title: A survey of the quality of nursing services for brain trauma patients in the emergency wards of hospitals in Guilan Province, Iran (2012).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Head trauma is the main cause of disabilities and death among young people, and the side effects of head trauma pose some of the greatest medical challenges. Rapid diagnosis and the use of proper treatments can prevent more severe brain damage. The purpose of this research was to determine the quality of nursing services provided to brain trauma patients in hospitals in Guilan Province, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted as a descriptive, cross-sectional study in the emergency wards of selected hospitals in Guilan in 2012. The research population was comprised of all the brain trauma patients in these hospitals. We developed a two-section questionnaire, ascertained its validity, and determined that it had a reliability of 88% (Cronbach's alpha). Subsequently, we used the questionnaire for gathering data. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, and descriptive analysis tests (frequency rate and average) and deductive analyses tests (chi-squared) also were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the quality of health services provided to brain-trauma patients in the emergency ward was at the moderate level of 58.8% of the cases and at a low level in 41.2% of the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results that showed that the services were of moderate quality, the staff members in the emergency ward were required to update their knowledge and use the required measures to minimize or prevent side effects in brain-trauma patients; clearly, mastery of such measures was a real need among the emergency ward's staff.
authors.affiliation: Lecturer, Ph.D. Student in Health Care Services Administration, Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Majidi
authors.affiliation: Hospital Management Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayoubian
authors.affiliation: M.A in Health Care Services Administration, Islamic Azad University, Sciences and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sheida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hashemidehaghi
keywords: brain injuries; emergencies; hospitals; nursing services; patients