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International Wound Journal Jul 2024The relationship between pain and poor healing is intricate, potentially mediated by psychological stress and aberrations in inflammatory response. The purpose of this... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The relationship between pain and poor healing is intricate, potentially mediated by psychological stress and aberrations in inflammatory response. The purpose of this study was to examine the biopsychosocial model of pain by assessing the relationships between pain, stress, inflammation and healing in people with chronic wounds.
DESIGN
This was a 4-week prospective observational study to explore the relationship of pain, stress, inflammation and wound healing in a convenience sample of patients with chronic wounds in a chronic care hospital in Canada.
METHODS
Only subjects over 18 with chronic wounds were recruited into the study. Chronic wounds were defined by the duration of wounds for more than 4 weeks of various aetiologies including wounds caused by pressure injuries, venous disease, arterial insufficiency, surgery or trauma and diabetic neuropathy. Participants were evaluated for pain by responding to the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form and the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs scale. Stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). All wounds were assessed with the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing tool. The levels of matrix metalloproteinases were analysis by obtaining wound fluid from all participants.
RESULTS
A total of 32 individuals with chronic wounds participated in the study. Correlation analysis indicated pain severity was positively and significantly related to pain interference, McGill Pain Questionnaire scores, neuropathic pain and matrix metalloproteinase levels. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors for high or low perceived stress. The only significant variable that contributed to the stress levels was BPI-I. Results suggested that participants who experienced higher levels of pain interference also had an increased odds to report high level of stress by 1.6 times controlling for all other factor in the model.
CONCLUSION
Pain is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon affecting quality of life in people with chronic wounds. Results of this study identified a significant relationship between pain, stress and wound healing.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Wound Healing; Middle Aged; Stress, Psychological; Prospective Studies; Aged; Adult; Inflammation; Wounds and Injuries; Canada; Pain Measurement; Pain; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic Disease
PubMed: 38946527
DOI: 10.1111/iwj.14942 -
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.) Jul 2024This study aims to evaluate the roles and tasks of school nurses in the UAE, quantify the time spent on each, and identify areas for improvement in school health...
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate the roles and tasks of school nurses in the UAE, quantify the time spent on each, and identify areas for improvement in school health services. This aligns with the UAE government's initiative to enhance primary healthcare, focusing on illness prevention and health promotion for children and adolescents.
METHODS
The research adopts an observational study design, utilizing self-observation through diary recordings by school nurses to collect data on their daily tasks and time allocation. A sample of total of 2024 school nurse activities were recorded and analyzed over 126 days and 1084 h of observation by eight school nurses using self-report diaries. This method allowed for the collection of detailed information on how nursing time is allocated between core and noncore tasks.
RESULTS
In this study a total of 2024 tasks were observed over 1084 h. The findings reveal that core nursing tasks accounted for 78% of activities but only 53% of the total 1084 h observed, while non-nursing tasks, making up 22% of activities, disproportionately consumed 47% of the hours. This discrepancy highlights the inefficiency of time allocation, with non-nursing tasks such as administrative duties taking significantly longer than core patient care tasks.
CONCLUSIONS
The study highlights a significant opportunity to enhance school health services in the UAE by optimizing the allocation of nursing time towards more illness prevention and health promotion interventions. By addressing the identified challenges, including the gaps in nurse competencies and the lack of structured practice frameworks, school health services can be improved.
PubMed: 38946523
DOI: 10.1111/phn.13363 -
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.) Jul 2024This study aimed to investigate the intensity of needs for home health care services (HHCs) among elderly patients with chronic diseases and to identify the associated...
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to investigate the intensity of needs for home health care services (HHCs) among elderly patients with chronic diseases and to identify the associated factors.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Wuhou District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, from April to November 2021.
METHODS
Convenient sampling was used to screen elderly patients with chronic diseases managed by Yulin Community Health Service Center. The questionnaires included general information and the Chinese version of the Community Healthy Intensity Rating Scale were completed according to patients' conditions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.
RESULTS
A total of 371 patients (10.40%) completed the survey. The mean age of the elderly patients was 84.04 years (SD = 7.07); these patients suffered from 1 to 7 kinds of chronic diseases, and the most common were hypertension (78.98%) and diabetes (40.97%). The need intensity of patients for HHCs was moderate (41.51%) or severe (58.49%). For each additional chronic disease that patients suffered from, the need intensity increases by 1.289 times (OR = 1.289; 95% CI: 1.055-1.575, p = .013); in additional, those aged more than 90 years, with a personal monthly income less than 2500 yuan ($387.00), with a poor health current status, and with only basic medical insurance presented greater need intensity (p < .05).
