The Relationship between Nurses' Perception of Barriers Magnitude and their Demographic Characteristics

Indexes of Caring for Elderly in Earthquakes According to the Iranian Experience: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE

The elderly are especially susceptible to death and injury in disasters. This study aimed to identify indexes of caring for elderly people in an earthquake according to the Iranian experience.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted during 2014-2016 by use of the content analysis technique. Data were collected through individual deep interviews with the elderly and people with experience providing services to the elderly during earthquakes in an urban area of Iran. The data were analyzed by use of the Graneheim and Lundman method.

RESULTS

Seven categories emerged: vulnerability of elderly people, physiological indexes, psychological indexes, economic indexes, religious and spiritual indexes, health indexes, and security indexes. There were 3 uncategorized issues: "There is no specific protocol for the elderly," "The need to design plans based on age care," and "Aid organizations."

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing a comprehensive plan would not only save lives but decrease suffering and enable effective use of available resources. Due to the crucial role of the prehospital care system in disasters, there is a need for further investigation based on the results of this study to develop strategies for improving the system. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:493-501).

Post-traumatic stress and growth among CPR survivors in the southeast of Iran

Background

Almost 7.2%–10.6% of patients survive CPR in Iran. Most of them experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). There are limited studies to assessing the correlation between these two psychological outcomes among CPR survivors.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the correlation between PTSD and PTG among CPR survivors in South-East Iran.

Subjects

Using Quota sampling, 163 CPR survivors in two provinces in the South-East of Iran were selected to participate in this study.

Method

A descriptive-correlational study was used to fulfill the aim of the study. The impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for assessing PTSD and Post-traumatic growth questionnaires were used to assess PTG.

Results

The mean score of PTSD was 39.89 and according to the cutoff point, 87.1% of participants suffered from PTSD. The mean score of PTG was 78.6. PTSD and PTG had significant negative correlation. The result of multi-variate logistic regression showed that only the PTG score predicted PTSD (Odds ratio = 0.79, CI = 0.72–0.87; and p < 0.001). The result of multi-variate linear regression indicated that PTSD, time passed since CPR, and physical disability caused by CPR predicted PTG score significantly.

Conclusion

This study provides CPR survivors and health care personnel with some valuable insights about cultural aspects of PTSD and PTG among CPR survivors and that PTG is positively influenced by physical disability and time passed since CPR. CPR survivors may gain positive experience and valuable insight in group meetings and discussions with their counterparts.