Fadwa Alhalaiqa

Adherence therapy for medication non-compliant patients with hypertension: a randomised controlled trial

The objective of this study is to establish the efficacy of adherence therapy (AT) compared with treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing blood pressure (BP) in non-compliant hypertensive patients. This study was designed as a parallel-group single-blind randomised controlled trial. The study was carried out at three general hospital outpatient clinics in Jordan. A total of 136 non-compliant hypertensive patients with a mean baseline BP of 164.5 mm Hg (s.d. 10.0) over 102.2 mm Hg (s.d. 7.0) participated in the study. 7 weekly 20-min sessions of AT in addition to TAU. The main outcome of this study is systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 11-weeks follow-up. In all, 68 patients received TAU and 68 AT. Intention-to-treat analysis included all participants randomised. AT lowered SBP by −23.11 mm Hg (95% CI: −25.85, −20.36) and diastolic BP (DBP) by −15.18 mm Hg (95% CI: −17.55, −12.80) at 11 weeks compared with TAU. Adherence (measured by pill counting) was also improved in the AT group by 37% at 11 weeks compared with TAU. No significant adverse events were reported. AT increases adherence to medication for hypertension which then leads to a clinically important reduction in BP.

Impact of radiotherapy treatment on Jordanian cancer patients' quality of life and fatigue

