Search

Objective: Nurses make up the majority of the workforce in any healthcare system. Physical inactivity due to heavy workloads has been widely reported among nurses. This study aimed to examine whether a self-liberation intervention could help nurses increase their physical activity levels that would result in other health benefits. Methods: A two-armed randomized controlled trial was implemented among 40 nurses (20 per arm). The control arm received information about the benefits of physical activity, but with no intervention. The intervention arm received the same information and were given pedometers for 12 weeks to record their daily steps while also receiving weekly reminders. Measurements were taken for anthropometric data, self-reported physical activity, exercise stage-of-change, exercise self-efficacy, and pedometer steps (intervention arm only). All statistical analyses were two-sided, with p ⩽ 0.05. Results: The respondents’ mean age was 47.9 ± 7.02 years with 90% being female. After the intervention, the intervention arm achieved a higher self-efficacy score (4.60 ± 1.75 to 5.63 ± 2.48) while a decline was observed in the control arm (5.02 ± 2.08 to 4.50 ± 1.90). At baseline, 16.7% ( n = 3) of the control arm and 27.8% ( n = 5) of the intervention arm were classified as moderately physically active (McNemar’s test = 1.20, p = 0.549). After 12 weeks, this proportion increased to 27.7% ( n = 5) in the control arm and 50.0% ( n = 9) in the intervention arm (McNemar’s test = 5.00, p = 0.172). For the intervention arm, mean daily step counts rose from 8889 ± 579.84 at week 1 to 9930 ± 986.52 at week 12 and reached the level of statistical significance ( p

Cervical spondylosis affects many people worldwide and is a natural age-related disease associated with degenerative changes within the intervertebral disc. Despite the efficacy of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, people who undergo this operation can experience various symptoms that impact their health-related quality of life. Developing effective programs to improve health-related quality of life requires understanding the factors that predict it in this population. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the health-related quality of life in people with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and identify factors predicting the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life. This study had a convenience sample of 308 adults and older adults post-anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in Shanghai City, China. The data were collected through an online survey platform when participants were discharged. The research instruments included the Eating Assessment Tool-10, the Neck Disability Index, the Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Short Form Health Survey Version 1. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. The findings revealed a moderate level of health-related quality of life among people with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Remaining disability and depression could explain 46.50% of the variance in the physical component of the health-related quality of life. In contrast, smoking, gender, social support, depression, and remaining disability could explain 48.40% of the variance in the mental health component. The findings are useful for health professionals, including nurses, in designing comprehensive programs based on these factors to help people with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion to improve both the physical and mental health components of their quality of life. However, it is recommended that this study be replicated with different samples in different locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard precautions are essential to prevent cross-infections among emergency nurses, particularly during a pandemic of infectious diseases. However, poor adherence to such standard precautions is an ongoing global health system problem. This may be due to nurses' lack of adequate understanding regarding the influencing mechanisms of various factors that cause cross-infection in practice. In this cross-sectional study, we rigorously utilized the Theory of Planned Behaviors as a guiding framework to develop and test a causal model of factors influencing adherence to standard precautions practices among Chinese emergency nurses. From July 2022 to February 2023, purposive sampling was used to recruit 310 emergency nurses from eight tertiary hospitals in four cities in Sichuan Province, China, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research instruments included a Demographic Data Form, the Standard Precautions Questionnaire, the Leading Culture of Quality in Infection Prevention Scale, and the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Analysis of Moment Structure program to test the influencing factors. The final model of factors influencing adherence to standard precautions practices among Chinese emergency nurses explained 36% of the variance. This model provides a practical tool for understanding and improving adherence to standard precautions. Infection prevention climate and intention can affect adherence practices directly. In addition, nurses' attitudes to standard precautions, social norms of standard precautions, perceived behavioral control of standard precautions, and infection prevention climate indirectly affected adherence practices through intention as the mediator. Among these factors, infection prevention climate had the most substantial effect on adherence practices. These findings underscore the pivotal role of nursing administrators in highlighting the remarkable benefits of standard precautions, shaping emergency nurses' positive attitudes and confidence toward standard precautions, and creating a supportive climate for infection control. By implementing these strategies, nursing administrators can significantly improve adherence to standard precautions, ensuring a safer healthcare environment for workers, patients, and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic low back pain is a common musculoskeletal problem and requires self-management among adults to carry out an active and emotionally satisfying life. To support self-management, it is necessary to understand how various factors work to influence this. The objective of this study was to develop a causal model of self-management among adults with chronic low back pain. A total of 174 Thai adults with chronic low back pain aged between 30 - 60 years were randomly selected by a multi-stage sampling method from four hospitals in the northern region of Thailand. Data were collected via the following instruments: The Demographic Data Form, Self-Management Scale, Modified Self-Efficacy for Chronic Low Back Pain Management Scale, Low Back Pain Knowledge Questionnaire, Modified Barthel's Activity of Daily Living Index, Chula Activity of Daily Living Index, Social Support Questionnaire, and Belief in Treatment Effectiveness Scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's product moment correlation, and path analysis. The results revealed that overall self-management was at a moderate level. A causal model of self-management fitted with data, and was able to explain 33.00% of the variance in self-management by four factors. These factors, self-efficacy, social support, low back pain knowledge, and belief in treatment effectiveness directly affected self-management. Social support both directly and indirectly affected self-management through self-efficacy and belief in treatment effectiveness. These results indicate that nurses can use the four factors to conduct appropriate interventions for promoting self-management among adults with chronic low back pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a mental health problem worldwide, often a co-occurring condition with disabilities and contributes to a low quality of life and suicide. Older women are more likely to experience depression than older men and need specific interventions to reduce their depressive symptoms. This randomized controlled trial examined the effect of a group administered cognitive behavior therapy program for reducing depressive symptoms among older women. Sixty Thai older women living in the community, who met the inclusion criteria and presented at primary care units in Northern Thailand, were randomly assigned into either a group undertaking a cognitive behavior therapy program (n=30) or a usual care control condition (n=30). Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Thai version at baseline, immediately after the time needed to complete The Thai Group CBT Intervention Program, and then at 1 and 3 months follow-up. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t-test were used to test the program efficacy. Results indicated that the mean depression scores in the CBT condition at every point were significantly lower than at baseline and also statistically lower than those of the usual care condition after completing the program. Thus, The Thai Group CBT Intervention Program was found to be efficacious in reducing depression. Nurses should consider integrating this intervention for older persons with depression into primary care; however, further study is needed to demonstrate the durability of the depression reduction effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]