Heart failure (HF) is a chronic, progressive disease that substantially decreases patients' quality of life. Few studies have compared quality of life and its related factors across genders in ...patients with HF. To explore gender differences in quality of life and related factors among adult patients with HF. A comparative study was conducted with 245 HF patients recruited from a medical center and a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan from February 2009 to February 2011. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, including stepwise multiple regressions. The mean quality of life scores of males were significantly higher than those of females (87.78 ± 13.99 vs. 84.49 ± 11.85). The factors significantly related to quality of life for the male HF patients, in descending order of strength of association were depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and monthly family income-less than USD 1,000; for the females, the significantly related factors were physical symptoms, depressive symptoms, and monthly family income-less than USD 1,000. The amount variance for which quality of life accounted for male and female HF patients was similar (60% vs. 64%). The results could be used for health professionals to provide more appropriate assessments and care according to gender in the future.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan. Because the causes of cancer are often difficult to identify, a diagnosis of cancer is occasionally attributed to karma and the concept of stigma. ...These feelings lead to a life predicament, and stigma influences these perceptions.
This study intended to understand how stigma is formed in the disease-related experiences of women with cancer.
Ten participants were interviewed at the time of a confirmed diagnosis of advanced cancer and completed cancer treatment with regular follow-up after treatment, and all subjects underwent 2–3 interviews. The number of interviews conducted was determined by data saturation. A content analysis method was used.
The stigma of cancer includes the concepts of “cancer equals death”, including the feeling of death approaching and an awareness of disease severity. “Cancer equals menace to social life” suggests that social life is affected and includes other individuals’ uncomfortable attitudes toward cancer (shame, sympathy, pity, suffering, and over-cautiousness) and external physical changes. “Cancer equals cancer-ridden life” includes being sensitive to the topics of death and calculating the number of remaining survival days.
The process from early diagnosis to the decision to receive treatment is complicated for patients with cancer. After the diagnosis is confirmed, the stigma of diagnosis significantly affects patients.
Regarding social stereotypes, educating the public to resolve individuals’ negative responses to cancer and further convey social and public information to women in society is necessary.
The maternal vaccine coverage rate has been low in Taiwan. We developed an "Influenza Vaccination Reminder Application" and evaluated its efficacy in improving vaccination intention among pregnant ...women in Taiwan. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the positive change in vaccination intention between the experimental group and the control group. Pregnant women who were more than 20 years old and at less than 32 weeks of gestation were recruited from four regional hospitals in southern Taiwan during November 2020 to April 2021. Pregnant women were randomly assigned to the experimental group, to whom the "Influenza Vaccination Reminder Application" was provided for at least two months, while pregnant women in the control group received regular maternal education only. The differences in knowledge about influenza and its vaccines, attitudes towards maternal influenza vaccination, and behavior intention of influenza vaccination among pregnant women before and after the experiment intervention were compared between two groups. The results included 126 women in the experimental group and 117 women in the control group and showed that the "Influenza Vaccination Reminder Application" increased pregnant women's knowledge about influenza and vaccines (percentage increase in the experimental group and control group: 11.64% vs. 7.39%), strengthened their positive attitudes towards maternal influenza vaccination (percentage increase: 5.39% vs. 1.44%), and promoted positive behavioral intention toward influenza vaccination (proportion of participants with positive change in vaccination intention: 17.46% vs. 7.69%). The study supports use of "Influenza Vaccination Reminder Application" to promote the behavior intention of influenza vaccination among pregnant women in Taiwan.
Acute respiratory infection is a major health issue and a primary cause of morbidity and mortality among preschool-aged children worldwide. Disease and hospitalization are chief stressors for ...children during their development. Therapeutic play has been used in pediatric care processes and has been demonstrated to be effective by most studies that have targeted children undergoing surgeries or invasive medical treatments. Currently, few published studies have focused on children receiving acute inpatient care. Additionally, not all types of therapeutic play produce significant results, and few studies have elaborated on the purposes, principles, and concrete measures of therapeutic play. Therefore, this study aimed to design therapeutic play that would reduce the stress responses of preschool-aged children hospitalized with acute respiratory infection. An experimental design with a pretest/posttest was conducted with 105 preschool children recruited from a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. The children in the experimental group received the therapeutic play, while those in the control group received routine nursing care. Children in the experimental group showed significantly greater reductions in their physiological, psychological, and behavioral stress responses than those in the control group. Future studies could apply therapeutic play to children from different age groups with diverse health issues before recommending it be used in pediatric health settings.
