Dilek Özden

Intensive care nurses’ perception of futility Job satisfaction and burnout dimensions

Suffering repeated experiences of moral distress in intensive care units due to applications of futility reflects on nurses’ patient care negatively, increases their burnout, and reduces their job satisfaction. This study was carried out to investigate the levels of job satisfaction and exhaustion suffered by intensive care nurses and the relationship between them through the futility dimension of the issue. The study included 138 intensive care nurses. The data were obtained with the futility questionnaire developed by the researchers, Maslach Burnout Inventory and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. It was determined that nurses who agreed to the proposition that the application of futility demoralizes health-care professionals had low levels of job satisfaction but high levels of depersonalization. It was determined that nurses had moderate levels of job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and personal achievements but high levels of sensitivity. Nurses’ job satisfaction and sensitivities are positively affected when they consider that futility does not contradict the purposes of medicine.

Effects of oral care solutions on mucous membrane integrity and bacterial colonization

AIMnThis research was conducted with the aim of determining the influence of three different oral care solutions on oral mucous membrane integrity in critically ill patients.nnnBACKGROUNDnOral care is a basic part of nursing care in intensive care units.nnnDESIGNnA randomized controlled trial was conducted.nnnMETHODnA total of 60 patients (20 patients in each group) comprised the study sample of the research. Patients were randomly allocated to three groups. Patients in groups 1, 2 and 3 were administered mouth care three times a day using 5% sodium bicarbonate, 0·2% chlorhexidine and saline solution, respectively. Data were collected by means of a Descriptive characteristics form and an oral assessment tool.nnnRESULTSnMean scores of oral assessment tool increased according to days in all groups, however, this increase was found to be statistically insignificant (pu2009>u20090·05). Mean scores of the patients in saline solution group were seen to be lower than those of the other groups. When inter-group comparison of days was done, the difference between oral assessment scores was found to be statistically significant (pu2009=u20090·000).nnnCONCLUSIONnIt was found that there was no difference between patient groups receiving saline solution, sodium bicarbonate and 0·2% chlorhexidine for mouth care in terms of oral mucous membrane integrity; oral mucosa of all patients was found to be mildly dysfunctioning.nnnRELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICEnIt is thought that standardized protocols for oral hygiene developed in the light of the findings of randomized controlled trials may improve the oral health in critically ill patients.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Turkish intern nurses regarding physical restraints.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of intern nurses who completed the nursing internship program on the use of physical restraints. Design: This research was conducted using descriptive and cross-sectional research design. Methods: The study sample comprises 91 fourth-grade students who took an integrated curriculum and completed the nursing internship program. The data were collected with the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire and the Levels of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Staff Regarding Physical Restraints Questionnaire. For the assessment of the data, percentages, the arithmetic mean, and t test were used. Results: The findings indicated that, of the intern nurses, 95.6% observed the use of physical restraints during their education, and 69.2% applied physical restraints. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of the nurses for physical restraint were 9.38 ± 1.19 (0–11 points), 34.70 ± 5.62 (12–48 points), and 37.95 ± 2.32 (14–42 points), respectively. Conclusions: Intern nurses’ knowledge about how to use physical restraints was at a very good level; they displayed positive attitudes, and they used their knowledge and attitudes in their practices to a great extent. Implications: Although there are studies on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses working in the fields of elderly care, rehabilitation, and psychiatry in acute care units, there are no studies investigating intern nurses and other nursing students. However, intern nurses about to begin their careers should make accurate decisions regarding the use of physical restrains if they are to ensure patient safety and to fulfill this application effectively in their professional lives.

Turkish nurses' level of knowledge regarding implantable port catheter care.

AIMnThe aim of this study was to determine the knowledge levels of Turkish nurses regarding implantable port catheter care.nnnMETHODSnA descriptive method was used inside a university hospital that was located in a Turkish metropolis. The data were collected via a questionnaire that was given to a total of 45 nurses who were employed in the internal medicine clinics where the oncology patients were treated.nnnRESULTSnIn this study, 42.2% of the nurses received in-service training about the implantable port catheter. It was determined that the mean knowledge point was 15.13 ± 4.78. The difference between the knowledge points of the nurses regarding implantable port catheter care, based on whether or not the nurses had received in-service training, was statistically significant. Moreover, it was determined that the majority of the nurses did not know where the implantable port catheter is placed, its period of use following implantation, the amount of normal saline to be used for washing the catheter, the special port (Huber) needle, the number of the needle, and the exchange time of these needles.nnnCONCLUSIONnIn this study, there existed significant differences between the scores of the nurses who received in-service training about the implantable port catheter and the scores of those who did not receive in-service training. The majority of the nurses who participated in the study were willing to receive in-service training regarding this subject. Thus, the organization of in-service training programs and the implementation of care, according to the developed standards and guidelines, are considered as significant for reducing the occurrence of the complications that are related to the use of the implantable port catheter.

The effect of nurses’ ethical leadership and ethical climate perceptions on job satisfaction:

Background: The development of ethical leadership approaches plays an important role in achieving better patient care. Although studies that analyze the impact of ethical leadership on ethical climate and job satisfaction have gained importance in recent years, there is no study on ethical leadership and its relation to ethical climate and job satisfaction in our country. Objectives: This descriptive and cross-sectional study aimed to determine the effect of nurses’ ethical leadership and ethical climate perceptions on their job satisfaction. Methods: The study sample is composed of 285 nurses who agreed to participate in this research and who work at the internal, surgical, and intensive care units of a university hospital and a training and research hospital in İzmir, Turkey. Data were collected using Ethical Leadership Scale, Hospital Ethical Climate Scale, and Minnesota Satisfaction Scale. While the independent sample t-test, analysis of variance, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to analyze the data, the correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the scales. Ethical considerations: The study proposal was approved by the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University. Findings: The nurses’ mean scores were 59.05 ± 14.78 for the ethical leadership, 92.62 ± 17 for the ethical climate, and 62.15 ± 13.46 for the job satisfaction. The correlation between the nurses’ ethical leadership and ethical climate mean scores was moderately positive and statistically significant (r = +0.625, p = 0.000), was weak but statistically significant between their ethical leadership and job satisfaction mean scores (r = +0.461, p = 0.000), and was moderately positive and statistically significant between their ethical climate and job satisfaction mean scores (r = +0.603, p = 0.000). Conclusion: The nurses’ ethical leadership, ethical climate, and job satisfaction levels are moderate, and there is a positive relationship between them. The nurses’ perceptions of ethical leadership are influenced by their educational status, workplace, and length of service.

Hastaların Bakış Açısıyla Kronik Obstrüktif Akciğer Hastalığı ile Yaşamak: Fenomenolojik Çalışma

Amac: Bu calisma, KOAH’li bireylerin hastaliklariyla ilgili yasam deneyimlerini ve KOAH’la yasamanin anlamini hastalarin bakis acisiyla ortaya koymak amaciyla yapildi. Yontem: Fenomonolojik nitelikteki arastirma, 15 Mayis–15 Temmuz 2009 tarihleri arasinda bir universite hastanesinin Gogus Hastaliklari servisinde KOAH tanisi ile yatan 14 hasta ile yapildi. Calismaya katilmayi kabul eden hastalardan yazili onam alindi. Veriler tanitici bilgi formu ve yari yapilandirilmis gorusme teknigi ile elde edildi. Bulgular: Hastalarin tumu KOAH nedeni ile yasamlarinin olumsuz etkilendigini, gunluk yasam aktivitelerinde sinirlilik yasadiklarini ve sinirlilik yasamalarina neden olan en onemli semptomun solunum sikintisi oldugunu bildirmistir. Hastalarin buyuk bir kismi KOAH’la yasamayi “cok zor, olmekten beter bir durum” seklinde aciklamistir. Hastalarin tamami hastalik nedeniyle bagimlilik duzeylerinin arttigini, kendilerine saygilarinin ve guvenlerinin azaldigini ifade etmistir. On iki hasta KOAH nedeni ile cesitli sosyal kayiplar yasadiklarini, iki hasta ise hastalik surecinde ailelerinden daha fazla destek aldigini belirtmistir. Sonuc: KOAH, hastalarin yasamlarinin her alaninda onemli sinirliliklar ve duygusal degisiklikler yasamalarina neden olmaktadir. Kronik hastalikla yasamanin anlamini hasta bakis acisiyla inceleyen calismanin sonuclari hastalarin KOAH’dan nasil etkilendiklerini belirlemeye ve bireye ozgu hemsirelik bakim yaklasimlarinin gelistirilmesine katki vermesi acisindan onemlidir.