Fatemeh Oskouie

A healthy lifestyle is important for maintaining health and preventing complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, and yet, few instruments are available to measure this. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometrics of a recently developed tool that can be used to screen for a health-promoting lifestyle in patients with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected from outpatients attending diabetes clinics. The Type 2 Diabetes and Health Promotion Scale (T2DHPS), EQ-5D, medical records and a demographic questionnaire were administered to 368 participants. Forward-backward translation of the original English version was used to develop a Persian version. Internal consistency of the scale was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and item-to-total correlation. Acceptability was measured by assessing floor and ceiling effects for each item and subscale. The item scaling test was used to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure. Pearson correlation was used to determine the predictive validity of the scale. An explanatory factor analysis and known-group method were used to establish construct validity. Adjusted item-total correlations were higher than 0.20. Cronbach's alpha for the 28-item scale was 0.88 and for subscales ranged from 0.53 to 0.94. Correlations between the total score and subscale scores were significant (<0.01) and adequate (r's ≥ 0.53). There were significant relationships between the T2DHPS and both the EQ-5D and indicators of glycaemic control. Convergent and discriminant validity of the scale was established. Significant differences in lifestyle dimensions were present between different groups of patients, demonstrating known-group validity. A six-factor solution was obtained that explained 54.6% of the total variance. The T2DHPS is a valid and reliable tool for investigating lifestyle behaviours in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further studies to establish the psychometric properties of the scale in other languages and cultures are suggested.

Patient advocacy has been a topic of much discussion in the nursing literature for a number of decades. Ambiguities remain, however, concerning definitions of advocacy in nursing. This qualitative grounded theory-type study aimed to inquire into the mean-ing of patient advocacy from Iranian nurses ’ perspective. A purposive sample of 24 nurses (staff nurses, head nurses and supervisors) working in a large university hos-pital in Tehran was used. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews and reflective diaries kept by the participants. The data were analyzed using elements of Strauss and Corbin’s ’ approach. Advocacy was defined by the participants as: inform-ing and educating; valuing and respecting; supporting; protecting; and promoting con-tinuity of care for patients. The participants also believed that advocacy could take place only if there was respect for patients ’ individuality and their inherent human dignity. Many of the descriptions given by the partici...

Background During the two recent decades, advocacy has been a topic of much debate in the nursing profession. Although advocacy has embraced a crucial role for nurses, its extent is often limited in practice. While a variety of studies have been generated all over the world, barriers and facilitators in the patient advocacy have not been completely identified. This article presents the findings of a study exploring the barriers and facilitators influencing the role of advocacy among Iranian nurses. Method This study was conducted by grounded ...

Patient advocacy has been a topic of much discussion in the nursing literature for a number of decades. Ambiguities remain, however, concerning definitions of advocacy in nursing. This qualitative grounded theory-type study aimed to inquire into the meaning of patient advocacy from Iranian nurses' perspective. A purposive sample of 24 nurses (staff nurses, head nurses and supervisors) working in a large university hospital in Tehran was used. Data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews and reflective diaries ...

Background: Stressful workplace experiences of police officers predispose them to physical and psychological injuries and affect their quality of work-life (QWL). Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to examine the QWL of Iranian police officers. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 on 200 police officers working in different job positions of the Iranian Police Organization. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit the participants from 12 police departments in five cities. The Police Quality of Work-life questionnaire (PQWLQ) was used for data collection. The measures of descriptive and inferential statistics (independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient) were used for data analysis. Results: Of the 200 police officers, 87.5% (175) were males, 68% (136) had a bachelor’s degree or higher, and their work experience ranged between five and 27 years. The QWL score of the study participants ran...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to validate a Persian version of the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) in Iranian patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: The CDS was forward translated from English into Persian and back-translated to English. Validity was assessed using face, content, and construct validity. Also Cronbach’s alpha (α), theta (θ), and McDonald’s omega coefficient were used to evaluate the reliability. Results: Construct validity of the scale showed two factors with eigenvalues greater than one. The Cronbach’s α, θ, McDonald’s omega, and construct reliability were greater than .70. Conclusion: The Persian version of the CDS has a two-factor structure (i.e., death anxiety and life satisfaction) and has acceptable reliability and validity. Therefore, the validated instrument can be used in future studies to assess depression in patients with AMI in Iranians.

