Medicinski glasnik : official publication of the Medical Association of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Aim To explore the experiences of registered nurses in assessing postoperative pain in hip fracture patients suffering from dementia in nursing homes. Methods The study was designed as a qualitative study using data from a self-reported questionnaire form. Data were collected through the self-administered questionnaire with 23 questions, mainly addressing demographic and social data, information about communication and pain assessment. ⋯ An assessment of pain in patients with dementia and hip fractures was a complex process because cognitive ability of these patients was reduced. Conclusion Registered nurses need to know various and different forms of evaluation and tools to assess the experience of pain in patients with dementia who had undergone surgery for hip fractures. This is a complicated task, which requires a great deal of time, and means that nurses must work together with other medical staff, using a holistic approach.
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Aim To investigate the usage of chest computed tomography (CT) scan score for improvement in diagnostic and treatment efficacy of repetitive pleural effusion. Methods CT scan scoring system was used as a part of diagnostic procedures in patients with repetitive pleural effusion. Patients with at least two pleurocentesis were included in the study. ⋯ Binary regression model showed odds ratio of 1.314; CI 95% 1.119-1.543) (p=0.00088). Confirmed malignancies with pleural effusion were in high correlation with the number of points in CT scan score. Conclusion CT scan scoring system was helpful for diagnostic and treatment decision making in patients with repetitive pleural effusion.
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Aim To investigate the relations between hormonal status of the thyroid gland and mineral bone density in women in menopause with or without osteoporosis. Methods The study included 120 postmenopausal women, who were divided into two groups. Group I included postmenopausal patients with osteoporosis, of whom 30 were in the early stages of postmenopause, and 30 of them where in the late postmenopausal phase. ⋯ Results A statistically significant correlation between TSH level and mineral bone density in the lumbar spine level (r=0.27) was found in early postmenopausal women (r<0.05), TSH and T-score at the level of the lumbar spine (r=0.31) (p<0.05), as well as between TSH and mineral content of the femur bone (r=0.29; <0.05). There was statistically significant independent association between thyroxine and mineral bone density at the lumbar spine level in the late postmenopausal women (ß=0.29; p=0.025). Conclusion In the early postmenopausal phase, TSH was associated with mineral bone density in the lumbar spine and in the area of the femur.
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Aim Hand hygiene practice is still burdened by inadequate compliance, whether in the professional sphere by health professionals or in the non-professional sphere by lay population. Aim of this study was to map the hand hygiene knowledge and its compliance in the monitored group of people. Methods The research was conducted at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin of Comenius University in Bratislava (JFM CU) among seventy 3rd year students of General Medicine (medical study program), and Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health (non-medical study programs). ⋯ The differences between the groups of students with and without the proper hand hygiene compliance in routine hand washing were not statistically significant. Conclusion The results of our survey have suggested that the reasons for decreased compliance with hand washing protocols may be related to forgetting to wash the hands or not being acquainted with hand washing protocols at all. The strategies focused only on one aspect of hand hygiene are, according to scientific literature, ineffective in the long term.
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Aim Emphysema is a lung disease in which alveolar capillary units are destroyed supporting tissue lost. Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) is a novel treatment for emphysema. Several comorbidities have been reported to coexist in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ The mortality rate was higher (37.5% vs 10.5%) in the LVRC comparing to the EBV treatment group in the presence of multiple comorbid conditions, albeit not reaching statistical significance (p=0.099). Conclusion The presence of more than one comorbidity in patients who underwent the LVRC treatment are associated with significant increase of mortality. For patients with severe emphysema who have more than one comorbidity, EBV is a better choice than LVRC.