The aims of this study were to examine gender differences in how parent-child discussions on sex issues, peer interactions around sexual issues, and exposure to sexually explicit materials affect the ...intention to engage in casual sex among adolescents and young adults in Taiwan. This cross-sectional survey study recruited 767 participants (348 men and 419 women) aged 15-24 years. The survey collected data on participants' intention to engage in casual sex, their attitude toward and perception of casual sex based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (favorable attitude, perceiving positive social norms toward casual sex, and perceived control over involvement), parent-child and peer discussions about sexual issues, and exposure to sexually explicit materials. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that parent-child discussions on sex issues, peer interactions around sexual issues, and exposure to sexually explicit materials were significantly associated with the intention to engage in casual sex. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) further supported that favorable attitude, perceiving positive social norms toward casual sex, and control over involvement mediated the associations. For men, decreased favorable attitude mediated the negative association between parent-child discussions and casual sex intention; increased favorable attitudes and decreased control over involvement mediated the positive associations between peer interactions and casual sex intention. For women, decreased control over involvement mediated the positive association between exposure to sexually explicit materials and casual sex intention. The associations between peer interaction and subjective norms of acceptance, perceived control over involvement, and casual sex intention were stronger in men than in women; the association of favorable attitudes with casual sex intention was also stronger in men than in women.
ABSTRACT
Aims and objectives
To determine the effectiveness of an oral health care program for preventing ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP).
Background
Research has shown a significant ...correlation between oral bacteria and VAP, indicating that an oral health care program plays a very important role in VAP prevention.
Design and methods
A quasi‐experimental study was used and conducted in the intensive care unit in a medical centre. A total of 199 mechanically ventilated patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 99) and control group (n = 100). The experimental group was cared for using an evidence‐based oral health care program, and the control group was cared for using routine nursing care procedures. Each group received the assigned treatment for four consecutive days.
Results
The incidence of VAP in the experimental group (4%, 4/95) was significantly lower than that in the control group (21%, 18/82). The oral assessment guide (OAG) mean score (9.16 ± 2·07) of the experimental group was significantly different (P < 0·05) from that of the control group (10·07 ± 1·79). The general estimated equation further showed that there was a significant difference between groups (P < 0·01) for the third post‐test data and no significant difference for the pre‐test or the first and second post‐test data between groups, indicating that an increased duration of intervention resulted in significant decreases in the OAG scores in the experimental group compared with the control group.
Conclusions
The evidence‐based oral health care program effectively improved oral mucosal health and statistically reduced the incidence of VAP in this study.
Relevance to clinical practice
The study findings may be useful as an empirical reference for health care professionals performing an oral health care program in the future. Additionally, it may serve as a reference for long‐term care policies aimed at reducing the ventilation duration, days of hospitalization and mortality rate to enhance patient safety and the quality of medical care.
: No existing research has determined which teaching sequence strategy is the best for nursing students.
: To find out which sequence is most effective in knowledge acquisition and knowledge ...retention and to further verify knowledge acquisition between problem-based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL).
: This was a quasi-experimental design with a comparison of two nursing student groups selected from students in their final program year who were invited to participate. Generalized estimating equation was used to compare Group I (LBL-PBL-clinical practicum) and Group II (PBL-LBL-clinical practicum) by using knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention as outcome variables.
: Fifty-six senior students joined this study. Group I was significantly better than Group II on both knowledge acquisition (β = 7.05,
= 0.04) and knowledge retention (β = 9.40,
= 0.03).
: The sequence of LBL-PBL-clinical practicum or policy of allowing practicum and courses in the same semester might be the best strategy to enhance knowledge retention.
