oral as well as written consent of the individuals were obtained. Focus groups were interviewed in the same setting at different times with two different groups, including four people who agreed to participate in the research. Each interview was conducted by three personnel: a moderator, a reporter, and an observer. Interviews were structured under four main titles: "The changes seen in the individual with Alzheimer disease"; "Physical, social, psychological, and socioeconomical problems that caregivers experienced"; "Precautions taken against the problems"; and "Patients' expectations of the care". The interviews lasted for approximately 2 hours. A voice recorder and a written registration form were also used to collect information. Six women and two men constituted the research group. The caregivers stated that the patients had such difficulties as forgetfulness, nervousness, jealousy, childish behavior, deterioration in speech, fear of water, hallucinations, and difficulty in carrying out daily life activities. Caregivers emphasized the fact that they perceived the changes in the patients as deliberate behaviors and thus became annoyed and quarreled with them before diagnosis; however, after diagnosis, they felt remorse and experienced guilt because of their ill-treatment of them. In addition, the caregivers hid the patients and their disease from social surroundings. Caregivers mentioned that they had felt as someone who was helpless, exhausted, and abandoned; they lost their freedom and lacked their taste for life. They felt no confidence in someone else caring for the patient; thus, they neglected their own personal needs. Caregivers reported that they often cried and started to smoke because of these problems. They took precautions, such as making identity cards, helping the patients with their daily life activities, not changing the current order at home, and not leaving the patients alone. Caregivers expressed a desire for assistance from home healthcare personnel, a reliable nursing home where they could leave the patient, and a support group to whom they could share their problems. It was found that the caregivers who provided care to patients with Alzheimer disease experienced multidimensional problems, could not find any professional support, and needed institutional assistance.

Objective:To determine the patient safety culture among nurses working at intensive care units.Methods:This descriptive study was conducted at intensive care units of Health Practice and Research Center of Erciyes University and Kayseri Education and Research Hospital in the city center of Kayseri in Turkey. Three hundred sixteen nurses working at intensive care units at these hospitals were included in the study. Data were collected by using Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), developed by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Percentage distribution and Mann Whitney U Test were used to analyze the data.Results:About 13.6% of the nurses working at intensive care units stated that they faced incidents of potential threat to the patient safety and that 48.8% of these cases were falls. Although a great majority of the nurses (88%) indicated that they never documented a case report, they assessed the patient safety in their institution as acceptable (43%). Out of the 12 dimensions of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, the percentage of positive responses was the highest for “teamwork within units” dimension and lowest for the “non-punitive response to error” dimension.Conclusion:Awareness of the nurses regarding patient safety should be raised and their related knowledge should be kept up-to-date through more frequent in-service trainings.