Promoting workplace retention during global crises: An international survey of the preventive role of psychological support among victims of social discrimination in long-term care facilities

This international cross-sectional survey examined the potential role of organizational psychological support in mitigating the association between experiencing social discrimination against long-term care (LTC) facilities’ healthcare professionals (HCPs) and their intention to stay in the current workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included a convenience sample of 2,143 HCPs (nurses [21.5 %], nurse aids or residential care workers [40.1 %], social workers [12.1 %], and others [26.4 %]) working at 223 LTC facilities in 13 countries/regions. About 37.5 % of the participants reported experiencing social discrimination, and the percentage ranged from 15.3 % to 77.9 % across countries/regions. Controlling for socio-demographic and work-related variables, experiencing social discrimination was significantly associated with a lower intention to stay, whereas receiving psychological support showed a statistically significant positive association (p-value=0.015 and <0.001, respectively). The interaction term between social discrimination and psychological support showed a statistically significant positive association with the intention to stay, indicating a moderating role of the psychological support

Long‐term care facilities' response to the COVID ‐19 pandemic: An international, cross‐sectional survey

Aims To (i) assess the adherence of long‐term care (LTC) facilities to the COVID‐19 prevention and control recommendations, (ii) identify predictors of this adherence and (iii) examine the association between the adherence level and the impact of the pandemic on selected unfavourable conditions. Design Cross‐sectional survey. Methods Managers (n = 212) and staff (n = 2143) of LTC facilities (n = 223) in 13 countries/regions (Brazil, Egypt, England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Turkey) evaluated the adherence of LTC facilities to COVID‐19 prevention and control recommendations and the impact of the pandemic on unfavourable conditions related to staff, residents and residents' families. The characteristics of participants and LTC facilities were also gathered. Data were collected from April to October 2021. The study was reported following the STROBE guidelines. Results The adherence was significantly higher among facilities with more pre‐pandemic in‐service education on infection control and easier access to information early in the pandemic. Residents' feelings of loneliness and feeling down were the most affected conditions by the pandemic. More psychological support to residents was associated with fewer residents' aggressive behaviours, and more psychological support to staff was associated with less work–life imbalance. Conclusions Pre‐pandemic preparedness significantly shaped LTC facilities' response to the pandemic. Adequate psychological support to residents and staff might help mitigate the negative impacts of infection outbreaks. Impact This is the first study to comprehensively examine the adherence of LTC facilities to COVID‐19 prevention and control recommendations. The results demonstrated that the adherence level was significantly related to pre‐pandemic preparedness and that adequate psychological support to staff and residents was significantly associated with less negative impacts of the pandemic on LTC facilities' staff and residents. The results would help LTC facilities prepare for and respond to future infection outbreaks. Patient or public contribution No Patient or Public Contribution

Assessment of Nursing Practice Environment in Primary Healthcare Centers in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

A work environment that boosts nurses’ leadership skills, has adequate resources and staff and collegial nurse–physician relations, and allows nurses to participate in decision-making enhances patient care quality and nurses’ job satisfaction and performance. I used a cross-sectional design and the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index among 519 nurses to assess the nursing practice environment in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Respondents’ views varied, and the general mean (2.45) showed that most nurses thought their work environment has a fair number of staff and resources. The general standard deviation (0.924) indicated that a significant variation exists between the composite score values, and there were no significant differences in the other factors. It was concluded that most PHCs have poor staff and resource adequacy, which shows the significant influence of nurses’ job satisfaction and performance on the quality of their work environment

The Relationship between Happiness and Mental Health among Saudi Women

The happiness and mental health of individuals are crucial for national developments. In Saudi Arabia, wellbeing occupies a central position in Vision 2030, along with women’s empowerment. Rapidly changing rights and responsibilities might result in more sources of stress. The aim of this study was to explore happiness and mental health among Saudi women during their contributions to a fast-growing nation in all fields. We assessed happiness and mental health (somatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and social dysfunction) in 308 Saudi women aged 15–50 years using a self-administered online survey comprising the short Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ-8) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The participants demonstrated general satisfaction yet showed rising psychological distress. Married women reported better mental health compared to single women, particularly with regards to anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Depression was highest among younger women. Employed women demonstrated lower social functioning compared to unemployed women. Women with a higher educational level showed lower social functioning. Happiness scores were significantly and inversely related with overall mental health scores as well as mental health subscales (somatic, anxiety, and depression), except for social dysfunction, which showed a positive correlation to happiness scores. This study contributes to the body of literature on women’s mental health and happiness by providing recommendations for improving both as well as directions for future research

Intention, Motivation, and Empowerment: Factors Associated with Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Workers (HCWs)

Background: Vaccination against seasonal influenza has proven effective in preventing nosocomial influenza outbreaks among hospital patients and healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aims to explore the intention, motivation, and empowerment toward vaccination and vaccination advocacy as contributing factors for seasonal influenza vaccination in HCWs. Methods: A cross-sectional study in eight secondary hospitals in Greece was conducted from March to May 2022. An anonymous questionnaire was enclosed in an envelope and distributed to all participants, including questions on vaccine behavior and the MoVac-flu and MoVad scales. Results: A total of 296 participants completed the questionnaire. In multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders, increased age, intention score, MoVac-flu scale score, and the presence of chronic diseases were significant predictors of influenza vaccination this year, while increased age, intention score, and presence of chronic diseases were predictors of vaccination every year. Conclusion: Vaccination uptake is simultaneously affected by logical cognitive processes (intention), together with factors related to motivation and empowerment in distinct self-regulatory domains such as value, impact, knowledge, and autonomy. Interventions focused on these identified predictors may be used as a guide to increase HCWs’ vaccination rates

