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Understanding Health Literacy in Fluid Management in Individuals Receiving Haemodialysis: A Directed Qualitative Content Analysis

ABSTRACT

Aims

To describe the perspectives of individuals receiving haemodialysis regarding health literacy in fluid management.

Design

A qualitative descriptive approach using directed content analysis of interviews from an explanatory mixed methods study.

Methods

Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted from September 2020 to February 2021 with 28 individuals receiving haemodialysis who had attended a prior quantitative study. A directed qualitative content analysis approach was used to identify categories and subcategories emerging from the data.

Results

Six categories of health literacy were identified: (1) active health management, (2) engagement with healthcare providers, (3) understanding and support from healthcare providers, (4) social support, (5) health information literacy and (6) navigation of the healthcare system.

Conclusions

Based on their real-life experience, individuals receiving haemodialysis have unique health literacy needs regarding fluid management. A comprehensive understanding of these unique needs is crucial in creating person-centered interventions to address inadequate fluid restriction.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

Interventions to address inadequate fluid restriction should be person-centered, considering each individual's unique health literacy needs. This involves conducting a comprehensive assessment of individuals' health literacy needs, empowering individuals to actively engage in health, engaging the entire support network and facilitating health information literacy in line with individuals' preferences.

Impact

This study offers detailed insights into the health literacy needs related to fluid management in individuals undergoing haemodialysis. The findings could inform the development of person-centered fluid management strategies for these individuals.

Reporting Method

We adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

Effects of chitosan oligosaccharide on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, intestinal digestive capacity and morphological structure in growing female minks

by Hongfei Liu, Wenli Li, Gaoqiang Fan, Qiaoyi Chen, Shulei Zhang, Beibei Zhang

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, duodenal digestive enzyme activity, and jejunal morphology in growing female minks. Ninety-six 12-week-old minks were randomly assigned to six groups (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 mg/kg COS), with 8 replicates per treatment and 2 minks per replicate, for an 8-week trial. The results showed that average daily gain (ADG) increased quadratically with increasing COS levels (P P P P P P 

Patient Reported Experiences of Receiving Person‐Centred, Nurse‐Led Follow‐Up After Revascularisation for Intermittent Claudication: Secondary Analysis of a Randomised Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT

Aim

To evaluate the quality of care from the patients' perspective after receiving either person-centred, nurse-led follow-up or standard care after surgical treatment of intermittent claudication.

Design

Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Methods

Patients at two centres for vascular surgery in Stockholm, Sweden were randomised to either a person-centred, nurse-led follow-up programme (intervention group) or a standard follow-up programme with surgeons. During their visits at 4 to 8 weeks and 1 year after surgery, they received the questionnaire Quality from patients' perspective with 28 items. The patients responded to each item from two aspects: (1) how they perceived the quality of received care and (2) subjective importance (how important the care was for them).

Results

A total of 104 of 138 patients at 4–8 weeks and 159 of 193 patients at 1 year after surgery completed the questionnaire. At 4–8 weeks, the intervention group scored significantly higher perceived quality of care regarding five items: receiving useful information about “How I should take care of myself” and “Which nurse were responsible for my care”, “Nurses were respectful towards me”, “Nurses showed commitment/cared about me” and “Easy to get in contact with the clinic through telephone”. At 1 year, the intervention group scored higher regarding two items: “Which nurses were responsible for my care” and “Next of kin treated well”.

Conclusion

Person-centred, nurse-led follow-up as implemented in this study has been shown to lead to a higher perception of quality of care regarding information about self-care, the experience of being respected, and knowing the care provider responsible for their care. Thus, it could contribute towards improved patient satisfaction without compromising the perception of quality of care regarding other factors such as receiving the best medical care or timeliness.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

This study addresses how patients with intermittent claudication, who underwent revascularisation, perceive a follow-up care that is person-centred and nurse-led compared to standard care delivered by surgeons. The results indicate that patients find the person-centred and nurse-led follow-up programme satisfactory, with equal or higher quality of care and that follow-up can be delivered by nurses with retained patient safety. Thus, vascular units may consider transitioning follow-up care from surgeons to nurses while maintaining positive patient's perception of quality of care, patient satisfaction and safety.