Background Providing care for chronic disease such as HIV is a growing challenge in the world. In order to address the challenges of linkage and care in chronic disease management, we need to identify factors that can influence people to get more involved in self-care. This study was part of an extensive qualitative study conducted in Tehran, Iran in 2016. Methods The data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted on 25 women with HIV, and were analyzed using grounded theory. Four main themes were identified as facilitating self-care among participants: health system support, clinicians' support, family support and improved life expectancy. Sub-themes that emerged were free HIV tests; free medication; free membership in positive clubs; free psychological consultation; positive attitudes and friendly behavior from clinic staff; telephone follow up; support from husbands, mothers and peers; hope for recovery; hope for the future; and love for own children. Result...

Although increasing attention is paid to HIV/AIDS, patients with HIV still experience several barriers to self-care. These barriers have been previously identified in small quantitative studies on women with HIV, but qualitative studies are required to clarify barriers to self-care. We conducted our study using the grounded theory methodological approach. A total of 28 women with HIV and their family members, were interviewed. The data were analyzed with the Corbin and Strauss method (1998). The key barriers to self-care in women with HIV/AIDS included social stigma, addiction, psychological problems, medication side-effects and financial problems. Women with HIV/AIDS face several barriers to self-care. Therefore, when designing self-care models for these women, social and financial barriers should be identified. Mental health treatment should also be incorporated into such models and patients' access to health care services should be facilitated.

Families of patients are faced with stressors in the intensive care unit (ICU) that cannot be controlled sometimes. Having hope is one of the strategies for obtaining self-control in patients' families, which deals with such situations. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire of hope for family members of patients hospitalized in intensive care units. This study was conducted for family members of patients hospitalized in the intensive care units of Kurdistan and Tehran provinces, in Iran, between the years 2015-2016. In this study, 126 family members were selected using convenience sampling. The study was conducted using a questionnaire of hope scale for family members of patients hospitalized in intensive care units and demographic characteristics. During the study, construct and criterion validity of the tool was determined. The Reliability was determined using internal consistency and test-retest coefficient. Data were analyzed through factor ana...

Workplace violence is a serious and problematic phenomenon in health care settings. Research shows that health care workers are at the highest risk of such violence. The aim of this study was to address the frequency of physical violence against Iranian health personnel, their response to such violence, as well as the contributing factors to physical violence. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011, in which 6500 out of 57,000 health personnel working in some teaching hospitals were selected using multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected using the questionnaire of "Workplace Violence in the Health Sector" developed by the International Labor Organization, the International Council of Nurses, the World Health Organization, and the Public Services International. The findings revealed that 23.5% of the participants were exposed to physical violence in the 12 months prior to the study. Nurses were the main victims of physical violence (78%) and patients' fam...

Background & Aim: The β-Thalassemia major is a chronic disease that needs a regular blood transfusion. The blood transfusion is a complex process with high probability of human errors during the process which results in serious adverse events in patients. Nurses should deliver care based on the best available evidence or best practice. The aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based clinical guideline of blood transfusion in children with thalassemia . Methods & Materials: This study was conducted during 16 months from 2013 to 2014 based on three-step process of guideline adaptation including set up, adaptation and finalization. During these steps, topic and aims of the study were clearly identified. Then health questions were designed based on the PIPOH method. After conducting systematic searches, quality of the retrieved clinical guidelines was evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument and a committee consisting of experts a...

Aim:The aim of this study was to review the physical and social environment monitoring of the intensive care unit and examine how it affects the physiological status of the patient and family needs. Background:Knowledge and skill in providing nursing care are the main factors affecting the recovery of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). While a nurse or nursing unit can possess perfect critical care skills and knowledge، those are not the only factors that influence patient recovery. Including nursing skills in ICU is environmental monitoring and creating a pleasant environment with minimal stress. This monitoring includes control of light، sound، color، landscape، music and social support. Method:This review was conducted by searching electronic databases and hand searching of library resources. Finding articles and research projects was conducted by using keywords on the internet and relevant sites. Findings: Improvement of the environment in which care is provided not only...

Ethical caring is an essential in nursing practice. Nurses are confronted with complex situations in which they are expected to autonomously make decisions in delivering good care to patients. Although a wide range of studies have examined ethical behavior of nurses, there are still many issues requiring further investigation. The aim of this article is to describe the ethical behavior of nurses in decision-making in patients' care in Iran. This study was conducted through grounded theory method. Participants were 17 Iranian nurses, employed in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences hospitals. Unstructured, semi-structured, and in-depth interviews were used for data gathering. Interviews were transcribed and coded according to Strauss and Corbin method in open, axial, and selective coding. Nurses showed three major approaches in ethical behavior: Beyond the legal duty and protection of the patients, which includes dedication and full availability to nurses' job and the client...