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Objective: The aim of this study is to correlate the QOL domains of the civil servants to the type and number of chronic health conditions., Method: A transversal, quantitative study, conducted at the Department of Civil Servant Assistance of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte with 215 civil servants, during the period from March to May 2011., Results: Among the chronic health conditions studied, there was significant relationship between non-communicable chronic disease and QOL scores, correlating weakly (r <-376; p <0.008) in the other fields. It was found that the greater the number of chronic conditions, the lower the values on the QOL scale., Conclusion: The quality of life of civil servants is negatively influenced by chronic health conditions, compromising, in general, their daily work and life activities.

Objectives: To validate an instrument to assess quality of mobile emergency pre-hospital care., Method: A methodological study where 20 professionals gave their opinions on the items of the proposed instrument. The analysis was performed using Kappa test (K) and Content Validity Index (CVI), considering K> 0.80 and CVI ≥ 0.80., Results: Three items were excluded from the instrument: Professional Compensation; Job Satisfaction and Services Performed. Items that obtained adequate K and CVI indexes and remained in the instrument were: ambulance conservation status; physical structure; comfort in the ambulance; availability of material resources; user/staff safety; continuous learning; safety demonstrated by the team; access; welcoming; humanization; response time; costumer privacy; guidelines on care; relationship between professionals and costumers; opportunity for costumers to make complaints and multiprofessional conjunction/actuation., Conclusion: The instrument to assess quality of care has been validated and may contribute to the evaluation of pre-hospital care in mobile emergency services.

Objective: The aim of this study was to present the process of construction and validation of an instrument for evaluating the care provided to people with wounds, to be used with undergraduate nursing students. METHOD :Methodological study, with quantitative approach, using the Delphi technique in two rounds, the first with 30 judges and the second with 18. The analysis was made with Kappa coefficient ≥0.80, and content validity index greater than >0.80, also using the Wilcoxon test for comparison of the indices between the rounds., Results: It was found that of the 20 categories of the instrument, 18 presented better scores in the second Delphi round. Scores were greater in the second round in seven of the ten evaluation categories., Conclusion: Based on the evaluation by the judges, a version of the instrument was defined with adequate indices of agreement and validity, which will be able to help in evaluating care of people with cutaneous injury given by undergraduate nursing students.

Objective: To identify the main factors of the physical domain modified after kidney transplantation and analyze the influence of those aspects in the perception of Overall quality of life (QOL)., Method: Longitudinal study, conducted with 63 chronic kidney patients, evaluated before and after kidney transplant, using the quality of life scale proposed by the World Health Organization., Results: We observed significant improvement in the physical aspects of QOL after kidney transplantation. Significant correlations were observed between physical aspects and the Overall QOL., Conclusion: The kidney transplant generated improvement in all physical aspects of QOL. The factors that showed stronger correlation with the Overall QOL before the transplant were the capacity to work and pain. After the transplant, the perception of need for treatment was the factor that showed stronger correlation with the Overall QOL.

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of social networks in the therapeutic itinerary of people affected by venous ulcers. Qualititative research was conducted in the outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected from January to February 2013 by means of semi-structured interviews with 14 people affected by venous ulcers. Content analysis provided the following categories: The family worries with me; I get lots of help from friends and neighbours, and I do it myself. Results revealed some elements of social networks that influence choices and continuity of treatment and care of patient with venous ulcers. It is therefore necessary for nurses to familiarize themselves with these social networks and work with them to strengthen the partnership in care.

The aim of this study was to describe the harnessing of corneas captured and processed for transplantation in an ocular tissue bank in north-eastern Brazil.This was a transverse and retrospective study, with a sample group of 612 individuals whose corneas were do- nated and captured between January/2007 and July/2012. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under number 007.0.294.000-10, and research was based on an instrument consisting of social, demographic and clinical data of the donors. Of the 1209 corneas captured, 868 were used and 341 were discarded. Of the 612 donors, the corneas of 597 (97.5%) were captured from both eyes, being that 423 (70.9%) of these corneas were used. Further studies are required on the reasons for discarding corneas and clarifications as to the conduct of professionals when processing corneas, considering the increase in the quantity of donors and the elevated number of discarded ocular tissue.

