Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Background: Heart failure (HF) is a significant health burden associated with severe morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization costs and it poses challenges not only to individuals and their families but also to societal and governmental resources. In fact, nurses are indispensable in managing HF patients. The success of patient self-care preparation through education relies not only on the patient’s abilities and attitude but also on the nurse’s proficiency in these tasks and their knowledge and attitudes can significantly impact patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate nurses’ knowledge and attitudes regarding HF management in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 218 nurses employed at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through an online questionnaire with two sections: one assessing nurses’ knowledge of HF management and the other evaluating their attitudes toward it. The data collection took place between March and June 2024. Results: Overall, 55% of nurses showed inadequate knowledge regarding HF management. Further analysis revealed that 46.8% of nurses had a negative attitude towards HF management. Multivariate analysis revealed that graduate nurses (bachelor or diploma) had significantly 4.48 times higher risk to produce inadequate knowledge of HF management in comparison to post-graduate nurses (OR = 4.48; CI 95% [2.18–9.21], p < 0.003). Regarding attitudes, nurses who did not receive previous training on HF management had a probability of 2.31 times to produce s negative attitude in comparison to nurses who received training (OR = 2.31; CI 95% [1.33–3.99], p = 0.003). Conclusions: The study underscores the need for educational programs, continuous professional development, promotion of positive attitudes, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to improve HF management. Future research should delve into the long-term impact of interventions, explore organizational factors, and investigate the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices....
Background: Personal hygiene in non-self-sufficient patients is essential to prevent the proliferation and spread of bacteria from one patient to another, both through inanimate objects (fomites) and directly through healthcare workers. The first 1000 bed hygiene treatments performed by the collaborative robot “COPERNICO Surveillance & Prevention” in 229 non-self-sufficient patients were analyzed. Materials and Methods: A total of 229 patients were included: 215 patients came from emergency contexts or home, and 14 from long-term care facilities; the presence of sepsis, venous or urinary catheters, non-invasive ventilation, bedsores, clinical condition at discharge, and treatment sessions performed were recorded. All patients were hospitalized in the Geriatrics, Medicine and Pneumology departments. The system is able to collect and process data in real time. Results: Seventy-one patients with community- acquired sepsis and fourteen with healthcare-associated infections were treated; sixty-two had pressure ulcers. The analysis of the first 1000 treatments shows the healing of almost all sepsis cases, positive evolution of pressure ulcers, and hospital stays comparable to those of the entire group of 1008 hospitalized in the same period. There was no onset of side effects or complications. Conclusions: Although the healthcare setting is not among those at greatest risk of infections, the clinical efficacy, along with excellent evaluations from patients, family members, and healthcare personnel and the absence of side effects and complications, makes the system exceptionally manageable and user-friendly for non-self-sufficient patients....
Background: Student nurses’ clinical learning is a key requirement in the profession. However, the students often face many challenges in clinical sites that put a negative perception on their professional growth. Clinical learner support is the most challenging part because of several guidelines, policies, and requirements that must be followed during the training. To enhance effective clinical learner support, training needs to be designed to support problembased learning, trainees’ characteristics should portray positivity, and teambased coaching should focus on skills and results attainment. Objectives: The broad objective of the study sought to establish determinants of effective learner support for nursing students in middle-level colleges. The specific objectives were: To assess student-related factors, identify primary training institutions, other related placement site-related factors, and establish the students’ perceptions of the existing clinical learner support systems. Methodology: A descriptive design was utilized. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were utilized. A Simple random method was used to sample 394 respondents from a total population of 3368 nursing students across 12 training institutions. The data was coded and analyzed using Excel and SPSS Version 28. The study findings are presented using tables, pie charts, bar graphs and histograms. The data was first presented in the form of descriptive in terms of percentages. The chi-square test of independence was then calculated at a p-value of < 0.05. Significant factors after cross-tabulation were entered into binary logistic regression analysis stepwise, followed by multivariate analysis to adjust for confounding factors. Conclusions: The learners achieved effective clinical learner support where n = 302 out of 380, with 75% indicating effective learner support. It is recommended that qualitative and more quantitative studies should be carried out on postgraduate and other healthcare cadres to compare the results. Further study needs to be carried out on the students’ attitude towards learner support....
Introduction: Social media platforms have become integral to communication and information exchange in various sectors, including healthcare. For nurses, these platforms provide opportunities for professional networking, accessing clinical updates, and improving patient care through shared knowledge. Objective: The study aimed to understand the use of social media and its impact on healthcare delivery among nurses at a specific hospital. Methodology: A mixed-method approach was adopted, combining both quantitative and qualitative data. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted with 313 nurses from various clinical departments in a tertiary healthcare institution. Data collection involved structured questionnaires for quantitative analysis and focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) for qualitative insights. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 22, and qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo software. Results: The study found that Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter are the most commonly used platforms among nurses for exchanging health information. Key areas of focus included patient experiences, clinical updates, and best practices. Nurses reported that social media allowed them to quickly access up-to-date information and facilitated collaboration with peers. However, challenges such as concerns over patient privacy, the reliability of online information, and the absence of formal guidelines were noted. Conclusion: Social media has significant potential to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient care among nurses in Ghana. However, barriers such as privacy concerns, unreliable internet access, and the absence of structured guidelines limit its full potential in professional practice. Recommendations: The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with health services, private agencies, and network providers, should also develop clear guidelines for social media use in clinical settings....
This study aimed to assess the quality of YouTube (YT) videos providing medical information on cervical spine fractures; secondly, a comparison of two timeframes has been conducted. Using Google Chrome with privacy settings to minimize personalization, two searches were conducted on 20 July 2021 and the second one on 10 April 2024 using various terms related to cervical spine injuries. Videos were evaluated using the DISCERN (Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information), GQS (Global Quality Score), and JAMA scoring systems. In total, 91 videos were included. Mechanisms of injury were the most frequent video content (n = 66), and postoperative pain occurred the least (n = 6). The mean DISCERN score of 43.26 (std = 11.25), mean GQS of 2.67 (std = 0.74), and mean JAMA score was 2.2 (std = 0.68). Inclusion of treatment options had an odd ratio of 21.72 for a better-quality video. The largest number of videos was provided by physicians (n = 24). In DISCERN, risks of treatment were graded lowest = 1.9. Newer videos achieved higher scores in the DISCERN, GQS, and JAMA scoring systems reaching 52.5, 3, and 2.75, respectively. These scores suggest inadequate information provision in the videos, hindering patients’ understanding of their condition. Due to insufficient information presented in current videos, patients are not fully informed....
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