The aging population in Taiwan has resulted in an increase in the dependent population and the care load on caregivers. Shared care is an interpersonal process in which support is “traded” to ...“handle” chronic illnesses by home-care patients and family caregivers. The scale of shared care has received little attention in the Taiwanese cultural context. Thus, this study examined the reliability and validity of the Taiwanese versions of Shared Care Instrument-Revised (SCI-R).
The content validity, construct validity, and discriminant validity were used to test the validity of the translated questionnaires. The Cronbach's α was used to examine reliability. A total of 500 older adults and their caregivers were recruited from three counties in Taiwan.
The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the scale were within the acceptable range. The Cronbach's α was between 0.838 and 0.95. However, the scale's reliability was higher than that of the original version. This might be because of the inclusion of participants with less severe diseases than the participants in the original study, high social expectations in the Chinese traditional culture, and a large number of similar items. Future research should simplify the items and consider adopting diverse participant selection criteria.
The results of this study can be used to understand shared care in Taiwan.
•The translated and adapted version of SCI-R should be tested and validated to ensure its effectiveness and reliability in Taiwan.•The translation and adaptation of SCI-R are intended to facilitate shared healthcare between elderly individuals and caregivers in Taiwan.•The translated and adapted version of SCI-R has potential implications for healthcare practices related to shared care in Taiwan.
To explore the status and overall competency of Taiwan’s doctoral nursing programs.
Taiwan has 11 universities offer doctoral degree programs in nursing from 1997 to 2020. As the demand for educators ...of higher nursing education increases, whether the nursing talent requirements have been satisfactorily fulfilled.
A two-stage data collection based on a multi-methods survey was conducted.
The first stage from December 2017 to the end of December 2019, involved collecting admission brochures for 12 doctoral nursing programs provided by 11 universities and 14 Internet databases. In the second stage, convenience sampling was performed to recruit 115 graduates of national doctoral nursing programs to collect data through a self-administered questionnaire online survey from July to the end of September 2018.
A systematic review of the vision and core competencies of each university revealed a general emphasis on nursing knowledge, research, leadership, international perspective and competence, innovation, social practice and policy. More specifically, universities aim to cultivate five core competencies in students, for example, nursing knowledge, scientific and innovative research capabilities and participation in the formulation and promotion of nursing policies. Of the 115 graduates of national doctoral nursing programs surveyed, the online questionnaire revealed that more than half of the respondents were aged 41–50 years (n = 62, 53.9%), 81.8% occupied a teaching position and most had 2.4–9.8 years of study in the program (mean = 6.09 ± 1.81 years). Respondents who completed a doctoral nursing program in Taiwan could learn orderly teaching, research and leadership capabilities with scored 4.12, 4.11 and 3.65, respectively.
The overall orientation of the doctoral nursing programs in Taiwan aligns approximately with global trends in nursing. This study suggests that international and national resources should be incorporated into the cultivation of various competencies and curriculum quality control; moreover, industry, academia and the government should hold regular meetings to formulate suitable evaluation mechanisms.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of chewing gum in reducing postprocedure nausea and vomiting.
A systematic review and meta-analysis.
A systematic literature search was performed on ...MEDLINE Complete, EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to October 2, 2022. Methodological quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool for randomized trials. A meta-analysis was performed using a fixed-effects model to calculate pooled effects with Review Manager 5.4.1.
Twelve randomized trials encompassing 1,458 participants were pooled. The chewing gum intervention was effective in reducing vomiting (P = .007; risk ratio = 0.55; 95% Cl = 0.35-0.85), but not nausea (P = .14; risk ratio = 0.84; 95% Cl = 0.66-1.06). Thirty-minute sessions of gum chewing were significantly more effective in reducing vomiting than 15-minute sessions (P = .04; risk ratio = 0.31; 95% Cl = 0.1-0.93).
The results indicate that repeated gum chewing sessions of at least 30 minutes may act as a nonpharmacological intervention for reducing vomiting. However, further studies are necessary to determine the outcomes of chewing gum interventions.
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