This study aimed to validate an instrument for evaluation the ability of nursing students to measure the blood pressure. It is a methodological study, developed with 27 nurses, teachers of semiology and/or semiotic disciplines, with at least 1 year of experience in disciplines, which acted as judges of the study. It was accomplished in two steps: first, a review of the literature to build the checklist instrument and subsequent submission for content validation by applying the Kappa, accepting the value > 0.61 (good level); and second, it was accomplished a Content Validity Index (CVI) > 0.75. Based on the literature review, 28 items were included in the checklist, with all of them showing Kappa index and CVI accepted for content validity, and nine of those items needed changes. The instrument can be considered valid in its content, with all its items being considered appropriate separately, as well as globally.

Objectives: to compare the quality of life of patients with chronic venous disease with and without ulcer and to identify the most affected aspects., Method: cross-sectional study with a sample of 204 patients with chronic venous disease. The quality of life was assessed with the help of the SF-36 questionnaire. To compare the scores between the groups, the Mann-Whitney test was used, considering a statistically significant difference when p<0.05., Results: the quality of life score of patients with ulcer was lower when compared to that of patients without ulcer, in all domains and dimensions of the SF-36, particularly in the domains physical aspect and functional capacity, with very low scores., Conclusion: all aspects of quality of life were more compromised in people with ulcers. These findings can contribute towards a better understanding of the effects of chronic venous disease on the quality of life and towards a better orientation of therapeutic interventions in this population.

The objective of this study is to reflect on the knowledge, competencies and skill that must be promoted during the academic education of nurses for an effective professional practice in view of a multiple-victim incident (MVI). This is an integrative literature review regarding academic nursing education. The literature survey was performed on the BDENF, LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge and HighWire Press databases, using the following descriptors: higher education; nursing education; emergency nursing; and mass casualty incidents. The publications permitted considerations regarding the following themes: particularities; competencies and skills essential in nursing practice in view of multiple-victim incidents; and the professors' strategies to promote those competencies and skills. The literature analysis demonstrated that nursing education should be configured as a space to develop critical thinking skills, which requires professors to have an eclectic educational background.

A transversal descriptive quantitative study, conducted with 50 people with Venous Ulcer (VU) at an University Hospital, that aimed to ascertain the level of psychosocial adaptation of the Roy Model of people with VU. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee. The data were collected with a structured form. After organizing the data, composed of changes in the lives of people with VU, we classified it according to Roy's psychosocial aspects. We found that in the self-concept mode, 36% felt dissatisfied with physical appearance, and 18% had negative feelings; in the role-function mode: change in the working role (52.0%), housework (34.0%), marital (6.0%), leisure, pain, social, educational and transportation restrictions (82.0%); interdependence mode: support in treatment (82.0%), discrimination (58.0%). The identification of the psychosocial aspects directs nursing actions to consider the whole of the person receiving care in its relations with the environment, thus promoting a better level of adaptation.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of pain, in terms of its duration, location and intensity, on the functional capacity of institutionalized elderly. That was a cross-sectional study carried out with a sample of 60 elderly patients. The instrument was composed by sociodemographic and health variables, the numerical pain scale and the Barthel scale. The Chi-square test showed a significant statistical difference between the presence of pain and the following activities: bathing (p=0.015) dressing (p=0.041), toilet use (p=0.001), bed-chair transfer (p=0.032), ambulation (p=0.010) and stairs climbing (p=0.008) and between total Barthel score and the presence of pain, p<0,000. The results of this study show that pain has a negative effect on the functional capacity of the elderly.

The objective of this study was to verify the effects of the decongestive physiotherapy (DP) in the healing of venous ulcers. It is an interventionist, and almost experimental, study with the participation of 20 clients who were divided into 2 groups: the control group (n = 10) and the intervention group (n = 10). Clients from the first group were only treated with conventional dressing and those in the second group were treated with conventional dressing and decongestive physiotherapy (association of techniques: manual lymph drainage, compressive bandaging, elevation of the lower limbs, myolymphokinetic exercises and skin care). Both groups were treated during six months. The clients submitted to DP presented significant reduction of the edema and the pain, besides an improvement in the healing process. Results allowed to verify that the decongestive therapy stimulated the healing process of venous ulcers, improving the quality of life of the subjects.

