Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Adjustment among Doctors and Nurses in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rawalpindi-Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between EI and the quality of nursing care from the viewpoint of nurses and patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a public sector tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, over 6 months from November 2019 to April 2020. The convenience sampling technique was employed. The study groups were qualified practising doctors and nurses including nursing assistants and paramedics. Study groups were provided with a self-administered questionnaire that was filled out after getting consent from the study participants. Data analysis was done by entering it into SPSS version 22. The relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological adjustments among the two groups was assessed by applying an independent T-test. Results: The current study explored that doctors were emotionally intelligent and psychologically well-adjusted as compared to nurses. Females were more emotionally intelligent than males; however, males were better adjusted psychologically. Years of experience had no significant results between both groups, while there was a positive correlation between the department of practice and psychological well-being. Conclusions: It shows that harmonious work environments and friendly interpersonal relationships positively affect the well-being of HCWs and patients. What this indicates is a need to bring about changes within work environments to produce friendly interpersonal relationships and a positive impact on the well-being of HCWs and patients.

Kidney transplant increases the risk of ipsilateral critical limb ischemia

Objectives: End-stage renal disease is a known risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, which are highly prevalent in renal transplant candidates, are independent risk factors for atherosclerosis and PAD. Renal transplantation is an invasive arterial procedure that may have effects on ipsilateral limb perfusion and/or progression of atherosclerotic disease. We hypothesized that the lower extremity ipsilateral to the side of the kidney transplant may be at increased risk for PAD complications. Methods: Our transplant database was retrospectively queried for all kidney transplant patients who underwent subsequent lower extremity revascularization or amputation procedures. Patients with concomitant pancreatic transplants or bilateral renal transplants were excluded. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and discharge medications were collected, and data analysis was conducted on SPSS 22.0 software (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Results: Between January 2004 and August 2016, 1214 patients received a renal transplant at our tertiary referral center. Of these, 25 patients (2%) had subsequent arterial revascularizations or amputations on either lower extremity. Average age was 55 years; 76% were male, 65% were African American, 92% had diabetes, 92% had hypertension, 44% had a history of coronary artery disease, and 72% were on aspirin or another antiplatelet agent. Eighteen patients had lower extremity vascular interventions (13 amputations and 5 revascularizations) ipsilateral to the transplanted kidney, and seven patients had contralateral vascular interventions (all amputations; P =.043). The average interval between transplantation and subsequent vascular intervention was 27 months for the ipsilateral interventions and 39 months for the contralateral interventions (P =.37). Conclusions: Kidney transplantation is associated with an increased risk of ipsilateral lower extremity PAD requiring surgical intervention. Further studies are necessary to determine whether this represents a “steal” phenomenon vs progression of atherosclerosis distal to the transplanted kidney. Renal transplant patients should be monitored closely for the development of ischemic symptoms in the lower extremity ipsilateral to the transplanted kidney