Reporting Method

Reporting of the work was made using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

Trial Registration

Study Details | Person-centred Follow-up and Health Promotion Programme After Revascularization for Intermittent Claudication | ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03283358

Discrimination Faced by Male Nurses and Male Midwives: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Synthesis

ABSTRACT

Aim

To consolidate and appraise available evidence on the experiences and perceptions of male nurses and male midwives facing discrimination.

Design

Qualitative systematic review. This review was informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).

Methods

The Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist was used to appraise included articles, and extracted data were meta-summarised and meta-synthesised using Sandelowski and Barroso's two-step approach.

Data Sources

PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ProQuest (Dissertations and Theses Global) and ClinicalTrials.gov were sourced from the inception to December 2022.

Results

A total of 21 studies were included, involving 283 male nurses and 11 male midwives. Four themes were identified during the meta-synthesis: (1) It's a ‘women's world’, (2) discrimination within and beyond the workplace, (3) stereotypes and labels and (4) the silver lining.

Conclusion

This review offered male nurses' and male midwives' perspectives on discrimination faced in nursing. There is a need to ensure gender equality in the nursing profession by reinforcing the importance and value of employing men in this profession.

Implications

Future research should focus on examining the experiences of male nursing students and other healthcare stakeholders to understand discrimination faced by men in nursing from varied geographical and cultural backgrounds. The findings may provide helpful insights for planning supportive interventions, institutional adjustments, legislative changes, educational initiatives and research that benefit male nurses and male midwives.

Impact

This qualitative systematic review consolidated and meta-synthesised the available evidence on male nurses' and male midwives' experiences of discrimination. These findings contribute to the understanding of male nurses and male midwives as a gender minority and the need for greater gender equality.

Reporting Method

PRISMA.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

The Mediation Effects of Self‐Efficacy on the Relationship Between Diabetes‐Related Content Exposure and Self‐Management Among Older Diabetics: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Aims

To map the diabetes-related content exposure of older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and explore the association between the exposure and self-management and the mediation effects of self-efficacy.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

This study was conducted among 257 eligible older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus from five communities in China. Diabetes self-management and self-efficacy were measured with standardised assessment tools. The variable of diabetes-related content exposure was generated by the collection of all content exposure and the transformation of Q-methodology. Descriptive statistics and the relative mediation effect model were used to do the analyses.

Results

Among the participants, 61.1% had hyperbeneficial content exposure, 13.6% had hypobeneficial content exposure, 24.9% had irrelevant content exposure, and 0.4% had harmful content exposure. Compared with those with irrelevant content exposure, older adults with hyperbeneficial content exposure exhibited higher self-management scores (β = 0.448, 95% CI = 0.174–0.721); in the mediation model, the relative direct effect of hyperbeneficial content exposure on self-management remained significant (β = 0.377, 95% CI = 0.104–0.650), and self-efficacy significantly mediated this relationship (β = 0.071, 95% CI = 0.011–0.154). The relative mediation effect accounted for 15.8% of the relative total effect. Conversely, no significant effect of hypobeneficial content exposure on self-management was observed.

Conclusion

Social media can empower the self-management of older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus exposed to hyperbeneficial contents, with self-efficacy serving as a significant mediator. In contrast, exposure to hypobeneficial contents on social media did not lead to significant improvement in the self-management. This suggests that not all diabetes-related contents on social media are equally beneficial, and the relevance of information matters.

Implications

Healthcare providers should consider leveraging social media platforms in conjunction with traditional education programmes to enhance the self-management of older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus may search positively diabetes-related hyperbeneficial contents on social media.

Reporting Method

The report of this study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement guidelines.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

Non‐invasive techniques for wound assessment: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Efficient wound assessment is essential for healthcare teams to facilitate prompt diagnosis, optimize treatment plans, reduce workload, and enhance patients' quality of life. In recent years, non-invasive techniques for aiding wound assessment, such as digital photography, 3D modelling, optical imaging, fluorescence and thermography, as well as artificial intelligence, have been gradually developed. This paper aims to review the various methods of measurement and diagnosis based on non-invasive wound imaging, and to summarize their application in wound monitoring and assessment. The goal is to provide a foundation and reference for future research on wound assessment.

