IntroductionThalassemia is a chronic blood disease, which imposes adverse effects on patients and their families. Parents of such patients, given that they had the thalassemia trait, hold themselves responsible for their children’s disease in addition to other difficulties, bear the burden of guilt and hopelessness and worry about the health and future of their children. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents of children with thalassemia.MethodsThe present research was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological approach. A purposive sampling was carried out until data saturation. Participants included 15 parents of children with thalassemia who were referred to the Thalassemia Center of Zabol to perform therapeutic procedures for their child in 2016.ResultsExtracted interviews were analyzed employing Colaizzi’s method, and four main themes were obtained, including “Gray marriage consanguinity”, “Burdened with increased number of thalassemia children”, “Socio-familial worries” and “Inexpressible wishes for having an ideal society”.ConclusionThe results revealed that parents of children with thalassemia experience a wide range of problems in different aspects, such as physical, emotional, mental, social, economic and familial dimensions. Their experiences are valuable and can help in achieving a better understanding of their problems, which in turn can enable the members of the treatment team to play a more active role and the society to have a better understanding of this disease.

Introduction: Death anxiety (DA) is one of the stresses experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses on a daily basis. Failure to pay attention to DA causes psychological problems and job dissatisfaction for nurses and failure to receive proper and adequate care for patients. Aim of the study: To determine the effect of guided imagery (GI) on DA among ICU nurses. Material and methods: This quasi-experimental (pre-test-post-test) study was conducted on 50 ICU nurses in one educational hospital of Zabol University of Medical Sciences in south east Iran from 10 January to 10 June 2020. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method then divided into two groups, intervention (n = 25) and control (n = 25). In the intervention group, participants received GI using theory education by lecture, pamphlet, booklet, and practice. In the control group participants received no specific intervention. In both groups DA was assessed by the researcher using the Templer DA scale at the start of study, and one month after intervention. SPSS ver. 23 was used for data analysis. Results: The results showed in the intervention group after one months of GI mean score of DA significantly decreased from 53.28 to 43.48 (p = 0.01). In the control group there was no significant difference before and after intervention (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study GI can be used as an effective method to decrease the DA and improve the mental health of nurses in ICU.

Background: The pain caused by wound dressing is common in burn patients. Using respiratory techniques is one of the nonpharmacological methods of pain control that has remained understudied in burn patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to probe the effect of regular smooth breathing on the pain induced by dressing change in patients with second-degree burns. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 30 qualified patients with second-degree burns. The subjects were chosen through random sampling and assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The respiratory intervention was carried out in four dressing change sessions for the experimental group while the control group received only the routine care. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a visual analog scale (VAS) for measuring pain intensity. The results were subsequently analyzed in SPSS 23 using the chi-square test, Fisher-exact test, and independent t-test. Results: Pain intensity after dressing was significantly lower in experimental group than control group in all four dressing sessions (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Regular smooth breathing reduces the pain caused by dressing burn injuries. Therefore, this intervention is recommended for burn patients.

Purpose: To determine the effect of modified relaxation breathing technique on pain anxiety in patients with second-degree burns. Methods: The present study is a clinical trial that was performed on 30 patients with second-degree burns admitted to the Imam Hossein Burn Center in Zabol, Iran. Patients in the experimental group performed breathing technique in the form of 4 counts deep inspiration through the nose, pause for four counts, and expiration with pursed lips for four counts. The experiment was done half an hour for four days before dressing. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U statistical test. The significance level was set at <0.05. Results: There was no significant different on pain anxiety between study groups prior to the intervention (p = 0.287). However, the median scores of pain anxiety in the experimental group in four sessions were significantly reduced compared to the control group after the intervention (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The modified relaxation breathing technique has reduced pain anxiety in patients with second-degree burns. Therefore, it is recommended to be used along with other methods to control pain anxiety for the patients.

Nurses' efforts and experiences and their outstanding achievement, contributes to our understanding of wartime nursing.