Assessment of selected cognitive processes in elderly patients after urologic surgery

Introduction The issue of postoperative disorders of cognitive functions is a highly topical problem as more and more elderly people undergo medical treatments. Patients may lose the ability of assimilating information and their linguistic functions may deteriorate. Cognitive disorders may result in the temporary exclusion of the patient from social activity. Aim The purpose of the paper was to assess the incidence of certain cognitive disorders in the elderly after urological surgeries. Material and methods The study was conducted in a group of 218 patients aged over 65, male and female, after an urological surgery under different types of anesthesia. Standardized neuropsychological tests of cognitive functions were employed in the study. Results Analysis of the data showed that in the control group were obtained similar results in the study of the first and second. However, in the test group demonstrated a reduction cognitive function in all the tests in a second study. Conclusions The reduction of cognitive functions in the study group was observed in all the domains but it was the most marked in visual memory tests. Postoperative reduction of cognitive functions is correlated with the patient's age, education and mood. Postoperative reduction of cognitive functions is not correlated with the type of surgery, anesthesia and its duration

Intercultural Competences in Health Care - Judaism

The present times and Poland's entry into the European Union, the opening of borders, has intensified the phenomenon of migration of the population and contact between different cultures. In Poland, national minorities have been living since the dawn of time, but the current situation has a different dimension. Until now, the term "Transculturality" was not known in our country. However, the influx of people from the remotest parts of the world caused a situation requiring medical personnel to perceive the patient through the prism of biological, social and psychological needs as well as from the angle of other religions. Problems that appear taking care of such patients have caused that I decided to look at this issue on the example of Judaism believers. The aim of my work is to get the opinion of health professionals about intercultural competences in direct care of these patients

Reusable tourniquets for blood sampling as a source of multi-resistant organisms– a systematic review

IntroductionThe use of reusable tourniquets is widespread around the world, and reports suggest they may be overused. Several studies have shown that reusable tourniquets can affect the spread of pathogens between patients. Based on available studies, this review aims to analyse the indirect transmission of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens present on blood collection tourniquets, which may spread infectious diseases between patients in daily clinical practice.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) protocol guidelines. The contents of PubMed, EBSCO (electronic databases), and Scopus were screened. Keywords used in the search included: “tourniquet,” “cross infection,” “nosocomial infection,” “staphylococcus aureus,” “MRO,” “pathogen,” “infectious disease,” “anti-microbial,” or a combination of these using AND or OR operators. Finally, 13 publications were included. Data were analysed both descriptively and quantitatively by calculating a balanced average for specific synthesized data.ResultsThe proportional observation based on the number sampled median was 77. The genus MRSA was the type of bacteria most commonly found: on 12% of all tested tourniquets. The amount of MRSA found on tourniquets was mean ± SD 14.6 ± 45.89. A review of studies also revealed the presence of coagulase-negative staphylococci, grew Bacillus, and Staphylococcus aureus.ConclusionPatient safety may be at risk due to elevated contamination rates of reusable tourniquets. The microorganisms responsible for this contamination include a variety of species, the most common being the genus Staphylococcus. For this reason, we recommend the use of disposable tourniquets

Prawo pacjenta do leczenia bólu

The article describes a new (in force since May 2017) right of Polish patients — the right to pain treat­ment. It is an analysis referring to regulations to do with access to pain treatment in inpatient, outpatient and home care. The deliberations on the problem of the right to pain treatment are based on Polish and international regulations as well as the available case law. The authors focus on the access to medicinal products containing drugs since the fear of the possible development of addiction during the use of opioid analgesia is one of the barriers to proper pain treatment.Artykuł opisuje nowe (obowiązujące od maja 2017 r.) uprawnienie polskich pacjentów – prawo do leczenia bólu. Stanowi analizę odwołującą się do uregulowań prawnych związanych z dostępem do terapii przeciwbólowej w opiece stacjonarnej, ambulatoryjnej i domowej. Podstawę rozważań nad problemem prawa do leczenia bólu stanowią regulacje prawa polskiego oraz międzynarodowego a także dostępne orzecznictwo. Autorzy skupiają się na dostępie do produktów leczniczych zawierających w swym składzie środki odurzające ponieważ jedną z przeszkód we właściwym łagodzeniu bólu jest obawa dotycząca możliwości uzależnienia podczas korzystania z analgezji opioidowej

Analiza zaburzeń snu pośród personelu anestezjologicznego pracującego na bloku operacyjnym i oddziałach intensywnej terapii — badanie prospektywne, porównawcze z wykorzystaniem Ateńskiej Skali Bezsenności