Construction of an assessment scale for thirst severity in critically ill patients and its reliability and validity

Abstract

Objective

Developing a severity assessment scale for critically ill patients' thirst and conducting reliability and validity tests, aiming to provide healthcare professionals with a scientific and objective tool for assessing the level of thirst.

Methods

Based on literature review and qualitative interviews, a pool of items was generated, and a preliminary scale was formed through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation. Convenience sampling was employed to select 178 ICU patients in a top-three hospital from May 2023 to October 2023 as the study subjects to examine the reliability and validity of the severity assessment scale for critically ill patients' thirst.

Results

The developed severity assessment scale for critically ill patients' thirst consists of 8 evaluation items and 26 evaluation indicators. The agreement coefficients for two rounds of expert consultation were 100% and 92.6% for the positive coefficient, and the authority coefficients were .900 and .906. Kendall's concordance coefficients were .101 and .120 (all p < .001). The overall Cronbach's α coefficient for the scale was .827. The inter-rater reliability coefficient was .910. The Item-Content Validity Index (I-CVI) ranged from .800 to 1.000, and the Scale-Content Validity Index/Average (S-CVI/Ave) was .950.

Conclusion

The critically ill patients' thirst assessment scale is reliable and valid and can be widely used in clinical practice.

Patient or Public Contribution

The AiMi Academic Services (www.aimieditor.com) for English language editing and review services.

Implications for Clinical practice

The scale developed in this study is a simple and ICU-specific scale that can be used to assess the severity of thirst in critically ill patients. As such, the severity of thirst in critically ill patients can be evaluated quickly so that targeted interventions can be implemented according to the patient's specific disease and treatment conditions. Therefore, patient comfort can be improved, and thirst-related health problems can be prevented.

Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on the formation of pressure sore in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery in prone position

Por: Li Li · Jun Li

Abstract

Pressure ulcers are a common complication of prone orthopaedic surgery, causing pain and inconvenience to patients. This study aimed to evaluate a comprehensive nursing intervention for pressure ulcer formation in these patients. A total of 120 patients undergoing prone orthopaedic surgery were randomly divided into two groups. The study group (60 patients) received a comprehensive nursing intervention, whereas the control group (60 patients) received a routine nursing intervention. After 2 weeks, the comprehensive nursing intervention significantly reduced the incidence and degree of pressure sores and led to a shorter recovery time than the routine nursing intervention (p < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative wound complications was decreased, and patient satisfaction was significantly improved (p < 0.05). The Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale and visual analogue scale scores of the study group were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire scores were higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). A comprehensive nursing intervention can significantly reduce the incidence and degree of pressure ulcers, accelerate recovery time, reduce postoperative wound complications and improve the quality of life and satisfaction of patients undergoing prone orthopaedic surgery.

A balance of unsafe care incidents and interactive cooperative care: A constructivist grounded theory study of safe care ecosystem for older inpatients

Abstract

Aims

To explore older inpatients and their caregivers' care experience and how this relates to the gerontology care practice.

Background

Research interest in the conceptualization of safe care for older inpatients was growing, and these studies were predominantly reported from a single or healthcare perspective. There is a shortage of literature on how patients and their caregivers conceptualise safe care.

Design

Constructivist grounded theory.

Methods

Stage 1 included semi-structured interviews with inpatients. Stage 2 included semi-structured interviews with caregivers and six field notes. Purposive and theoretical sampling were used to recruit 61 participants across six healthcare institutions. Data analysis included initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding using constant comparative, field notes and memo writing.

Results

The substantive theory to emerge from the data was A balance of unsafe care incidents and interactive cooperative care. This core concept was informed by four categories: unsafe care incidents, interactive cooperative care, person-centred care, contextual conditions, and one care outcome. The relationships between these categories constituted a balance in which patient-centred care was the core, unsafe care incidents were the barriers, interactive cooperative care was the facilitator, and the result of the balance was the care outcome. The balance constituted a safe care ecosystem under the interaction of contextual conditions.

Conclusions

Interactive cooperative care is vital in enabling care stakeholders to reduce unsafe care incidents, which facilitates them in achieving safe care and further constructing a healthy care ecosystem.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

This theory identifies barriers and facilitators encountered by care stakeholders to cope with everyday problems and guides them in developing personalised care plans to ensure patient safety.

