Guideline Implementation for Improved Asthma Management and Treatment Adherence in Children in Jordan

Asthma imposes a significant social burden on children, their families, and society at large. As a chronic health condition, effective management could greatly benefit from consistent adherence to guidelines. Despite this, minimal effort has been exerted to examine the impact of asthma management guidelines and adherence to treatment on children with asthma and the mothers caring for them. This study was designed to evaluate the influence of asthma management guidelines on the knowledge and treatment adherence among children with asthma and their mothers. A quasi-experimental design was utilized, and the study was conducted at two large hospitals in Jordan: Princess Rahma Hospital and King Hussein Medical Center. A purposive sample of children aged 6-12 years (n = 100) who were accompanied by their mothers (n = 100) were recruited for this study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an observation checklist before and after the implementation of guidelines. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in knowledge related to asthma among children and their mothers (p < 0.001). Additionally, a statistically significant difference was observed in the children's adherence to their treatment regimen before and after the implementation of asthma management guidelines (p < 0.001). Moreover, the improvements in knowledge and practice related to asthma were sustained in the follow-up assessments. In conclusion, the guidelines had a beneficial effect on the children's adherence to their treatment regimen both before and after their implementation. Thus, asthma patients should adhere to conventional guidelines at various health services to manage their condition effectively.

The effect of food safety training program on food safety knowledge and practices in hotels’ and hospitals’ food services

Food Safety Knowledge (FSK) among Food Handlers (FHS) in the food services in both hotels and hospitals has a crucial role in food protection and combating against foodborne diseases. The aim is to check the food safety (FS) training program upon FSK in the Jordanian hotels’ and hospitals’ food services. A pre-test-post-test design was used. A convenience sample of 412 food handlers from randomly selected hotels and hospitals were recruited. Data were collected using 118-questions Food Safety Knowledge Questionnaire (FSKQ); 40- questions tool for FS Practices. A significant improvement in FSK mean scores in the post-test (85.48±17.07/118 points corresponded to 72.44%) compared with the pretest (78.50±13.69/118 points, corresponding to 66.66%). The overall mean FSK score was considered to be “moderate” in pre and post-tests. FS Practice level mean was 26.86±4.38/40 points (67.14%), regarded as “moderate” in the pre-test and continued to be “moderate” after the training despite a significant increase in the post-test scores (27.92±4.45/40 point, corresponded to 69.80%, P=0.000). FHS worked in organizations where HACCP principles are implemented, possessed higher FSK and better FS practices. Although continued to be “moderate”, FSK and FS Practices among FHS in the Jordanian hotels and hospitals have been significantly improved after the FS Training Program.

Jordanian Patients' Family Members Need Perceptions in the Critical Care Settings: Nurses' Perspectives versus Family Members' Perspectives in the Context of Health Informatics

Background

An unexpected hospitalization in any of the Critical Care Units (CCUs) is a stressful condition, not only for patients but also for other family members. Research in this field in Jordan is not available. The main objective of this study was to identify the most important needs as perceived by these family members in the light of this stressful event and compare them with the nurses' perceptions of the importance of these needs and also to determine the perception of the needs' importance with the sociodemographic characteristics of both family members and caring nurses.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the period between February and August 2020 among adult family members of patients admitted to the CCUs in hospitals of Jordan from all sectors (public, private, and teaching). The "Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI)" questionnaire was administered to 82 family members and 99 CCU nurses to determine the importance of the needs on the inventory. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

The most important need identified by the family members was relevant to the need for proximity (3.64 ± 0.45), followed by information (3.57 ± 0.58), assurance (3.44 ± 0.43), support (3.31 ± 0.62), and comfort (3.21 ± 0.56). Nurses identified the needs for assurance as the highest, followed by information, comfort, and support, whereas proximity was the least need perceived as very important. The top 10 important needs for both family members and nurses were identified. Family members and nurses were only common in 2 of the need statements on the scale. There was no significant association between the sociodemographic characteristics of the sample and the perception of the needs' importance (p=0.05).

Conclusion

This study has shown that nurses and family members of patients admitted to CCUs have different perspectives relevant to needs' importance. This should warn nurses to set the needs viewed by family members as a priority. Implications. In the CCU settings, in the context of advancing health informatics, families of patients in the ICUs have different needs other than those viewed by nurses. Their needs must be identified and considered.

Postpartum Depression Experience Among Jordanian Mother With Hospitalized Infant in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Incidence and Associated Factors

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a global mental health problem that affects about 13% to 19% of mothers who have recent given birth. This problem increases if the infant is admitted to the intensive care unit (NICU). The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression among mothers with hospitalized infant on NICU and to explore mothers experience after admitting their infants to the NICU. A varied methods research design were undertaken in two hospitals in Jordan. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to survey 188 Jordanian mothers with infants in the NICU, it deals with semi-structured in-depth interviews to identify the themes that characterize mothers PPD experience in the NICU. The quantitative results of this study showed that the mothers with hospitalized infant in NICU experienced high level of PPD with the mean score was 20.81 (SD = 4.92). With regard to qualitative results, two major themes with nine subthemes : the first one is Postpartum Depression Experience and the second theme was sources that influence postpartum depression. In conclusion, the mothers with hospitalized infant in NICU experience PPD. the PPD mothers experience many manifestations during this situation such as : shock, surprise, crying, Anhedonia,hopelessness and thinking about harming themselves or their babies after admission of their infants to the NICU, Also there are many sources that influence postpartum depression such as baby gender, lack of knowledge, social support, mother role, mother infant attachment, stigma and shame.

Who uses nursing theory? A univariate descriptive analysis of five years' research articles

BACKGROUND

Since the early 1950s, nursing leaders have worked diligently to build the Scientific Discipline of Nursing, integrating Theory, Research and Practice. Recently, the role of theory has again come into question, with some scientists claiming nurses are not using theory to guide their research, with which to improve practice.

AIMS

The purposes of this descriptive study were to determine: (i) Were nursing scientists' research articles in leading nursing journals based on theory? (ii) If so, were the theories nursing theories or borrowed theories? (iii) Were the theories integrated into the studies, or were they used as organizing frameworks?

METHODS

Research articles from seven top ISI journals were analysed, excluding regularly featured columns, meta-analyses, secondary analysis, case studies and literature reviews. The authors used King's dynamic Interacting system and Goal Attainment Theory as an organizing framework. They developed consensus on how to identify the integration of theory, searching the Title, Abstract, Aims, Methods, Discussion and Conclusion sections of each research article, whether quantitative or qualitative.

RESULTS

Of 2857 articles published in the seven journals from 2002 to, and including, 2006, 2184 (76%) were research articles. Of the 837 (38%) authors who used theories, 460 (55%) used nursing theories, 377 (45%) used other theories: 776 (93%) of those who used theory integrated it into their studies, including qualitative studies, while 51 (7%) reported they used theory as an organizing framework for their studies. Closer analysis revealed theory principles were implicitly implied, even in research reports that did not explicitly report theory usage.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing numbers of nursing research articles (though not percentagewise) continue to be guided by theory, and not always by nursing theory. Newer nursing research methods may not explicitly state the use of nursing theory, though it is implicitly implied.