Barriers to Practical Learning in the Field: A Qualitative Study of Iranian Nursing Students' Experiences

Background: Clinical training is an integral part of nursing education; however, some studies have shown that it is not always efficient. Objectives: This study aimed to find out the factors that can impede nursing students’ clinical learning. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected via reflective journal writing. Purposeful sampling was used, and 12 senior nursing students were recruited to the study. The data were analyzed using a content analysis method. Results: Three main categories were derived, including inappropriate communication, ineffective role models, and theory-practice gaps. Students perceived that inappropriate communication between instructors, staff members, and students had the greatest impact on student learning. The competence of clinical instructors and staff is an important factor affecting students’ training. The clinical learning environment does not always integrate theory and practice together. Conclusions: Nursing students did not experience effective clinical learning. Having expert instructors and supportive communication are important factors in creating a clinical learning environment

E-collaborative tasks and the enhancement of writing performance among Iranian university-level EFL learners

The prevalence of using social software in foreign and second language settings has caused a resurgence of interest in collaborative writing. This study investigates the benefits of collaborative and e-collaborative tasks on writing performance of the students in a process-oriented approach. It, in fact, examines the effects on the accuracy, complexity, and fluency of the written text produced by the learners. To this end, the quasiexperimental design was employed and 74 intermediate students at Islamic Azad University (Isfahan Branch) in Iran participated in the study. They were divided into three groups by random assignment in which two experimental groups were required to perform their tasks in collaboration while only one of them had access to Telegram Application outside the classroom. The control group followed the conventional method of learning how to write. The Measures of One-way ANCOVA, having compared the pretests and posttests results, showed a significant change in the accuracy and complexity of the written texts produced by the students in the experimental group applying e-collaboration. It also revealed that there was no significant change in the fluency of the written texts produced by the students

Nurse Caring Behaviors from Patients’ and Nurses’ Perspective: A Comparative Study

Caring is a complex concept but nevertheless with many definitions of it, unfortunately there is not agreement among researchers about the definitions of caring. As patients are the recipients of care, it is important to identify their perceptions of caring. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare nurse caring behaviors from patient's and nurse's perspective. The sample consisted of 150 patients hospitalized in Boushehr hospitals and 50 nurses caring for their patients. Data were collected using a quota sampling method and Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI). Findings showed that, there were significant differences between patients and nurses perspective in subscales including Assurance of human presence and Attentiveness to other's experience. Moreover, there was a significant difference in total scale of nurse caring behaviors between patient's and nurse's perspective (t=2.559, P=0.011). Significant difference in nurse caring behaviors between nurse and patient satisfaction implies, howbeit nurses believe that they care for patients but can't to make an estimate of their expectations. To reduce this Gap, nurses should attend to human caring and inform patients to real caring

Nurse Caring Behaviors from Patients’ and Nurses’ Perspective: A Comparative Study

Caring is a complex concept but nevertheless with many definitions of it, unfortunately there is not agreement among researchers about the definitions of caring. As patients are the recipients of care, it is important to identify their perceptions of caring. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare nurse caring behaviors from patient's and nurse's perspective. The sample consisted of 150 patients hospitalized in Boushehr hospitals and 50 nurses caring for their patients. Data were collected using a quota sampling method and Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI). Findings showed that, there were significant differences between patients and nurses perspective in subscales including Assurance of human presence and Attentiveness to other's experience. Moreover, there was a significant difference in total scale of nurse caring behaviors between patient's and nurse's perspective (t=2.559, P=0.011). Significant difference in nurse caring behaviors between nurse and patient satisfaction implies, howbeit nurses believe that they care for patients but can't to make an estimate of their expectations. To reduce this Gap, nurses should attend to human caring and inform patients to real caring