CONCLUSION
Our data analysis revealed that economic status, insurance condition, poor health status, and multiple comorbidities may be the most common factors associated with the need intensity for HHCs. These characteristics may help medical staff to identify and help those with urgent health problems.
PubMed: 38946500
DOI: 10.1111/phn.13365 -
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.) Jul 2024This study aimed to show the association between internet addiction (IA), sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among secondary school students DESIGN: A...
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to show the association between internet addiction (IA), sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among secondary school students DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study design was used.
SAMPLE
A total of 557 students from four secondary schools in Erbil were selected using multistage cluster sampling MEASUREMENTS: The questionnaires of this research contained socio-demographic data, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Y (PSC-Y) questionnaire.
RESULTS
Findings indicated that students displayed a mild IA, averaging a score of 42.9 ± 19.18. Furthermore, the average sleep quality (PSQI) score was 8.95 ± 2.75, indicating moderate sleep disturbance, and the average score for psycho-social problems was 27.78 ± 13.29. Importantly, there was a strong and positive association between IA and psycho-social issues, as shown by a correlation coefficient of 0.31 (p < .001). Sleep quality was correlated with IA and psychosocial issues (p < .001, correlation values: .23 and .27, respectively) CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the urgent need for health policymakers and nursing managers in Erbil to develop targeted interventions, such as awareness campaigns and digital well-being programs in school curricula, to mitigate the interlinked issues of IA, sleep quality, and psycho-social problems among students.
PubMed: 38946493
DOI: 10.1111/phn.13353 -
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.) Jul 2024Social residents become increasingly concerned about Alzheimer's dementia (AD) as a global public health crisis. China's AD population is the largest and growing...
OBJECTIVE
Social residents become increasingly concerned about Alzheimer's dementia (AD) as a global public health crisis. China's AD population is the largest and growing fastest. However, no study has examined Chinese social residents' knowledge and attitudes concerning Alzheimer's illness. This study examined Chinese social residents' AD knowledge and attitudes using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) and dementia attitudes scale (DAS).
DESIGN
Cross-sectional survey.
SAMPLE
338 social residents over 18 years old from various Chinese regions were recruited using convenient sampling.
MEASUREMENTS
The ADKS (Chinese) and the Dementia Attitude Scale (Chinese) were used to assess their knowledge and attitude regarding AD.
RESULTS
A total of 328 respondents (97.04%) completed the survey. ADKS = 19.44 ± 3.33; DAS = 86.98 ± 12.7. Age and education levels can have a substantial impact on ADKS scores, and education levels can have a substantial impact on DAS scores.
CONCLUSIONS
Low levels of awareness and acceptance of AD exist among Chinese residents. The results indicate that China must immediately implement comprehensive AD education for its social residents.
PubMed: 38946470
DOI: 10.1111/phn.13354 -
European Journal of Public Health Jul 2024Contact tracing is a public health intervention implemented in synergy with other preventive measures to curb epidemics, like the coronavirus pandemic. The development...
BACKGROUND
Contact tracing is a public health intervention implemented in synergy with other preventive measures to curb epidemics, like the coronavirus pandemic. The development and use of digital devices have increased worldwide to enhance the contact tracing process. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of tracking coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using digital solutions.
METHODS
Observational studies on digital contact tracing (DCT), published 2020-21, in English were identified through a systematic literature review performed on nine online databases. An ad hoc form was used for data extraction of relevant information. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed with validated tools. A qualitative synthesis of the findings is reported.
RESULTS
Over 8000 records were identified and 37 were included in the study: 24 modelling and 13 population-based studies. DCT improved the identification of close contacts of COVID-19 cases and reduced the effective reproduction number of COVID-19-related infections and deaths by over 60%. It impacted positively on societal and economic costs, in terms of lockdowns and use of resources, including staffing. Privacy and security issues were reported in 27 studies.
CONCLUSIONS
DCT contributed to curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the high uptake rate of the devices and in combination with other public health measures, especially conventional contact tracing. The main barriers to the implementation of the devices are uptake rate, security and privacy issues. Public health digitalization and contact tracing are the keys to countries' emergency preparedness for future health crises.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Contact Tracing; SARS-CoV-2; Pandemics; Digital Technology; Public Health
PubMed: 38946444
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae039 -
Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.) Jul 2024To investigate community health centers' (CHCs) health literacy.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate community health centers' (CHCs) health literacy.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional study.
SAMPLE
A total of 374 CHCs were surveyed and 258 CHCs responded, with an effective questionnaire response rate of 69.0%.
MEASUREMENTS
Data were collected by using a self-developed health literacy assessment tool to survey CHCs' health literacy throughout Taiwan from January to December 2019.
