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Background: Ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the common complications in patients in the intensive care unit. Abdominal massage may prevent the development of VAP by reducing residual gastric volume in enterally fed patients. Aim: The purpose of this study is to review the literature on randomized controlled and quasi‐experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of abdominal massage in preventing VAP. Methods: The PRISMA‐P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Protocols) criteria were taken as the basis for creating the protocol of the systematic review and writing the article. The systematic review was performed using the Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL and Cochrane Library databases from December 2023 to January 2024. Studies were selected by determining inclusion and exclusion criteria according to the PICOS method. The studies were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool for quality assessment. Results: Three randomized controlled and one quasi‐experimental study with a total of 225 participants met the inclusion criteria. The four studies conducted on patients in the intensive care unit showed that abdominal massage reduced VAP. The studies reported no adverse effects of abdominal massage. Conclusion: Promising evidence was found for the effect of abdominal massage in preventing VAP. However, scientific studies with larger samples, of higher quality, and using randomized controls and blinding methods are needed to evaluate the unknown dimensions of abdominal massage and determine its beneficial effects on patients. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Several non‐pharmacological methods may decrease VAP incidence and mortality. Abdominal massage may decrease VAP incidence and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aim Study Design and Methods Results Conclusions Relevance to Clinical Practice Position change and interventions to increase lung capacity should be considered in mechanically ventilated patients. The most effective of these is the prone position.This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to determine the effects of the prone position on respiratory parameters and outcomes and to guide nurses working in the intensive care unit.This systematic review‐meta‐analysis was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting in Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guideline. ScienceDirect, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane and PubMed databases were searched between January 2022 and January 2023 to access studies related to prone position in COVID‐19 patients.Twenty‐three studies were included. This meta‐analysis shows that a prone position is feasible and can achieve improvements in gas exchange. Prone position increases PaO2/FiO2 in the majority of patients followed with a diagnosis of COVID‐19 and severe hypoxemic.The study has shown that the prone position is effective in improving patients' respiratory function and oxygenation.The results presented in this article support the notion that the prone position can be an effective strategy in the clinical management of COVID‐19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to determine the death anxiety experienced by heart patients and the affecting factors in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 148 patients hospitalized in the cardiology clinic of a university hospital between April and August 2021 in the southeast in Turkey. The data were collected with the personal information form, death anxiety scale, coronavirus anxiety scale and Covid-19 fear scale developed by the researchers. Data analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of the data. Correlation and regression analysis were performed to determine the relationship between scales. The mean age of the patients was 64.99+15.56 years and 56.1% were male. 57.4% of them were hospitalized with a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. During the pandemic, it was determined that 74.3% of the patients followed social distance, 71.6% wore masks, 58.8% used disinfectants. The patients had moderate death anxiety, low coronavirus anxiety, and high covid 19 fear. A positive linear correlation was found between anxiety and fear scale and death anxiety total and sub-dimensions. As a result, the fear of COVID-19 may increase the fear of death in individuals with heart disease. Patients who are worried about being infected with Covid 19 during the pandemic process have more fear of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare professionals play important roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate nursing students' opinions about COVID-19. This study was planned using a descriptive phenomenological design. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form during individual interviews carried out through phone calls or online. After the interviews were recorded, they were documented. The study found that students experienced anxiety because of the pandemic, that they protect themselves through personal hygiene and isolation methods, that most of them found the social measures sufficient, that they were worried about their relatives, and that they wanted to go back to their social lives. Positive occupational value and investment in the health sector are positive effects of the pandemic on nursing, while an increased workload and the high risk of death are negative effects. Nursing students should be supported with both theoretical information and psychological support during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death anxiety is a feeling that exists since birth, continues throughout life, lies at the root of all fears, and develops after the awareness that people will no longer exist and that they can lose themselves and the world. It is associated with death-induced anxiety with many features of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be seen as a threat to human existence. In this study, it is aimed to compile studies on death anxiety associated with coronavirus disease, list the general characteristics of these studies through descriptive summaries, and combine findings on the level of death anxiety associated with coronavirus disease through meta-analysis. The findings of this study suggest that COVID-19 pandemic process and is affected by socio-demographic factors such as fear of COVID-19, gender, and occupation. As a result of this study, it was determined that death anxiety was relatively high during the COVID-19 pandemic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the relationship between activities of daily living in the elderly and elder abuse, the research was conducted during the COVID-19 process. This study was performed as descriptive and cross -sectional. For data collection, the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE), Personal Information Form, Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living (BIADL) and Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (HS/EAST) were used. It was determined that 43.8% of the elderly participants were moderately dependent while performing activities of daily living, and 63.4% were exposed to some kind of abuse. The HS/EAST total mean scores of elderly people who were highly dependent while performing activities of daily living were found to be higher. It was determined that as the dependency levels of the elderly in their activities of daily living increased, the rate of exposure to abuse increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks caused by environmental effects such as COVID-19, MERS, SARS, or Ebola cause problems such as fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and hopelessness for people with or without a high risk of illness. This study aims to determine the levels of hopelessness and anxiety experienced by nursing students during the COVID-19 outbreak. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with students of a state university. In the collection of the data, Descriptive Characteristics Form prepared by the researchers, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test (GAD-7), and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) were used. The mean GAD-7 score of the students participating in the study was 6.65 ± 5.03 and the mean BHS score was 6.11 ± 4.91. It was determined that the score of GAD-7 and BHS were a significant positive high relationship between them (p < 0.001). Anxiety and hopelessness levels were found to be statistically significantly higher for those whose sleep and eating patterns affected negatively due to the pandemic, those who feared the pandemic and its economic effects, and those who did not want to work in the hospital during the pandemic period. There was a relationship between anxiety and hopelessness levels of nursing students participating in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine the effect of attitude to death on self-management in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was carried out in a descriptive and correlational type with the participation of n = 103 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients registered in the Internal Medicine Unit at a University Hospital. Personal Information Form, Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R), Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire and Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used in data collection. According to the results of the study, it was determined that diabetes patients' fear of COVID-19 increased their fear of death and self-management. Similarly, neuropathy and nephropathy developed in these patients. In addition, it was determined that the diabetic patients who worked 6–7 days a week outside the home had higher levels of fear. It was found that those with high fear were more attentive to social distancing, wearing masks and hand sanitizer use. Staying at home is also not always possible for patients with chronic diseases, and people struggle with COVID-19 by working in crowded workspaces. It is necessary to recognize the struggle of patients with chronic diseases and provide social, economic and psychological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it was aimed to examine attitudes toward dyspnea and death from the perspective of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients and to determine the relationship between them. This descriptive research was carried out in the chest diseases clinic of a public hospital and with the participation of COPD patients (n = 124). The data were obtained from the Personal Information Form, Death Attitude Profile-Revised, and Medical Research Council Scale. The neutral acceptance and approach acceptance subscale is explained as believing that death is an inevitable part of life and a transition to life after death. The escape acceptance subscale is explained as believing that life will save from physical or psychological harms. It was determined that the Neutral Acceptance and Approach Acceptance sub-dimension of the predictors of dyspnea, comorbid diseases, and COPD had a significant effect at a rate of 33% (p = 0.000). Dyspnea, Comorbid diseases, and the predictors of the severity of COPD affect the Escape Acceptance sub-dimension by 57% (p = 0.000). This research has shown that fear of death is high in COPD patients with high perceived dyspnea. The psychological support provided to patients with COPD should be considered to relieve the fear of death. New studies are needed in which these should be reevaluated in the same context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]