Objective To determine the level of occupational stress in intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and factors of perceived stress. Methods The study had a descriptive design. A total of 262 nurses working in adult intensive care units (ICUs) across Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic constituted the sample. Data were collected by an online survey and the Perceived Stress Scale-14. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one- way analysis of variance, regression analysis and Bonferroni test were used for data analysis. Results Percentage of nurses with moderate level of occupational stress was 62%. High working hours and nurse:patient ratios, heavy workload and failure in patient treatment were the main factors of occupational stress. Level of occupational stress was affected by gender, number of children, years of experience in ICU and type of work shift. Conclusion Intensive care nurses in Turkey experienced moderate stress during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Interventions to prevent occupational stress among ICU nurses in the long run might be implemented.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the effect of a home visit program on the perceived care burden of family caregivers of adults with asthma.DesignA single‐blind randomized controlled trial.SampleThe study was conducted with 30 participants in both the intervention and control groups.MeasurementsCare burden was measured via the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale during the first interview at the pulmonology outpatient clinic and after the last home visit.InterventionA nurse‐led home visit program with five visits over three months included education and health counseling with the intervention group. Control group received standard education given in the outpatient clinic.ResultsThe mean Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale scores of the intervention group in the post‐test were significantly lower than the control group.ConclusionsThe current study revealed that the nurse‐led home visit program, including education and health counseling, was effective in reducing the care burden for family caregivers of adults with asthma. Nurses can play an active role in preventing the negative effects of caregivers’ burden of care, protecting their sense of control, and improving their health. Home visits integrated into the health care system could be effective in reducing the care burden of family members.

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Objective: To predict SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity on the basis of symptoms and contact history of individuals who attend emergency department Methods: The data for the study which was of a prospective-methodological type were collected from 503 patients who attended emergency department of a hospital with suspected Covid-19 between 02 January - 15 March 2021 and were given Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Covid 19 Visual Triage Scale (VTS) and questionnaire were used for collecting data. Distribution of socio-demographic data was interpreted in frequency, percentage. Independent samples t-test and chi-square test were used to compare quantitative data. Cut-off value of the scale was determined. In the study, sensitivity and specificity of the scale were tested through scoring adopted based on the real time PCR test result. Results: According to the PCR test, 67% of the patients were tested negative while 33% of them were positive. According to Covid-19 VTS, 55% of the patients were found to be negative while 45% were found positive. Validation of scale resulted in 0.65 AUC with a 45% sensitivity and 82% specificity using a cut-off value >4. In its comparison with PCR test, the scale was found to detect 93 real positive and 204 real negative patients. Self-reported fever, cough, sore throat, loss of taste and smell and history of contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case were found to be strong predictors for detecting Covid-19(p

Amaç: Bu çalışma, diyabetes mellitus (DM) ve hipertansiyon (HT) hastalarının tamamlayıcı ve alternatif tedavileri (TAT) kullanma durumlarının tedaviye uyuma etkisini belirlemek amacıyla planlanmıştır. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve ilişki arayıcı tipteki araştırmaya 169 DM (n=97) ve HT (n=72) hastası dahil edildi. Verilerin toplanmasında; kişisel bilgi formu ve Morisky-8 Maddeli İlaca Uyum Anketi (MMAS-8) kullanıldı. Yaş, cinsiyet gibi demoğrafik değişkenler bakımından DM ve HT hastaları arasında fark olup olmadığının değerlendirilmesinde ki-kare testi kullanıldı. TAT kullanımı ve tedaviye uyum düzeyleri yönünden iki grup arasında fark olup olmadığı ki-kare ve t testi ile karşılaştırıldı. TAT kullanımının tedaviye uyum üzerindeki etkisini belirlemek için çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi kullanıldı. Bulgular: Bu çalışmada hastaların %87’sinin TAT kullandığı, diyabetik hastalarda bu oranın %88, hipertansif hastalarda ise %86 olduğu, TAT kullanımı bakımından iki grup arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark olmadığı belirlendi (p>.05). Diyabetik hastaların tedaviye uyum puan ortalamasının 4.72±2.81 ve hipertansif hastaların 5.05±2.71 olduğu belirlendi. TAT kullanan DM ve HT hastalarının tedaviye uyum düzeyleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark olmadığı belirlendi (p>.05). TAT kullanan HT hastalarının tedaviye uyum puan ortalamalarının kullanmayanlara göre daha yüksek olduğu ve bu yüksekliğin istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olduğu (p.05). Sonuç: Hastaların büyük çoğunluğunun TAT kullandığı, tedaviye uyumlarının orta düzeyde olduğu, TAT kullanımı açısından DM ve HT hastaları arasında tedaviye uyum düzeyleri arasında fark olmadığı, TAT kullanan hipertansif hastaların tedaviye uyum düzeylerinin daha yüksek olduğu sonucuna ulaşıldı.