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Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a major surgery that may cause severe surgical stress response (SR). Although the presence of family members in intensive care unit (ICU) is known to benefit intensive care patients socially and emotionally, its effects on surgical SR are unknown. Objectives: To investigate the effect of an informed family member (IFM)’s presence in the awakening process in ICU on patients’ SR after CABG. Methods: A nonrandomized controlled clinical study was completed with a total of 73 patients: 37 patients in the control (CG) and 36 in the intervention group (IG) underwent CABG surgery. In the CG patients, no family members were taken into the ICU during the awakening process and routine care and treatment practices were continued. In the IG patients, besides routine care and treatment practices, an IFM was taken into the ICU during the awakening process in accordance with the research method. Groups were statistically compared in terms of serum cortisol level which is the one of the main indicators of surgical SR, state anxiety, sedative drug requirements, and duration of intubation, sedation, and ICU stay. A p value

Background A long-term diabetic complication, fatigue, which is a direct result of treatment and psychological processes, is a common symptom in diabetic individuals. Aims To determine the reliability and validity of Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Treatment-Fatigue Scale in Turkish patients with type 2 diabetes. Study design A methodological study. Methods The sample consisted of 133 patients with type 2 diabetes who agreed to participate in the study and met the criteria for the study. Data were collected using the descriptive information form prepared by the researcher and the Scale obtained from FACIT System. The research data were collected by face-to-face interviews with the patients. Language and content validity of the Turkish version of the Scale was provided, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, test–retest analysis and item analysis methods were used as reliability analysis. Results The total Cronbach Alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.92. According to the results of factor analysis, unlike the original scale, two sub-dimensions emerged in the Turkish version of the scale. Conclusions As a result of the validity and reliability analysis of the FACIT-Fatigue Scale, it can be said that it provides psychometric measures that can be used to determine the level of fatigue of type 2 diabetes patients in Turkish society.

Transthoracic cardioversion (TTC) is widely used in emergency departments and daily clinical practice. TTC may cause skin lesions on the application of apical and sternal paddle areas. The lesions are characterised by redness, erythema and blister(s), and can be defined as first degree burns locally causing pain and increased sensitivity.To evaluate the effectiveness of local cold application on reducing the incidence, severity and pain/sensitivity of skin burns in patients who underwent TTC.The study was conducted in the intensive care unit of the cardiovascular surgery department. The patients were assigned to study (n=24) and control groups (n=24). Local cold application was performed for a 1 hour period on patients in the study group, whereas only clinical procedures were applied in the control group following TTC. Incidence and severity of burn was evaluated 2 h after TTC, and pain/sensitivity scores were evaluated at 2, 4 and 24 h after TTC. Results The incidence of burn was significantly lower in the study group (3/24) compared to the control group (21/24) (12.5% vs 83.3%, p0.001). Pain/sensitivity scores were significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group (p0.05).Local cold application following TTC is an effective means of reducing the incidence and severity of burns and pain/sensitivity. It is cost-effective and can easily be applied by nurses in medical/surgical units and emergency departments.

The objective of the study was to determine the perceptions of a group of patients on intensive care units' (ICUs) stressors and the perceptions of nurses on ICU patients' stressors in Turkey, and compare the differences in patients' and nurses' perception of the stressors in ICUs. In this descriptive study, 155 patients who were admitted to medical or surgical ICUs and 152 nurses who are employed in the same units of two training and research hospitals in Turkey were enrolled in this study. The ICU Environmental Stressor Scale (ICUESS) was used to determine intensive care stressors. According to total ICUESS mean scores, patients (91.41 ± 34.91) perceived significantly less stress than the ICU nurses (133.23 ± 32.20) perceived them to have. Both patients and nurses ranked 'fear of death' as the greatest stressor. Physiological stressors were identified as the most important stressors by both patients and nurses. Patients and nurses in medical ICUs were more affected by stressors than their counterparts in surgical ICUs. Patients with unplanned or emergency admissions perceived higher stress than that of patients with planned admissions. Several factors could help reduce these stressors, such as having familiar arrangements, humane ICU environment, individual patient assessments and appropriate nursing interventions.

The aim of this study was to determine nurses' perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators of research utilization in Turkey. Barriers Scale was utilized in the research, and the population was 631 nurses. According to the research results, the first three important barriers were inadequate authority (63.6%), lack of time (54.0%), and insufficient facilities (52.8%). Nurses have perceived the organizational management support as the most important easing factor in their applications (n = 156). It is highly recommended that nurses be trained in research methods and evidence-based practice, that research articles be written more clearly, and that Research and Development centers where nurses could get consultation services be established.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine the life experiences and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients living with a urostomy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: This prospective and descriptive study was carried out in a research and training hospital in Gaziantep, Turkey; data were collected from May 2009 to September 2011. Twenty-four participants had undergone a urostomy operation at least 4 months before study participation. METHODS: A form querying pertinent demographic and clinical information, combined with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QoL Q-C30) was used for data collection. Data collection forms were sent to the patients via mail in closed envelopes. The Mann-Whitney U, the Kruskal Wallis, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for the comparative statistics; statistical significance was accepted when P values were

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative fasting and fluid limitation in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Although traditional long-term fasting is not recommended in current preoperative guidelines, this is still a common intervention. Visual analogue scale was used to assess hunger, thirst, sleepiness, exhaustion, nausea and pain; State and Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the preoperative anxiety of 99 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Mean time of preoperative fasting and fluid limitation were, respectively, 14.70 ± 3.14 and 11.25 ± 3.74 h. Preoperatively, 58.60% of the patients experienced moderate anxiety. Patients fasting 12 h or longer had higher hunger, thirst, nausea and pain scores. The mean trait anxiety score of patients fasting 12 h or longer was statistically significantly higher. Receiving nothing by mouth after midnight preoperatively is a persisted intervention and results in discomfort of patients. Clinical protocols should be revised and nurses should be trained in current fasting protocols.

Aim. To determine the effect of preoperative skin preparation procedures performed by nurses on postoperative surgical siteinfection in abdominal surgery.Background. Despite all interventions, postoperative SSIs still greatly affect mortality and morbidity.Design. This is an experimental study.Methods. Procedures developed for nurse application of preoperative skin preparations were tested on a control group (n = 39)and study group (n = 43).Results. Only clinical routines for preoperative skin preparation were performed on the control group patients. Control groupmembers’ skins were mostly prepared by shaving with a razor blade (41%). For the study group members, the researchers usedthe preoperative skin preparation procedure. Clippers were used to prepare 55AE8% of study group members while 44AE2% ofthem were not treated with the clipper because their wounds were clean. As a requirement of the procedure, all members of thestudy group had a chlorhexidine bath at least twice after being hospitalised and at least once a night before the operation undercontrolled conditions. In the group where chlorhexidine bath was not applied, the infection risk was found to be 4AE76 times(95%CI = 1AE20–18AE83) greater even after corrections for age and gender had been made. The difference between control groupand study group with respect to surgical site infections was also statistically significant (p < 0AE05).Conclusion. Preoperative skin preparation using clipper on the nights before an operation and a 50 ml chlorhexidine bathexcluding head area taken twice in the pre-operative period are useful to reduce SSI during postoperative period.Relevance to clinical practice. We find that preoperative skin preparation using the procedures developed as a result of findingsof this study is useful in reducing surgical site infection during the postoperative period.Key words: chlorhexidine, clipper, nursing care, preoperative skin preparation, surgical site infection