Patients With Celiac Disease Have an Increased Risk for Pancreatitis

Background & Aims Patients with celiac disease have been reported to be at increased risk for pancreatitis and pancreatic insufficiency, but the risk might have been overestimated because of patient selection and limited numbers of patients for analysis. Furthermore, no distinction has been made between patients with gallstone-related and non–gallstone-related pancreatitis. We performed a nationwide study to determine the risk for any pancreatitis or subtype of pancreatitis among patients with biopsy-verified celiac disease. Methods We analyzed data from patients in Sweden with celiac disease (n = 28,908) who were identified on the basis of small intestinal biopsy records from 28 pathology departments (those with villous atrophy, Marsh 3). Biopsies were performed from 1969 to 2008, and biopsy report data were collected from 2006 to 2008. Patients with pancreatitis were identified on the basis of diagnostic codes in the Swedish Patient Register and records of pancreatic enzyme use in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Data were matched with those from 143,746 individuals in the general population; Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for pancreatitis. Results We identified 406 patients with celiac disease who were later diagnosed with pancreatitis (and 143 with expected pancreatitis) (HR, 2.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.53–3.21). The absolute risk of any pancreatitis among patients with celiac disease was 126/100,000 person-years, with an excess risk of 81/100,000 person-years. The HR for gallstone-related acute pancreatitis was 1.59 (95% CI, 1.06–2.40), for non–gallstone-related acute pancreatitis HR was 1.86 (95% CI, 1.52–2.26), for chronic pancreatitis HR was 3.33 (95% CI, 2.33–4.76), and for supplementation with pancreatic enzymes HR was 5.34 (95% CI, 2.99–9.53). The risk of any pancreatitis within 5 years of diagnosis was 2.76 (95% CI, 2.36–3.22). Conclusions Based on an analysis of medical records from Sweden, patients with celiac disease have an almost 3-fold increase in risk of developing pancreatitis, compared with the general population

Long-term proton pump inhibitor usage and the association with pancreatic cancer in Sweden

Background The long-term safety of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is increasingly questioned. The aim of our study was to assess the risk of pancreatic cancer among long-term PPI users in Sweden. Methods This population-based nationwide Swedish cohort study including 796,492 adult long-term PPI users has been used to calculate the standardized incidence rate ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pancreatic cancer, stratifying by indications of use, age, sex, and duration of use. The risk among all 20,210 long-term H2-receptor antagonist users was assessed as comparison. Results Pancreatic cancer was found in 1733 long-term PPI users, and 25 H2-receptor antagonist users. For PPI users, the risk of pancreatic cancer was increased overall (SIRs = 2.22; 95% CI 2.12-2.32) and in all subgroup analyses, with the highest risk among PPI-users younger than 40 years (SIR = 8.90, 95% CI 4.26-16.37), and among individuals with a history of Helicobacter pylori (SIR = 2.99, 95% CI 2.54-3.49). After the first year after enrolment (during which PPI use may be because of early symptoms of pancreatic cancer), the risk remained increased over time, with SIR = 1.57 (95% CI 1.38-1.76) after 5 years. No associations were found for H2-receptor antagonists (SIR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.66-1.51). Conclusions This large study showed an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in long-term users of PPIs in Sweden, in particular among the youngest users

Barriers to Practical Learning in the Field: A Qualitative Study of Iranian Nursing Students’ Experiences

Background: Clinical training is an integral part of nursing education; however, some studies have shown that it is not always efficient. Objectives: This study aimed to find out the factors that can impede nursing students’ clinical learning. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected via reflective journal writing. Purposeful sampling was used, and 12 senior nursing students were recruited to the study. The data were analyzed using a content analysis method. Results: Three main categories were derived, including inappropriate communication, ineffective role models, and theory-practice gaps. Students perceived that inappropriate communication between instructors, staff members, and students had the greatest impact on student learning. The competence of clinical instructors and staff is an important factor affecting students’ training. The clinical learning environment does not always integrate theory and practice together. Conclusions: Nursing students did not experience effective clinical learning

Critical concentration of Glucose changes human serum albumin conformation: Circular Dichroism (CD)and UV Spectroscopyapproaches

HSA plays an important role in transporting metabolites and drugs throughout the vascular system.  In as much as its performance is very vital in the presents of different kinds of ligands at the specific body temperatures, its examination is crucial. This molecule can undergo increased glycation in diabetes. Therefore, glucose as the one of the most fundamental ligands dealing with albumin in human body is examined in this study at 100 mg/dl concentration in correspond to normal condition on human body, 175 mg/dl as a kidney glucose tolerance point and also 400 mg/dl as the critical point at the two most important temperatures in diabetic patients. Thermal conformational changes of (HSA) are important. These conformational alterations are accompanied by a mild alteration of secondary structures. For this reason, possible secondarystructural changes of HSA in presence of glucose has beeninvestigated by circular dichroism (CD) using Hepes bufferat the normal temperature 37˚C and 42˚C as a high fever condition.UV spectroscopystudies confirmed CD findings and indicate that critical concentration of glucoselead to generation of new structural feature of albumin similar to 42oC. However, as the temperature increases from 37˚C to 42˚C this process is no more capable of responding to glucose concentration changes.These results indicate that the native form of HSA is changed in the severe diabetic condition; likewise, same consequences can be achieved as the temperature arises from 37˚C to 42˚C