Journal of Nursing & Care

Background: Multidisciplinary team and education programs need to be set up for the treatment of complications
related to diabetes.
Purpose: We aimed to test a structured educational intervention coordinated by diabetes nurse educator to
improve self-management of diabetes in people with diabetic kidney disease.
Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to the control group to receive standard clinical management of
diabetes with kidney disease or intervention group to receive the structured education. The primary endpoint was the
change of renal function and metabolic parameters at 6th month.
Results: The control of HbA1c to level of <7% was achieved in 40% and 10% in intervention and control group,
respectively. The percentage of achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 100 mg/dl increased by 31.25% and
6.25% in intervention and control group, respectively. The percentage of achieving systolic blood pressure to <130
mmHg was also increased. At 6 months, 30% attained 3 targets in intervention group, whereas 10% attained 3 targets
in the control group. Intervention group significantly improved urine albuminuria status, regression of macro- or
microabuminuria to normoalbuminuria occurred in 31.25% and 11.25% in intervention and control group, respectively.
Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes with diabetes kidney disease receiving a structure education program delivered
by diabetes educator team is more likely to attain multiple treatment targets, by accepting treatment changes, and
improved their self-care behaviors.

Background: Adverse events are serious, and frequent complications are most often linked to the quality of nursing care.

Purpose: We evaluated the compliance to traceability of bedside nursing care using the Patient Smart Reader®, a personal digital assistant with a barcode.

Methods: We compared paper record forms, specific computer software in the hospital information system and the Patient Smart Reader®.

Results: The Patient Smart Reader enhanced the recording of 90% of the nursing care surveyed. Regarding the insertion of blood catheters, compliance rates increased from 44.19% to 100%, and blood catheter monitoring increased from 29.64% to 80.74%. Urinary catheter monitoring and insertion recording increased from 10.23% to 55.43% and from 16.67% to 100%, respectively.

Conclusion: Providing caregivers with a nursing record system that uses barcodes at the point of care in real time significantly improved the traceability of nursing care.

Background: Test anxiety is a special kind of anxiety-worry mixed with fear which arises in situations where an individual is being evaluated in an academic context. This anxiety may prevent effective use and communication of the information learned by students for examinations, resulting in poor academic performance. Factors such as examination types and socio-cultural context influence test anxiety in university students. Limited evidence is currently available on the roles played by these factors among nursing students in Saudi Arabia, where strong socio-cultural factors shape university education.

Objectives: The study was designed to assess university students’ preferences for various examination types: quizzes, formal exam, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), paper based written exam, oral exam, open book exam. The study also determined the association of test anxiety of the students and the results obtained from different examination types.

Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 baccalaureate nursing students at the Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was self-administered to the students, covering level of exam fairness, easiness, and the number of study hours required to attend the examinations. The test anxiety level of the students was evaluated using a Westside Test Anxiety Scale. Multivariate analysis of variance was performed to explore the association between test anxiety and socio-demographic characteristics of the students.

Results: A total of 135 female nursing students were enrolled into the study. Their ages ranged from 20 to 22 years with mean age of 20.8 ± 0.63. Only 24 (17.8%) of them were married at the time of the study. Fifty-nine participants (43.7%) missed less than three theory lectures while 64 (47.4%) were absent for less than three times in the practical sessions. The most preferred examination type was monthly written examination 43 (31.9%) while 78 (57.8%) students had problematic test anxiety. The most frequent coping mechanisms adopted to manage test anxiety by study participants were psychological support and preparation for the examination (p=0.001 and p=0.031, respectively). No statistically significant association existed between test anxiety and academic performance (p=0.41). However, coping mechanisms such as preparing for the exam and psychological support had a statistically significant relationship with academic performance (p<0.0001 and 0.026, respectively).

Conclusion: This study showed that test anxiety and preferences for particular test formats affect the students ability to demonstrate content knowledge. The results suggest the need for school support system to make testing outcomes more equitable for nursing students. 

Introduction: This study was conducted to determine whether pediatric nurses’ professional values affect their attitudes towards patient safety.

Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and it was carried out with 101 nurses working in pediatric clinics of a state hospital in Turkey in 2015. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Nurses Professional Values Scale and the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire.

Results: A positive correlation was determined between the scores obtained from the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire and the scores obtained from the Nurses Professional Values Scale (r: .315, p: .001). There was a significant positive correlation between the Perceptions of Management subscale of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire and the Nurses Professional Values Scale (r: .706), and its Activism (r: .796), ANA (American Nurses Association) Ethical Code 1 (r: .708), and ANA Ethical Code 11 (r: .772) subscales. There was a moderate positive correlation between the Perceptions of Management subscale of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire and the Nurses Professional Values Scale (r: .603), and its ANA Ethical Code 4 (r: .530)

Conclusion: Pediatric nurses’ professional values affect their attitudes towards patient safety. 

Objective: To identify the performance of nursing professionals in relation to the essential aspects for the provision of safe care to patients infected by COVID-19 hospitalized in the emergency department.

Method: A simple literature review with data collected during the peak period of the disease in real time in available databases.

Discussion: COVID-19 spreads around the world and reaches almost every continent. Immediate, important measures and education of the population, training of health professionals becomes a priority. In addition to effective prevention and control measures.

Conclusion and final considerations: For a pandemic it is no easy task. However, in the case of COVID-19, it seems possible, since asymptomatic cases have not played an important role in transmission. Noticeable priority of protection to health professionals, isolate in quarantine the communicators and act quickly, given the lethality of the disease and that cases increase every day.