Investigation of core symptoms and symptom clusters in maintenance hemodialysis patients: A network analysis

Abstract

Purpose

To construct a symptom network of maintenance hemodialysis patients and identify the core symptoms and core symptom clusters. Finally, this study provides a reference for accurate symptom management.

Design and Method

A correlational cross-sectional design. A total of 368 patients who underwent maintenance hemodialysis were enrolled from two hemodialysis centers in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. A symptom network was constructed with the R coding language to analyze the centrality index. Symptom clusters were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, and core symptom clusters were preliminarily determined according to the centrality index of the symptom network.

Findings

The most common symptoms in maintenance hemodialysis patients were fatigue, dry skin, and pruritus. In the symptom network, headache had the highest mediation centrality (rB = 2.789) and closeness centrality (rC = 2.218) and the greatest intensity of numbness or tingling in the feet (rS = 1.952). A total of six symptom clusters were extracted, including pain and discomfort symptom clusters, emotional symptom clusters, gastrointestinal symptom clusters, sleep disorder symptom clusters, dry symptom clusters, and sexual dysfunction symptom clusters. The cumulative variance contribution rate was 69.269%.

Conclusions

Fatigue, dry skin, and pruritus are the sentinel symptoms of maintenance hemodialysis patients, headache is the core symptom and bridge symptom, and pain symptom clusters are the core symptom clusters of MHD patients. Nurses can develop interventions based on core symptoms and symptom clusters to improve the effectiveness of symptom management in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Clinical Relevance

Understanding the core symptoms and symptom groups that plague maintenance hemodialysis patients is critical to providing accurate symptom management. To ensure that maintenance hemodialysis patients receive effective support during treatment, reduce the adverse effects of symptoms, and improve the quality of life of patients.

Distribution and characteristics of bacteria on the hand during oropharyngeal swab collection: Which handwashing points are affected?

Abstract

Aims

To identify the contaminated areas of the hand collection and analyse the distribution characteristics of bacteria in the hand after swab collection.

Design

This study used a cross-sectional design.

Methods

A cross-sectional study sampling 50 pairs of hands (sampling hand and auxiliary hand) of healthcare workers was performed. Ten samples were collected from each participant. The optimal hand hygiene rates and bacterial colony counts of the whole hand and different hand sections without hand hygiene were identified as the primary outcomes.

Results

The optimal hand hygiene rates of the sampling hand and auxiliary hand were 88.8% (222/250) and 91.6% (229/250), respectively. The lowest optimal hand hygiene rates for the sampling hand and the auxiliary hand were both on the dorsal side of the finger and the dorsum of the hand (86.0%, 86.0% vs. 90.0%, 86.0%); the optimal hand hygiene rates for both sites of the sampling hand were 86.0% (43/50), and the optimal hand hygiene rates for the auxiliary hand were 90.0% (45/50) and 86.0% (43/50). The bacteria colony counts did not differ between the sampling hands and auxiliary hand.

Conclusions

The dorsal side of the finger and dorsum of the hand were the most likely to be contaminated during oropharyngeal swab collection. Therefore, it is essential to pay extra attention to hand hygiene care of these two sites during the collection process to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.

Reporting Method

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were adopted in this study.

Effects of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers in intensive care units patients: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the impact of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers (PUs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Computer searches were performed in databases including Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) implementing cluster nursing interventions for PUs prevention in ICU patients, with the search period covering the database inception to November 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data and conducted quality assessments. Stata 17.0 software was employed for data analysis. Overall, 17 RCTs involving 1463 ICU patients were included. The analysis showed that compared with conventional nursing, cluster nursing interventions significantly reduced the incidence of PUs (odds ratio: 0.24, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.17–0.34, p < 0.001) and also significantly improved the levels of anxiety (standardized mean difference [SMD]: −1.39, 95% CI: −1.57 to 1.22, p < 0.001) and depression (SMD: −1.64, 95% CI: −2.02 to 1.26, p < 0.001) in ICU patients. This study indicates that the application of cluster nursing interventions in ICU patients can effectively reduce the incidence of PUs, as well as improve patients' anxiety and depression levels, thereby enhancing their quality of life, which is worth clinical promotion and application.

