Decision making in nursing is one of the most important skills nurses must apply and utilize in their nursing practice. The aim of this study was to determine the perception of clinical decision making ability among nursing students. A descriptive crosssectional study was conducted in a tertiary hospital. A total of 54 nursing students were recruited using a modified version of Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS) adapted from Jenkins (1985). The findings showed good CDMNS score with mean and standard deviation of (124.24±12.713). The four sub-scales of CDMNS were: searching for alternative (33.24±4.821), canvassing (28.74±3.514), evaluation and re-evaluation (31.43±3.922), searching for information(30.83±4.765). Nineteen (35%) of the participants chose nursing as their first choice, whereas 35 participants (65%) did not. Thirthy seven (69%) participants were satisfied with their nursing competency, 17 (31%) were unsatisfied. There were significant differences between searching for alternatives, evaluation and re-evaluation, and nursing as their first choice (p=<0.05). There were also significant differences between searching for alternatives and satisfaction with nursing competency (p=<0.05). There was significant difference between education level and searching for alternatives and information (p=<0.05). The nursing students possessed adequate clinical decision making ability. Although most of the nursing students did not choose nursing as their first choice, they sought for alternatives and evaluated-reevaluated during their decision making process. Nursing students’ satisfaction also contributed to appropriate clinical decision making in the critical care setting.

PURPOSE: Changes in magnesium (Mg) concentration and calcium-to-magnesium ratio (Ca/Mg) play a critical role in cancer cell proliferation. In this study, we evaluated the association between preoperative Ca/Mg ratio and clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative serum levels of Ca and Mg, as well as the Ca/Mg ratio, were retrospectively analyzed in 319 consecutive patients with prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy at our institution between February 2014 and June 2016. Blood Ca and Mg levels, together with the Ca/Mg ratio, were analyzed in relation to the patients' demographic and clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS: Preoperative Ca/Mg ratio was significantly higher in patients with pathologic Gleason score (pGS)≥8 than in those with pGS≤7 (mean [95% confidence interval]: 4.45 [4.35–4.56] vs. 4.32 [4.27–4.38], p=0.037). The Ca/Mg ratio was positively correlated with preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (r=0.116, p=0.039) and PSA density (r=0.156, p=0.005). Ca/Mg ratio was a preoperative predictor of high pGS (≥8) according to multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio, 1.752; 95% confidence interval, 1.002–3.064; p=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: A high serum Ca/Mg ratio was closely associated with worse clinicopathological parameters (high PSA and PSA density and pGS≥8), suggesting that the Ca/Mg ratio may be a useful serological marker for further characterization of oncologic features in prostate cancer. A multicenter prospective study with long-term follow-up is recommended to further assess the utility of this cost-effective marker as a prognostic indicator of prostate cancer.
Calcium ; Cell Proliferation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Magnesium ; Neoplasm Grading ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies