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The present study aimed to investigate the impact of a designed nursing intervention protocol on performing self-care activities among arthritic women. Four research hypothesis were formulated:1-the mean knowledge scores of patients who will receive instruction about self-care activities will be higher than that of a control group.2-the mean practice scores of patients who will apply self-care practices will be higher than the mean practice scores of a control group.3-there will be a positive correlation between knowledge and practice scores obtained by the study group subjects than that among the control group subjects.4-the incidence of joint deformity, stiffness and pain among patient who will receive instructions about self-care activities will be lesser than that of the control group. Aquasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study on 60 female patients they were allocated randomly into two groups, study and control (30 patients each) who are referred to the physical medicine and rehabilitation department and out patient of Assiut University Hospital with the following criteria; been ambulatory, educable, both literate and illiterate, their age ranged between 20-50years and agree to participate in the study. Tools used for data collection are; Intervention questionnaire sheet, observation checklists and assessment sheet. Designed protocol was applied to reduce pain and stiffness, prevent joint destruction, deformity, loss of function and allow the patient to achieve maximum independence. Pre-test was carried out before conduction of the designed protocol on the arthritic women, in addition to post-testing, two weeks after implementation and one month. Results of the study documented that there was a significant improvement in arthritic women knowledge and practices and reached an optimum level of independence for daily living activities (p0.001 of most items) after implementation of the designed protocol. Incidence of pain, swelling and dealing with daily activities was a highly significant (p<0.001) post protocol as compared to their pre application state. In conclusion, education of arthritic women is necessary to achieve an optimum level of functioning. Replication of this study on larger probability sample is highly recommended. INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints and surrounding tissues in addition to other organ systems within the body (Saniel & Heller, 2001). It affects approximately 1-2% of the total population and found throughout

Background: Lymphedema is the build-up of lymph fluid in the tissues just under the skin. Lymphedema following mastectomy as a treatment for breast cancer is a major concern for most women who experience it. Physical activities are very helpful for lymphedema control. Aim: To evaluate the effect of prophylactic physical activities on reducing lymphedema among women post-mastectomy. Subjects & Method: Design: A Quasiexperimental design was utilized. Setting: This study was carried out in Minia oncology center-outpatient and inpatient surgical department. Affiliated by Secretariat of Specialized Medical Centres, at Minia Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: Included a total of 200 women have had a mastectomy. Tools: Five tools were used. 1) structured questionnaire; 2) scale for pitting edema measurement; 3) scale for lymphedema stage assessment; 4) international physical activity Questionnaire; 5) observational checklist for Physical Activities performance. Results: The mean age of the sample was 58.9 years old and 52.5% of them were elderly women. During the first assessment, more than eighty percent of the sample complained from a stage1 lymphedema. However, there was a significant reduction in this percentage among the study group during post-test. Likewise, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the lymphedema time and stage of development during the first assessment, after 6 weeks and 16 weeks (P<0.001*). Moreover, 49.0% of the study group compared to 29.0% of the control group had a moderate level of physical activity during the post-test. This indicated an increase in the level of a total pattern of physical activity between the two groups during the post-test. Conclusion: Prophylactic physical activities can reduce lymphedema associated symptoms. Also, the study group had a better level of physical activities than the control group. Recommendations: Early detection and nursing interventions have been gradually advocated to prevent lymphedema progression. So, the prophylactic physical activities are essential measures post-mastectomy to reduce lymphedema.