Objective: To assess the functional capacity and to determine the difference between the means of functional capacity (basic and instrumental activities of daily living) and the age groups of elderly residents in an outlying area in the hinterland of Bahia/Northeast of Brazil., Method: Analytical study with cross-sectional design and a sample of 150 elderly individuals enrolled in four Health Units in the municipality of Jequié, Bahia, Brazil. The instrument consisted of sociodemographic and health data, the Barthel Index and the Lawton scale., Results: In all, 78.00% of the elderly were classified as dependent in the basic activities and 65.33% in the instrumental activities of daily living. Using the Kruskal-Wallis test, we found a statistically significant difference between the means of instrumental activities and the age groups (p=0.011)., Conclusion: An elevated number of elderly were classified as dependent in terms of functional capacity and increased age is related to greater impairment in the execution of instrumental activities of daily living.

The study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological strategies to relieve pain in parturients in labor. This is a before and after therapeutic intervention clinical trial, performed at a public maternity in the city of Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with 100 parturients applying breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, lumbosacral massage, and showers. A visual analogue scale was used for data collection. Most parturients were between 20- and 30-years-old (60%), had incomplete primary-level education (85%), family income of up to 2 minimum salaries (74%), and 78% had a companion with them at the hospital. Oxytocine was administered in 81% of cases, but 15% did not receive any medication. A significant difference was observed in pain relief after using non-pharmacological strategies, showing reduced pain as cervix dilation increased. It was concluded that the strategies were effective in reducing the intensity of pain in the studied parturients in labor.

The aim of the present study was to identify the prevalence and characteristics of pain chronic in relation to qualitative aspects and location in elderly (65 the 104 old) institutionalized in Jequié, Bahia, Brazil. This is a descriptive exploratory study with a transversal design and quantitative approach. The instrument used consisted of: data identification; mini-mental examination; pain-related aspects; and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Half of the subjects were women, with a pain prevalence of 73.3%, 30% of whom had experienced pain for 1 to 5 years, 25% for more than 5 years, 28.3% did not cite pain duration and 16.6% reported having had pain for less than 1 year. With respect to quantification of pain, the most cited was moderate (25.7%). Many of the elderly were in the age group of 60 to 69 years, most painful complaint lodged mild and moderate, and places most affected were, knees and lumbar spine.

The research aims at identifying strategies of coping with AIDS used by mothers of HIV positive children to live better with their children's disease. The method used was a descriptive qualitative study. Thirty-three structured interviews were conducted with HIV positive women voluntaries and registered as users in the clinic of the public hospital of reference for the treatment of AIDS in Natal/RN. For data analysis, the method used was thematic content analysis. From the analysis, prevalent categories regarding forms of facing AIDS came up, they were: overprotection and fear; donation; hope; religious belief; underestimation of HIV; hiding the diagnosis; and resignation. This study shows that despite AIDS limitations and barriers, relatives develop strategies that make it possible to face every day problems and live better with it.

This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Strategies (NFS) on pain relief of parturients as part of a research instrument to be utilized in a Doctoral Dissertation. In order to evaluate the NFS, the Analogous Visual Scale (AVS) was used on 30 parturients attended at the Humanized Labor Unit of a school-maternity hospital in Natal, RN, Brazil. Of the six NFS (respiratory exercises, muscular relaxation, lumbossacral massage, shower washing, deambulation and pelvic swing), two were excluded post-test (deambulation and pelvic swing) for not being accepted by the parturients. The remaining NFS (respiratory exercises, muscular relaxation, lumbossacral massage, and shower washing) which reached satisfactory acceptation and applicability rates, were found to be effective in relieving pain of these parturients, and thus deemed adequate for use in the Doctoral Dissertation data collection process.

Descriptive study that proposed to compare the qualitative and quantitative behavior of the pain in lateral posterior thoracotomy patients. The sample was consisted of 18 individuals with an average age of 44 years. The instruments used were physiotherapy evaluation form, numerical pain scale and McGill questionnaire for pain. The pain on the numerical pain scale was considered moderate(5) for both sexes. The descriptors of the McGill questionnaire choosen by the patients with higher frequency were: in the sensorial component, beat4, pointed1, shock2, final and pull2; in the afetive component, tired1, bored1, punishald1 and miserable1 and in the evaluative component was flat. The characteristics of pain in the sensorial group were more evidents on male group. No significant statistical difeferences were observed between quantitative answers concerning pain between the men and women. On the qualitative aspects , was observed an predominancy of the same descriptors of pain in afetive component for both sexes. Pain intensity was categorized as moderate. No significant statistical difference were observed between the pain on the post-operatory lateral posterior thoracotomy. These data demonstrate a necessity for an analysis with a larger study group.

