Ayfer Tezel

Complementary alternative treatments used by patients with cancer in eastern Turkey

Interest in complementary-alternative medicine therapies is growing rapidly in Turkey. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the types and prevalence of alternative therapies used by the patients with a diagnosis of cancer, and to determine factors influencing the choices of their therapies in Erzurum, Turkey. Approximately 10-minute face-to-face interviews were conducted with each subject in the radiation oncology department. The factors associated with the use of alternative therapies after a diagnosis of cancer were assessed by chi-square analysis. The findings indicated that complementary-alternative medicine therapies were used by 41.1% of the subjects after their diagnosis, and that all of the alternatives they used were herbs. The most commonly used herb was stinging nettle leaf (urtica dioica) or seed of nettle. Almost all (93.2%) of the herbs used were nettle. In general, especially the women and the younger patients of both genders were more likely to be using alternative therapies. There was no difference in demographic and cancer characteristics between users of alternative therapy and nonusers. More than the half of the patients using alternative therapies (54.5%) reportedly did not discuss the use of herbs with their healthcare professionals. Most of the patients using stinging nettle and other herbs therapies reported that they had heard about the use of herbs from friends or relatives (52.3%), or from the other patients in this clinic (43.2%). This study found that there is a high prevalence of alternative therapies used by patients with cancer in eastern Turkey. The use of these alternative therapies requires that nursing professionals rethink staff competency, patient assessment, and patient-focused care. Communication between patients and healthcare professionals should initiate dialogues on this topic for a better understanding of patient choices with regard to treatment options.

Musculoskeletal complaints among a group of Turkish nurses

The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and distribution of symptoms of musculoskeletal complaints among Turkish nurses who are practicing general nursing. The study population consisted of 120 nursing staff from four large general hospitals in Erzurum, Turkey. In every hospital six departments (surgery, medical, obstetric and gynecology, psychiatry, pediatric, and neurology) were selected. A Nordic standardized questionnaire described by Kuorinka et al. (1987) about complaints of the musculoskeletal system and a self-administered questionnaire involved information on the respondents job and employment history, individual characteristics, physical and psychosocial risk factors at work, and general health status, were used by the researchers. Test data were analyzed for the difference between two population proportion and percentage. In the total population, 90% of all nurses reported at least one musculoskeletal complaint, 60% reported at least two, and 36% reported spells of three complaints in the past 6 months. Low back complaints were the most prevalent of musculoskeletal complaints, reported by 69% of the nurses. Neck complaints were less prevalent than shoulder (46% and 54%, respectively). Nurses with back complaint more often reported neck (28%) and shoulder (34%) complaints. Chronic low back, neck, and shoulder complaints were experienced by 41%, 25%, and 33% nurses, respectively. On the other hand, chronic complaints showed a correlation with working departments. The nurses working in surgery and obstetric and gynecology departments have more chronic complaints than the nurses working in other department (p <. 05). The articles findings do not differ from those of other countries. Despite its limitations, this study points to the importance of perceived worked-related physical demands in relation to reported neck, shoulder, and back musculoskeletal complaints in Turkish nurses. But, further inquiries are needed to identify other physical exposures that may be related to musculoskeletal complaints.

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Left- and Right-Handed Turkish Dental Students

The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to find out the musculoskeletal disorders between left- and right-handed dentists and second, to describe the prevalence and distribution of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders among Turkish students who are practicing general dentistry. The investigation was carried out on 221 dental students; group I consisted of 24 left-handed students (18 male, 6 female), aged 24.2 ± 2.24 years; group II comprised 24 right-handed students (14 male, 10 female), aged 25.1 ± 3.14 years; and group III included 173 right-handed students (102 male, 71 female), aged 24.3 ± 1.45 years. The study consists of a questionnaire to identify work tasks and working conditions, and a field study to assess the pain of the neck, shoulders, and other disorders during the dental practice. Data were analyzed through tests for the difference between two population proportion, percentage, and Chi-square. Left- and right-handed students had headaches (34%, 22%), pins and needles (35%, 22%), weakness (42%, 40%), numbness (23%, 19%), neck pain (67%, 43%), back pain (56%, 47%), upper limp pain (46%, 43%) and shoulder pain (78%, 58%), respectively (Table ). Female students were not significantly different from males in musculoskeletal symptoms (p > .05). The position adopted by the student was significantly related to the intensity of pain. Left-handed students especially suffered from neck and shoulder pain when compared with right-handed students (p < .06). The authors think that a modification of work practices appears to be effective in decreasing the prevalence of symptoms. The best ergonomic working principles should be taught to the students, dental schools should provide a comfortable working environment, and further study is required to identify factors that will reduce the prevalence of symptoms among those practicing general dentistry. TABLE 3. Distribution of symptoms in left and right handedSymptomsLeft-handed (Group I)Right-handed (Group II)n%n%Headache834522*Numbness623419Weakness10421040Neck pain16671143*Shoulder pain19781458*Back pain13561247*Pain in trunk and upper limb12461143Pain in trunk and lower limb625522 Percentages do not total 100 as they are proportion of all the groups. Statistical evaluation by the difference between two population proportion. *p < .05.

