Dilek Coşkuner Potur

The Effects of Local Low-Dose Heat Application on Dysmenorrhea

OBJECTIVES This is a controlled, prospective study which compares the effects of a low-dose heat patch for self-medication on the reduction of pain symptoms in dysmenorrhea. METHODS The sample group included female sophomore students studying at a university in Istanbul, Turkey, between 2007 and 2008. These female participants completed the Dysmenorrhea Identification Form to determine the sample group, and a total of 193 female students possessed the eligible criteria. The research control group consisted of 66 patients, the analgesia group consisted of 61, and the heat patch group consisted of 66. The control group did not use any treatments, while the self-medication group used analgesic medication (single dose), and the heat patch group applied a heat patch on the lower abdomen, against the skin, for an application period of 2 menstrual cycles. Using a visual analog scale (VAS), the pain severity was recorded at the baseline, after 4 hours of intervention, and after 8 hours of intervention. The data were examined using ANOVA. RESULTS There were significant differences between the groups in terms of pain severity after 8 hours of application (P < .001). All groups had similar pain levels at baseline and during the fourth and eighth hours, with no significant differences between the groups during the first and the second menstrual cycles (P > .05). CONCLUSION The authors conclude that the heat patch is an effective method for reducing dysmenorrhea.

Premenstrual Sendromlu Kadınlarda Uyku Hijyen Girişimlerinin Etkisi

Amac: Calisma premenstrual sendromda uyku hijyen egitimlerinin etkisini degerlendirmeyi amaclamistir. Gerec ve Yontem: Calismada, pre-test post-test, non-randomize, control grup tasarim kullanildi. Calisma, premenstrual sendromlu 88 kadinile gerceklestirildi (Girisim grubu= 47; Kontrol Grubu n=41). Girisim grubunda yer alan katilimcilar uyku hijyen girisimlerini kullandi. Calismanin birinci adiminda, girisim grubunda yer alan katilimcilara uyku hijyen egitimi yapildi. Ikinci adimda, girisim grubundaki katilimcilar iki menstrual siklus boyunca uyku hijyen girisimlerini uyguladilar. Veriler, girisim oncesi ve girisim sonrasi (1.menstruasyon ve 2.menstruasyon) Premenstrual Sendrom Olcegi (PMSO), Pittsburgh Uyku Kalitesi Olcegi (PUKO) kullanilarak elde edildi. Bulgular: Calismadan elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, girisim grubunun ve control grubunun hem PMSO puanlari hem de PUKO puanlarinin takip surecinde benzer oldugu, gruplar arasinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli duzeyde fark olmadigi belirlendi (p>0.05). Bununla birlikte, 1.menstruasyon ve 2.menstruasyon PMSO puan farklari gruplar arasinda karsilastirildiginda, gruplar arasinda istatistiksel olarak anlamli fark bulundugu belirlendi. Deney grubunun PMSO puanlari, takip surecinde, kontrol grubuna gore istatistiksel olarak anlamli duzeyde azalmisti (p<0.001). Tartisma: Premenstrual semptom yasayan kadinlarin, uyku hijyen girisimlerini kullanmasi, premenstrual semptomlarinin azaltilmasinda yardimci olabilir.

Where Can We Find Postpartum Clinic Midwives and Nurses in the Context of Evidence Based Practice

AIM: This descriptive study aimed to determine where postpartum clinic midwives and nurses stand on the subject of evidencebased practice and to identify their opinions on evidence-based practice. METHOD: The sample included a total of 101 midwives and nurses (53 midwives, 48 nurses) who worked at the postpartum clinics of two Women’s and Children Disease Training and Research hospitals located at the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers in order to investigate descriptive features and opinions on evidencebased practice in postpartum care. Data were analyzed using the SPSS, t-test and ANOVA. RESULTS: Mean age of the study participants was 28.67±5.86 and mean duration in the profession was 8.96±6.47 years. Among the participants, 52.5% were midwives, and 66.3% of them had a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. It was found that 66.3% of the participants defined evidence-based practice as the use of the best scietific evidence available and 97% stated that evidencebased practices are necessary. Mean score of finding standard practices of mother and infant care and treatment necessary was 90.74±8.77, mean score of implementing evidence-based practices in their working life was 41.77±6.12. In terms of implementing evidence-based practice in postpartum care, participants who had higher levels of education and who followed scientific publications had significantly higher scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that midwives and nurses found evidence-based practice necessary in postpartum care and implemented evidence-based practice at medium levels. In order to increase such implementations nurses and midwives should be motivated, and they should receive continuing vocational training.