Introduction: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and for hypertensive patients to avoid complications and increase their quality of life its control is important. Factors affecting hypertension control might be not limited to the individual. In this study we review existing studies of factors related to hypertension control and evaluate these on four levels: individual, work/ family, community, and social. As the impact of factors may also differ between males and females, the effects of various factors on hypertension control were analyzed according to sex.Results: Four themes emerged from the data (1) CC was considered a ‘silent disease’ that could be detected with early screening. It was associated with extra marital sexual relations which had a negative impact on screening uptake. (2) Fear, pain, embarrassment of screening as well as cultural influences rather than religious beliefs negatively influenced uptake. (3) There was growing mistrust of allopathic medicine and impersonal influences in health care which negatively affected screening uptake and (4) Women who had been screened had little understanding of the causes of CC and only became aware of screening when they were pregnant or receiving fertility treatment.Background: It is a well-known fact that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the world. During such situations nurses are expected to be efficient and effective in the life saving measures. Objective: This quasi-experimental study was aimed to evaluate the effect of high fidelity simulation on the students learning of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation. Methods: The knowledge instrument composed of 20 items (multiple choices) and the skills were observed by the 10 items (checklist) using 4-point likert scale. An experimental group attended lecture and practice training with Sim man 3G mannequin whereas the control group attended lecture and the practice training with the standard mannequin. Results: Independent t test showed a statistically significant difference in psychomotor retention in control group (t = 2.31. sig .030 (2 tailed), p> 0.05) between the immediate (M = 2.96, SD = .43) and delayed (M = 2.65, SD = .20) in teaching CPR. The result also gives significance difference between the experimental and control both for the immediate and delayed psychomotor test (t=6.96, sig..000, p˂0.05, 13.19 , t=13.9, sig. .000, p˂0.05 respectively) when examined the effect of the psychomotor between the experimental and control group in teaching CPR. Conclusion: The students who were trained with high fidelity mannequin performed better than the standard mannequin. This study emphasize on the incorporation of high fidelity simulation in the nursing program to enhance the knowledge and psychomotor skills of the students.T knowledge and skills required of today’s healthcare professionals far exceed expertise in traditional competency areas. The proper management of complex health conditions demands coordination of care by various health professionals. A multidisciplinary healthcare team supports the concept of leadership and teamwork as an essential component for success. There’s increasing evidence showing that clinical leadership is associated with high-performing healthcare organisations. Historically, these concepts have received relatively little attention in undergraduate curricula. In this presentation, the need of developing leadership courses, and to bring healthcare team members at one platform at an early stage will be explored. In addition, ways through which leadership and management theories, concepts and approaches can be utilised to develop such programs will be addressed. There are some key areas to focus upon, such as: 1) Leadership theory and practice, 2) Emotional Intelligence, 3) Setting Personal goals, 4) Setting vision and strategic direction, 5) Adaptive leadership, and 6) Understanding individual and organisational responses to change.Research Methodology: In this descriptive-correlative investigation, 95 members of the Association of Spinal Cord Injuries in Tehran were selected by simple random sampling method. Their quality of life and post-traumatic growth were studied in different aspects using France and Powers’ Questionnaire of Quality of Life Index for Spinal Cord Injury and Standard Questionnaire of Posttraumatic Growth Scale. Analysis of the data was performed with the help of SPSS 16 software utilizing descriptive and analytic statistical tests.Background: The distressing treatment of cancer whether chemotherapy or radiotherapy is associated with fatigue and has negative impact on patient quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The purposes of this study were to examine the impact of radiotherapy treatment on Jordanian cancer patients’ QOL and fatigue, and to explore the relationship between fatigue and QOL. Methods: One group quasi-experimental correlational design was used with 82 patients who had been diagnosed with cancer and required radiotherapy treatment. QOL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). Fatigue was measured using Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS). Data were collected over a period of three months, and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-test. Results: Significant differences were found between pre- and post- radiotherapy QOL mean total scores (t=19.3, df=79, P<0.05), as well as physical, emotional, sexual, and functional wellbeing dimensions. Statistically significant differences were found between pre- and post- radiotherapy fatigue mean total scores (t=-8.95, DF=79, P<0.05), as well as on behavioral, affective, sensory, and cognitive dimensions of PFS. Quality of life total scores correlated significantly and negatively with total fatigue scores (P<0.01). Conclusions: Exposure of cancer patient to radiotherapy treatment increased their fatigue level and decreased their QOL. Nurses should assess cancer patients before, during, and after their treatment to design proper interventions to reduce fatigue and enhance QOL.cause of death in women worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranks first among cancerous diseases in females. Objectives: To investigate the level of breast cancer awareness among Saudi females in Tabuk, focusing on the knowledge of breast cancer signs, associated risk factors and breast self-examination. Methods: Crosssectional survey of 400 women attending the outpatient clinics of King Khalid Hospital in Tabuk city was carried out between 15 July and 30 August 2015 using self-administered questionnaire. Results: 35% of the Participants in this study aged between 26 and 35 years. The most widely known risk factor for breast cancer was family history (50%). The lowest level of knowledge of risk factor was regarding early menarche (3%) and late menopause (4%) and old age (14%). Other risk factors got moderate response, including lack of breast feeding, smoking, obesity (48%, 38%, and37.5%, respectively). Most of the participants (97.5%) identified breast mass as a symptom for breast cancer. However, nonlump symptoms were also known and more than half of the participants were aware of other warning signs such as bloody nipple discharge, skin change, change or retraction of nipple and change in shape/size of breast, accounting for 90%, 75 %, 71 %, and 68% respectively. Furthermore, as many as 71% of subjects identified breast self examination as an early detection measure for breast cancer. 98% of the Participants mentioned that they heard about breast self-examination (BSE). Only 74% of the participants correctly identified that BSE should be performed monthly but 38% had performed it. Conclusion: This study has shown that the participants have poor knowledge about breast cancer and its associated risk factors as well as breast self examination.

