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Background: Exploring public information needs and attitudes towards cancer patients might be the first step in developing an intervention that encourages public engagement in early detection and cancer prevention programmes., Aim: To explore Omani public information needs and attitudes towards cancer in Oman., Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used., Findings: Of the 569 participants, 369 (64.9%) were female; the mean age was 30.9 (SD=9.5) years. Of the participants, 94.4% wanted to be informed if they were found to have cancer in the future. The mean total attitudes score was 40.2 (SD=4.7) out of a maximum 48. Further, being employed, preferring to be informed about cancer diagnosis and having positive attitudes towards cancer and cancer patients predicted higher information needs., Conclusions: The current paternalistic approach seems to be no longer appropriate for cancer patients in Oman, and more active patient involvement in decision-making is needed.

Objective: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are one of the most commonly occurring complications in hospitalised patients. Knowing the size of the problem and its risk factors will help in preventing it. The aim of this study is to measure the incidence of PUs in acute care settings in Jordan and to explore associated risk factors., Method: A prospective incidence study for hospitalised patients in Jordan according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel methodology. All patients admitted into four Jordanian hospitals over a period of six months were included., Results: The cumulative incidence rate was 0.48%. Using multivariate analysis, a low albumin level, elevated white blood cells, incontinence and having more chronic illnesses were significantly associated with acquiring PUs., Conclusion: Incidence of PUs in Jordan is lower when compared with other parts of the world; this could be related to the relatively younger Jordanian population compared with other populations., Declaration of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Lecturing has been traditionally used as the core teaching strategy in university education in all disciplines. However, new research in education suggests that other formats such as game teaching could be more effective., Aim: To compare students' performance, satisfaction and retention of knowledge between a Jeopardy!-style game format and a didactic lecture format in teaching the subject of models for organising patient care to fourth-year nursing students., Methods: A parallel-group randomised controlled trial was conducted. Participants were fourth-year nursing students who registered in the second semester of 2012-2013 and enrolled in the Nursing Management and Ethics in Nursing Course in the Community Health Department., Results: 66 students completed the study (34 in the quiz game group and 32 in the lecture group). Pre-test results showed no significant difference between the two groups in their achievement scores. However, in the immediate achievement post-test and the retention test the students in the quiz group scored significantly better than those in the lecture group. A satisfaction questionnaire showed that the game format was well liked and accepted by students as a more satisfying teaching method., Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind in Jordan to explore the effectiveness of this particular game format versus the lecture format. RESULTS suggest that the game format was well liked and accepted by students as a more satisfying teaching method. Additionally, it appeared to be a better method of education as it promoted greater information retention.

Background: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a common problem in the elderly long-term care population., Aim: To explore the prevalence of PUs in Jordanian long-term care settings., Design: A cross-sectional survey., Method: Data in this study were collected with the European Pressure Ulcers Advisory Panel (EPUAP) minimum data set. The skin of residents was directly examined. Risk of PUs was assessed with the Braden scale. Information about prevention was obtained from staff and resident files., Setting and Sample: The largest elderly long-term care facility in Jordan (124 residents) was surveyed. Six residents did not match the inclusion criteria, and 118 were actually examined., Results: Participants in this study were considerably younger when compared with similar studies (median age 65 years, mean 65.14, standard deviation 11.48). The general prevalence of PUs was 16.9%. The most common place for PUs was on the buttocks (42.9%). The most reported grades were 1 and 2, each of which had 40% prevalence. Of those patients at risk, 27.6% received adequate prevention for PUs., Conclusion: Given that the residents in this study sample were quite young, prevalence of PUs was relatively high compared with similar studies that used the same methodology. Bearing in mind that most elderly patients in Jordan are looked after at home, on account of Jordanian cultural attitudes toward elderly people, it can be hypothesised that institutionalised elderly people are either very ill or do not receive the care they need at home. The greater frailty of the Jordanian patients in this study, evident in their higher PU risk scores and comorbidities, supports this hypothesis.

Background: Despite the introduction of numerous guidelines and pharmacological interventions to manage cancer pain, poor assessment and under-medication remain common., Aim: To estimate the prevalence of cancer pain and the adequacy of its management in Jordan., Method: A convenience sample of 162 cancer patients from two hospitals participated in a cross-sectional survey using an Arabic version of the Brief Pain Inventory-short form (BPI)., Results: 73.3% of the patients had pain severe enough to merit rating on the BPI. The mean of the worst pain scores in the past 24 hours was high at 7.5 out of 10 (standard deviation (SD) 2.7). 31% of patients with pain had not been treated for their pain, and the mean Pain Management Index score was -1.20 (SD 1.0)., Conclusion: These cancer patients were experiencing high levels of pain, which was undertreated. Providing adequate pain management is a priority, hence more education, training, and resources are needed in Jordan to reduce cancer patients' suffering.