Background: Nursing staff working in the operating room are exposed to risk factors that can cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related disabilities. The use of ergonomics principles can help with the prevention of MSDs. This study aimed to examine the effect of an ergonomics educational program on MSDs among nursing staff working in the operating room. Methods: In this pragmatic parallel group quasi-randomized controlled clinical trial, 74 nursing staff working in the operating rooms of two teaching hospitals participated. The hospitals were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group and all nursing staff working in the operating room of each hospital were invited to take part in this research. They were initially assessed for the prevalence and risk of MSDs by using the Nordic questionnaire and the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) checklist. The intervention group received the ergonomics educational program and were assessed in two-week intervals over a period of three months. At the end of the study, the risk and prevalence of MSDs were compared between the intervention and control groups. Results: Statistically significant differences were reported between the groups in terms of the prevalence and risk of MSDs. The overall risk of MSDs decreased in the intervention group after the educational program (p = 0.03). The reduction in the prevalence of MSDs in the different parts of the body in the intervention group was as follows: ankle (p = 0.005), hand/wrist (p = 0.041), low back (p = 0.000), the neck (p = 0.003), hip (p = 0.001) and shoulder (p = 0.043). Conclusion: The education of nursing staff about ergonomics can influence the prevalence and risk of MSDs. Therefore, it should be incorporated into the degree education and on-the-job training initiatives for nurses working in the operating theatre in order to reduce workplace injuries and associated absences, and increase the quality of care delivered by them. This clinical trial has been registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials: IRCT2015081823677N1.

PRN is the acronym for ‘pro re nata,’ written against prescriptions whose administration should be based on patients’ needs, rather than at set times. The aim of this systematic review was to explore safety issues and adverse events arising from PRN prescription and administration. Electronic databases including Scopus, PubMed [including Medline], Embase, Cinahl, Web of Science and ProQuest were systematically searched to retrieve articles published from 2005 to 2017. Selection criteria: we included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and studies with comparison groups, comparing PRN prescription and administration with scheduled administration, where safety issues and adverse events were reported. The authors independently assessed titles, abstracts and full-texts of retrieved studies based on inclusion criteria and risk of bias. Results were summarised narratively. The search identified 7699 articles. Title, abstract and full-text appraisals yielded 5 articles. The included studies were RCTs with one exception, a pre-test post-test experimental design. Patient populations, interventions and outcomes varied. Studies compared patient-controlled or routine administration with PRN and one trial assessed the effect of a practice guideline on implementation of PRN administration. More analgesia was administered in the patient-controlled than the PRN arms but pain reduction was similar. However, there was little difference in administration of psychotropic medicines. No differences between patient-controlled and PRN groups were reported for adverse events. The PRN practice guideline improved PRN patient education but non-documentation of PRN administration increased. This systematic review suggests that PRN safety issues and adverse events are an under-researched area of healthcare practice. Variations in the interventions, outcomes and clinical areas make it difficult to judge the overall quality of the evidence. Well-designed RCTs are needed to identify any safety issues and adverse events associated with PRN administration.

Background: The high incidence of COVID-19 has provided a challenge for healthcare systems in Iran, and may result in some psychological problems. Objectives: The study aims at describing depression, death anxiety, and the related factors in nurses caring for COVID-19 Patients at Kosar Hospital, Semnan, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 89 nurses caring for COVID-19 patients were selected in October 2020 via the census method. A demographic questionnaire, Beck’s Depression inventory, and Templer Death Anxiety scale were used to collect the required data. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: The mean scores of death anxiety and depression among nurses were 7.32 ± 1.75 and 10.82 ± 8.50 respectively. The results of the Pearson’s correlation-coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between death anxiety and depression (P = 0.05), death anxiety and nurses’ age (P < 0.05), death anxiety, and nurses’ work experience (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of the study revealed that nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are at high risk of death anxiety and depression. Thus, there is a need to identify these problems to prevent or reduce them with effective interventions.

Background and Objectives: The image of nursing has a considerable impact on identity and professional self-esteem in nurses. In this regard, the media can be an effective important factor in drawing a positive or negative image of the nursing profession. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the effect of media on nursing image in societies. Methods In this systematic review, national and international electronic databases including SID, Magiran, IranMedex, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were systematically searched in October 2020 to retrieve articles published up to 2020, using the keywords nursing profession, nursing image, nursing public image and Social/Mass media. According to the aim of study and inclusion criteria, 15 articles among all obtained articles were assessed to appraise their quality. Finally, the content of final selected articles was reported as extraction tables. Results The search yielded 958 articles, but consideration of inclusion criteria led to final selection of 7 articles. The most important effects of media on the image of nursing included the effect of media on the academic and clinical image of the profession, nursing professional roles, as well as gender and media bias towards the nursing profession. Conclusion More attention to media productions should be considered in order to improve the image of nursing. Additionally, with greater presence, nurses can find in media programs to introduce the reality of their profession the greater help this will be for the voices of nurses to be heard.