Effects of clinical nursing pathway on the surgical site wound infection in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

To explore the effect of clinical nursing pathway on wound infection in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery. Computerised searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Wanfang, China Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were conducted, from database inception to September 2023, on the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of application of clinical nursing pathway to patients undergoing knee and hip arthroplasty. Literature was screened and evaluated by two researchers based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data were extracted from the final included literature. RevMan 5.4 software was employed for data analysis. Overall, 48 RCTs involving 4139 surgical patients were included, including 2072 and 2067 in the clinical nursing pathway and routine nursing groups, respectively. The results revealed, compared with routine nursing, the use of clinical nursing pathways was effective in reducing the rate of complications (OR = 0.17, 95%CI: 0.14–0.21, p < 0.001) and wound infections (OR = 0.29, 95%CI: 0.16–0.51, p < 0.001), shortens the hospital length of stay (MD = −4.11, 95%CI: −5.40 to −2.83, p < 0.001) and improves wound pain (MD = −1.34, 95%CI: −1.98 to −0.70, p < 0.001); it also improve patient satisfaction (OR = 7.13, 95%CI: 4.69–10.85, p < 0.001). The implementation of clinical nursing pathways in clinical care after knee or hip arthroplasty can effectively reduce the incidence of complications and wound infections, and also improve the wound pain, while also improving treatment satisfaction so that patients can be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.

Impacts of continuous quality improvement on wound pain in the puncture site of arteriovenous fistula in haemodialysis patient

Abstract

This study analyses the effects of a continuous quality improvement nursing model on wound pain at the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) puncture site in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Forty haemodialysis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, from September 2020 to December 2022, were selected as study subjects. They were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. The control group received conventional nursing care, while the observation group was treated with a continuous quality improvement nursing model. The study compared the impact of these nursing approaches on pain intensity post-AVF puncture, wound visual analogue scale scores, self-rating anxiety scale, self-rating depression scale, quality of life scores and patient satisfaction with nursing care. In the observation group, the proportion of patients experiencing moderate to severe pain during AVF puncture was lower than that in the control group, whereas the proportion of patients with no pain or mild pain was higher (P = 0.008). After nursing, the observation group exhibited significantly lower wound visual analogue scale scores, self-rating anxiety scale scores, and self-rating depression scale scores compared to the control group (P < 0.001), with a significantly higher quality of life score (P < 0.05). The nursing satisfaction rate was 95.00% in the observation group, significantly higher than the 65.00% in the control group (P = 0.018). The continuous quality improvement nursing model significantly reduces wound pain at the AVF puncture site in haemodialysis patients, alleviates negative emotions, enhances the quality of life, and achieves high patient satisfaction. It is thus a highly recommendable approach in nursing practice.

Evaluating the impact of ultrasound‐guided subsheath versus extrasheath sciatic nerve block on postoperative wound pain in tibial and foot surgeries: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the impact of ultrasound-guided subsheath versus extrasheath sciatic nerve blocks on postoperative wound pain in tibial and foot surgeries, crucial for effective pain management and patient recovery. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, this study used a PICO framework, focusing on patients undergoing tibial and foot surgeries and comparing the efficacy and safety of subsheath and extrasheath sciatic nerve blocks. The literature search spanned four databases without time restrictions, assessing various outcomes like success rate, onset time, duration of analgesia and complication rates. Quality assessment employed the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool, and statistical analyses included heterogeneity assessment, fixed-effect and random-effects models, sensitivity analysis and publication bias evaluation using funnel plots and Egger's linear regression test. From an initial pool of 1213 articles, six met the inclusion criteria. The subsheath group showed a significantly higher success rate of complete sensory blockade within 30 min compared with the extrasheath group (OR = 5.39; 95% CI: 2.82–10.28; p < 0.01). No significant differences were found in procedure duration or incidence of nerve-related complications between the two techniques. The subsheath approach also demonstrated a quicker onset time of sensory blockade (MD = −8.57; 95% CI: −11.27 to −5.88; p < 0.01). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results, and no significant publication bias was detected. Ultrasound-guided subsheath sciatic nerve blocks are more effective than extrasheath blocks in achieving rapid and complete sensory blockade for tibial and foot surgeries, with a quicker onset time and comparable safety profile. Subsheath injections are thus recommended as a preferred method for anaesthesia and postoperative pain management in these surgical procedures, enhancing overall patient outcomes.

