Songül Göriş

The Effects of Training on Inhaler Technique and Quality Of Life in Patients with COPD

OBJECTIVES This experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of training on inhaler technique and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS Among the patients who applied at the outpatient clinic of chest diseases between March 2009 and May 2010, a total of 69 with COPD who complied with the criteria of the study were recruited; of these, 34 subjects were put in the intervention group and 35 in the control group. The intervention group was educated on using an inhaler by verbal training, demonstration movie, and leaflet. A follow-up after 3 months was carried out in both groups. RESULTS Of the intervention group, 82.4% used the inhaler correctly; however, in the follow-up, all of the controls used it incorrectly (p<0.05). The number of attacks (p<0.001), emergency applications, and hospitalizations (p>0.05) of the intervention group was lower at the follow-up than in the control. Promotion in all areas of quality of life was determined in the intervention group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION Consequently, a planned inhaler training given to the patients with COPD was found to decrease attack frequency and dyspnea, and improve quality of life.

Effect of Terminal Patient Care Training on the Nurses' Attitudes Toward Death in an Oncology Hospital in Turkey.

This is an experimental research aiming at identifying the effect of terminal patient care training on the nurses’ attitudes toward death. The sample of this study (n = 41) involves 20 nurses in the training group and 21 nurses in the control group. Nurses were offered terminal patient care training and their attitudes toward death were assessed before and after the intervention. The Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) subscale mean scores for fear of death (3.9–4.6, p < .05) and approach acceptance (2.9–3.3, p < .05) were found to significantly increase at the end of training in the training group while mean scores in the control group displayed no significant change (p > .05) in any of the five DAP-R subscales. In accordance with these findings, this study suggests that terminal patient care training should be implemented in the nursing curriculum more extensively and should be frequently repeated as part of the nurses’ in-service education.

P0179 THE EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING A NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT ALGORITHM IN CRITICALLY ILL MEDICAL PATIENTS

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of the enteral nutrition algorithm on nutritional support in critically ill medical patients. METHODS The quasi-experimental study was conducted at a medical Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital in central Anatolia region in Turkey from June to December 2008. The patients were divided into two equal groups: the historical group was fed in routine clinical applications, while the study group was fed according to the enteral nutritional algorithm. Prior to collecting data, nurses were trained interactively about enteral nutrition and the nutritional support algorithm. The nutrition of the study group was directed by the nurses. Data were recorded during 3 days of care. SPSS 22 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The 40 patients in the study were divided into two equal groups of 20(50%) each. The energy intake of study group was 62% of the prescribed energy requirement on the 1st, 68.5% on the 2nd and 63% on the 3rd day, whereas in the historical group 38%, 56.5% and 60% of the prescribed energy requirement were met. The consumed energy of the historical group on the 1st 2nd and 3rd day was significantly different (p=0.020). In the study group, serum total protein and albumin levels decreased significantly (p<0.05), but pre-albumin and fasting blood glucose levels were not changed on the 1st and 4th day. In the historical group, any of the serum parameters did not change. Enteral nutrition-induced complications, duration of stay in intensive care unit were not significantly different between the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The use of standard algorithms for enteral nutrition may be an effective way to meet the nutritional requirements of patients.

INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTICES USED IN INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that has an increasing frequency with ageing and affects seriously life of individuals by causing pain and disabilities. Along with pharmacological treatments, the use of integrative treatment methods is suggested for effective treatment of osteoarthritis. Integrative treatment methods frequently used in treatment of osteoarthritis include; exercise, acupuncture, hot application, massage, yoga, and tai-chi. The use of integrative practices in control of problems associated with osteoarthritis such as pain, joint involvements, and decreased physical functions has been gradually increasing. In this review, information regarding some integrative practices used in individuals with osteoarthritis and responsibilities of nurses in these practices was given.