Objective: This research study explores the perceptions of gerontological nursing competencies, attitudes toward older individuals, and the willingness to provide care for the elderly among internship nursing students.

Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 350 internship nursing students from Cairo University Faculty of Nursing participated in the study. Data were collected using a set of comprehensive tools, including personal data and work experience assessment, the Hartford geriatric nurse competency tool, Kogan’s attitudes toward old people scale, and the modified elderly patient care inventory.

Results: Descriptive analysis revealed balanced gender representation, with 60% identifying as female. Seventy percent of participants reported prior experience in gerontological care. Self-assessed competency scores indicated moderate proficiency in communication, physiological changes, and functional status assessment. Areas such as pain management and restraint use demonstrated potential gaps in self-perceived skills. Attitudes toward older individuals were predominantly positive, and the willingness to provide care showed positive tendencies, with a minor degree of hesitation noted.

Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions in nursing education to address competency gaps, enhance positive attitudes, and alleviate potential hesitations in caregiving for older individuals. As the elderly population continues to grow, nursing education programs must prepare future practitioners to deliver comprehensive and compassionate care tailored to the unique needs of older adults.

Objective: The present study aimed to identify predictive factors for mortality among elderly individuals infected with COVID?19.

Methods and Materials: This historical cohort study was conducted from July to December 2021 in the specialized departments for COVID?19 patients at one of the hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Data were collected from the medical records of 404 elderly patients. Sampling was conducted using the convenience sampling method. Data were gathered through a demographic and clinical checklist developed by the researcher. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to analyze the data.

Results: The mortality rate among elderly individuals was 25% (n = 101). Multiple regression analysis revealed significant associations between mortality and age (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38, 0.88; P = 0.011), level of consciousness (HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.50; P < 0.001), and SpO2 (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.92; P = 0.022). The probability of survival after the 19th day of hospitalization was 50%.

Conclusions: Determining predictors of death allows for early identification of elderly individuals at risk and enables the health?care team to provide more effective care, ultimately saving the lives of elderly individuals by allocating appropriate facilities and equipment.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the impact of health education on lifestyle modification and disease status of diabetic patients for 6 months in rural Mysuru in Southern India.

Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 104 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural Mysuru, India from July to December 2022. Participants were assigned to two groups: intervention (n = 52) and control (n = 52), and their data were collected. The intervention group was educated about the disease and its management and was given printed pamphlets containing information to be followed, whereas the participants in the control group were asked to continue their routine health checkups. The body mass index (BMI), weight, fasting blood sugar (FBS), knowledge about the disease, and behavior changes were recorded and compared between the two groups before and after 6 months.

Results: The mean FBS value, BMI and weight decreased significantly in the intervention group after 6 months (FBS: 164.79 ± 47.59 mg/dL vs. 141.92 ± 25.63 mg/dL, P < 0.001; BMI: 22.97 ± 3.75 kg/m2 vs. 22.62 ± 3.29 kg/m2 , P < 0.05; weight: 62.82 ± 11.92 kg vs. 61.54 ± 10.67 kg, P < 0.05). The posttest period also showed an improvement in physical activity, diet, and medication adherence in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The knowledge scores also improved postintervention which was statistically significant with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The effectiveness of the educational intervention was also supported by lower FBS levels and decrease in BMI and weight compared to before. The findings of this study may help and make it easier to plan studies on people with diabetes mellitus in various settings.

Objective: For people living with HIV (PLHIV), strict adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is the key to effective treatment and retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care. There are many factors which promote or halt the antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence practices. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the HAART adherence levels and to explore patients’ views about barriers and facilitators to HIV treatment adherence.

Methods: Semi?structured interviews were conducted among 15 PLHIV at the ART clinic of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi. Interviews were audio?recorded in the local Hindi language, and bilingual experts (English and Hindi) transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were coded for themes and subthemes and analyzed using a phenomenological approach as per thematic content analysis.