The pain response of infants in Turkey to vaccination in different injection sites

This study was carried out with the aim of comparing pain responses of children who receive intramuscular (IM) vaccination in deltoid muscle versus the pain responses of those who receive IM vaccination in the vastus lateralis. A total of 185 infants were randomly assigned to one of the two study groups. The deltoid group and the vastus lateralis group were vaccinated respectively in the deltoid muscle and the vastus lateralis. Our results indicated that pain response of infants was similar in each group. However, crying duration of the children who received the vastus lateralis vaccination was shorter than that of the deltoid group after the procedure.

The Assessment of Self-Efficacy Level According to Unýversity Students’ Smoking Situation -

ABSTRACT AIM: This essay is made with the aim of assessing of self-efficacy level according to university students’ smoking situation. METHOD: The study that is descriptive type was made in between September 2009-June 2010 in University of Bingol. Totally 920 students who attend Bingol Universty in 2009-2010 academic year consist of the universe of the study. The choice of sample wasn’t used in the study, the study completed with 765 students who were volunteer to join the study data was collected by using the form including socio-demographic data and self-efficacy scale. Evaluating data was made by descriptive tests in computer environment, t test and analysis of variance. RESULTS: The rate of students’ smoking is 6,9 % among girls, 37,4 % among boys and it is totally 44,3 %. It was determined that place that they live, their fathers’ education of smoking students idea quit smoking effect their self-efficacy level. It was determined that family type, marital status, fathers’ education of non-smoking students effect their self-efficacy level. CONCLUSION: It is found that self-efficacy of non-smoking students is higher than the self-efficacy of smoking students.

Bir Okul Sağlığı Hemşireliği Uygulama Programı: Erzurum İl Merkezinde Bir İlköğretim Okulu Öğrencilerinin Depresyon Düzeyleri

Bir Okul Sagligi Hemsireligi Uygulama Programi: Erzurum Il Merkezinde Bir Ilkogretim Okulu Ogrencilerinin Depresyon Duzeyleri

HEMŞİRELİK ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN PROBLEM ÇÖZME BECERİLERİ VE DEPRESYON DÜZEYLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ / THE INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL AND DEPRESSION LEVEL OF NURSING STUDENTS

OZET Bu calisma, hemsirelik ogrencilerinin problem cozme becerilerini ve depresyon duzeylerini degerlendirmek amaciyla yapilmistir. Tanimlayici tipte olan arastirma, 1-15 Mart 2005 tarihleri arasinda Erzurum Saglik Yuksekokulu Hemsirelik Bolumu ogrencileri uzerinde gerceklestirilmistir. Calismaya katilmayi kabul eden ogrencilere tanimlayici ozellikleri iceren form, Problem Cozme Envanteri ve Beck Depresyon Olcegi uygulanmistir. Verilerin degerlendirilmesinde yuzdelik, ortalama, t-testi, Kruskall Wallis Varyans Analizi, Mann Whitney U testleri ve korelasyon analizi kullanilmistir. Arastirmaya katilan ogrencilerinin Problem Cozme Envanteri puan ortalamalarinin 89.9±22.1 oldugu bulunmustur. Ogrencilerin arkadas sayilarinin problem cozme becerilerini etkiledigi bulunmustur. Arastirmaya katilan ogrencilerinin Beck Depresyon Olcegi puan ortalamalarinin 14.1±9.7 oldugu ve ogrencilerin depresyon duzeyinin arkadas grubunun varligindan etkilendigi bulunmustur. Ogrencilerin problem cozme becerileri ile depresyon duzeyleri arasinda pozitif yonde anlamli bir iliski oldugu tespit edilmistir. Sonuc olarak, arastirma kapsamina alinan ogrencilerin problem cozme becerilerinin orta duzeyde oldugu belirlenmistir. Ogrencilerin hafif duzeyde depresyonu oldugu saptanmistir. Depresyonu olmayan ogrencilerin problem cozme becerileri, depresyonu olan ogrencilerin problem cozme becerilerinden yuksek bulunmustur. Anahtar Kelimeler: Hemsirelik ogrencisi, problem cozme becerisi, depresyon ABSTRACT The study was performed to determine the problem solving skill and depression level of nursing students. This descriptive study was applied 1-15 Mart 2005 by Erzurum Health School Nursing Department. The data of research were gathered by using an information document including descriptive feature of the students and Problem Solving Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. In the analysis of data percentage, mean, t test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruscall Wallis variance analysis and Pearson correlation were used. The average point of the students in problem solving skills was determined as 89.9±22.1. It was determined that problem solving skills of nursing students was affected by friends number. The mean depression score was 14.1±9.7. It was also determined that the depression level of nursing students was affected by variation of friend groups. There was positively relation between the problem solving skill and depression level.. According to the research results, it has been found that the problem solving skills of the students is moderate. The depression level of nursing student was mild. Problem solving skills of nursing student who non-depressed were higher than the ones who depressed. Keywords: Nursing student, problem solving skills, depression