Quality of working life and job satisfaction in health and educational workers. ¿are there differences?

La mayoría de los estudios sobre la calidad de vida laboral (WLQ) muestran que la satisfacción laboral (JS) es una de las variables más importantes relacionadas con WLQ. Sin embargo, gran parte de la investigación no define con precisión estos dos conceptos y utiliza indistintamente ambos, o entiende la WLQ como una dimensión / determinante de JS, o la JS como una dimensión / determinante de la WLQ. Los numerosos estudios de la década de 1970 no resuelven estas cuestiones. Por lo tanto, es necesario aclarar la relación entre JS y WLQ, particularmente en empreas de servicios. Para hacerlo, realizamos un estudio transversal para establecer: 1) si las características sociodemográficas y laborales implican diferencias entre JS y WLQ; 2) si hay diferencias entre JS y WLQ y si el sector laboral implica alguna diferencia; y 3) si el JS es un buen predictor del WLQ. Método: 395 trabajadores de la salud y empleados educativos de la provincia de Alicante (España) ingresaron al estudio de forma aleatoria. Utilizamos para la recolección de datos un formulario de información (variables sociodemográficas y de trabajo), la Escala de satisfacción en el trabajo de Font-Roja y el Cuestionario de calidad de vida laboral de Cabezas. Resultados: No hubo diferencias en WLQ ni en JS entre hombres y mujeres. Las mujeres solo se sentían más satisfechas que los hombres en relación con la JS asociada con la carga de trabajo. Tampoco hay diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en WLQ. No se encontraron diferencias en JS entre los trabajadores de salud y los empleados de educación, excepto en el caso de la JS asociada con la Presión Laboral (los trabajadores de salud tenían más JS que los empleados de educación). Estos profesionales de la salud también percibían mejor su WLQ. WLQ y JS estaban positivamente relacionados. Los mejores pronosticadores del WLQ fueron el sexo, el sector laboral, JS total y JS relacionados con la competencia laboral, relacionados con la carga de trabajo y relacionados con la presión laboral. Conclusiones: Hemos obtenido resultados empíricos que permiten afirmar que la JS es un determinante importante (pero no una dimensión) de la WLQ y que estas dos variables no pueden ser confundidas. En ese sentido, este trabajo ayuda a clarificar los conceptos de WLQ y JS y sus relaciones, en el ámbito específico de las empresas de serviciosMost studies on quality of working life (WLQ) shown that job satisfaction (JS) is one of the most important variables related to WLQ. However, much of the research does not accurately define these two concepts and use indistinctly both of them, or to understand WLQ as a dimension/determinant of JS, or JS as a dimension/determinant of WLQ. Numerous studies from the 1970s do not resolve these questions. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between JS and WLQ, particularly in service companies. For do it, we conducted a cross-sectional study to establish: 1) if socio-demographic and work characteristics imply differences between JS and WLQ; 2) if there are differences between JS and WLQ and if working sector entails any differences; and 3) if the JS is a good predictor of the WLQ. Method: 395 health workers and educational employees of the province of Alicante (Spain) were entered the study through a random mode. We used for data collection an Information form (socio-demographic and work variables), the Font-Roja Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Cabezas Quality of Work Life Questionnaire. Results: There were no differences in WLQ nor JS between men and women. Women felt more satisfied than men only relating to JS associated with the workload do. There were also no differences between men and women in WLQ. Not found differences in JS between health workers and educational workers, except in the case of the JS associated with the Labour Pressure (health workers had more JS than educational workers did). These professionals Health workers also perceived better WLQ. WLQ and JS were positively related. The best predictors of the WLQ are gender, the working sector, total JS, and JS related to Job Competency, related to the workload, and related to work pressure. Conclusions: We have obtained empirical results that allow us to affirm that the JS is an important determinant (but not a dimension) of the WLQ, so these two variables cannot be confused. In this sense, this work helps to clarify the concepts of WLQ and JS and their relationships, in the particular subsector of services companie

Addressing acute stress among professionals caring for COVID-19 patients: lessons learned during the first outbreak in Spain (March–April 2020)

To describe lessons learned during the first COVID-19 outbreak in developing urgent interventions to strengthen healthcare workers’ capacity to cope with acute stress caused by health care pressure, concern about becoming infected, despair of witnessing patients’ suffering, and critical decision-making requirements of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic during the first outbreak in Spain. Methods: A task force integrated by healthcare professionals and academics was activated following the first observations of acute stress reactions starting to compromise the professionals’ capacity for caring COVID-19 patients. Literature review and qualitative approach (consensus techniques) were applied. The target population included health professionals in primary care, hospitals, emergencies, and nursing homes. Interventions designed for addressing acute stress were agreed and disseminated. Findings: There are similarities in stressors to previous outbreaks, and the solutions devised then may work now. A set of issues, interventions to cope with, and their levels of evidence were defined. Issues and interventions were classified as: adequate communication initiative to strengthen work morale (avoiding information blackouts, uniformity of criteria, access to updated information, mentoring new professionals); resilience and recovery from physical and mental fatigue (briefings, protecting the family, regulated recovery time during the day, psychological first aid, humanizing care); reinforce leadership of intermediate commands (informative leadership, transparency, realism, and positive messages, the current state of emergency has not allowed for an empirical analysis of the effectiveness of proposed interventions. Sharing information to gauge expectations, listening to what professionals need, feeling protected from threats, organizational flexibility, encouraging teamwork, and leadership that promotes psychological safety have led to more positive responses. Attention to the needs of individuals must be combined with caring for the teams responsible for patient care. Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has a more devastating effect than other recent outbreaks, there are common stressors and lessons learned in all of them that we must draw on to increase our capacity to respond to future healthcare crises

Opinions and perceptions of patients with cardiovascular disease on adherence: a qualitative study of focus groups

Background Cardiovascular diseases are becoming more frequent throughout the world. Adherence to both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, as well as lifestyles, is important for good management and control of the disease. This study aims to explore the opinions and perceptions of patients with ischemic heart disease on the difculties associated with therapeutic adherence. Methods An interpretive phenomenological study was carried out using focus groups and one semi-structured interview. The MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program was used for inductive interpretation of the group discourses and interview. Data were coded, and these were grouped by categories and then consolidated under the main themes identifed. Results Two in-person focus groups and one remote semi-structured interview were performed. Twelve participants (6 men and 6 women) from the Hospital de San Juan de Alicante participated, two of them being family companions. The main themes identifed were aspects related to the individual, heart disease, drug treatment, and the perception of the health care system. Conclusions Adhering to recommendations on healthy behaviors and taking prescribed medications for cardiovascular disease was important for most participants. However, they sometimes found polypharmacy difcult to manage, especially when they did not perceive the symptoms of their disease. Participants related the concept of fear to therapeutic adherence, believing that the latter increased with the former. The relationship with health professionals was described as optimal, but, nevertheless, the coordination of the health care system was seen as limited.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII)/European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), (RICAPPS: RD21/0016/0024). The authors acknowledge support from the Health Research Projects—Strategic Action in Health (Reference: PI20/01304) of the SpanishFondo de Investigación Sanitaria—Instituto de Salud Carlos III, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund: A way to make Europe/Investing in Your Future

06 Grupos de discusión y grupos focales

Ya no es una novedad la aplicación de las técnicas cualitativas de investigación al campo de la salud. En un estudio clásico, revisando los trabajos realizados con técnicas cualitativas en el ámbito español entre 1997 y 2002, constatamos un incremento en su uso, pasando del 7% en 1997 al 34% en 2002 (Mira et al., 2004). En la práctica es difícil diferenciar algunas de las técnicas grupales, principalmente el grupo de discusión del grupo focal, empleándose ambos términos de manera indistinta en la mayor parte de los contextos. Así en las traducciones de una lengua otra aparecen como sinónimos el grupo de discusión, el “focus group” y, en ocasiones, hasta las entrevistas en profundidad grupales. Las diferencias parecen estar más en la concepción teórica más que en la práctica real. Las principales diferencias son: la estructuración del discurso (el grupo focal sería más estructurado en torno a cuestiones de interés, frente al de discusión que estaría más centrado en las intervenciones de los participantes) y la conducción del grupo; en el grupo focal hay mayor intervención por parte del moderador, mientras que el grupo de discusión suele ser casi un gestor de las intervenciones (Callejo, 2001). En ocasiones se ha postulado que el grupo focal es un grupo de discusión, guiado por un conjunto de preguntas diseñadas cuidadosamente con un objetivo particular (Aigneren, 2006). Puesto que no es fácil establecer fronteras claras entre estos dos términos, a lo largo del texto se presentará la información del grupo focal