Predictors of Stress of Parents of a Child with Cancer: A Jordanian Perspective

Background: Most paediatric oncology studies agree that being parents of a child with cancer is an emotionally stressful event. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated psychological stress of parents of a child with cancer, few of these studies have included both parents or investigated the predictors of high stress levels for the mothers and the fathers. Moreover, studies published over the last few decades were limited to Western countries and have shown inconsistent findings about parental perceived stress whose children have cancer. This study explored differences in predictors of perceived stress between Jordanian mothers and fathers of children with cancer. Methods: This study involved a survey of 300 couples parenting a child with cancer. Participants answered the Arabic version of the Perceived Stress Scale 10-items, demographic and characteristics check list questionnaires. The main aims were to measure perceived stress levels for mothers and fathers, explore the predictors associated with high perceived stress levels and make a comparison between them. Findings: Mothers reported significantly higher stress levels than fathers (p<0.001), with a large effect size (0.30). Some of the factors associated with mothers and fathers high stress levels affected both parents whereas employment status affected only fathers’ stress levels. Conclusions: These findings indicate the need to work with the mothers and the fathers with a child with cancer in Jordan to recognise their psychological needs at the time of diagnosis and followed by on-going psychological support for both parents.

Reliability and validity of Arabic translation of Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire (BMQ)-specific for use in children and their parents

Objectives to evaluate the reliability and discriminant validity of Arabic translation of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and the Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire-specific (BMQ-specific). Methods Having developed Arabic translations of the study instruments, a cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2015 in two multidisciplinary governmental hospitals in Jordan. An expert panel monitored the forward and backward translation of the MARS and BMQ. Standard Arabic was used (with no specific dialect inclusion) to allow greater generalisability across Arabic speaking countries. Once the Arabic translations of the questionnaires were developed they were tested for consistency, validity and reliability on a group of children with chronic diseases and their parents. Results A total of 258 parents and 208 children were included in the study. The median age of participated children and parents was 15 years and 42 years respectively. Principle component analysis of all questionnaires indicated that all had good construct validity as they clearly measured one construct. The questionnaires were deemed reliable based on the results of Cronbach alpha coefficient. Furthermore, reliability of the questionnaires was demonstrated by test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) which ranged from good to excellent for all scales (ICC>0.706). The Pearson correlation coefficient ranged from 0.546–0.805 for the entire sample which indicated a significant moderate to strong positive correlation between MARS and BMQ items at time 1 and 2. Reported adherence was greater than 59% using MARS-children and MARS-parents scales, and was correlated with beliefs in necessity and independent of the concerns regarding medications. Conclusion The Arabic translations of both BMQ and MARS for use in children and their parents have good internal consistency and proved to be valid and reliable tools that can be used by researchers in clinical practice to measure adherence and beliefs about medications in Arabic speaking patient populations.

Validity of Arabic Version of Beliefs About Medication Questionnaire.

To assess the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Beliefs About Medication Questionnaire, a cross-sectional design was used and the data were collected from 605 patients with chronic diseases. The study was conducted between July 2013 and December 2013. The results showed that the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (.71) was satisfactory. There was a significant strong positive correlation between test–retest for the same group subsample, with a correlation coefficient range of .45 to .78. There were no statistically significant differences between retest subgroups and remaining samples in the questionnaire subscales. The percentage of missing value was around 0.03, which confirmed the feasibility of the Arabic version of the questionnaire. These findings suggested that having a culturally acceptable, valid and reliable instrument to identify patients’ beliefs toward medication in Jordan will play an important role in tailoring appropriate intervention to enhance patient compliance with their prescribed medication.

Epidemiology of Nonfatal Injuries Among Schoolchildren.

Nonfatal injuries are considered as one of the major public health hazards affecting schoolchildren, and the majority of these injuries occur at school or in the home. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months, March–May 2015. The participants were 4,355 Jordanian schoolchildren in Grades 7–12. The Pearson χ2 test was computed, and the odds ratio was used to determine the magnitude of various risk factors for nonfatal injuries among schoolchildren. The overall incidence of nonfatal injury was 33.9%. The group most likely to sustain nonfatal injuries was boys, aged 12–15, in Grade 7, whose parents had a low level of education or a high family income. Injury prevention in schools and at homes is a cornerstone for protection or reducing the incidence of injuries. School nurses have a duty to follow up and examine the accident reports and evaluate whether safety policies are applied and are effective in different school settings. Furthermore, health and education authorities should develop a national program for preventing injuries.