Exploration of wound‐related complications post‐kidney transplantation

Abstract

An essential intervention for patients with end-stage renal disease is kidney transplantation. Nonetheless, patient outcomes are substantially affected by complications associated with postoperative wounds. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence, risk factors and repercussions of wound-related complications among kidney transplant recipients. A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Department of Organ Transplantation, China. Included in the study were 118 patients who had undergone kidney transplantation during the specified time period. Medical record evaluations, questionnaires and patient interviews were utilized to collect data, with an emphasis on demographics, transplant information, postoperative care and wound complications. Infection, dehiscence, lymphocoele, delayed wound healing, seroma formation and haematoma were classified as complications. The presence of comorbidities, age over 50 and living donor transplants were identified as significant risk factors for postoperative complications. The most prevalent complications observed were delayed wound healing (21.2%) and infections (16.9%) (p < 0.05). Antibiotics were found to be effective in managing infections, while prolonged conservative management was necessary for delayed wound healing. Prominent complications that recurred were infections and wound healing delays. No statistically significant correlation was observed between gender, BMI and prior transplants with the occurrence of complications (p > 0.05). The research highlighted the significance of taking into account patient-specific variables, including age and concurrent medical conditions, when conducting post-kidney transplantation treatment. The results supported the use of individualized strategies in postoperative care, particularly for populations at high risk, in order to reduce the incidence and severity of complications associated with wounds in pursuit to enhancing clinical practices and formulating focused intervention strategies to improve patient outcomes following transplantation.

Comparing the traditional and emerging therapies for enhancing wound healing in diabetic patients: A pivotal examination

Abstract

Chronic non-healing ulcers are common among diabetic patients, posing significant therapeutic challenges. This study compared traditional therapies (TT) and emerging therapies (ET) for enhancing diabetic patients' wound healing. A total of 150 diabetic patients with chronic ulcers, ages 30–65, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: TT (n = 75) or ET (n = 75). ET included growth factors, bioengineered skin substitutes, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, while TT for wound healing predominantly included debridement, saline-moistened dressings, and off-loading techniques. The primary outcome was the percentage of lesions that healed within 12 weeks, which was assessed at intervals. Secondary outcomes included time to wound recovery, pain using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and life quality via Wound-QoL questionnaire. By the 12th week, the ET group had a repair rate of 81.33% compared to 57.33% in TT group (p < 0.05). ET exhibited superior pain reduction (VAS score: 4.7 ± 1.6 for ET vs. 6.2 ± 1.4 for TT, p < 0.05) and improved life quality (Wound-QoL score: 61.8 ± 9.1 for ET vs. 44.3 ± 10.3 for TT, p < 0.05). However, there were slightly more cases of cutaneous irritation and hematomas among ET patients. ET have demonstrated significant efficacy in accelerating wound healing in diabetic patients, surpassing traditional methods, with additional advantages in pain management and life quality. Due to the observed minor complications, however, caution is required.

Effects of evidence‐based nursing in preventing pressure ulcers in intensive care unit patients: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

To systematically analyse the effects of evidence-based nursing (EBN) in preventing the development of pressure ulcers (PUs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We conducted a computerised search of the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang databases for randomised controlled trials on the prevention of PUs in ICU patients by EBN, published before the respective databases were established until September 2023. Two investigators independently performed literature screening, data extraction and quality assessment. A meta-analysis was performed using Stata 17.0. Eighteen papers were included, comprising 2593 patients, of whom 1297 and 1296 received EBN and conventional nursing, respectively. The incidence of PUs was 2.70% and 12.04% in the EBN and conventional nursing groups, respectively. Meta-analysis showed a statistically significantly lower incidence of PUs in the EBN group than that in the conventional nursing group (risk ratio = 0.22, 95% confidence interval: 0.16–0.32, p < 0.001). EBN interventions are more effective than conventional nursing in preventing PUs in ICU patients. However, since the literature included in this study was from China, the conclusions require further confirmation via higher-quality studies.

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