Effects of requested, forced and denied shift schedule change on work ability and health of nurses in Europe: results from the European NEXT-Study

Background: Previous cross-sectional findings from the European Nurses Early Exit Study (NEXT) show that nurses who were dissatisfied with their work schedule tended to consider leaving the nursing profession. Mediating factors in this decision process may be caused by self-perceived poor work ability and/or health. The aim of this paper is to investigate changes in work ability and general health among nurses in relation to requested, forced and denied change of shift schedule. Methods: Longitudinal data from the NEXT Study was used. In total 11,102 nurses from Belgium, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, France and Italy completed both the ‘basic questionnaire’ (t1) and the ’12 month follow-up questionnaire’ (t2). To examine the time-effect (repeated measures) and the group-effect of five defined groups of nurses on the Work Ability Index (WAI) and general health (SF36), an adjusted 2-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed. Results: The nurses who wanted to, but could not change their shifts during the 12 month follow-up had the lowest initial and follow-up scores for WAI (t1: 37.6, t2: 36.6, p <0.001), lowest general health (t1: 63.9, t2: 59.2, p <0.001) and showed the highest decrease in both outcomes. Shift pattern change in line with the nurses’ wishes was associated with improved work ability and to a lesser comparatively low extent with increased decline in health scores. A forced change of shift against the nurses’ will was significantly associated with a deteriorating work ability and health. Conclusions: The findings would suggest that nurses’ desire to change their shift patterns may be an indicator for perceived low work ability and/or low health. The results also indicate that fulfilling nurses’ wishes with respect to their shift work pattern may improve their personal resources such as work ability and – to somewhat lesser extent – health. Disregarding nurses’ preferences, however, bears the risk for further resource deterioration. The findings imply that shift schedule organization may constitute a valuable preventive tool to promote nurses’ work ability and – to lesser extent – their perceived health, not least in aging nursing work forces

Global child health in higher education in Germany : a mixed-methods study

Germany has an ambitious global health strategy, yet its universities provide few opportunities for global child health researchers. Improved understanding of the reasons and the academic role of global child health is needed

Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany

(1) Background: Water drinking is essential to reduce obesity in children, but effective means for implementation remain controversial. Our study assesses students’ and teachers’ use of and attitudes towards drinking fountains in two urban secondary schools. (2) Methods: In a cross-sectional study, answers from students and teachers to a 28- and 19-item questionnaire, respectively, containing closed- and open-ended questions and short interviews with the schools’ two principals were described and analysed using the question-specific number of responses as the denominator. (3) Results: Questionnaires of one hundred sixty-two students and ten teachers were analysed; 36.1% of students responded. Students viewed the schools’ two fountains as a good idea (73.3%, n = 118), recommended them to other schools (73.1%, n = 117), and felt able to distinguish healthy from unhealthy drinks (70.5%, n = 110). In contrast, 55.7% (n = 88) reported using the fountains regularly; over a week, 39.8% (n = 47) used them less than once; 26.3% (n = 31) used them one to two times. Only about a third (26.5%, n = 43) reported consuming more water since the fountains’ installation. Teachers’ responses were similar to students’; principals stressed planning and costs. (4) Conclusions: A discrepancy between a good attitude towards and actual use of drinking fountains may exist; school communities may need to look for measures to overcome it

Attitudes of nurses and student nurses towards working with older people and to gerontological nursing as a career in Germany, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, Japan and the United States.

