Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Workplace violence against nursing students is a common phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence, including their reaction to violence and the consequences and the effects of such violence on the students.

METHODS

The study participants were undergraduate nursing students. The data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was carried out with qualitative approach using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

Four categories were extracted from the analysis of the interview transcriptions: vertical violence, horizontal violence, reaction to violence and consequences of violence. Nurses were the major imposers of violence against students and psychological and verbal violations were the most of used forms of violence. The students reacted to violence in the forms of counteracting, reporting, disregarding and considering as commonplace.

CONCLUSIONS

Workplace violence is a common phenomenon experienced by nursing students in this study, which causes devastating individual, educational, and professional impacts. Action plans including providing safe environment and appropriate support from nurses and educators should be developed in clinical settings to intervene and to prevent workplace violence.

COVID 19 related perceived discrimination in medical settings, March and April 2020

Global spread of a disease causes fear that can lead to discrimination against the people infected with the disease. On December 2019, COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, and has spread throughout the world. In this descriptive and analytic study Perceived discrimination of the patients admitted to COVID-19 wards was measured in medical settings. Data was collected of 176 patients discharged in March and April 2020. Discrimination scale was used to collect data in medical settings. Overall mean score of the scale was 11.51 ± 3.883 indicating low level of perceived discrimination. The highest level of discrimination belonged to refusal of physicians and nurses to physically examine the patients (0.992 ± 3.49). Low level of perceived discrimination was reported in this study, which necessitated taking useful measures to identify discrimination, determines causes and prevent discriminatory behaviors in medical settings to improve the hospitalization experience and disease outcomes.

Barriers to Medication Adherence among Hypertensive Patients in Deprived Rural Areas

Background

Poor adherence to medication regimen leads to poor health outcomes, increased medical costs and increased death rate due to hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate baseline barriers to medication adherence among hypertensive patients in deprived rural areas.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 238 hypertensive patients living in deprived rural areas of Iran. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of demographic information, Morisky medication adherence scale and the barriers to medication adherence that were reliable and valid.

Results

The results of the study showed that medication adherence was significantly decreased and had a significant positive correlation with gender and economic status, while it had a negative correlation with age. Medication Adherence had a positive correlation with the duration of hypertension, while it had a negative correlation with the number of medications used and concurrently with other diseases.

Conclusions

Based on the present study it can be concluded that enhanced knowledge about illness and treatment in rural communities is improves the medical adherence. Financial supports along with the reduced number of prescribed drugs are also found to be the determining factors in the medical adherence.

Effective Characteristics of Iranian Nursing Students in Their Relationship with Clinical Nurses

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of undergraduate nursing students, which may determine the nature of their relationship with clinical nurses. Relationships between nursing students and clinical nurses are critical to maximize student learning outcomes and produce skilled graduates for the future health workforce. Methods: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted from January to August 2016. Twenty nine semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 undergraduate nursing students in Tabriz nursing and midwifery faculty. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim (in Persian), and analyzed using conventional content analysis to identify themes. Results: Four key themes emerged: educational factors (cognitive knowledge and practical skills, and learning motivation); communication skills; perceived support (perceived support from nurses and educators); and psychological state (fear of the relationship and self-confidence). Self-confidence is an emphasized concept in nursing students' willingness and ability to relate with clinical nurses. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that educational, communicative and psychological factors are important determinants of student communication with nurses. However, self-confidence is the most important factor in establishing such relationship. Self-confidence could be further assessed to identify nursing students who need greater support or would benefit from greater educational interventions to achieve relational skills.

Experiences of Iranian Nursing Students Regarding Their Clinical Learning Environment

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explain the experiences of Iranian nursing students regarding their clinical learning environment (CLE).

METHODS

Twenty-one nursing students participated in this qualitative study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

Analysis of interviews identified six categories: educational confusion, absence of evaluation procedures, limited educational opportunities, inappropriate interactions with nursing staff, bullying culture, and discrimination. Systematic and consistent methods were not used in clinical education and evaluation of nursing students. In addition, there were inadequate interactions between nursing students and health-care staff, and most students experienced discrimination and bullying in clinical settings.

CONCLUSION

Findings showed that the CLE of Iranian nursing students may be inadequate for high-level learning and safe and effective teaching. Addressing these challenges will require academic and practice partnerships to examine the systems affecting the CLE, and areas to be addressed are described in the six themes identified.

Patients' Dignity and Its Relationship with Contextual Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Dignity is considered as fundamental human needs and recognized as one of the central concepts in nursing science. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which patients’ dignity is respected and to evalutae its relationship with contextual variables.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 256 hospitalized patients in the two teaching hospitals affiliated to Zanjan University of medical sciences, Iran. Data were collected by a questionnaire consist of two sections: (a) demographic characteristics, and (b) patient dignity including 32 questions. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver.13) software using independent t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation.

Results: The result showed that the mean (standard deviation) of total score of patient’s dignity was 108.17 (25.28). According to the result, the majority of the respondents (76.2%) were not aware of patient’s rights. There was a significant difference in mean scores of total dignity between single and married persons, living in city or village, and hospitalization in Moosavi and Valiasr hospital.

Conclusion: Health care systems should take the provision of the patients' dignity into account through using a comprehensive educational program for informing of patient, family members, and health professionals about patients’ dignity.