Efficacy of Sodium Bicarbonate in Early Management and Reduce Vaginal Yeast Infection among Women in Jordan: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Received: Revised: Accepted: 2014–11–01 2014–12–01 2014–12–04 Salt stress is a biotic stress and affects plant growth, development and productivity throughout the world. A research was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effects of salt stress on Tagetes erecta, a common ornamental and medicinal herbaceous plant. During experiment plants were treated with different concentration of NaCl solution (50 mM, 100 mM, 150 mM and 200 mM). Different growth parameter (plant height, root length, no of leaves, and fresh and dry biomass) and some biochemical aspects (Chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids) were observed under different concentration of salt stress. Results indicated that Tagetes erecta is moderately tolerant to salt stress. After two weeks treatment fresh biomass of plant increased significantly (P<0.001) in 50 and 100 mM but decreased in 150 mM and 200mMNaCl. Plant height, root length, no of leaves, fresh and dry biomass, Chlorophyll a, b and caroteneoids exhibited reduction under higher concentration of NaCl. All copyrights reserved to Nexus® academic publishers

The relationship between physical activity and diet, and overweight and obesity, in young people

BACKGROUND Childhood obesity has a worldwide association with serious health problems and complications that increase the risk of illness and death. AIM To identify and assess the factors contributing to overweight and obesity among school students in north Jordan. METHOD A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 1,554 students was conducted between October 2014 and February 2015. RESULTS More than two thirds (70%) of participants were normal weight (5th percentile-<85th percentile), while 12% were overweight and 13% were obese. The prevalence of obesity was high (20%) among those eating snacks three times per day. The prevalence of overweight was high (12%) among those who followed no regular physical activity programme. CONCLUSION Collaboration is required between policymakers, healthcare professionals, business and community leaders, schools and local organisations to create suitable environments that support healthy lifestyles for children and young people.

Awareness and Knowledge of Ovarian Cancer Symptoms and Risk Factors: A Survey of Jordanian Women:

Ovarian cancer accounts for 3% of all female cancers and has a high mortality rate among gynecological malignancies. Early diagnosis carries a high survival rate of 93%. So, this study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness of Jordanian women about ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors. A cross-sectional survey design was used; 896 women completed the survey. The mean of total symptoms recognized was low at level of 3.2 (SD = 2.7) out of 10. The three highest known symptoms among women were as follows: extreme fatigue (43.2%), back pain (42.4%), and persistent pain in pelvic area (40.7%). The most commonly known risk factor was smoking (68.4%), followed by having ovarian cyst(s) (59.7%). Hence, with the absence of an effective screening program, a national awareness campaign is urgently needed to improve the public’s understanding of symptoms and risk factors and increasing women’s confidence in symptom recognition.

A descriptive study of adherence to lifestyle modificationfactors among hypertensive patients

BACKGROUND/AIM Healthy life style recommendations (e.g., physical activity, healthy diet, and decreased cholesterol levels) play an important role in controlling blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to assess lifestyle modification factors among patients diagnosed with hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS A descriptive-survey design was used. Data were collected using four questionnaires; one was the Beliefs about Medication questionnaire (BMQ) and the rest were developed to collect data about demographic and clinical characteristics and lifestyle modification factors. RESULTS In total 312 questionnaires were completed. The results revealed that our participants did not follow the healthy lifestyle recommendations; for example, the mean blood sugar (BS) level, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol levels were 155 mg/dL (standard deviation (SD) = 71.9), 29 kg/m2 (SD = 5.4), and 197 mg/dL (SD = 86.6), respectively. A significant correlation was shown between age and BP (P = 0.000). Increase in diastolic BP (DBP) correlated with a significant increase in cholesterol level (P = 0.002) and BMI (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION Our study showed that somewhat hypertensive patients in Jordan did not follow a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, urgent action by addressing behavioral risk factors has a positive impact on preventing and controlling hypertension.