The aim of this study was to describe attitudes towards caring for older people among nurses and student nurses in six participating countries. Working with older people has historically had a negative profile and, with a global rise in the numbers of older people and a global shortage of nurses, it is essential to recruit nurses into this area. This study gathered data from six countries to explore nurses' and student nurses' attitudes to nursing older people and to gerontological nursing as a career. A convenience sample of 1064 nursing students and 2585 nurses in six countries answered the Multifactorial Attitudes Questionnaire (MAQ), designed to elicit attitudes towards caring for older people and to the esteem that comes with working in this field. The MAQ consists of seven positive and thirteen negative statements, and uses a Likert scale. A higher total score indicates a more positive attitude. Differences in attitudes among the six counties was observed for both nursing students and for nurses ( < 0.001). Nursing students in Scotland and the USA had the highest mean scores, and Slovenia and Sweden were the countries with the lowest mean scores. The highest scores for nurses were reported in Scotland and Sweden, and the lowest scores in Germany and Japan. From the findings, it is suggested that formal nursing education to students between 18 and 29 years of age has high importance for positive attitudes towards working with older people

Familienarbeit in der ambulanten palliativen Betreuung : ein (fast) unbezahltes Angebot

Hintergrund: Obgleich dem gesetzlichen Anspruch auf angemessene palliative Betreuung Rechnung getragen wird, ist es für ambulante Pflegedienste in der Schweiz mit palliativem Angebot eine Herausforderung alle Pflege- und Beratungsleistungen bei den Krankenversicherern und auch der öffentlichen Hand adäquat abzurechnen zu können. Das führt dazu das zentrale Leistungen der ambulanten palliativen Betreuung von den Familien getragen werden müssten. Zum einem ist diese zusätzliche finanzielle Belastung für Familien aufgrund der palliativen Situation nur schwer tragbar. Auf der anderen Seite bringt es die ambulanten palliativen Dienste in das Dilemma fachliche notwendige Leistungen entweder nicht oder nur mit finanziellem Defizit durchführen zu müssen. Ziel: Ziel dieses Projekt ist es, durch die ambulanten Pflegedienste erbrachte palliative Pflegeleistungen bei Klient:innen in ihren letzten Lebenstagen im Schweizer ambulanten palliativen Kontext detailliert und möglichst “real” darzustellen und den bisher abrechenbaren Pflegeleistungen gegenüberzustellen. Design and Methode: In einer Querschnittsstudie ist geplant, die Verteilung und der Anteil der pflegerischen Tätigkeiten in der dezentralen ambulanten Palliativ-Versorgung durch eine Multimomentaufnahme (MMA) in unterschiedlichen ambulanten Settings und Bezirken im Kanton Thurgau, Schweiz, zu erfassen und zu analysieren. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf Familienarbeit und deren zeitlichen und finanziellen Aufwand in der Schweiz. Diskussion: Um das Forschungsziel zu erreichen ist eine Zusammenarbeit mit Schweizer Institutionen und Organisationen im ambulanten palliativen Bereich essenziell. Um dies erfolgreich zu gestalten, müssen wir folgende Fragen stellen: Welche Hürden ergeben sich für eine Teilnahme an Forschung in der Praxis? Wie wird die Familienarbeit betrachtet und wie werden diese Leistungen real abgerechnet? Welche Priorität hat die Familienarbeit? Wie groß ist die Lücke zwischen Realität und Anspruch? Könnte sich die ambulante Betreuung von Familien durch eine an die Situation angepasste Bezahlung verbessern? Das sind Fragen, die bisher nur wenig kommuniziert wurden

Family Caregiver Satisfaction With Home-Based Palliative Care Servives In North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany

Aim: The aim of this study was to give an overview of family caregiver satisfaction within the home palliative care situation in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire, with seven validated scales, and comprising of 71 items, was used. The items investigated perceived needs and burdens of families within a home-based palliative care situation. The satisfaction of the family caregivers with the services delivered by palliative care teams was measured by the FAMCARE-2 Scale. Descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed. Results: A convenience sample of 106 family members agreed to participate in the study. Overall, we found high satisfaction within our sample. There was high satisfaction with how the services respected the dignity of families, and how they provided comfort to patients. Satisfaction was lower with regard to information about patients. Conclusion: High or low satisfaction with palliative care, tells us little about the quality of services. The high satisfaction within this study could be interpreted as a sign that palliative care was important to families at the time of availability. Regular and continuous assessment can serve to inform the continuous quality of care provision for patients and their families