Assessment of non-technical skills of operating room nurses

Training of non-technical skills helps to achieve reduction of human errors that could contribute to safety of patients. For assessment of non-technical skills of Operating Room (OR) nurses, researchers of the University of Aberdeen developed intra-operative work organization protocol for observation of non-technical behaviour. This system includes taxonomy of non-technical skills, definitions, desirable and adverse behavioural markers, and Likert scale for behavioural assessment. The objective of this research is to assess non-technical skills of OR nurses in work environment and compare the findings with OR nurses self-assessment of non-technical skills. The study involved 15 interviews with OR nurses in sterile position (scrub nurses) and 15 observations of their work in four hospitals. Providing self-assessment, OR nurses note a tendency to minimal communication. In practice, nurses often show good ability to think analytically, to predict events and needs and are able to act decisively during surgery. OR nurses in Latvia partially associate their work with non-technical skills, however in practice these skills are used, and they were relatively highly valued during the study. Insufficient self-assessment of such skills of nurses as cooperation in performance of physical tasks, promotion of personnel safety and decisive action, indicates the need for development of scrub nurse's work standards with clearly defined area of responsibility and duties.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Professionally-relevant Behaviour in Healthcare Professionals

Professionally relevant behaviour (PRB) is the activity of an employee as an individual's activity where it is possible to distinguish activities or conduct and reactions; it is characterized by such parameters as job motivation, creativity, job involvement, job satisfaction, etc. The purpose of this paper was to identify the parameters of PRB in practicing nurses. The research methods were used: the survey of socio-demographic characteristics and a questionnaire to determine the significance of PRB parameters. The most significant parameters are „ability to cooperate”, „appropriate behavior in a given situation”, „ability to concentrate”, etc.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Measuring the professional quality of life among Latvian nurses

Prolonged fatigue caused by work can cause symptoms which can influence negatively professional work quality and nurse's mental life. Professional quality of life for those providing care has been a topic of growing interest over the past twenty five years. The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), is the most commonly used measure of the positive and negative effects of working with people. The objective of the research was to translate in Latvian and perform adaptation process of the ProQOL among nurses practicing in Latvia. All participants (500) were practicing nurses from several hospitals in Latvia. The descriptive statistic parameters of ProQOL subscales and the reliability statistical parameter Cronbach's alpha were calculatedpublishersversionPeer reviewe

Causes of anxiety during pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most important periods in a woman's life, as it brings along numerous changes, not only in the physical aspects, but also socially and psychologically. There are plenty of researches done around the world about anxiety during pregnancy. Purpose of study is to examine anxiety during pregnancy and its causes. Two research tools were used: Questionnaire to ascertain reasons of anxiety and State – Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The participants were 150 pregnant women. Most of the pregnant woman feels anxious firstly about factors connected with newborn: “possible neonatal development disorder”, “possible birth trauma to newborn” and “newborn's ability to effectively initiate breathing”. Followed by anxiety causes connected to pregnant woman herself.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Quality of Life and its Relation to Stressors Elderly Nursing Home Rezidents in Latvia

There is a lot of talk about global aging in society and, as people start to live longer, the society has to take care about their well- being in old age too. There are developed a series of definitions about life quality and designed a variety of methods for assessing quality of life of different groups of people and society as a whole over the time. At such a group of people belongs also those who lives in a nursing home and for various reasons they are aging in one of the nursing homes in Latvia. A study has been made to examine the correlation between stressors and quality of life of nursing home residents. The study objective was quantification method - survey, using two research instruments - questionnaires and 134 nursing home residents were interviewed. The results show that there are both positive and negative relationship between stressors and indicator of quality of life. Overall, the results after the quality of life index characterize the situation as good, the figure is described as an adequate quality of life for the majority of respondents, but for a part of respondents in several, important areas of life there is needed an improvement.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Anxiety and Depression Rates Among the Unemployed Citizens of Latgale Region