Prevalence of Frailty in the Middle East: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) We aimed to systematically search available data on the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling elders in Middle Eastern countries. The results from available studies are cumulated to provide comprehensive evidence for the prevalence of frailty. (2) Methods: A meta-analysis was done. A literature search was carried out using PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS websites for studies up to 2020. Inclusion criteria entailed all primary studies conducted in Middle Eastern countries on frailty in community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older. (3) Results: A total of 10 studies were selected for this study. Random-effects meta-analysis of nine studies indicated there was a pooled prevalence rate of 0.3924 with a standard error of 0.037. This pooled prevalence point estimate of 0.3924 was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The Egger’s regression test and the trim-fill method for detecting publication bias did not detect any evidence of publication bias in the sample of included studies. The Egger’s regression test was not statistically significant. The trim-fill method indicated zero studies were missing on either side; (4) Conclusions: The study’s findings indicate that the prevalence of frailty is higher in Middle Eastern nations. Despite indications that many of these nations’ populations are rapidly ageing, we presently lack information on the incidence of frailty in these populations; this information is essential to health, policymakers, and social care planning

AWARENESS, ATTITUDES, PREVENTION, AND PERCEPTIONS OF COVID-19 OUTBREAK AMONG NURSES IN SAUDI ARABIA

he newly discovered coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a pandemic, infecting thousands of people around the world. This study examines nurses’ demographic information (age, gender, marital status, area of practice, total years of experience in the current hospital, work region, monthly salary, educational level, workplace, nationality, working hours per day, total nursing experience, and the respondents’ main source of information on COVID-19), awareness, attitudes, prevention, and perceptions of COVID-19 during the outbreak in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional descriptive design of 500 nurses working at government and non-governmental hospitals in five regions in Saudi Arabia were selected using convenience sampling. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied and the Mann–Whitney test was utilized as a post hoc test. The majority of nurses in this study, 96.85%, had excellent knowledge of COVID-19. Some (83.2%) of nurses reported significant prevention knowledge and treatment skills about COVID-19, while 7.6% had little knowledge about prevention. More than half of the nurses (60.4%) had high positive attitudes toward caring for COVID-19 patients. In conclusion, female nurses, married nurses, and bachelor’s degree nurses had greater awareness, better attitude, and prevention clinical experience towards COVID-19. Meanwhile, non-Saudi nurses had higher self-reported awareness, positive attitudes, optimal prevention, and positive perceptions compared to Saudi nurses. This study provides baseline information immediately needed to enable health authorities to prioritize training programs that support nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19; nurses; outbreak; pandemic; Saudi Arabi

SCOPE OF NURSING PRACTICE AS PERCEIVED BY NURSES WORKING IN SAUDI ARABIA

The absence of scope of practice guidelines may lead to role ambiguity and legal conse quences in nursing practice. This study measures the scope of practice of nurses in Saudi Arabia. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design using an electronic version of the Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice (A-ASCOP) questionnaire among 928 nurses. Descriptive analysis was followed by a t-test and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significance was assured through the Bonferroni test; the effect size was measured through partial η2 when appropriate. The A-ASCOP mean score of each dimension ranged from 4.29 to 4.72 (overall mean = 4.59). Significant overall ASCOP score variations were evident, with higher ASCOP among expatriate nurses, females, Hos pital Operation Program (HOP) nurses, and nurses with postgraduate qualifications. Partial η2 showed a small effect of <0.016. Low-complexity nursing tasks showed insignificant differences no matter the nurse’s position, but were less practiced by Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and advanced-degree nurses than by those with a diploma education. High complexity of ASCOP was practiced significantly more often by postgraduate-prepared nurses than by diploma-educated nurses. The study showed that there is a range of variation in nursing practice, but that the lack of internal regulations (nursing scope of practice) has no effect on nursing duties. In a country such as Saudi Arabia, where massive national improvement initiatives are frequent, clearly defining the scope of practice for nurses is essential and needs to be done through government mandates. Further studies are essential to define what the scope of practice should include

Nurses&rsquo; Perception of Safety Culture in Medical&minus;Surgical Units in Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Patient safety captures the essence of the primary principle of medical ethics, primum non nocere, first do no harm; this is an important concern in the health care system. Nurses are indispensable members of this system and are the largest group of health care providers involved in the direct delivery of patient care. As an integral part of the health care system, it is important to know nurses&rsquo; opinions on patient safety culture. Objectives: First, to evaluate and measure the existing safety culture and safety of patients in medical&minus;surgical wards (MSW) in hospitals located in the Qassim region, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Second, to survey the opinion of registered nurses and supervisors/managers about safety culture and issues concerned with safety in hospitals in the region. Materials and Methods: A validated cross-sectional survey, namely the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), was used. This survey queried 300 nurses in different MSWs in four hospitals in the Qassim Region. Results: Overall, a positive culture of safety exists in MSWs, with 69% of RNs rating their wards as having great/excellent safety culture. Notably, some participants felt it was problematic that blame was assigned to nurses for reported errors. While 55.9% of participants noted that all errors or narrowly avoided errors had been reported, less than half actually reported errors in the last year. Conclusion: The perceived safety culture was largely positive; however, the results also indicated that a culture of safety comes with some risk and blame