Indian Journal of Surgical Nursing

Syncope is a symptom which is often taken for granted and less attention is given resulting in great delay seeking medical assistance. The intensity of this symptom and treatment depends on the type of syncope and its origin. The classification of syncope goes with the causes of syncope and they are i) neutrally mediated syncope, ii) orthostatic syncope, iii) cardiac syncope, and iv) cerebrovascular syncope. This article focuses on the approach to its evaluation as well. Management of syncope is in accord to its classification is encompassed. Besides, pharmacological management, non- pharmacological measures which could be emphasized by the nursing community is elaborated.

Key words: Syncope, neutrally mediated syncope, orthostatic syncope, cardiac syncope, cerebrovascular
syncope.

Providing adequate supportive services for the families of palliative care patients is a core principle of palliative care. Caring for a patient with terminal illness at home involves a considerable commitment on the part of family caregivers, and attention must be given to the caregiver’s needs as well as those of the patient. Enhanced supportive care strategies can ameliorate the challenges facing families of palliative care patients cared for at home. All health professionals need to improve the standard of family-centred palliative care, and more evidence-based approaches are required. There is a growing trend for people with a terminal illness to remain at home, where practicable.Despite the input offered by professional palliative care services, care within the home usually relies primarily on a family member or friend. Indeed, without the support of caregivers, home palliative care would be impossible for many people. This article outlines current issues related to home-based palliative care for enhancing the quality of this care.

Keywords: Palliative care, Care giver, Quality of life, Family coping.

In the recent years, there has been an increased acceptance of the use of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the health care system. Massage is one of the CAM which is thought to work by improving circulation which reduces pain caused by the accumulation of irritants such as lactic acid and inflammatory substances, it also relaxes the person thus raising the pain threshold. Interest in the therapeutic use of touch through massage has grown with several writers advocating the use of massage in daily nursing practice to promote comfort and demonstrate caring. The objectives of the study were i) assess the pre-intervention data of selected side-effects associated with cancer  chemotherapy in both experimental and control groups ii) determine the selected side-effects associated with cancer chemotherapy after intervention by comparing the scores of experimental and control groups. 

Hypothesis of the study: There is a significant difference in the mean nausea and pain scores after foot massage between experimental and control groups. Methodology: The study adopted a quasi experimental design. Foot massage was chosen as intervention. Data was collected from cancer patients receiving chemotherapy medications and suffering from pain and nausea. Results: The results of the study revealed  pre-intervention data of the mean pain scores of the control group was 5 and experimental group was 6.35 and nausea scores of the control group was 4.7 and experimental group was 7.1. The after-intervention data of the mean of pain in control group was 3.4 and experimental group was 1.35 and nausea scores in control group were 3.7 and experimental group was 1.65. Comparison of the mean difference of pain and nausea between the two groups shows that experimental group was significantly higher than the control group.

Keywords: Foot massage; Pain, Nausea, Heart rate.

A descriptive study was conducted to assess fatigue among cardiac patients at K.S.Hedge Medical College hospital, Mangalore. All the patients attended cardiac OPD with cardiac disease were selected using convenience sampling technique and sample size comprised of 55 patients. A standardized tool, Multidimensional fatigue inventory- 20 was used to collect the self reports. The findings revealed that 96.4% of the respondents reported that they experience fatigue with cardiac disease. And 61.8 % of respondents had self reported that they experience more of general fatigue than other aspects. The fatigue scores were computed with various cardiac diseases to explore association and it was found general fatigue, physical fatigue and reduced motivation aspects were significantly associated with cardiac diseases at P< .05 level of significance whereas mental fatigue and reduced activity showed no significant association. There was no association between the fatigue scores and demographic variables as well.

Key words: Fatigue; Multidimensional fatigue inventory- 20; cardiac disease.