Job Satisfaction and Stress Level of the Occupational Health Nurse

Occupational health nursing is a specialized field of nursing, employing only about 1% of total U.S. nurses (Moore & Moore, 2014). For this reason, it is often difficult to recruit prospective occupational health nurses (OHN). The need for OHN has grown in the auto industry in 2014 and 2015 due to increased production rates. It is important to determine whether or not current OHN, specifically in the auto manufacturing field, are satisfied and plan to stay in their current positions. Identifying reasons for job stress and job satisfaction helps leadership to correct deficiencies and develop and maintain a positive work environment that leads to the retention of the OHN. Thirty-eight occupational health nurses, working in five auto manufacturing plants in the South, volunteered to describe overall job satisfaction and stress in general as measured anonymously through the Job Descriptive Index, Job in General Index, and Stress in General Index (Bowling Green State University, 2009). Nurses in this sample were generally satisfied with their jobs and identified low workplace stress levels. Nurses were most satisfied with supervision, coworkers, and their jobs in general. The lowest satisfaction scores were for pay and opportunities for promotion. Based on this study, nurse leadership should implement pay increases for the OHN and also implement tiered levels of promotion for nurses to advance professionally. Research concerning job satisfaction and stress levels of occupational health nurses needs to be expanded to include multiple occupational settings

Encouraging Increased PPE Compliance: A Quality Improvement Project

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to minimize infection transmission from patient to healthcare worker, or vice versa. During a clinical rotation in a large urban teaching hospital, it was noted that a number of nurses failed to adhere to proper PPE policies. A literature review focusing on thirty-two studies found that average nurse compliance to proper PPE is 34%. This review included an overall discussion of factors affecting compliance, as well as a more in-depth review of the effect of education on PPE compliance, how comfort and proper fitting affects compliance, and the general effectiveness of PPE when used properly. This literature review also indicated that major factors affecting compliance were perception of risk of infection, quality of education received, and the comfort/fit of PPE. These findings support the intervention of emphasizing the importance of PPE adherence through providing donning and doffing education for nurses.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2022/1020/thumbnail.jp

EmpowerED Adolescent Mental Health: A Pilot Program in Burke County, North Carolina to Improve Education Access and Quality by Utilizing Evidence-Based Mental Health Best Practices

There is a critical link between social determinants of health, particularly educational access and quality, and mental health outcomes among adolescents in rural areas like Burke County, North Carolina. The detrimental impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on academic performance and mental well-being underscores the need for targeted interventions. The proposed intervention, EmpowerED: Adolescent Mental Health Program, has a mission to redesign the existing system by utilizing mental health education resources to strengthen scholastic achievement of students from underprivileged populations (i.e., low socioeconomic areas). Organized as a pilot after-school program at Liberty Middle School, it seeks to mitigate the effects of ACEs and improve overall educational experiences for economically disadvantaged adolescents. The goal is to foster systemic change by demonstrating how mental health and well-being can enhance educational quality and positively influence health outcomes; therefore, contributing to a healthier future for Burke County residents.Master of Public Healt

Microglial activation, tau and amyloid deposition in TREM2 p.R47H carriers and mild cognitive impairment patients: a multi-modal/multi-tracer PET/MRI imaging study with influenza vaccine immune challenge