Employment status can substantially influence emotional, social and financial welfare of an individual, protects an individual from obvious negative influence on a person’s life quality. This is connected with a loss of work, instability and low income, as well as worsening of life quality. According to the gained data, unemployed people feel depression and anxiety symptoms very often and it is not paid enough attention to these symptoms. Taking into consideration the fact, that in Latgale region the level of unemployment is the highest one, it would be important to define the signs of depression and anxiety among the unemployed people. The second purpose of the research is to find out the connection between anxiety and depression indexes among the unemployed people and the duration of an unemployed person’s status. 100 participants were involved in the research. To gain the data the quantative method of reseach was used. The two types of instruments were used: Spielberg’s self-assessment anxiety test and Beck depression scale. The connection between the duration of unemployed status and depression and anxiety symptoms was not verified.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Emotional intelligence among surgical nurses in Latvia

Personality dimensions - coping strategies, emotional intelligence, locus of control related with behaviour at work. This study focuses on the conceptualization of Bar-On which formulated emotional intelligence as a noncognitive intelligence which influences an individual's ability to cope effectively with environmental demands and pressures. The purpose of this paper was to study emotional intelligence among surgical nurses in Latvia. The study is using demographic data and Questionnaire of Emotional intelligence. The highest average rates of emotional intelligence subscales are Emotional Self-Awareness, Social Responsibility and Interpersonal Relationship and leading competencies are Interpersonal and Intrapersonal.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Stress Coping Mechanisms and Professional Burnout Among Latvian Nurses

The reason of burnout is the negative influence of job stress. Due to burnout nurses work may become less productive, employees are absent due to illness, as well as the fluctuation of staff increases. It shows the need to develop adaptive coping strategies among nurses. The aim of the study was to find out stress coping mechanisms and burnout presence among nurses practicing in Latvia. The instruments which used for data collection: demographic questionnaire, R.S. Lazarus and S. Folkman’s The Ways of Coping Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The Ways of Coping Scale completed by 484 nurses working in healthcare institutions in different regions of Latvia in the age range from 21 to 66 years. The highest values have: planful problem-solving, self-controlling and positive reappraisal, accepting responsibility and seeking social support; while the lowest values can be seen in two scales – confrontive coping and escape/avoidance. The prevailing ways of coping stress in the sample are planful problem solving, self-controlling and positive reappraisal. Maslach burned out inventory which was completed by 587 practicing nurses. Age range of respondents was from 22 to 68 years. Descriptive statistical parameters for Maslach Burnot Inventory by subscales: mean for Emotional Exhaustion subscale - 22.75 (SD=10.75), for Depersonalization subscale was 7.52 (SD=5.30) and for rank of Personal achievement subscale - 34.57 (SD=8.22).publishersversionPeer reviewe

PARENT SATISFACTION WITH TREATMENT AND CARE SERVICES WITHTIN THE FRAMEWORK OF PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE IN LATVIA

The number of children prenatally or after birth diagnosed with a disease with no prevent radical treatment options in Latvia and worldwide constantly increases. Pediatric palliative care in Latvia is organized in the form of a home hospice care model. It is instrumental to establish the level of patients’ satisfaction with the provided care and treatment services. The objective of the study is to evaluate patient satisfaction with care and treatment services under the offered pediatric palliative care model. The study sample comprises 153 parents with children receiving palliative care services. The study is based on the quantitative research method: patient satisfaction survey. The parental satisfaction was measured in six subcategories: networking and collaboration, follow-up care, funding, access, clinical capacity building and outreach.  According to the outcomes of the study, the level of satisfaction with the provided treatment and care services under the hospice palliative care model is average.  The lowest score was given to collaboration and access categories, whereas the highest score was awarded for the continuity (follow-up) of care and funding

SHIFT WORK IMPACT TO SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG NURSES

Shift work is prevalent in service industries such as hospitals that provide 24-hour coverage. There is no common accepted definition of shift work, but usually shift work is defined as work hours that are scheduled outside daylight (6 am–6 pm) hours. Purpose of study is to compare quality of sleep, anxiety and depression among nurses working daily and shifts in Latvia. In this study 4 research tools were used: a demographic questionnaire, Beck depression survey (BDI), The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Research results showed that nurses in shifts have higher mean value scores than day time working nurses in all indicators – depression, anxiety and sleep quality. This research is meaningful due to the fact that it allows to acknowledge and evaluate the role of shift work on nurses health particularly on mood disorders and sleep quality