Serap Özer

Pain and fatigue in elderly cancer patients: Turkey example.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pain and fatigue levels of elderly cancer patients and to examine whether pain is an independent variable in fatigue development. A total of 250 elderly cancer patients undergoing treatment in the outpatient chemotherapy units and internal medicine clinic at 2 hospitals were enrolled. A “Patient Information Form,” the “McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire,” and the “Brief Fatigue Inventory” were used as data instruments. It was determined that all patients had pain and that the mean present pain intensity score was 2.70 ± 0.99, the mean worst pain intensity score was 4.40 ± 0.86, and the mean least pain intensity score was 1.40 ± 0.66. Whereas the existing fatigue severity score of the patients with fatigue (43.6%) was 6.27 ± 2.06, the mean usual fatigue severity of the patients in the last 24 hours was 6.19 ± 1.63 and that the mean worst fatigue severity score in the last 24 hours was 7.29 ± 1.57. When the regression analysis carried out between the pain and fatigue intensities is examined, it was determined that pain is an independent variable in increasing fatigue and that there is a statistically significant relationship (P < .05). It is important that nurses develop strategies to prevent and determine activities to decrease the pain and fatigue of the patients while planning and implementing their holistic care in a relevant manner.

Attitudes Toward Patient Safety and Tendencies to Medical Error Among Turkish Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Nurses.

Background Patient safety and medical errors are among the most discussed topics in recent years. Identifying and reporting medical errors is one of the most significant steps toward the adoption of measures to increase patient safety. Objectives The goal of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to evaluate attitudes toward patient safety and the tendencies to medical error among cardiology and cardiovascular surgery nurses in Turkey. Methods The study sample consisted of nurses who worked in the cardiology and cardiovascular surgery departments of a University Hospital in Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey. A total of 103 nurses working in the day shift of the mentioned departments volunteered and participated in the study. A “Nurse Information Form,” a “Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire (PSAQ),” and a “Malpractice Tendency Scale in Nursing-(MTSN)” were used as data collection instruments. Results The mean ± 1 standard deviation of the nurses’ PSAQ scores were 141.86 ± 18.39, whereas their MTSN scores were 237.20 ± 18.12. Although no statistically significant difference could be evidenced between cardiology and cardiovascular surgery nurses in their total MTSN scores (t = −0.99, P = 0.32), their PSAQ scores showed a significant difference (t = 2.34, P = 0.02). Conclusions This study showed that the tendencies to medical error among cardiology and cardiovascular surgery nurses working in a Turkish facility were low, whereas their attitudes toward patient safety were not at a particularly satisfactory level. The cardiology nurses were found to have a more positive attitude toward patient safety than their colleagues in cardiovascular surgery.