Gender bias in pediatric care: Health professionals' opinions and perceptions

Abstract Introduction Gender bias in healthcare is understood as a misconception of the differences between males and females that may generate healthcare disparities and discrimination against one sex. However, is not well known how this implicit bias is manifested in pediatric clinical praxis. Thus, the goal of this study is to explore and analyse the attitudes of health personnel toward a possible gender bias in pediatric care in Catalonia. Methods We undertake a descriptive and exploratory study applying a qualitative research methodology based on hermeneutic phenomenology and Grounded Theory using the focus group technique. The opinions collected were classified into four categories and 22 subcategories, and subsequently analyzed. Results Three main ideas stood out regarding situations that might be affected by gender bias: (1) attitudes of health personnel and perceptions with regard to mental health problems and (to a lesser extent) to physical health problems; (2) the role of the child's family and the professional's assessment of this role; and (3) the professional's attention to children of the opposite sex, especially in the case of genital examinations. Discussion The results stand out that differential attitudes depending on the gender of the child have been observed in clinical practice in pediatrics, which may have an impact on health inequality. Hence, academic training that includes the study and prevention of implicit biases in professional activity, campaigns aimed at the general population on how to detect implicit biases and promoting gender equity in education, should help to avoid the negative consequences of these misconceptions

Mobile Apps for Helping Informal Caregivers: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: The physical and psychological consequences suffered by informal caregivers have been extensively studied. MHealth solutions appear to be an opportunity to help overcome the caregiver burden. The objective of this study was to evaluate available mobile applications for informal caregivers of people who are ill and to determine whether these mobile applications were developed considering the needs of caregiver users. (2) Methods: A systematic review was carried out using the MEDLINE, ProQuest, and Scopus databases. The information about mobile applications for informal caregivers was analyzed. This review examined studies published between January 2011 and July 2020 in English. The data extracted from each paper included the development of the mobile application, if that application was assessed considering the caregivers’ needs, functions of the mobile application, measures for evaluating caregivers’ needs, measures for evaluating the effectiveness of the mobile application, and the main results obtained. (3) Results: Eleven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The most common functions of the apps were summaries with information about the person they care for, educational information, resources and services for caregivers, solutions to common problems during care, and questionnaires to assess caregivers’ well-being. Most of these studies assessed caregivers’ needs before designing mobile applications to adapt them to the needs of their users. (4) Conclusions: Mobile applications for caregivers appear to provide solutions for them. Moreover, the effectiveness of these apps will depend largely on whether their characteristics match users’ needs. Current studies have shown the poor quality of evidence

The Moderating Role of Caregiving on Fear of COVID-19 and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

Caregiving has been associated with increased levels of fear and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) during COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a lack of studies that analyze when the relationship between fear and PTSS occur, using informal caregiving as a moderator variable. To explore this moderating role, we conducted a cross-sectional online study between November 2020 and January 2021. A total of 503 men and women from the Spanish general population completed the survey. Sociodemographic and Covid-19-related data, fear of COVID-19, PTSS symptoms, and current psychological history were assessed. Prevalence of informal caregiving in the sample was 16.5%. Increased levels of fear and PTSS were found in caregivers compared to non-caregivers. Female gender and high number of COVID-19 related risk factors was also associated with fear and PTSS severity. The moderation analyses showed an interaction effect between caregiving and fear of COVID-19 when predicting PTSS symptoms. Particularly, results showed that informal caregivers reported greater PTSS symptoms, when compared to non-caregivers with same levels of fear of COVID-19. This evidence suggests that being a caregiver could increase the fear’s impact on PTSS severity in the context of pandemics. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings