Ahmad Tubaishat

Self-Medication among School Students.

Self-medication, usually with over-the-counter (OTC) medication, is reported as a community health problem that affects many people worldwide. Most self-medication practice usually begins with the onset of adolescence. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, using a simple random sampling method to select 6 public schools from a total of 34 schools. The total sample consisted of 422 school students from Grades 7 through 12. Measures of central tendency and χ2 were used to compare the difference between the categorical variables. The prevalence of self-medication among the participants was 87.0%. Nearly 75% of self-medication was used for pain relief. The prevalence of self-medication among school students is very high and increases with age. School nurses and other local health-care workers must coordinate with school principals to disseminate health education campaigns about safe use of medication to provide awareness and education to school students, parents, and families.

The Relationship Between Social Support and Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Among Patients With Coronary Artery Disease in the North of Jordan

Numerous studies have shown that social support improves health behaviors in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and social support and selected sociodemographics among patients with CAD. Cross-sectional descriptive design was used. A convenient sample of 153 patients with CAD was recruited from the cardiac clinic in an educational hospital in the north of Jordan. One hundred and thirty-three patients completed the interview. Social support was the most significant predictor—t(124) = 9.51, p < .001—which explained 60% of variance in adherence to a healthy lifestyle. Providing patients with adequate social support improves adherence to a healthy lifestyle. More attention should be given to the elderly and patients with low income to enhance adherence to a healthy lifestyle. The applications of this study in practice provide a guide for nursing clinical assessment of social support for patients facing CAD.

Effect of Cardiac Arrhythmia Simulation on Nursing Students’ Knowledge Acquisition and Retention:

The realistic and practical environment that simulation provides is an extremely useful part of the teaching process. Simulation is widely used in health and nursing education today. This study aims to evaluate the effect of simulation-based teaching on the acquisition and retention of arrhythmia-related knowledge among nursing students. A randomized controlled design involving a pretest–posttest was used. Nursing students were allocated randomly either to the experimental group (n = 47), who attended simulation scenarios on cardiac arrhythmia, or to the control group (n = 44) who received a traditional lecture on the same topic. A paired t test showed that the mean knowledge score at the posttest was significantly higher than at the pretest for both groups. However, participants in the experimental group demonstrated significantly increased knowledge of cardiac arrhythmia in the first and the second posttest compared with those in the control group. Thus, simulation is superior and significantly improves students’ arrhythmia knowledge.

Pressure Ulcers Prevalence in the Acute Care Setting: A Systematic Review, 2000-2015

Little is known about the prevalence of pressure ulcer (PrU) in acute care settings. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence rate of PrU in acute care settings and to assess the methodological quality of the reviewed publications. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, British Nursing Index, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched using the keywords pressure ulcer or decubitus ulcer or bed sore or pressure sore or pressure injury, with prevalence and acute care, for studies published between January 2000 and December 2015. Nineteen publications met our criteria. These reported a prevalence range of between 7.8% and 54% for those using European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel methodology, 6% and 22% for those using National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel methodology, and 4.94% for the study that employed the Torrance system. The likely worldwide PrU prevalence rate range in acute care settings is between 6% and 18.5%. Prevalence rate varies between studies depending on the methodology of data collection. Moreover, the methodological quality of the included studies in the review was variable; therefore, it was difficult to compare the prevalence rate between the studies, settings, and countries.

The use of electronic medical records in Jordanian hospitals: A nationwide survey

No previous nationwide study has estimated to what extent electronic health records have been implemented in Jordanian hospitals. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to explore the level of adoption and use of electronic health records in Jordanian hospitals across all major healthcare service providers. The standardized American Hospital Association annual survey was used. The level of use of electronic functionalities of electronic health records was determined. The association of certain hospital characteristics with the adoption of electronic health records was examined. A proportion of 10.3% of the participating hospitals had a comprehensive use of electronic health records in all units, and 15.5% had a basic system in at least one unit. Most (74.2%, n = 72) had not implemented electronic health records. The hospitals with a higher rate of adoption were found to be larger, government, urban, and teaching hospitals that had coronary care units. The level of adoption of electronic health records in Jordan is relatively low. This fact should impel policy makers to resolve the challenges and obstacles for such adoption. National strategic plans are needed to address the goals and implementation processes of electronic health record systems in all Jordanian hospitals.

Electronic versus paper records: documentation of pressure ulcer data

BACKGROUND The documentation of patient data on health records is a vital component of the care process. Accurate and complete recording of this data is a necessary practice. The adoption of electronic health records to improve the quality of nursing documentation is on the rise. OBJECTIVES This study compares the accuracy and completeness of pressure ulcer data documentation between electronic and paper records. DESIGN A descriptive, comparative design with a retrospective review of patient records. Settings and sample: Two hospitals were chosen purposefully, one using electronic recording of patient data and the other using paper records. METHODS In the first phase, all hospitalised patients aged 18 years and over were inspected for pressure ulcers. In the second phase, the files of patients with pressure ulcers were audited. RESULTS Of the 52 patients with ulcers found in the hospital that used an electronic system, 43 of their records documented the pressure ulcers (83%). Of the 55 patients with pressure ulcers in the hospital using paper records, 39 files had corresponding documentation of the presence of a pressure ulcer (71%). CONCLUSION In terms of accuracy and completeness, more comprehensive documentation practice was found on the electronic health records compared with paper records. However, both types of systems have shortcomings in the practice of pressure ulcer data documentation.

Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of electronic health records among nurses: Application of Technology Acceptance Model

ABSTRACT Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly being implemented in healthcare organizations but little attention has been paid to the degree to which nurses as end-users will accept these systems and subsequently use them. Objectives: To explore nurses’ perceptions of usefulness and ease-of-use of EHRs. The relationship between these constructs was examined, and its predictors were studied. Method: A national exploratory study was conducted with 1539 nurses from 15 randomly selected hospitals, representative of different regions and healthcare sectors in Jordan. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which was based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Correlations and linear multiple regression were utilized to analyze the data. Results: Jordanian nurses demonstrated a positive perception of the usefulness and ease-of-use of EHRs, and subsequently accepted the technology. Significant positive correlations were found between these two constructs. The variables that predict usefulness were the gender, professional rank, EHR experience, and computer skills of the nurses. The perceived ease-of-use was affected by nursing and EHR experience, and computers skills. Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of knowledge on issues related to the acceptance of technology in the health informatics field, focusing on nurses’ acceptance of EHRs.

Evaluation of Electronic Health Record Implementation in Hospitals

The effectiveness of electronic health records has not previously been widely evaluated. Thus, this national cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate electronic health records, from the perspective of nurses, by examining how they use the records, their opinions on the quality of the systems, and their overall levels of satisfaction with electronic health records. The relationship between these constructs was measured, and its predictors were investigated. A random sample of Jordanian hospitals that used electronic health records was selected, and data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire, based on the DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success model. In total, 1648 nurses from 17 different hospitals participated in the study. Results indicated that nurses were largely positive about the use and quality of the systems and were satisfied with electronic health records. Significant positive correlations were found between these constructs, and a number of demographical and situational factors were found to have an effect on nurses’ perceptions. The study provides a systematic evaluation of different facets of electronic health records, which is fundamental for recognizing the motives and challenges for success and for further enhancing this success. The work proves that nurses favor the use of electronic health records and are satisfied with it and perceive its high quality, and the findings should therefore encourage their ongoing implementation.

A concealed observational study of infection control and safe injection practices in Jordanian governmental hospitals

HighlightsObservational methods should be the standard approach to assess safe injection practices.Gloving is not a substitute to handwashing when performing injection.Safe injection practices should be included in infection control programs.Prohibition of needle recapping should be emphasized in infection control programs. Background: The recognized international organizations on infection prevention recommend using an observational method as the gold standard procedure for assessing health care professionals compliance with standard infection control practices. However, observational studies are rarely used in Jordanian infection control studies. This study aimed to evaluate injection practices among nurses working in Jordanian governmental hospitals. Methods: A cross‐sectional concealed observational design is used for this study. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit a sample of nurses working in governmental hospitals in Jordan. Participants were unaware of the time and observer during the observation episode. Results: A total of 384 nurses from 9 different hospitals participated in the study. A total of 835 injections events were observed, of which 73.9% were performed without handwashing, 64.5% without gloving, and 27.5% were followed by needle recapping. Handwashing rate was the lowest (18.9%) when injections were performed by beginner nurses. Subcutaneous injections were associated with the lowest rate (26.7%) of postinjection handwashing compared with other routes. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the need for focused and effective infection control educational programs in Jordanian hospitals. Future studies should consider exploring the whole infection control practices related to waste disposal and the roles of the infection control nurse in this process in Jordanian hospitals.

Effectiveness of Basic Life Support Training for Middle School Students

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a basic life support (BLS) educational course given to 110 middle school children, using a pretest posttest design. In the pretest, students were asked to demonstrate BLS on a manikin to simulate a real-life scenario. After the pretest, a BLS training course of two sessions was provided, followed by posttest on the same manikin. Students were assessed using an observational sheet based on the American Heart Association’s BLS guidelines. In the pretest, students showed significant weakness in the majority of guidelines. In the posttest, they demonstrated significant improvement in their BLS skills. BLS training in the middle school was effective, considering the lack of previous skills. It is recommended that BLS education be compulsory in the school setting.