Search

The adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome score (aGAPSS) is a recently developed thrombotic risk assessment score that considers the antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the validity of the aGAPSS in predicting clinical manifestations (criteria and extra-criteria) of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in a single centre cohort of patients. Ninety-eight patients with APS ± systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were classified according to clinical manifestations as vascular thrombosis (VT), pregnancy morbidity (PM) or both (VT + PM). The aGAPSS was calculated for each patient as previously defined. Mean aGAPSS of the cohort was calculated as 10.2 ± 3.8. Significantly higher aGAPSS values were seen in VT (n = 58) and VT + PM (n = 29) groups when compared to PM (n = 11) group (10.6 ± 3.7 vs 7.4 ± 2.9, P = 0.005; 10.7 ± 4 vs 7.4 ± 2.9, P = 0.008, respectively), mainly due to lower frequencies of cardiovascular risk factors in PM. Higher aGAPPS values were also associated with recurrent thrombosis (11.6 ± 3.7 vs 9.9 ± 3.6, P = 0.04). Regarding extra-criteria manifestations, patients with livedo reticularis (n = 11) and APS nephropathy (n = 9) had significantly higher aGAPSS values (12.9 ± 3.4 vs 9.9 ± 3.7, P = 0.02; 12.4 ± 2.9 vs 10 ± 3.8, P = 0.04, respectively). The computed AUC demonstrated that aGAPSS values ≥10 had the best diagnostic accuracy for thrombosis. Our results suggest that patients with higher aGAPSS values are at higher risk for developing vascular thrombosis (either first event or recurrence) and extra-criteria manifestations, especially livedo reticularis and APS nephropathy.

Aim: This study aims to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Nursing Competency Scale for nursing students., Methods: This study was conducted with 318 nursing students, including third-year students enrolled in a pediatric nursing course and fourth-year students completing a pediatric nursing internship. Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, item-total score analysis, and known-groups comparison were used to assess the research data. In total, 16 items were eliminated from the scale on the basis of experts' recommendations., Results: The scale consisted of 39 items and 8 sub-scales. The 8 sub-scales exhibited 66.4% of the total variance. Both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that all factor loads were greater than 0.40. The CFA also revealed that all of the fit indices were greater than 0.85, and the root mean square error of approximation was less than 0.08. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for the entire scale, and greater than 0.80 for all sub-scales., Conclusion: The Pediatric Nursing Competency Scale for nursing students was found to be valid and reliable., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing.)

Background: One of the most common problems in children that pain can not be managed adequately by the health workers. Knowledge level of nurses is an important factor in effective pain management., Aims: This study was designed to determine intern nursing students' level of pediatric pain management knowledge (PPMK) and the affecting factors., Design: The study used a descriptive, comparative, correlational, and cross-sectional design., Settings: Research was conducted at a Nursing School of a State University., Participants/subjects: The study was carried out on 72 pediatric nursing internship students., Methods: Data were collected using a demographic data form for affecting factors such as grade point averages, age, gender, previous pain education, and self-sufficiency, and a pain management knowledge questionnaire consisting of six subdimensions: awareness of pain, pain physiopathology, barriers to pain management, pain diagnosis, pain assessment, and pain control. Data were analyzed using quartiles, correlation, regression analysis, and the Structural Equation Model., Results: The mean age of the participants was 22.64 ± 1.02, and 63.9% of them self-evaluated their current knowledge as inadequate. The PPMK score was 67.58 ± 7.37 and the students got medium level scores from the overall subdimensions. On the other hand, they got the lowest scores from the pain control (29.35 ± 4.29) and the highest scores from the pain assessment (5.49 ± 1.55). A moderate level of significant relationship was found in the Structural Equation Model (p < .05)., Conclusions: The students were determined to have a moderate PPMK level and get the lowest scores, particularly from the pain control., (Copyright © 2019 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study examined the effect of problematic Internet use, social appearance anxiety, and social media use on nursing students' nomophobia levels. This study was conducted with 755 undergraduate nursing students. Sociodemographic data were evaluated using percentages and means. The effect of problematic Internet use, social appearance anxiety, and social media use on nomophobia levels was assessed by simple linear regression analysis. The mean age of participants was 21.4 ± 1.3; 82.5% were female, and 59.7% (n = 450) had adequate incomes. According to the regression analysis, nomophobia levels have a strong, positive, and significant relationship with the variables of problematic Internet use (β = .39, P < .000), social appearance anxiety (β = .27, P < .001), and social media dependency (β = .28, P < .001). Examining the correlation between nursing students' problematic Internet use, social appearance anxiety, and social media use levels, nomophobia levels had a positively moderate relationship with problematic Internet use (r = 0.259, P < .001), social appearance anxiety (r = 0.320, P < .001), and social media use levels (r = 0.433, P < .001). There is a direct correlation between nomophobia levels and the variables of problematic Internet use, social appearance anxiety, and social media use.

The ameliorating influence of different teaching strategies on Turkish nursing students' computer-related anxiety was evaluated in this study. Research data were gathered from a Computer Anxiety Scale before the teaching strategies were put into practice on 134 undergraduate nursing students, and again afterward. Two teaching methods, participative and traditional, were used. Before training, only 64.2% of the participative method group had an e-mail address, and 14.9% had a computer at home. The other group was similar. After training, the participative method group scored significantly lower than did the traditional method group (P > .05). We conclude that nursing trainers should prefer participative teaching strategies to effectively reduce computer anxiety. Participative methods also have a positive effect on human and computer interaction.

Objective: This descriptive-cross sectional study was conducted in order to determine the smoking status of nursing students and factors affecting their behavior., Methods: Subjects were 220 students who were selected from all classes of a School of Nursing with a stratified random sampling method and who voluntarily accepted to participate. Permission was obtained both from individuals and the relevant institution to conduct the study. Data were collected through Demographic Data Collecting Form, Decisional Balance Scale, Fegostrom Addiction Test and Cessation phase scale. Percentage calculations, chi square, odd ratio, Kruskal wallis and CHAID analysis were used in the assessment of the data., Findings: 81.5% of the students were female (163), average age was 20.9±1.6 years, age at first smoking was 15.4±4.1, 58.5 of the parents were smokers and at least one person from among their friends was smoking (30%). 19.5% of the students were smoking. The difference between smoking ratios of male and female students was significant (p<0.001). Rates increased with increase in the number of friends who smoke (p<0.001). Differences were detected across geographical regions (p=0.023). Smoking mostly increases at times of exams (42.5%). It was estimated that 69.2% of the smokers are addicts at a low level. Some 56.3% of the smokers and 12.5% of non-smokers found smoking beneficial (p<0.001), this increasing the future smoking risk nine fold. Pros and cons perceptions score averages of smokers were intermediate. The difference between score averages of smokers and non-smokers as regards to cancerogenic effects of smoking was found to be statistically significant (p=0.034). 34% of the students stated that their opinions about smoking did not change even though they received an education in the field of nursing., Conclusion: One in five students participating in the study was smoker. In terms of variables, while gender, geographical region, number of friends using cigarettes and times of exams effect the use of cigarettes, no influence was noted for class, perceived income level, settlement, smoking and cancer cases in the family.