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Background & Aim: Recent studies suggest that patients&apos perceptions might be more important than objective clinical assessments in determining quality of life (QOL) in patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to determine QOL in patients experiencing ESRD and its related factors.

Methods & Materials: In this descriptive-correlational study, we recruited 202 hemodialysis patients from Iran University of medical sciences&apos hemodialysis units using convenience sampling method. Data were collected using "Ferrans and Powers quality of life Index- dialysis version" instrument and analyzed using SPSS-14.

Results: Findings showed that the patients had a high perceived QOL. Lowest satisfaction mean scores were for the items "your health" (M=3.80, SD=1.74), "being able to take care of your financial needs" (M=3.31, SD=1.85), "achieving your personal goals" (M=4.02, SD=1.63), and "your family&aposs happiness" (M=4.96, SD=1.27). It was reported that "probably you will get a kidney transplant" (M=4.22, SD=2.15), "neighborhood" (M=4.32, SD=2.09, "personal appearance" (M=5.67, SD=0.91), and "your spouse"(M=5.84, SD=0.61) also had lowest mean score for importance from patients point of view. Financial status, educational levels, marital status and number of children were all associated with the QOL (P≤0.05). There were no relationship between age, sex, occupational status, with duration of dialysis treatment (P>0.05).

Conclusion: This study denoted financial status, educational levels, marital status and number of children is related to QOL of hemodialysis patients. So, these factors that affect quality of life may promote health and wellbeing and may increase survival in hemodialysis patients. The findings of this study can assist providers in planning and implementing educational and support programs for patients and their family.

 

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Background & Aim: While patient education promotes compliance to treatment and self-care ability, short hospital length of stay, anxiety, illness, and sleep disorders can interfere with this approach. It is not clear how realistic is to learn during the short hospitalization period, from nurses' and patients' perspectives. This study aimed to compare perspectives of patients and nurses on the reality of learning cardiac heart failure educational content in Shahid Rajaee heart hospital.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, two hundred and fifty one patients and 181 nurses were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the reality part of CHFPLNI and were analyzed in SPSS-11.

Results: Most of the patients were male (82.4%) most of the nurses were female (85.6%). The mean ages of patients and nurses were 55.18 and 35.15, respectively. The mean hospitalization period was 4.26 days and the mean duration of heart failure was 10.70 years. The majority of nurses had not participated in advanced preparation courses. Patients and nurses had agreement on the reality of medication learning. Patients rated medication (P<0.001), diet information (P<0.001), other information (P<0.001) and the total scale (P<0.001) as more realistic than the nurses did. Female nurses (P=0.012) and nurses with advanced preparation (P<0.001) perceived learning needs as more realistic than the other nurses.

Conclusion: Regarding discordance between patients' and nurses' perspectives on the reality of learning, nurses may postpone to implement educational program. Patients' perspectives should be considered in the establishment of heart failure educational programs.

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Background & Aim: Physical and psychosocial problems along with the changes in life style, put hemodialysis patients under pressure. It seems that social support decreases psychological stresses and improves quality of life. This study aimed to describe hemodialysis patients&apos perceptions on their social supports and related factors.

Methods & Materials: This descriptive-correlational study is a part of a larger study. All patients (n=202) referred to the hemodialysis units of Iran University of Medical Sciences were recruited to the study during a four-months period. Data were collected using "Personal Resources Questionnaire" (PRQ 85-PART 2) and analyzed using SPSS v.14.

Results: Findings revealed that the most patients (64.9%) had perceived social support at high levels. There were significant relationships between social support with economic status, gender and marital status (P<0.05). Findings also indicated that the statements of "I enjoy doing little extra things that make another person&aposs life more pleasant" and, "I belong to a group in which I feel important" had the highest and lowest scores respectively.

Conclusion: Regarding the variety of perceptions in hemodialysis patients on social support and its related factors, nurses can prevent social isolation of these patients through identification of high risk groups and can also reduce their stresses and help them to improve their quality of life by providing adequate supportive interventions.

 

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Background & Objective: Professional socialization is defined as the process of acquiring knowledge and skills and internalizing values, attitudes, and norms to develop professional identity. This process occurs primarily during formal education programs and continues during orientation to hospital settings. The aim of this study was to clarify professional socialization concept and to identify its attributes, antecedents and consequences in nursing context.

Methods & Materials: Rodgers&apos evolutionary method of concept analysis was used to facilitate clarification of professional socialization concept in nursing. The search, performed on scientific databases using the keywords: &apossocialization&apos, &aposprofessional socialization&apos and &aposnursing&apos, resulted in findings of a sample of 446 papers covering the period 1995 to 2009 represented the disciplines of nursing and related sciences. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 47 articles and four books were included in the final analysis. The process was audited by two independent experts to ensure neutrality and credibility of the study and to reduce the potentials for bias.

Results: The result of the analysis showed that professional socialization is a complex process consisting of four critical attributes: learning, being interactive, developing, and being adaptive. Comprehensive educational programs, competent role models, and provision of adequate field experiences were antecedents for these attributes. The widespread and diverse consequences of professional socialization depend on personal, situational, and organizational factors. Thus, while occurrence of socialization process generates benefits, its nonoccurrence entails severe consequences.

Conclusion: Professional socialization process is a complex, diverse, dynamic, ongoing, inevitable, and unpredictable process. This process can have both positive and negative consequences on professional development. However, negative consequences are more prominently documented in the literature. Thus, successful socialization requires establishing facilities in education and practice. The purpose of this revolutionary concept analysis was to focus on significance and how-to-apply ways of the concept in nursing. These findings not only are added to the body of knowledge, but also serve as an important impetus for further theory development and research in nursing.

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Background & Aim: Healthcare classification systems help to gather information and process health data. Nursing management focus on developing computerized records to answer legal, managerial and clinical needs. The Classification systems help organizations to use nursing data. This study investigated informational and structural needs of nursing data classification.

Methods & Materials: This descriptive-comparative study was carried out in 2009. Current classification systems for nursing were investigated and their specifications were gathered in a questionnaire. The items were prioritized by experts in four degrees. Using statistical analysis items with a priority over 80 percent (average 2.4) were selected.

Results: Findings about nursing diagnosis, intervention and outcomes showed that diagnosis item (average 2.93 out of 3), intervention item (average 2.52 out of 3), and outcome item (average 2.84 out of 3) should be presented in the system. Structure of nursing data classification was identified as a hierarchical and combinational classification. The computerized terminology (average 1.86 out of 3) had no priority.

Conclusion: It is suggested to make decisions for standardizing nursing data to use in computerized systems. Since, nursing system in Iran is moving toward defining tariff for nursing services, coding nursing care components will help this plan to be developed.

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Background & Aim: Although caring is a complex concept with various definitions, there are no agreement on the exact meaning among researchers. The aim of this study was to compare caring behaviors of nurses from patients&apos and nurses&apos perspectives.

Methods & Materials: The study was conducted among 150 patients hospitalized in Boushehr hospitals and 50 nurses caring for them. Data were collected using quota sampling method via Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI).

Results: Findings showed that there were significant differences between patients&apos and nurses&apos perspectives on the subscales of the instrument including assurance of human presence and attentiveness to others&apos experiences. Moreover, there was significant difference in total scale of caring behaviors of nurses between patients and nurses (t=2.559, P=0.011).

Conclusion: Nurses believed that they provide care for patients without making estimations of their expectations. It seems that nurses should attend to standard care to fill the gap

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Background & Aim: Moral distress, a major issue in nursing, affects nurses in all healthcare sections. The existence of such distress and its consequent job dissatisfaction may pose a threat to nurses&apos physical and mental health, as well as their quality of life and hinder their accomplishment of individual and social goals. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the moral distress and job satisfaction In nurses.

Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 210 nurses employed in the selected healthcare centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting demographic characteristics, the Corley&aposs moral distress scale, and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test, analysis of variance, Wilcoxon test and Pearson&aposs correlation coefficient in the SPSS v.14.

Results: According to the findings of the study, the mean of the moral distress was 1.77 out of four and the mean of the job satisfaction score was 3.17 out of 5 indicating a moderate job satisfaction among the nurses. A significant relationship was observed between the moral distress and nurses&apos job satisfaction in the present study, indicating that by decreasing moral distress, job satisfaction increases.

Conclusion: Although numerous factors govern nurses&apos job satisfaction, the observed relationship between moral distress and job satisfaction indicates that identifying and limiting factors influencing these distresses can lead to improved job satisfaction for nurses.

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Background & Aim: Multiple structural factors preside over burn units influence nurses&apos quality of care and their activities. The complexity and multy-dimensional nature of nursing care in these units, creates many challenges. Understanding the perspectives of people&aposs involved is recommended. This study, with a theory-to-research approach, was conducted to assess the frequency of confronting intra and extra organizational factors preside over burn units, the intensity of its related pressure, and correlations among these variables from nurses&apos perspectives.

Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional, correlational study, 98 nurses working in the Shahid Mottahari burn center were recruited by census. Data was collected using the intra and extra organizational factors instrument, provided based on the previous grounded theory study of the researchers. Intra-organizational factors questionnaire consisted of 58 Likert type statements in eight subscales and two dimensions of frequency (α=0.94) and intensity (α=0.96). Extra-organizational factors questionnaire consisted of eight Likert type statements (α=0.74). Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 14.

Results: The results revealed that the frequency of nurses&apos confrontation with factors related to environment and patients as well as its intensity were more than other factors. Moreover, the intensity of the whole factors was more than its frequency. All the extra- organizational factors were significantly correlated with all intra-organizational factors except for the "absence of employment permission" (P<0.05).

Conclusion: This study explained the importance of intra-organizational factors of a burn center in inducing stress on nurses. In addition to verification of some relationships in the previous mid-range theory, the results of this study also modified some of its aspects. Therefore it added to the existing body of knowledge about organizational factors and job stress in burn units. Moreover, it produced some evidences to use in nursing administration and service, and finally it resulted in some directions to control stress in nurses&apos job.

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  Background & Aim: Transition from studentship to working life is a stressful and challenging event. The concept of transition is important in nursing education, management, and practice issues. However, despite its supreme importance, there are certain ambiguities about the concept of transition in nursing. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of transition in the context of nursing in Iran.

  Methods & Materials: We used the three-phase hybrid concept analysis model including the theoretical phase, the fieldwork phase, and the final analytic phase in this study. In the theoretical phase, we conducted an online literature search to find relevant articles published prior to 2012. In the fieldwork phase, five novice nurses, two experienced nurses, and one head-nurse were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis approach. During the final analytic phase, we compared the findings of the first two phases to provide a clear and comprehensive definition of the concept of transition . 

  Results: The findings of the theoretical phase revealed that transition was a process phenomenon having defined attributes such as detachment, individual perception, awareness, and human response patterns. According to the findings of the fieldwork phase, transition was an interactive, evolutionary, and time-bound phenomenon that embodies attributes such as socialization, unavoidability, and competence and ability development. In the final analytic phase, a comprehensive definition was provided for the concept of transition in the context of nursing in Iran .

  Conclusion: This study provided a comprehensive understanding of the concept of transition from nursing studentship to working life in Iran. The findings of this study can be used to develop theories, instruments, and criteria for evaluation of novice nurses’ transition to experienced nurses .

  

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  Background & Aim: Nurses’ hands are important channels of micro-organisms transmission and hospital acquired infections. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, beliefs and practices of nurses regarding hand hygiene .

  Methods & Materials: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2012. All nurses (n=282) working in three hospitals of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. Data were gathered using a demographic form, social desirability questionnaire, and hand hygiene knowledge, belief and practice questionnaire. Data were analyzed through descriptive and statistical tests (Independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson Coefficient) in the SPSS-PC (v.21.0). The level of significance was set at below 0.05 . 

  Results: The mean scores of nurses’ hand hygiene knowledge, beliefs and practices were 4.6±2.00, 3.8±0.40, and 4.33±0.50, respectively. Nurses washed their hands after contact with patients more often in compare with prior to contact with patient. There was a statistically positive and significant correlation between nurses’ practice in required situations and nurses’ beliefs regarding hand hygiene .

  Conclusion: According to the results, nurses’ knowledge regarding hand hygiene was low and hand hygiene practice in required situations was undesirable. Many nurses had negative and false beliefs regarding hand hygiene. Based on these results, it is necessary to plan programs to increase nurses’ knowledge, belief and practice regarding hand hygiene .

  

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Background & Aim: Iranian elderly population is increasing, and a high percentage of this population suffers from diabetes. Considering that the concept of active aging has not been developed in the context of chronic diseases that are common in aging (such as diabetes), the purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of active aging in diabetic elderly patients based on a hybrid model.
Methods & Materials: Three stages of hybrid model (theoretical, field work and final analysis) were used in this study. In the theoretical phase, 35 articles (published in 1990-2016) from scientific databases were analyzed. In the field work phase, 10 participants were interviewed and then a qualitative content analysis was performed. In the final phase, the findings of the two previous stages were merged and analyzed.
Results: The definition of active aging for the diabetic elderly is a comprehensive, dynamic, multidimensional and culturally dependent process that requires a sense of satisfaction, happiness, well-being, security, and physical and mental health, that is achieved through social participation, providence of appropriate health and employment services, awareness of diabetes, and financial, emotional, family, and governmental support that brings subjective and objective benefits to the international, national and individual levels (such as adaptation to illness, a sense of worth and self-esteem). In order to achieve this, paying attention to the whole life span from childhood to old age is needed.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that health, security, satisfaction, participation, access to health services, support and knowledge of diabetes play an important role in activating elderly people with diabetes in Iran.