Results: Feeling of hopelessness, delayed ART initiation, difficult initial phase of ART, forget to take ART on time, fear of disclosure of HIV diagnosis, lack of privacy and negative social support, and impact of lockdown due to COVID-19 were revealed as significant barriers to ART adherence. At the same time, commitment to raise and educate children, ART to increase life span, maintain oneself to be physically fit and healthy, only a single pill per day, very supportive counselors and health?care professionals, and hope to give birth to a healthy child were identified as facilitators of HIV retention.

Conclusion: Understanding patient’s perception about ART adherence, its motivational and barrier factors which are directly affecting ART adherence and retention of PLHIV in HIV treatment and follow?ups are of utmost importance to improve ART adherence during HIV patient care services.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the conflict management styles and identify factors affecting the conflict management styles of nurse managers.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing nurse managers with a questionnaire, including the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II Form B, used to assess an individual’s approach to conflict management across five styles: cooperating, competing, compromising, obliging, and avoiding.

Results: A total of 30 nurse managers participated in this study. The mean scores of the cooperating style were the highest at 4.3 ± 0.4, followed by a compromising style at 3.4 ± 0.5, an avoiding style at 3.1 ± 0.6, an accommodating style at 2.9 ± 0.7, and a competing style at 2.8 ± 0.8 (χ² = 66.624, P < 0.001). The mean scores for avoiding style among bachelor’s degree nurse managers (3.2 ± 0.6) were higher than those of master’s degree nurse managers (2.7 ± 0.6) (P = 0.036). Nurse managers over 40 years old, holding a managerial position for ≥10 years, and frequent conflict handling rated higher mean scores for the cooperating style than their counterparts (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The cooperating style was the most commonly used conflict management style among nurse managers. Factors affecting the conflict management style were age, education level, and experience in management and conflict handling. These findings are useful for developing interventions that enhance the competencies of nurse managers in conflict management.

Objectives: The present study aims to assess the prevalence and predictors of smartphone addiction and insomnia among nurses working in the outpatient department (OPD) after the second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID?19) pandemic.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among 117 OPD nurses between October and December 2021 using a purposive sampling technique. Two self-reported standardized scales, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version and Insomnia Severity Index were used. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis H test were used. Pearson’s correlation and Scatter plot were used to determine the relationship between the study variables. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was also performed.

Results: The majority of participants had slight smartphone addiction (78.6%) and suffered from sub-threshold to severe forms of insomnia (73.5%). A significant mild positive correlation was found between smartphone addiction and insomnia (r = 0.195, P < 0.05). Stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis predicted factors such as female gender and exposure to smartphones for more than 5 years influencing smartphone addiction. A strong influence of exposure to the smartphone for more than 5 years was found on insomnia severity.

Conclusion: Smartphone addiction and insomnia were identified problems among nurses working in the OPD after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring an urgent need to identify and manage various factors responsible for smartphone addiction and insomnia such as female gender and years of exposure to smartphones.

Objective: More health workers die from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) than from any other infectious agent, so the current study is designed to assess TB treatment and preventive measures as they relate to nursing care practice.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 82 nurses from December 2022 to January 2023. The data were collected through a self-developed questionnaire and analyzed by frequency table and analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistics.

Results: The researchers found that nurses have sufficient knowledge on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) policy, but not all nurses follow this management protocol, and the reason for their action is addressed in this study. The management and preventive measures used by the participants were identified as: proper cough etiquette/hygiene, working in a well-ventilated area, use of mask, appropriate disposal of used items and so on was reported. Moreover, this study also discovered that there is a positive correlation between nurses who had received training in IPC policy and their use of airborne preventive measures for TB patients (F = 1.87, P = 0.002) as well as a positive correlation between the availability of resources and their adherence to the proper use of airborne preventive measures when caring for TB patients (F = 1.96, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: We proposed infection and control training for nurses and adequate equipment supplies to the TB ward which are required in quick TB diagnosis, and must be carried out on a regular basis by health-care personnel, for efficient nursing practice. Ensuring proper safety equipment and isolation units should be available and assessable for nurses or other health workers showing sign or symptoms of TB. Similarly, it is necessary for government to put in place the control and regulations that will safeguard nurses and mandate them to adopt TB prevention protocols, which will aid in lowering the prevalence of TB among nurses.

Objective: Preventive measures and appropriate rehabilitation are important in reducing the social burden of blindness. This study was to evaluate the etiologies, proportions, and level of rehabilitation for patients with blindness.

Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study with 1000 visually impaired patients was conducted. The data regarding age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), etiologies, curable or incurable blindness (IB), treatments, awareness, and state of rehabilitation were collected and reviewed.

Results: The ratio of curable to IB was 0.82:1. The proportion of blindness rises after 40, even while the proportion of curable blindness (CB) increases after 60. The male–female ratios were 1.25:1 and 1:1.66 in the cases of CB and IB, respectively. On the other hand, the male–female ratio for childhood blindness was 1.66:1. Cataracts (78.22%) were the most common cause of CB, whereas diabetic retinopathy (24%), corneal opacity (17.5%), and trauma (12.4%) were causes of IB. Patients with illiteracy, low SES, and female gender were more likely to develop IB. There were low enrollment rates at the blind school and poor rehabilitation, mainly because of a lack of knowledge.

Conclusion: Diabetic retinopathy, corneal opacity, and trauma are the major causes of IB. IB and poor rehabilitation were more profound in women and were associated with illiteracy, low SES, and a lack of awareness.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence, and determinants, of nonpharmacological pain management practices among nurses in multiple settings.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional examination was conducted involving 324 nurses from 16 hospitals in Hai’l, Saudi Arabia. Participants completed a self?reported survey utilizing established tools to assess the frequency of nonpharmacological pain management interventions utilization and identify associated barriers. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 29.0.

Results: Nonpharmacological pain management practices were found to be utilized “sometimes,” with a score of 2.89 ± 0.48. Commonly employed techniques included placing patients in comfortable positions and providing a tranquil environment. Gender was the sole demographic factor significantly affecting the use of these techniques (P < 0.001), with female nurses demonstrating higher utilization. Barriers to implementation varied based on the hours of recent pain management education (P = 0.004), with prevalent barriers including nurse shortages, multiple responsibilities, heavy workloads, and nurse fatigue.

Conclusion: The study reveals moderate utilization of nonpharmacological pain management approaches, primarily focusing on patient positioning and creating a calm environment. Female nurses exhibited higher adoption rates of these techniques. Barriers to implementation, such as nurse shortages and heavy workloads, were influenced by recent pain management education. Consequently, enhancing education and fostering supportive work environments are crucial for surmounting these barriers and promoting pain management awareness among nurses.

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into health care reshapes nursing practices and education, enhancing patient care and clinical processes. This article discusses the transformative potential of AI in nursing, from streamlining documentation and diagnosis using AI applications to the evolution of nursing. The utilization of AI in primary care through automated communication strategies and the emergence of humanistic AI solutions are explored. As nurses adapt to AI?driven health-care technologies, balancing present needs with future demands becomes imperative. AI provides substantial advantages, but it's crucial to address challenges to ensure the successful integration of technology in healthcare and maintain the delivery of high-quality patient care in our tech-driven healthcare environment.

Cervical cancer remains a major public health problem accounting for continuous female death in developing countries. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women globally with an estimated number of 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 273,000 mortalities annually. Cervical screening is the best cancer screening test in the history of medicine and most cost-effective of all medical screening tests. The study review aimed to highlight methods of cervical cancer prevention, identify the uptake of cervical screening among women, and explain the role of nurses in uptake of cervical screening. Cervical cancer is preventable and easily treatable if it is detected at early stages, but poor information on prevention and access to screening and treatment contributes to 90% of deaths. In the developing countries such as Nigeria, a large proportion of cervical cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages, with poor rates of survival. The three main methods for preventing cervical cancer are through primary prevention (human papillomavirus vaccination and health education), secondary prevention (cervical screening, early detection of precancerous lesions, and treatment), and tertiary prevention (measures to slow the progression or recurrence, surgical removal, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy). Nurses can help improve the acceptability of this neglected promise by focusing on health education on cervical screening and vaccination in prenatal clinics and infant welfare clinics where there are more women. Inclusion of cyberspace could also serve as a successful and popular platform for this health teaching. All nurses/midwives must preach and fervently work toward the WHO 90–70–90 plan for eradicating cervical cancer.