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Background/Aims: Anaemia is associated with negative outcomes for both mothers and infants. Better understanding of its consequences could lead to improved guidelines for screening and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate anaemia in pregnancy and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes among pregnant women in Oman. Methods: This retrospective study examined the medical records of women who gave birth at a university hospital in Oman over a 3-year period. Chi-squared tests were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 723 pregnant women were included, with 62.8% diagnosed with anaemia. Anaemia was significantly associated with preterm birth (P=0.037), low birth weight (P=0.009), intrauterine growth restriction (P=0.002) and postpartum heamorrhage (P=0.019). Conclusions: Anaemia is a significant health concern for pregnant women in Oman. Further research will provide more data on its effects, informing targeted interventions and policy enhancements. Implications for practice: Early antenatal screening, targeted iron supplementation, nutritional education, appropriate treatment and active management during birth would help address this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing care for people with dementia incorporates a level of burden which can affect quality of life for both the caregiver and the recipient of care. This study measures the level of burden experienced by Jordanian caregivers for people with dementia and explore related predictors. Methods: Through a cross‐sectional survey, participants were invited through convenience sampling to participate in a structured interview. Results: A total of 406 participants completed the survey. According to Zarit Burden Interview, the mean burden score of the sample was 26.2 (SD = 16.2). This score falls under the mild to moderate burden level. Older age of the patient, severe dementia, lower number of caregivers, if the caregiving negatively affected family relations, and if the caregiving negatively affected jobs, were significant predictors of burden. Conclusion: Caregivers in the current study reported no burden to a minimum burden. This result does not mean that these caregivers have no or minimal stress or that they do not have psychological needs; on the contrary, these results call for more attention to providing extra psychological and emotional support to caregivers of patients with dementia in order to decrease the burden level and maintain their efforts in caregiving. Future studies are required to discern the shape and context of unmet caregiver needs, assessment, and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Anaemia is a multifactorial condition and understanding its prevalence and associated factors is crucial for effective healthcare planning and interventions. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of anaemia during pregnancy and its potential risk factors in Oman. Methods: A retrospective approach was used to identify anaemia cases by examining medical records taken from 9321 women who gave birth at the hospital over 3 years. Chi-squared tests were used to establish differences in risk factors using a case-control design, with a 1:2 ratio. Results: The crude prevalence of anaemia was 31.2%, dropping to 4.9% after excluding women with chronic and/or acute diseases. Significant differences were found in nationality (χ2=4.738, P=0.030), body mass index (χ2=6.392, P=0.041) and gestational age (χ2=4.329, P=0.037) for women with anaemia compared to those without. Conclusions: These findings underscore the significance of assessing and managing anaemia in pregnancy, while considering the interaction of demographic and clinical variables in formulating anaemia prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of individuals with dementia is on the rise, highlighting the need to create effective educational methods that can improve nursing students' understanding and attitude toward this group of people who require special care. Explore the effectiveness of introducing a new curricular course in improving nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes toward people living with dementia and the provision of care for them. A pretest – posttest quasi-experimental design was used. After the introduction of dementia lectures, both study groups had a significant improvement in knowledge and attitude toward people living with dementia (P ≤.05). Adding clinical experience did not significantly enhance knowledge. It improved attitudes, but the result was not statistically significant (P >.05). The introduction of a new curricular course had a positive impact on the knowledge of and attitudes of nursing students toward people living with dementia. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating dementia-focused education to enhance the quality of care provided by future nursing professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Quality of life (QoL) is an important measure to understand the effect of diseases on patients' daily living. Yet, the research on QoL among patients with chronic diseases in Oman is scarce. This study aimed to assess the level and determine the predictors of QoL among patients with chronic diseases in Oman. Methods. A cross-sectional correlational descriptive was run among 340 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure, and/or end-stage renal disease. Results. Participants' mean age was 60.6 years (SD ± 14.4) and the majority were males (63.5%). The highest mean scores were emotional well-being (mean = 85.2, SD = ±11.2) and role limitations due to personal or emotional problems (mean = 83.2, SD = ±35.8). In addition, COPD patients reported the lowest scores on the QoL questionnaire. Having a high score on the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPSS) and being married predicted a higher score in the mental and physical domains of QoL, while having a higher total symptom number and COPD predicted a lower score in the mental domain. Older age, higher total symptom number, and a higher distress level predicted a lower score on the physical domain of QoL. Conclusion. The results call for a need to improve the QoL among the patients with chronic disease, including symptom management plans, self-management programmes, and training to enhance their own perception of QoL. Furthermore, symptom management plans are highly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study explored symptom clusters in a heterogenous sample that includes all age groups, and all types of cancer being treated with chemotherapy. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample comprise 393 cancer patients with a mean age of 52.1 years (SD 13.9). The most prevalent symptoms were tiredness (78.9%), lack of energy (71.8%), and irritability (66.9%) and the most distressing symptom was lack of appetite. Four clusters of the symptom experience: chemotherapy-related, psychological, fatigue and pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms, regardless of the dimension used, were identified. The content and number of symptoms within each cluster using the distress dimension were slightly different from the occurrence dimension. The findings call for an early comprehensive assessment and treatment of symptoms for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Also, healthcare providers especially nurses need to thoroughly assess and manage these symptoms to ease patients' experience, enhance their compliance and improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public awareness and attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients are highly important in enhancing the effectiveness of cancer screening and early diagnosis programmes. This study aimed to explore the public attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients in Jordan. Method: A cross-sectional design was used to conduct this online survey study in Jordan between March 20th and April 20th 2020.The sample was conveniently selected, and 1157 participants were included from the public. The Public Attitudes toward Cancer Questionnaire was employed. Results: Descriptive statistics, unpaired t-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were utilized. The mean age was 44.2 years (SD = 20.1), and 53% were female. The total mean attitude score was 38.2 (SD = 4.3). Based on the results, having a family member or a friend with cancer (P = 0.003), willingness to be informed about cancer diagnosis (P = 0.001), informing a friend about cancer diagnosis (P = 0.021), and willingness to participate in screening and early detection programmes (P < 0.001) were significant predictive positive attitudes towards cancer and cancer patients. In addition, being married predicted more negative attitudes compared with being single (P = 0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Jordanians had positive attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients and most were willing to be informed about cancer diagnosis. This calls for healthcare providers to adopt shared decision models when devising health care plans for cancer patients, with more involvement on the parts of both patients and family members rather than adopting a paternal approach. Policy makers and managers should consider positive attitudes when developing healthcare programmes to enhance public participation in early cancer detection and screening programmes so as to reduce cancer mortality and morbidity rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Spiritual care is an essential part of holistic patient care but is provided infrequently in practice. There is a paucity of research investigating the barriers to the provision of spiritual care among Jordanian nurses. The main purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational study was to identify these barriers and to explore the associations with nurses' personal and professional characteristics. A secondary purpose was to examine the psychometric properties of a newlydeveloped spiritual care barriers instrument. Methods: We surveyed a convenience sample of Jordanian nurses (N = 282). Participants completed both the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Spiritual Care Barriers Scale (SCBS). We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to examine the internal structure of the SCBS, and internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Results: The most common perceived barriers were lack of private places (82.3%), absence of an imam (79.8%), insufficient time (78.8%), inadequate skills and competencies (73.7%), lack ofreligious and spiritual facilities and resources in the hospital (71.3%), and insufficient knowledge (71.3%). Nurses' personal spiritual and existential well-being were negatively associated with spiritual care barriers. Head nurses and supervisors reported lower mean scores on perceived barriers than did associate nurses. The SCBS exhibited acceptable evidence of internal consistency and validity. Implications for Practice: The findings help Jordanian nurse decision makers in practice and education to overcome barriers to the provision of spiritual care to better meet the spiritual needs of Muslim patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with long-term conditions than those in other age groups. The aim of this study was to examine long-term conditions associated with, and predictive of, primary health care (PHC) service use among older adults living in the Irbid Governorate of Jordan over the previous one, six and 12 months. Cross-sectional data were collected from 190 adults aged 60 years and above. Face-to-face interviews were conducted within the catchment areas associated with three comprehensive healthcare centres. Results show that rates of PHC service use among older adults with long-term conditions are high, with heart conditions, diabetes and hypertension the most consistent predictors of service use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]