Purpose: To analyze the pain intensity and characteristics of patients in posterior-lateral thoracotomy (PLT) and esternotomy (EST)., Methods: The sample was composed by 40 individuals submitted to PLT and EST, 12 males and 08 females for each surgical proceeding with average of 47 years old. The instruments used were physiotherapeutic evaluation forms, pain numerical scale and McGill questionnaire pain. The proceeding have consisted on apply of the instruments., Results: The pain intensity of numerical scale has ranged from 2 to 10 with average of 5.1 for male and 5.7 for female. The descriptors of the McGill questionnaire selected with higher frequency were: pointed e thin (sensorial group), tired, sickening, punishment e miserable (affective group) and e tidy, cold e bored (miscellany group). The average of the number and the plus of the descriptors were compared between males patients submitted to PLT and EST, these values haven't showed statistical significance. The same results also were found between females patients., Conclusion: There weren't statistical significance of pain quantitative answers when compared the patients submitted to PLT and EST. About the qualitative aspects, it was observed at McGill questionnaire a predominance the same descriptors of the affective group for both sexes.

The accelerated aging of the Brazilian population will certainly increase the number of institutionalized elderly. Based on this focus, this descriptive and exploratory study was carried out at three asylum institutions in Natal (RN), Brazil, with a view to characterizing the elderly living there, as well as identifying the socioeconomic and health problems and causes that took them to the asylum. The sample consisted of 30% of the total number of elderly in each asylum. These are philanthropic institutions and give shelter to poor elderly persons. Results showed that the three institutions' socioeconomic and health characteristics were similar to what is found in literature, with few financial conditions, family contact marked by conflict, lack or absence of leisure activities, precarious health, restricted medical and nursing care and absence of private health plans. Our reflections on the socioeconomic and health conditions of these persons led to the conclusion that public bodies need to take actions to safeguard their civil rights.

This is a descriptive study developed in the outpatient unit of a university maternity hospital in the city of Natal/RN. It aimed at identifying the knowledge about and alterations found during breast self-examination as well as at describing how women examine themselves. The population was formed by patients sent by other health services and the sample consisted of 109 women with age varying from 15 to 83 years. In order to collect data, the authors used a form containing identification information as well as about breast self-examination. Based on the collected data, they identified that among the 109 participants, the age of 36 (33%) of them varied from 15 to 39 years; of 58 (53%) of them from 40 to 58 years and of 15 (14%) of them from 60 to 83 years. 75% reported that they examined themselves and that they attended a health care service for correct treatment in case any alterations were detected during self-examination.

This is an exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative approach that had as its purpose to characterize the educational activities of the nurses that work in the prevention and control program for sexually transmittable diseases and AIDS in the municipality of Natal, RN. The study ws conducted in the basic health care units with 10 (ten) nurses that implemented educational activities in AIDS prevention. A structured interview was used and content analysis techniques were applied to the data. It was identified that the majority of the nurses understood health education as the transmission of information and that the AIDS prevention program had insufficient actions, lacked structure in the service settings and institutional support by the Municipal Secretariat of Health. The program activities were characterized as traditional limited, sporadic, and lacking human and material resources.

This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach that aimed at applying the nursing process based in Orem Self-Care Theory, through a case study with a pregnant adolescent in order to identify the nursing diagnosis in the above mentioned clients, based on NANDA'S nursing diagnoses. Results obtained identified three nursing diagnoses: prejudiced adaptation, sleep disturb and familiar change process. The application of the nursing process based in Orem and the importance of the diagnosis identified for clients nursing care were evidenced.

This descriptive study was developed in a State School, located in the city of Natal-RN, with the purpose to identify the knowledge and opinion of a group of adolescents about AIDS prevention. 30 questionnaires were applied and among the main obtained results, the authors found out that the adolescents are not well informed regarding this disease. Among the mentioned prevention methods they found the use of condom, but not in a systematic way by 50% of the population studied.