Job satisfaction of nurses and identifying factors of job satisfaction in Slovenian Hospitals

Aim To determine the level of job satisfaction of nursing professionals in Slovenian hospitals and factors influencing job satisfaction in nursing. Methods The study included 4 hospitals selected from the hospital list comprising 26 hospitals in Slovenia. The employees of these hospitals represent 29.8% and 509 employees included in the study represent 6% of all employees in nursing in Slovenian hospitals. One structured survey questionnaire was administered to the leaders and the other to employees, both consisting 154 items evaluated on a 5 point Likert-type scale. We examined the correlation between independent variables (age, number of years of employment, behavior of leaders, personal characteristics of leaders, and managerial competencies of leaders) and the dependent variable (job satisfaction – satisfaction with the work, coworkers, management, pay, etc) by applying correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. In addition, factor analysis was used to establish characteristic components of the variables measured. Results We found a medium level of job satisfaction in both leaders (3.49 ± 0.5) and employees (3.19 ± 0.6), however, there was a significant difference between their estimates (t = 3.237; P = <0.001). Job satisfaction was explained by age (P < 0.05; β = 0.091), years of employment (P < 0.05; β = 0.193), personal characteristics of leaders (P < 0.001; β = 0.158), and managerial competencies of leaders (P < 0.000; β = 0.634) in 46% of cases. The factor analysis yielded four factors explaining 64% of the total job satisfaction variance. Conclusion Satisfied employees play a crucial role in an organization’s success, so health care organizations must be aware of the importance of employees’ job satisfaction. It is recommended to monitor employees’ job satisfaction levels on an annual basis

Experience of Problem‐Based Learning for Raising Quality of Nursing Study

Introduction: Problem‐based learning is a teaching method that encourages critical thinking, group interaction, and application of the theory into practice. Transition to active forms of learning, with integrating problem‐solving strategies, will help to raise the quality of education. The aim of the study is to determine students’ evaluation of problem‐based learning in the study of nursing

Perceptions of managerial competencies, style, and characteristics among professionals in nursing

Aim To compare nursing leaders’ and employees’ perception of leaders’ leadership style, personality characteristics, and managerial competencies and to determine the associations between these factors. Methods The study included 4 out of 5 Slovenian major hospitals selected from the hospital list; 1 hospital refused to participate. The employees of these hospitals represent 30% of all employees in nursing in Slovenian hospitals and the 509 employees included in the study represent 6%. One structured survey questionnaire was administered to the leaders and the other to employees, both consisting of 134 statements evaluated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The relationship between demographic data, leadership style, leaders’ personality characteristics, and leaders’ training and managerial competencies was analyzed by correlation and multivariate regression analysis. The study took place in April 2009. Results Leaders and employees significantly differently evaluated 13 out of 14 managerial competencies of the leaders, where leaders rated themselves higher for vision and goals, communication, conflict resolution - agreement, compromise, adjustment, motivation, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, delegation, teamwork, decision making, emotional intelligence, and human resources development. Employees rated the leaders higher for managing changes and conflict resolution - dominance and avoidance.. Multivariate regression analysis showed that managerial competencies were explained by leadership style, leaders’ training, leaders’ characteristics, and type of employment in 86.1% of cases. Conclusion Leaders in nursing too frequently used inappropriate leadership style. Forming a unique model for all health care institutions in the country would facilitate the evaluation of competencies and constant monitoring of leaders’ work results

Assessment of Clinical Nursing Competencies: Literature Review

Introduction: In Slovene nursing higher education, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the choice of tolls for assessment of clinical skills and competencies. This literature review aims to critically discuss identified methods of clinical nursing skills assessment and competencies currently used in nursing higher education in other countries

Attitudes of Nursing Students Towards Learning Communication Skills

Introduction: Attitudes of nursing students towards learning nurse-patient communication skills have for long been a concern of lecturers, planners and policy-makers. The objectives of our study were to explore the attitudes of nursing students towards learning communication skills

Health professionals' knowledge of probiotics : an international survey

The objective of this study was to survey health professionals to investigate their knowledge of probiotics. An online survey was conducted to gather data on the knowledge of health professionals. The online survey was distributed via email and social media platforms using snowball sampling. A total of 1066 health professionals (859; 80.6% female) from 30 countries responded to the survey. Most of the respondents evaluated their knowledge of probiotics as medium (36.4%) or good (36.2%). Only 8.9% of the respondents rated it as excellent. No statistical difference in knowledge was found between male and female health professionals. Over 80% of pharmacists, allied health professionals, medical doctors and dentists, and other health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”, whereas three quarters of registered nurses and midwives and less than two thirds of psychologists identified the correct definition. Statistically, more female than male health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics. The most frequently recognized species of bacteria containing probiotic strains were Lactobacillus acidophilus (92%), Bifidobacterium bifidum (82%), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (62%). The opinions on when it is best to take probiotics were different (χ2 = 28.375; p < 0.001), with 90.2% of respondents identifying that probiotics have beneficial effects if taken during antibiotic therapy, 83.5% for diarrhea, 70.6% for constipation, 63.3% before traveling abroad, and 60.4% for treating allergies. Almost 79% of health professionals involved in this study have advised their patients to use probiotics and 57.5% of the respondents wanted to learn more about probiotics. All things considered, health professionals have a medium level of knowledge of probiotics, which could be improved by the implementation of targeted learning programs. As probiotics have many beneficial effects in a wide range of health areas, health professionals need to adopt the use of probiotics in clinical practice

Triage of patients with acute coronary syndrome at the emergency department: A retrospective study

Brendan McCormack - ORCID: 0000-0001-8525-8905 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8525-8905Background: Acute coronary syndrome represents a considerable challenge worldwide as one of the causes of death; its diagnosis is often very complex. It includes acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, acute myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation, unstable angina pectoris, and sudden cardiac arrest. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 678 patients who were admitted to the emergency department between 2015 and 2019 with acute coronary syndrome. Triage data were reviewed for vital signs, baseline characteristics, chief complaints, demographic variables, mode and time of arrival, triage, diagnosis, and treatment. Regression was used to identify key symptoms and patient characteristics at triage encounter to predict acute coronary syndrome. Results: A total of 678 triage records were identified. The average age of the sample was 67 years old, 58.6% male, and 31.8% came by themselves to the emergency department. The most common diagnosis was acute myocardial infarctions without ST elevation (38.2%). Chest pain and difficulty in breathing were the two most common symptoms. Most patients were not assigned to the appropriate triage category, i.e., were diagnosed as less urgent. Discussion and conclusion: This study presents the triage of patients with acute coronary syndrome at the emergency department to provide a comprehensive insight into their care. By identifying patient symptoms at the emergency department, nurse triage recognizes patients with acute coronary syndrome on time, thus increasing the accuracy of determining the triage category, which will impact the treatment outcome of patients. ©2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter. All rights reserved.https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110786088-009pubpu