BACKGROUND: Microglia are increasingly understood to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The rs75932628 (p.R47H) TREM2 variant is a well-established risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. TREM2 is a microglial cell surface receptor. In this multi-modal/multi-tracer PET/MRI study we investigated the effect of TREM2 p.R47H carrier status on microglial activation, tau and amyloid deposition, brain structure and cognitive profile. METHODS: We compared TREM2 p.R47H carriers (n = 8; median age = 62.3) and participants with mild cognitive impairment (n = 8; median age = 70.7). Participants underwent two [18F]DPA-714 PET/MRI scans to assess TSPO signal, indicative of microglial activation, before and after receiving the seasonal influenza vaccination, which was used as an immune stimulant. Participants also underwent [18F]florbetapir and [18F]AV1451 PET scans to assess amyloid and tau burden, respectively. Regional tau and TSPO signal were calculated for regions of interest linked to Braak stage. An additional comparison imaging healthy control group (n = 8; median age = 45.5) had a single [18F]DPA-714 PET/MRI. An expanded group of participants underwent neuropsychological testing, to determine if TREM2 status influenced clinical phenotype. RESULTS: Compared to participants with mild cognitive impairment, TREM2 carriers had lower TSPO signal in Braak II (P = 0.04) and Braak III (P = 0.046) regions, despite having a similar burden of tau and amyloid. There were trends to suggest reduced microglial activation following influenza vaccine in TREM2 carriers. Tau deposition in the Braak VI region was higher in TREM2 carriers (P = 0.04). Furthermore, compared to healthy controls TREM2 carriers had smaller caudate (P = 0.02), total brain (P = 0.049) and white matter volumes (P = 0.02); and neuropsychological assessment revealed worse ADAS-Cog13 (P = 0.03) and Delayed Matching to Sample (P = 0.007) scores. CONCLUSIONS: TREM2 p.R47H carriers had reduced levels of microglial activation in brain regions affected early in the Alzheimer's disease course and differences in brain structure and cognition. Changes in microglial response may underlie the increased Alzheimer's disease risk in TREM2 p.R47H carriers. Future therapeutic agents in Alzheimer's disease should aim to enhance protective microglial actions

Teleki Krisztina, Introduction to the study of Urga’s heritage

Cet ouvrage est le fruit d’une étude du patrimoine matériel de l’ancienne « capitale » mongole, Ih hüree ou Da hüree, connue en Europe sous le nom d’Ourga (du mongol örgöö, « palais ou tente d’un khan ou d’une personne de haut rang », en l’occurrence le Žavzandamba hutagt). Fondée en 1639 comme campement monastique par le grand Öndör gegeen Zanabazar (1635-1723), Ier Žavzandamba hutagt, Ourga évolua pour devenir la plus grande ville monastique de Mongolie moderne et, après vingt-huit déménage..

The Piper Fatigue Scale-12 (PFS-12): psychometric findings and item reduction in a cohort of breast cancer survivors

Brief, valid measures of fatigue, a prevalent and distressing cancer symptom, are needed for use in research. This study’s primary aim was to create a shortened version of the revised Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS-R) based on data from a diverse cohort of breast cancer survivors. A secondary aim was to determine whether the PFS captured multiple distinct aspects of fatigue (a multidimensional model) or a single overall fatigue factor (a unidimensional model)

Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health and physical health. We explore the psychological, social, and neuroscientific effects of COVID-19 and set out the immediate priorities and longer-term strategies for mental health science research. These priorities were informed by surveys of the public and an expert panel convened by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the mental health research charity, MQ: Transforming Mental Health, in the first weeks of the pandemic in the UK in March, 2020. We urge UK research funding agencies to work with researchers, people with lived experience, and others to establish a high level coordination group to ensure that these research priorities are addressed, and to allow new ones to be identified over time. The need to maintain high-quality research standards is imperative. International collaboration and a global perspective will be beneficial. An immediate priority is collecting high-quality data on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the whole population and vulnerable groups, and on brain function, cognition, and mental health of patients with COVID-19. There is an urgent need for research to address how mental health consequences for vulnerable groups can be mitigated under pandemic conditions, and on the impact of repeated media consumption and health messaging around COVID-19. Discovery, evaluation, and refinement of mechanistically driven interventions to address the psychological, social, and neuroscientific aspects of the pandemic are required. Rising to this challenge will require integration across disciplines and sectors, and should be done together with people with lived experience. New funding will be required to meet these priorities, and it can be efficiently leveraged by the UK's world-leading infrastructure. This Position Paper provides a strategy that may be both adapted for, and integrated with, research efforts in other countries