Introduction. Good quality of sleep and feeling well are important issues for health and employee productivity especially for people with highly demanding jobs. Nursing personnel have to confront with significant mental and physical challenges. Shift work can lead to many health problems including: anxiety, insomnia, obesity or high blood pressure. Aim. The study examined the occurrence of sleep disorders among nursing personnel employed in operating theatres and intensive therapy units. Material and Methods. The study was prospective, comparative and descriptive nature. The project was carried out between January 1th and April 31th 2019. The study covered 180 medical personnel employed in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Departments in five different hospitals. Data were collected on the basis of a standardised tool of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) as well as an original interview questionnaire. Results. The study showed that 65.6% (N = 118) of respondents experienced sleeping problems, manifested by frequent awakenings at night. For more than forty-five percent (45.6%; N = 82) of nurses, the time of their sleep is not sufficient, and more than 60% (N = 109) of respondents feel sleepiness. The in-depth analyses provide a statistically significant dependence between the quality of sleep and the use of sleeping drugs (Z = –1.95; p = 0.050). Conclusions. A nursing personnel working in the intensive therapy and operating room theatre wards suffer from sleep disorders related to insomnia; the symptoms of insomnia in this professional group include awakening at night and sleepiness during the day; male nurses have a far better quality of sleep compared to females nurses. (JNNN 2022;11(3):105–113)Wstęp. Dobra jakość snu i dobre samopoczucie są ważnymi kwestiami dla zdrowia i wydajności pracowników, szczególnie zaś w przypadku osób wykonujących bardzo wymagające zawody. Personel pielęgniarski musi stawić czoła poważnym wyzwaniom psychicznym i fizycznym. Praca zmianowa może prowadzić do wielu problemów zdrowotnych, w tym: lęku, bezsenności, otyłości czy wysokiego ciśnienia krwi. Cel. W pracy zbadano występowanie zaburzeń snu wśród personelu pielęgniarskiego zatrudnionego na salach operacyjnych i oddziałach intensywnej terapii. Materiał i metody. Badanie miało charakter prospektywny, porównawczy, opisowy. Projekt był realizowany od 1 stycznia do 31 kwietnia 2019 roku. Badaniem objęto 180 pracowników medycznych zatrudnionych na Oddziałach Anestezjologii i Intensywnej Terapii w pięciu różnych szpitalach. Dane zebrano na podstawie wystandaryzowanego narzędzia Ateńskiej Skali Bezsenności (AIS) oraz autorskiego kwestionariusza wywiadu. Wyniki. Badanie wykazało, że 65,6% (N = 118) respondentów miało problemy ze snem, objawiające się częstymi wybudzeniami w nocy. Dla ponad 45% pielęgniarek (45,6%; N = 82) czas ich snu był niewystarczający, a ponad 60% (N = 109) badanych odczuwało senność. Pogłębione analizy dostarczały statystycznie istotnej zależności pomiędzy jakością snu a zażywaniem środków nasennych (Z = –1,95; p = 0,050). Wnioski. Personel pielęgniarski pracujący na oddziałach intensywnej terapii i sali operacyjnej cierpi na zaburzenia snu związane z bezsennością; objawy bezsenności w tej grupie zawodowej obejmują budzenie się w nocy i senność w ciągu dnia; pielęgniarki płci męskiej mają znacznie lepszą jakość snu niż pielęgniarki płci żeńskiej. (PNN 2022;11(3):105–113

Występowanie zdarzeń niepożądanych w obszarze administrowania lekami w praktyce pielęgniarskiej

Introduction. Adverse events (AE) in the process of pharmacotherapy can have direct consequences on the health and life of a patient. Factors leading to AE are categorized in human and systematic ones. Among the latter ones, the most important are significant shortages of nursing staff as well as stress, fatigue and the Occupational Burnout Syndrome. Reporting of AE is a crucial pillar of prevention of adverse events in drug administration in nursing. Aim. The aim of the study was to identify and analyse the factors leading to adverse events in the pharmocotherapy process and to present methods of prevention AE. Material and Methods. The research was lead among 100 hospital nurses from Pomeranian region. A research and research questionnaire was based on the study “Attitudes and beliefs of health services about the causes and reporting of treatment errors in the British intensive care unit”. The project was conducted between January to April 2020. Results. Detailed analysis showed that the most important factors influencing the occurrence of adverse events in the drug administration are: nurses shortage (14%), stress and burnout syndrome (11%), incorrect labelling (13%). 85% of medical personnel are convinced that it is essential to monitor the situation of adverse events in drug administration. The Kruskal–Wallis test did not confirm the existence of a relationship between the: occurrence of adverse events in the area of pharmacotherapy and age (K – W = 0; p = 1), level of education (K – W = 3.6328; p = 0.3039) and work experience of the surveyed respondents (K – W = 0.3651484; p = 0.5457). Similarly, no significant relationships were found between the occurrence of adverse events and the department profile (K – W = 0.330; p = 0.5652). Conclusions. The level of education, professional experience and age are not significantly related to making mistakes in the area of drug administration; the factors that significantly affect the occurrence of AD in the area of drug administration are: reduced nursing staff on duty, performing one’s duties under stress and time pressure, insufficient variety of labels on medicinal products; the best method of prevention in the area of drug management and administration is the presence of a reporting and monitoring system; the was the majority of nurses reported the occurrence of a drug-related adverse event to the rest of the therapeutic team. (JNNN 2022;11(2):65–73).Wstęp. Zdarzenia niepożądane (ZN) w procesie farmakoterapii mogą prowadzić bezpośrednio do uszczerbku na zdrowiu bądź utraty życia pacjenta. Czynniki prowadzące do ZN dzieli się na ludzkie i systemowe. Najistotniejsze czynniki systemowe to znaczny niedobór personelu pielęgniarskiego oraz stres, zmęczenie i ogólnie pojęty Zespół Wypalenia Zawodowego. Jednym z koronnych filarów prewencji zdarzeń niepożądanych w administrowaniu lekami w pracy pielęgniarskiej jest raportowanie o ZN. Cel. Celem prowadzonego badania była analiza czynników prowadzących do ZN w procesie farmakoterapii oraz przedstawienie propozycji rozwiązań, które mogą zapobiec ich występowaniu. Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 100 pielęgniarek/pielęgniarzy zatrudnionych na różnych oddziałach szpitalnych. W sondażu został wykorzystany autorski formularz ankiety złożony z siedmiu pytań zamkniętych, który opracowano w oparciu o badania “The attitudes and beliefs of healthcare professionals on the causes and reporting of medication errors in a UK Intensive care unit”. Badania przeprowadzono w okresie od stycznia do kwietnia 2020 r. Wyniki. Szczegółowa analiza zgromadzonego materiału pozwoliła stwierdzić, że najistotniejszymi czynnikami wpływającymi na występowanie błędów w obszarze administrowania lekami jest, zbyt mała liczba personelu pielęgniarskiego na dyżurach (14%), stres i presja czasu (11%), złe oznakowanie etykiet (13%). Ponad 85% badanych mimo braku rejestru zdarzeń niepożądanych w swoim miejscu pracy zaistniałą pomyłkę związaną z podaniem leku zgłosiła pozostałym członkom zespołu terapeutycznego. Testy z wykorzystaniem testu Kruskala–Wallisa nie potwierdziły istnienia zależności pomiędzy zmiennymi: występowanie zdarzeń niepożądanych w obszarze farmakoterapii a wiek (K – W = 0; p = 1), poziom wykształcenia (K – W = 3,6328; p = 0,3039) oraz staż pracy badanych respondentów (K – W =0,3651484; p = 0,5457). Podobnie nie wykazano istotnych zależności pomiędzy występowaniem zdarzeń niepożądanych a profilem oddziału (K – W = 0,330; p = 0,5652). Wnioski. Analiza dostępnego piśmiennictwa a także wyniki przeprowadzonych badań własnych pozwoliły na sformułowanie następujących wniosków: poziom wykształcenia, staż pracy w zawodzie oraz wiek nie mają istotnego związku z popełnianiem błędów w obszarze administrowania lekami; czynnikami, które istotnie wpływają na występowanie ZN w obszarze administrowania lekami są: zmniejszona obsada pielęgniarska na dyżurach, wykonywanie swoich obowiązków w stresie i pod presją czasu, zbyt mała różnorodność etykiet produktów leczniczych; najlepszym sposobem profilaktyki w obszarze zarządzania lekiem i jego administrowania jest obecność systemu raportowania i monitorowania; zdecydowana liczba badanych pielęgniarek zawsze raportowała występowanie zdarzenia niepożądanego związanego z lekiem pozostałym członkom zespołu terapeutycznego. (PNN 2022;11(2):65–73)

A Cross-International Study to Evaluate Knowledge and Attitudes Related to Basic Life Support among Undergraduate Nursing Students-A Questionnaire Study

Practicing the algorithms of basic life support (BLS) is essential in order to take adequate measures to save lives, and future nursing staff should be advanced when it comes to performing lifesaving activities. The purpose of the study was to analyse the theoretical and practical knowledge of nursing students (within the undergraduate course) with regards to the basic life support (BLS). The study has a prospective, comparative and descriptive nature. Three countries that educate nursing students within the undergraduate course participated in the project. Data was collected with the use of a questionnaire based on the guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC 2015). The study was carried out among a total of 748 respondents from three countries: Poland (n = 189, 25.3%), Lithuania (n = 500, 66.8%) and Spain (n = 59; 7.9%). The average age of respondents was 23.41 (SD ± 5.90). The average score obtained by the respondents who answered the questions was 11.13 with a standard deviation of SD ± 2.29. The conducted study revealed that a substantial number of the respondents who participated in the study obtained an average result concerning theoretical and practical knowledge of BLS. It was also confirmed that the additional education in the form of first aid training courses has a major impact on improving the levels of knowledge among the students in each of the analysed country

Problemy pielęgnacyjne dotyczące chorego przewlekle hemodializowanego, zakażonego wirusem zapalenia wątroby typu C i poddanego terapii bezinterferonowej — przegląd piśmiennictwa

Caring and threating of a patient with hepatitis C and renal failure is associated with many difficult symptoms in the biological and mental dimensions. That is why, it requires holistic aspects take into consideration in all approach of life including somatic, mental, social and spiritual sphere. Modern therapeutic methods increase patient safety by minimalizing the risk of side effects being a result of therapy itself. Unfortunately, in Poland, we may still see a huge diversification of care provided by many medical specialists. In foreign literature nurses role is wider and very often they are responsible for the coordination of patient’s care to keep the continuity of service, proper quality, and patient safety. The manu­script presents the examples of nursing diagnoses, formulate in a traditional way, using the PES (Problem, Etiology, Symptom) model. Those diagnoses were for­mulated on the basis of patient’s symptoms in a spe­cific disease situation like hemodialysis, hepatitis C infection and non-interferon therapy.Caring and threating of a patient with hepatitis C and renal failure is associated with many difficult symptoms in the biological and mental dimensions. That is why, it requires holistic aspects take into consideration in all approach of life including somatic, mental, social and spiritual sphere. Modern therapeutic methods increase patient safety by minimalizing the risk of side effects being a result of therapy itself. Unfortunately, in Poland, we may still see a huge diversification of care provided by many medical specialists. In foreign literature nurses role is wider and very often they are responsible for the coordination of patient’s care to keep the continuity of service, proper quality, and patient safety. The manu­script presents the examples of nursing diagnoses, formulate in a traditional way, using the PES (Problem, Etiology, Symptom) model. Those diagnoses were for­mulated on the basis of patient’s symptoms in a spe­cific disease situation like hemodialysis, hepatitis C infection and non-interferon therapy

Requirements for teachers in the context of postgraduate nursing education: Polish experiences

The competency of nurse teachers and collaboration between nurse educators, nurse leaders and mentors are crucial for achieving high-quality Evidence-Based nursing education. The profession of a nurse teacher is one of public trust and it requires the integration of skills, attitudes, standards, and theoretical knowledge as well as awareness of individual, organisational and social circumstances. The data were collected via email using a structured questionnaire (A Tool for the Evaluation of Requirements of a Nurse Teacher). The respondents' evaluation of the professional competencies and the overall rating correlated with their age. Older age corresponded to higher scores in professional and teaching competencies, in personality factors, and to a higher general ERNT score (p = 0.019). The lowest scores were awarded for teaching competencies - which shows that postgraduate education should be more closely monitored in this respect. The tool for the Evaluation of Requirements of a Nurse Teacher (ERNT) designed for the needs of nurse education can also be implemented in the evaluation of postgraduate education of nurses and midwives.</p

The role and tasks of family nurse in the care of seniors in their place of residence - field study conducted among nursing staff in Gdańsk

Demographic changes taking place in Poland and in the world, a decrease in the number of births and prolonged life expectancy have resulted in an increase in the number of elderly people. The success of today’s medicine is among others prevention of chronic disease complications and skillful education of the patient at every level. Longer life expectancy and a quantitative increase in the phenomenon of disability, and above all a shortening of hospitalization and stays in inpatient medical facilities has resulted in moving the patient’s treatment and care to the home environment, which is an optimal place of residence for the elderly. The family nurse and primary care physician are then the most important link in the care of elderly and their families. The provision of nursing services in the patient’s place of residence is characterized by a unique specificity in other areas of nursing. Very often, as a result of the existing situation and possibilities, the nurse has to demonstrate not only professional knowledge and skills, but also flexibility, adaptability and creativity in dealing with a shortage of basic things, e.g. basic auxiliary equipment, access to the patient’s bed, etc. The conducted field study shows selected scope of tasks performed by nursing staff in this respect on the example of patients in the city of Gdańsk