OBJECTIVE: to verify whether the Paw Edema Model can be used in investigations about the effects of Therapeutic Touch on inflammation by measuring the variables pain, edema and neutrophil migration. METHOD: this is a pilot and experimental study, involving ten male mice of the same genetic strain and divided into experimental and control group, submitted to the chemical induction of local inflammation in the right back paw. The experimental group received a daily administration of Therapeutic Touch for 15 minutes during three days. RESULTS: the data showed statistically significant differences in the nociceptive threshold and in the paw circumference of the animals from the experimental group on the second day of the experiment. CONCLUSION: the experiment model involving animals can contribute to study the effects of Therapeutic Touch on inflammation, and adjustments are suggested in the treatment duration, number of sessions and experiment duration.

OBJECTIVE: to present the result of the validity and reliability studies concerning the Scale for the Predisposition to the Occurrence of Adverse Events (EPEA). METHOD: construct validity was based on Principal Components Analysis. RESULTS: reliability verified through Cronbach's alpha indicated good reliability (structure a=0.80; process a=0.92). CONCLUSION: based on its psychometric indicators, the EPEA can be considered a valid measure to assess the attitudes of nurses in relation to factors that potentially lead to the occurrence of adverse events in ICUs.

OBJECTIVE: The objective in this study was to analyze candidates' knowledge on the liver transplantation process before and after putting in practice an educational intervention. METHOD: A quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest research design was adopted. The final sample included 15 subjects. Research data were collected between January and March 2010 in three phases, which were: pretest, implementation of the educational intervention (two meetings) and posttest. RESULTS: The results evidenced significant cognitive gains after the intervention, with improvements in the participants' performance . CONCLUSIONS: The research presents evidence that putting in practice a patient education strategy can enhance candidates' knowledge on the liver transplantation process and consequently contribute to a successful treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the meanings for the process of living, for patients undergoing myocardial revascularization surgery, and to construct an explanatory theoretical model. METHOD: Grounded Theory was used, with data collection undertaken between October 2010 and May 2012, in a health institution which specializes in cardiac surgery, located in the south of Brazil. Thirty-three subjects were interviewed (patients, health care professionals and family members), distributed in four sample groups. Result: The explanatory theoretical model was comprised of 11 categories and the central phenomenon. The specialized service and the cardiac rehabilitation program formed the context, the discovery of the cardiac disease and the feelings experienced during the perioperative period were the cause and intervening conditions in the process of experiencing the myocardial revascularization surgery. The strategies were relying on the family's support, having faith and hope, and participating in the rehabilitation program. This process's main consequences were the confrontation of the changes and the resulting limitations, difficulties and adaptations to the new lifestyle after surgery. CONCLUSION: The process of experiencing the myocardial revascularization surgery constitutes an opportunity for maintaining the patient's life associated with the needs for confronting the significant changes in lifestyle.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the process of end-of-life care delivery to the families of elderly patients according to a Family Health Strategy (FHS) team, to identify the meanings the team attributes to the experience and to build a theoretical model. METHOD: Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory were applied. Fourteen professionals working in an FHS located in a country town in the state of São Paulo were interviewed. RESULTS: Through comparative analysis, the core category overcoming challenges to assist the family and the elderly during the dying process was identified, and it was composed of the following sub-processes: Identifying situational problems, Planning a new care strategy, Managing the care and Evaluating the care process. CONCLUSION: the team faces difficulties to achieve better performance in attending to the biological and emotional needs of families, seeking to ensure dignity to the elderly at the end of their lives and expand access to healthcare.

AIM: to evaluate evidence concerning sources or mechanisms of infection transmission of atypical mycobacteria associated with acupuncture, and the species causing infections. METHOD: research was performed in December 2011 in the databases of LILACS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, OvidSP and the Cochrane Library, without restrictions regarding publication date, study type or language. RESULTS: of the 16 publications, only one identified the contamination source: diluted glutaraldehyde solution used to clean equipment. Three established likely sources: towels, hot packs or boiling tank water, and the reuse of reprocessed needles. Four indicated possible sources: contaminated needles, reuse of personal needles, patient's skin colonized by mycobacteria and reuse of needles at different sites in the same patient. Eight of the studies did not mention the sources. CONCLUSION: among 295 cases, M. abscessus was the pathological agent in over 96%. Well-established control practices for infection prevention should be implemented and adapted for complementary and alternative medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of accidents due to biological material exposure, the characteristics and post-accident conduct among professionals of pre-hospital services of the four municipalities of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHOD: A cross-sectional study, using a structured questionnaire that was developed to enable the calculation of prevalence, descriptive analysis and analytical analysis using logistic regression. The study included 228 professionals; the prevalence of accidents due to biological material exposure was 29.4%, with 49.2% percutaneous, 10.4% mucousal, 6.0% non-intact skin, and 34.4% intact skin. RESULTS: Among the professionals injured, those that stood out were nursing technicians (41.9%) and drivers (28.3%). CONCLUSION: Notification of the occurrence of the accident occurred in 29.8% of the cases. Percutaneous exposure was associated with time of work in the organization (OR=2.51, 95% CI: 1.18 to 5.35, p<0.017). Notification about accidents with biological material should be encouraged, along with professional evaluation/monitoring.

OBJECTIVE: to compare the degree of bacterial contamination of surgical instrument tables used in clean surgical procedures, either protected with plastic fields, sterilized with ethylene oxide, or disinfected with 70% alcohol and 1% iodine solutions. This is a randomized clinical trial in which samples were collected from the surfaces of surgical instrument tables before and after each procedure. Microbiological analysis was performed to identify microorganisms and their respective antimicrobial resistance. RESULTS: Bacterial growth in the surgeries using sterilized plastic was 5.71% before and 28.6% after surgery and, 2.9% and 45.7% respectively in surgeries using disinfection with 70% alcohol and 1% iodine solutions; no statistical difference was found between the methods. CONCLUSION: both methods present similar protection, however, 70% alcohol and 1% iodine do not generate solid waste.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the stress levels of parents of children with cancer and to identify correlations among demographic data and anxiety levels. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in two Brazilian institutions, with 101 parents of children with cancer. Through interviews, parents responded to two instruments: Pediatric Inventory for Parents - Brazilian version, which assesses stress levels, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, for the measurement of anxiety. The correlations between the instruments and the sociodemographic variables of the parents and children were evaluated using the Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Higher levels of stress and anxiety were seen by young parents, young children and with less time since diagnosis. The fear of death and the disease impact on the life of a child were the events considered the most stressful for the parents . CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, the nurse who can identify the occurrence of these symptoms becomes capable of planning nursing care that includes the family in decisions about the care. Moreover, she can provide support to help parents manage their stress levels and positively face the illness of their children.

OBJECTIVE: estimate the psychometric properties in the adaptation of the instrument Positions on Nursing Diagnosis to assess nursing staff members' attitudes towards the nursing process. METHOD: methodological study with a non-probabilistic sample of 973 nursing assistants and 632 baccalaureate nurses from 35 hospitals and outpatient clinics affiliated with the São Paulo State Health Secretary. The validity of the 20-items instrument was checked through confirmatory factor analysis, which identified a more generally secondary-level factor, constituted by the three classical attitude factors. Reliability corresponded to 0.954 for the total instrument. RESULTS: the validity and reliability of the instrument Posições sobre o Processo de Enfermagem are appropriate . CONCLUSIONS: further research is needed to verify whether the items behave differently according to the respondent's professional category and to verify the instrument's behavior when applied to student samples.