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Background & Aim: Shoulder pain is a consequence of hemiplegia among patients with stroke. It makes patient to be dependent to others in their daily living activities. This study aimed to determine the effect of the slow stroke back massage (SSBM) on shoulder pain and hand function among patients with stroke.

Methods & Materials: In this semi-experimental study, 34 patients were recruited among from 70 patients who reffered to rehabilitation center in 2010, according to the inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups of control and experiment. In the intervention group, the SSBM was implemented for 10 minutes through seven consecutive sessions. Shoulder pain and hand function were measured using the visual pain scale (Visual Analog Scale), and the researcher-made "affected hand function in ADL" instrument, respectively. The measurement was done before and 24 hours after the last session of the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests (independent t-test and paired t-test).

Results: At baseline, the mean scores of shoulder pain were 8.4 in both experimental and control groups (P=0.999). After the intervention, the mean scores of shoulder pain were 1.13 and 8.40 in experimental and control groups, respectively (P<0.001). At baseline, the mean scores of hand function were 7.46 and 8.93 in the experimental and control groups, respectively (P=0.752). After the intervention, the mean scores of hand function reached 9.13 and 8.6 in the experimental and control groups, respectively (P=0.918).

Conclusion: According to the results of the study, applying the SSBM as a treatment procedure and care plan by health care providers can be considered as an effective intervention to prevent or reduce shoulder pain and consequently to improve motor function of affected hand in patients with hemiplegia after stroke.

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Background & Aim: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are a serious occupational hazard for health care providers and nurses that are often not reported for various reasons. Several studies have reported a different rate of this great challenge. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of under-reporting of NSIs in healthcare providers in Iran.
Methods & Materials: By searching national and international databases including SID, Magiran, Google Scholar, IranMedex, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus, 19 published articles were extracted. Data analysis was carried out through the random-effects model, and heterogeneity was investigated by I² index. The data were analyzed using the Stata software version 12.0.
Results: The rate of non-reporting of NSIs in 19 relevant articles in Iran with the sample size of 9274 was 59% (95% CI: 49-69). The rate of under-reporting of NSIs in the healthcare providers (64%) was higher than in nurses (55%). Based on the meta-regression results, there was no significant relationship between the prevalence of under-reporting of NSIs and the year of publication (P=0.138), sample size (P=0.390) and age (P=0.918).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that more than half of health care providers did not report NSIs. Notifying health care providers about the risks of NSIs and properly dealing with the injured cases is necessary in order to increase the reporting of NSIs.