RESULTS
The item of organizational health literacy (OHL) with the highest proportion of CHCs not implementing them was "Design of easy-to-use computer applications and new media" (47.3% not yet achieved), followed by "Involving target audiences in document and service development" (34.9% not yet achieved). CHCs located in northern Taiwan had higher health literacy achievement scores than those in other regions, and those in urban areas had higher health literacy achievement scores than those in general and remote areas.
CONCLUSIONS
This study identified items with poor implementation of OHL and found regional differences in health literacy among CHCs. The findings can inform the development of targeted interventions to improve health literacy in underperforming CHCs and guide policymakers in allocating resources to regions and areas in need of.
PubMed: 38946433
DOI: 10.1111/phn.13357 -
Blood Pressure Monitoring Aug 2024Current international guidelines recommend home blood pressure (BP) measurement and low sodium and high potassium intakes for the management of hypertension. We... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
OBJECTIVE
Current international guidelines recommend home blood pressure (BP) measurement and low sodium and high potassium intakes for the management of hypertension. We hypothesized that increased home BP measurement may result in more effective management of sodium and potassium intakes and BP.
METHODS
We examined associations of home BP measurement days with changes in the urinary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio, estimated salt and potassium intakes and BP. We included 209 healthy participants (mean age, 55.9 years; 56.5% women) from a prospective cohort study. We examined 1-year data on self-measured home BP and spot urine samples.
RESULTS
Median (interquartile range) days of home BP measurement was 324 (225-358) over 1-year. Baseline mean (SD) Na/K ratio, salt and potassium intakes, morning and evening SBP, and morning and evening DBP were 3.8 (2.3), 8.5 (1.9) g/day, 1833.5 (416.5) mg/day, 120.4 (14.0) mmHg, 118.2 (14.2) mmHg, 79.2 (10.1) mmHg, and 76.2 (10.1) mmHg, respectively. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression , β (standard error) per 10 days increase in number of home BP measurement were -0.031 (0.017) for Na/K ratio, -0.036 (0.015) for salt intake, -1.357 (2.797) for potassium intake, -0.178 (0.064) for morning SBP, -0.079 (0.041) for morning DBP, -0.109 (0.067) for evening SBP and -0.099 (0.045) for evening DBP. Additionally, relationships persisted for men and women, but changes in salt intake were more pronounced among participants taking antihypertensive medication (interaction P = 0.002).
CONCLUSION
Continuous measurement of home BP may lead not only to self-monitoring of BP, but also to declines in salt intakes and some BP indices.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Blood Pressure; Potassium; Sodium; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; Adult; Potassium, Dietary; Aged; Hypertension; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Sodium, Dietary
PubMed: 38946332
DOI: 10.1097/MBP.0000000000000705 -
Nursing Inquiry Jul 2024
PubMed: 38946303
DOI: 10.1111/nin.12654 -
Aging & Mental Health Jun 2024To systematically evaluate the effects of telehealth interventions on the caregiver burden and mental health of caregivers for people with dementia (PWD). (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
To systematically evaluate the effects of telehealth interventions on the caregiver burden and mental health of caregivers for people with dementia (PWD).
METHOD
Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of telehealth interventions on caregivers were extracted from nine electronic databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, SinoMed, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP). The retrieval time was from inception to 26 July 2023.
RESULTS
Twenty-two articles with 2132 subjects were included in the final analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that telehealth interventions exerted a significant effect in reducing caregiver burden (SMD: -0.14, 95 % CI: -0.25, -0.02, = 0.02), depression (SMD = -0.17; 95%CI: -0.27, -0.07, < 0.001) and stress (SMD = -0.20, 95%CI: -0.37, -0.04, = 0.01). However, no statistically significant effect was observed on anxiety (SMD = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.27, 0.03, = 0.12). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed that tailored interventions were associated with more evident reductions in depression (SMD = -0.26; 95%CI: -0.40, -0.13, < 0.001) than standardized interventions (SMD = -0.08; 95%CI: -0.22, 0.06, = 0.25). In addition, telehealth was effective in relieving depression in Internet-based (SMD = -0.17, 95%CI: -0.30, -0.03, = 0.01) and Telephone-based group (SMD = -0.18, 95%CI: -0.34, -0.02, = 0.03), while there was no significant difference in the Internet and Telephone-based group (SMD = -0.18, 95%CI: -0.54, 0.18, = 0.32).
CONCLUSION
Telehealth could effectively reduce the burden and relieve the depression and stress of caregivers of PWD, while its effect on anxiety requires further research. Overall, telehealth has potential benefits in dementia care.
PubMed: 38946249
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2371480