The Effect of Clinical and Demographic Factors on Quality of Life in End-Stage Renal Disease. A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis and to examine the clinical and demographic attributes associated with it. This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study, conducted in 2018, in which 367 patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis were recruited. Data were collected through a two-part anonymous, self-completed questionnaire. The first part contained questions regarding demographic, social, and clinical information, and the Greek version of Missoula–Vitas Quality of Life Index-15 (MVQoL-15) scale was used to assess QoL. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were applied. All reported p-values were two-tailed, and the statistical significance level was set at 0.05. Of the study participants, 62.1% were male, with a mean age of 61.80 ±15.11. Of the participants, 67.3% were living in urban areas and 59.1% were married. The majority of the Hemodialysis (HD) patients evaluated possessively all the domains of MVQoL except the wellbeing Domain. QoL was found to be influenced, among others, by age (0.001), occupation (0.002), education (0.003), and additional health problems (<0.001). The role of patient characteristics in QoL is an area of interest, and early and proper intervention is important to enhance QoL

Professionalism among nurses in Malaysia : Does it exist?

Professionalism has been discussed among nurses for years. Nursing in Malaysia also experiences a gradual progression toward professionalism despite the rapid development of nursing education. Anecdotally, every nurse will rather admit that they are professional. However, there might be a possibility of speaking of it rather than doing it. This paper explores the existence of professionalism among nurses in Malaysia empirically and discusses pertinent research and/or studies that were conducted within the Malaysia context in the recent years. Numerous literature pertinent to professionalism in nursing were discussed. Several pertinent papers explored and discussed diversely in the context of professionalism in nursing nevertheless mainly conceived from the western countries’ perspectives. Furthermore, a marginalized amount of literature discuss professionalism in nursing within Malaysia context. This paper is likely to suggest the need to amplify the needs of researching the existence of professionalism in nursing practice and to reinstate the significance of the elements of professionalism among nurses in Malaysia in education and practice. KEYWORDS: Professionalism, nursing, Malaysi

Alcohol Use and Mental Health Status Among University Students in Greece

Alcohol abuse is a common incident in college student’s communities. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the rates of alcohol use among university students in Greece and to search if there is a relation between alcohol use disorders and mental health status (depression, anxiety, stress)

Emotional Intelligence and Caring Behaviors of Mental Health Nurses in Greece

The purpose of this descriptive study of correlation of the synchronic type is to investigate the level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Caring Behaviors exhibited by nurses in mental health, as well as the relationship with their individual characteristics

A cross-sectional study for the impact of coping strategies on mental health disorders among psychiatric nurses

Several studies report that psychiatric nursing is a highly stressful occupation. The ways that nurses use in order to deal with stressful situations have a serious effect on their psychological mood and their health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the coping strategies in predicting of depression and anxiety among mental health nurses working in public psychiatric hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Athens, Greece from April to May 2017. A questionnaire consisting of the socio-demographic and work-related characteristics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, and the 38-items Ways of Coping Questionnaire - Greek version, was completed by a total of 110 mental health nurses. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the logistic regression model. Coping strategies focused on the problem (positive re-evaluation, positive approach, problem solving, and seeking social support) were the most commonly used by the mental health nurses. Strategies focused on emotion (prayer/daydream, prayer, avoidance/escape, resignation, and denial) were positively associated with depression and anxiety outcomes. Also, the coping skills of problem solving (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR=0.402), and seeking social support (AOR=3.719) were significant predictors only for elevated anxiety symptoms. The results from the study demonstrated the importance of coping behaviours in mental health problems of psychiatric nurses

Greek Nurses' Perception of Hospital Ethical Climate: A Cross-Sectional Study

The present study aimed to examine Greek nurses’ perceptions about hospital ethical climate and to investigate the possible difference of those perceptions regarding their demographic and work-related characteristics. The cross-sectional study design was employed in this study in which 286 nurses and nurse assistants participated. Data were collected by a sheet containing demographic and work-related characteristics and the Greek version of Oslons’ Hospital Ethical Climate Scale. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences 25 was used in data analysis. Frequencies, means, percentages, and standard deviations summarized the data. For the statistical differences, parametric tests were performed. Independent Samples t and Pearson correlation analysis were used to determine the relationship between the ethical climate of the hospital and the nurses’ characteristics. The p-values 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The mean age of the nurses was 44 years (SD: 8.5 years; range 24–66 years). The majority of them were women (77.3%). A percent of 57.7% of the sample was married. Most positive perceptions were concerning managers (4.01) following by peers (3.82), patients (3.69), hospital (3.29) while the least positive perceptions of the ethical climate were concerning the physicians (3.16). The factors associated with hospital ethical perception were: working experience and responsible position. The highest score of ethical climate reported to Managers subscale, while the minimum score was related to Physicians. In general, Greek nurses reported positive perceptions regarding hospital ethical climate. The positive ethical climate is associated with a better working environment, fewer nurses’ experience of moral distress, fewer chances for nursing turnover, high quality of nursing care, and fewer errors in nursing practice

The safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers during COVID-19: A scoping review

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the safety and well-being of healthcare workers. A scoping review was conducted to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the safety, health, and well-being of healthcare workers and to shed light on the concerns about their perceived safety and support systems. A literature search was conducted in three different databases from December 1, 2019, through July 20, 2022, to find publications that meet the aim of this review. Using search engines, 3087 articles were identified, and after a rigorous assessment by two reviewers, 30 articles were chosen for further analysis. Two themes emerged during the analysis: safety and health and well-being. The primary safety concern of the staff was mostly about contracting COVID-19, infecting family members, and caring for patients with COVID-19. During the pandemic, the health care workers appeared to have anxiety, stress, uncertainty, burnout, and a lack of sleep. Additionally, the review focused on the suggestions of health care providers to improve the safety and well-being of workers through fair organizational policies and practices and timely, individualized mental health care

Spiritual Well-Being and Associated Factors in End-Stage Renal Disease

People with CKD depend on religion and spirituality to deal with their chronic illness, and those are essential means of coping for those living with chronic diseases. The present study aims to evaluate ESRD patients’ spiritual wellbeing undergoing hemodialysis treatment and to identify critical variables associated with the spiritual wellbeing of those patients. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 367 patients undergoing HD participated. Patients were randomly selected from six HD units in various geographical areas of Greece. Data were collected through an anonymous self-completed questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part contained questions regarding demographic, social, and clinical information such as age, gender, marital status, and duration of dialysis comorbidities. The second part assessed the patients’ spiritual wellbeing with the use of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale-12. Multivariate analysis was performed to extract predictors or determinants of spiritual wellbeing of hemodialysis patients. Results. From the total of the 367 participants, 228 (62.1%) were males and 139 (37.9%) were females, and the mean age was 61.80 ± 15.11. Spiritual wellbeing had a mean value of 30.55 (SD = 8.22), which means that patients had a satisfactory spiritual wellbeing level. Multivariate analysis revealed that place of residence, marital status, educational level, and comorbidities could predict spiritual wellbeing in ESRD patients. Conclusions. There is much evidence in the literature supporting the positive effect of spirituality, health (physical and mental), and quality of life. Integration of spiritual wellbeing evaluation and spiritual care in everyday practice as a part of clinical care can increase the quality of the provided care and improve health outcome for patients undergoing hemodialysis

Perceived Symptoms, Mental Health and Quality of Life after Hospitalization in COVID-19 Patients

Patients recovering from novel coronavirus are reporting a variety of symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, myalgia as well as psychological distress and poor quality of life. The aim of this study is to assess quality of life and psychological distress in COVID-19 survivors and the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics that affect COVID-19 survivors’ mental health status and quality of life. A quantitative study was conducted among COVID-19 survivors, who had previously been admitted to the University Hospital of Larissa, Greece. Data were collected via a questionnaire consisting of three-parts. The first part consisted of questions about the demographic characteristics. The second part was the SF-36 QoL index. The third part was the Symptom Checklist-90r (SCL 90-R). In addition, clinical information such as the length and the department of hospitalization, days since discharge and pulmonary function (spirometry values) were recorded. From a total of 145 patients, 60% were male, aged 59.72 ± 12.74 and 78.6% of them were married; the majority had completed secondary education, 35.9% were pensioners and 58.6 were living in urban areas. The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (67.6%) and pain (44.8%) and 11.7% were experiencing psychological distress. Pain, loss of smell, mandatory education, ICU admission, female gender and the experiencing of skin disturbance are associated with poor physical QoL among COVID-19 recovered patients. Greek COVID-19 previously hospitalized patients were reporting several symptoms associated with COVID-19. Good QoL and mental health were also reported. Physical pain, loss of smell and female gender were associated with poor QoL and psychological distress