Marzieh Pazokian

Background: Caring for children infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is highly challenging due to the diverse symptoms and complications. Mothers, in particular, face a unique crisis during their child’s illness. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mothers caring for children with COVID-19. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a conventional content analysis approach. A total of 13 participants were selected purposively, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with mothers of children diagnosed with COVID-19. Each interview lasted between 35 and 50 minutes. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA 10 software. Results: The analysis yielded an overarching theme of a "headland of care" comprising two main categories: (1) Children as hidden victims of COVID-19, with subcategories including psychological hazards, lack of family psychological support, death anxiety, and uncertainty regarding long-term consequences of COVID-19; and (2) Livelihood crisis, with subcategories including caregiver job concerns and hospitalization and treatment costs. Conclusion: The findings provide valuable insights for nurses and healthcare providers in recognizing the challenges mothers encounter when caring for a child with COVID-19. By delivering targeted education and support, healthcare teams can empower mothers, enhance their caregiving capacity, and mitigate the psychological and financial burdens associated with pediatric COVID-19 care.

Background and aim: The quality of safe care is one of the major concerns of nurses. The importance of transmitting the patient from the number of disasters and preventable events caused by poor communication between the people of the health team revealed, thus standardizing the delivery process is a tool to ensure the transfer of the high quality care process. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the Inter -Professional Delivery Program on the quality of safe care of nurses in the area of delivery of patients to the special department in selected Shahid Beheshti hospitals in 1402. Methods: This quasi -experimental study was held as a group before and after the nurses' selection and through inter -sector delivery training for three weeks in three separate sessions in WhatsApp social space. To collect data from Rashvand et al. (2015) (nursing skills evaluation, mental safety evaluation, physical safety evaluation, teamwork evaluation), Demographic Information Questionnaire, Patient Physiological Information Form, Checklist of duties of the delivery and reception nurse of the intensive care unit and the checklist of the Aid Assistance Duties were approved by a number of professors and supervisors of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. To compare the scores before and after the intervention, if the normal data distribution was distributed, paired t-tests was used and otherwise the Wilkaxon test was used. The data analysis was done by SPSS software version 19. Results: A total of 70 special care nurses participated in the study. They were examined for age, employment history, gender, marital status, educational background, position, overall work history, work experience in a specialty, and history of taking courses on safe quality. The mean and standard deviation for intensive care unit delivery and receiving nurse before and after the test increased significantly. The score of the safe care quality questionnaire after the interprofessional delivery training program increased significantly compared to before the training program (P value < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results, the interprofessional handover program affects the quality of safe care for nurses. The score of the quality of safe care questionnaire was higher after the training program than before the program, and all dimensions of the quality of safe care questionnaire for nurses improved significantly. The difference before and after in the dimension of measuring nursing skills, assessing physical safety, assessing psychological safety, assessing teamwork, and in the total score increased, and the highest average score was related to the dimension of measuring nursing skills and the lowest score was related to the dimension of assessing psychological safety, and the results were statistically significant. Therefore, preparing a standard checklist for interdepartmental handovers is necessary to improve the quality of safe care for nurses in the special ward. Trial registration: It was registered under the clinical trial registration code IRCT⁴ ID IRCT20231015059729N1. ⁴ Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials

Background: The caregivers of cancer patients go through numerous changes in their lives, caused by the complexity of cancer care, which then influence their quality of life (QoL). In this context, the sense of coherence (SoC) has been introduced as individuals' capacity to adapt to complex situations. Objectives: This study aimed at examining the relationship between QoL and SoC among the caregivers of cancer patients. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was performed on the caregivers of cancer patients referred to a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. In total, 200 eligible caregivers, selected by purposive and convenience sampling from September to December 2022, completed the research instrument comprised of a researcher-made demographic-clinical information form, the SoC Scale (13-item), and WHOQoL-BREF. The data were analyzed by the SPSS 20 software. To investigate the relationship between caregivers’ SoC and QoL, first, the correlation was determined, and afterward, the significant variables were analyzed, using multiple linear regression. Results: The overall mean score of QoL among the caregivers was 52.12 ± 14.45. In this way, the highest and lowest values were associated with the domains of physical health and social relationships, receiving the mean scores of 55.19 ± 11.46 and 38.40 ± 10.08, respectively. The overall mean score of SoC was also equal to 49.71 ± 9.34. As well, the results of the study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between SoC and QoL (r = 0.585, P < 0.001) as well as its 3 domains. Considering the demographic and clinical factors, the regression outcomes revealed that SoC was a predictor of QoL in the caregivers of cancer patients (P < 0.001, Β = 0.65). Among the demographic factors, a significant correlation was accordingly observed between age, marital status, income level, employment status, and QoL and some of its domains (P < 0.05). Conclusions: It was argued that SoC could be a positive predictor and a protective factor for QoL among the caregivers of cancer patients. In this vein, it was recommended to give a boost to the SoC dimensions during oncology and palliative care via an interdisciplinary approach and a variety of interventions. Upon developing QoL in the caregivers, QoL among the cancer patients could be then promoted.

Death anxiety is a negative consequence of cancer that influences the quality of life of many patients. This study determined the predictors of death anxiety and the contribution of the sense of coherence to this disorder among Iranians with cancer. The present research was a descriptive-analytical study that examined cancer patients referring to one of the educational hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Two hundred eligible patients selected by purposeful sampling filled out a clinical and demographic questionnaire. The data were analyzed by the SPSS 20 software. The correlational results revealed a negative and significant relationship between death anxiety and a sense of coherence (r = -0.610). Likewise, age, gender, marital status, occupational and economic circumstances, and cancer type were among the variables that correlated with death anxiety and predicted 85% of this psychological state. The researchers recommend mental assessment in oncological care to identify psychological challenges to realize the ultimate goal of palliative care, i.e. improving patients' quality of life.

Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs) have caused great financial losses. These incidents are referred to a situation in which the number of casualties caused by the accident temporarily increases to such an extent that it is not possible to treat all these patients with the facilities and capacities available in the area. To offer fair and proportionate medical services to all patients, it is necessary to use a process called patient triage. This study aimed to modify the Sort Assess Lifesaving Intervention Treatment/transport (SALT) triage method to simplify the differentiation of patients from green from yellow and gray from red. This is a methodological study with a descriptive cross-sectional approach that by studying the SALT triage method and using the criteria defined in the Reference Standard, facilitates the identification of patients with a minor (Outpatient) and fatal injury (Expectant). Then, using two common and modified SALT triage methods, 100 simulated patients were triaged and the obtained data were evaluated and compared in terms of accuracy and speed. The improvement made in the SALT triage method was able to reduce 22% of the total triage error of the first nurse and improved 18% in green, 43% in yellow, 15% in red, and 13% in the gray category. In the second nurse, this method was able to reduce 29% of the errors and in the category of green patients, 41%, yellow 47%, red was unchanged, and gray 38% improvement was observed. Furthermore, the average triage rate was 4 and 5 seconds shorter per patient in the first and second nurses, respectively. With this modification, the diagnostic power has increased by 22% in the first nurse and 29% in the second nurse. Due to the significant increase in the accuracy of the mSALT (Modified SALT) triage method, this modification can be considered useful and can be used to advance the goals of triage in MCIs.

Background: Nursing internship is a vital period for the formation of professional identity and development of clinical competency of nursing students, which has undergone extensive changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to explain the experiences of nursing internship students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Methods: This qualitative-descriptive study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants included 15 nursing internship students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran, who were selected using purposive sampling. The interviews continued until data saturation. The trustworthiness of the data was ensured using Lincoln and Guba’s criteria. Data were analyzed via MAXQDA (version 10). Results: Data analysis led to the identification of two themes: (1) Paradoxes in clinical education path (with two categories including impaired learning and effective clinical education) and (2) Psychological pressure in patient care (with two categories including student protection and safety concerns and disruption of professional interaction). Conclusion: The present study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for clinical nursing education that will affect professional competency in the future. Therefore, educational administrators must take into account the experiences of students as the main stakeholders in clinical education planning.

It is widely accepted that following physical abnormalities caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress also develop in these patients, which have received less attention. Moreover, spiritual health can lead to compatibility with chronic illness and reduce psychiatric disorders in this group of patients. Since nurses focus on patients’ mental, psychological and spiritual needs, further research is required on the role of spiritual health in common psychiatric disorders in these patients, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. In addition, nurses with a holistic knowledge of the patient can effectively meet the spiritual and religious needs of the patient and implement programs to increase the spiritual care of patients. This study aimed to investigate the influence of religion and spirituality on the mental health of patients with multiple sclerosis. The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 120 MS patients referred to the Alborz MS Association (Karaj, Iran) in 2019, who were selected by convenience sampling. Data collection tools included the Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS, Paloutzian & Ellison, 1982), and the 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21). The total SWBS score, the religious and existential dimensions of SWBS showed a significant correlation with depression, anxiety and stress (p-value <0.001). The results of this study revealed a significant and inverse correlation of total SWBS with depression (p-value <0.001, r = −0.549), anxiety (p-value <0.001, r = −0.443) and stress (p-value <0.001, r = −0.416). According to the present study results, people who have more spiritual health experience less depression, anxiety, and stress. Nurses are encouraged to try to help these patients through self-care training programs and experience or the presence of religious advisors.