Complementary Use of Profiling and Polygraph Method in Slovenia During the Period 1997-2004

"Violent crime investigations are often faced with the need to bridge a shortage of information. Th is can, to an extent, be neutralized by the use of the profi ling of unknown perpetrators of criminal off ences and by polygraph examination (the credibility assessment) (Selič, Juratovec, 2004)."(...

LEVELS OF BURNOUT SYNDROME IN CROATIAN CRITICAL CARE NURSES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Burnout syndrome occurs in people who work in jobs which involve frequent and intense contact with people, especially healthcare workers. High dependency departments such as critical care units are very stressful environments, and this can lead to a greater incidence of burnout, especially of emotional exhaustion and poor personal accomplishment. Nurses are the largest group of healthcare workers, and so it is reasonable to expect they would have a high prevalence of burnout. Subjects and methods: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout in critical care nurses in Croatia and explore its association with demographic features. A cross-sectional study of 620 nurses was conducted in several university hospitals, using convenience sampling. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered, together with questions about the sociodemographic and work characteristics of the participants (age, gender, length of work in ICU, education, type of ICU). Results: The majority of the sample were female nursing staff (87.7%), aged 26-35 (38.9%). The results showed that approximately every fifth nurse (22.1%) expressed a high emotional exhaustion (EE), with lesser burden of a high depersonalisation (D) in 7.9%, yet every third nurse (34.5%) scored low on PA. Male nurses reported more depersonalisation (p=0.045), yet neither EE nor the PA dimensions differed by gender. Conclusion: The results of this study concerning burnout are comparable to those of studies of other professions, but the results vary with regard to the sample and the working conditions of the countries

STRESS AND BURNOUT SYNDROME AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH COPING AND JOB SATISFACTION IN CRITICAL CARE NURSES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: Burnout is usually defined as a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors, characterrized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of social accomplishment. Coping mechanisms and job satisfaction are associated with the incidence of burnout symptoms in a work context. Subjects and methods: The aim of this paper was to make a systematic analysis of the literature related to nurses’ stress and the incidence of burnout syndrome in intensive care nurses, and also to determine the research into associations between coping mechanisms and job satisfaction on one side, and burnout on the other side. Appropriate databases (Scopus, PubMed) were searched with the aim of finding relevant studies and articles published in the last 15 years. The keywords were burnout, coping mechanisms, job satisfaction, nurses, and intensive care. Two independent reviewers carried out a selection of the studies. Results: The literature review found 786 studies about burnout and its association with different variables. Twenty-nine original research papers were discovered in this review process. Open questions still remain concerning burnout and the associations between the considered variables. We also found that studies using a qualitative approach, which could provide better insight into the investigation of burnout, was insufficient in this area. Conclusion: Burnout syndrome is serious problem for healthcare systems and affects almost all profiles of healthcare workers. Although burnout is an evidence-based public health problem, there is still no systematic approach to prevention. Prevention activities to reduce stress and the incidence of burnout should be provided for nurses, especially those in very demanding posts

STRESS AND BURNOUT SYNDROME AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH COPING AND JOB SATISFACTION IN CRITICAL CARE NURSES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: Burnout is usually defined as a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors, characterrized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of social accomplishment. Coping mechanisms and job satisfaction are associated with the incidence of burnout symptoms in a work context. Subjects and methods: The aim of this paper was to make a systematic analysis of the literature related to nurses’ stress and the incidence of burnout syndrome in intensive care nurses, and also to determine the research into associations between coping mechanisms and job satisfaction on one side, and burnout on the other side. Appropriate databases (Scopus, PubMed) were searched with the aim of finding relevant studies and articles published in the last 15 years. The keywords were burnout, coping mechanisms, job satisfaction, nurses, and intensive care. Two independent reviewers carried out a selection of the studies. Results: The literature review found 786 studies about burnout and its association with different variables. Twenty-nine original research papers were discovered in this review process. Open questions still remain concerning burnout and the associations between the considered variables. We also found that studies using a qualitative approach, which could provide better insight into the investigation of burnout, was insufficient in this area. Conclusion: Burnout syndrome is serious problem for healthcare systems and affects almost all profiles of healthcare workers. Although burnout is an evidence-based public health problem, there is still no systematic approach to prevention. Prevention activities to reduce stress and the incidence of burnout should be provided for nurses, especially those in very demanding posts

The prevalence of domestic violence in primary care patients in Slovenia in a five-year period (2005-2009)

Aim To estimate the prevalence of exposure to domestic violence in primary care patients in Slovenia and determine the associated factors. Methods In a systematic cross-sectional survey, 70 physicians from 70 family medicine practices from urban and rural settings conducted interviews with every fifth patient from January 15 to February 15, 2010. Results Of 2075 patients (98.8% response rate), 372 (17.9%) were exposed to psychological or physical violence in the family in the last five years. Factors that increased the chances of exposure to psychological and physical violence were female sex (odds ratio [OR], 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.24-4.76; P < 0.001; OR, 4.52; 95% CI, 2.83-7.20; P < 0.001, respectively) and formal divorce (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.35-3.21; P = 0.001; OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.73-4.29; P < 0.001, respectively). Factors that decreased the chances of exposure to psychological violence were age of 65 years or above (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.96, P = 0.035) and single status (OR, 0.43; 95% CI 0.21-0.86, P = 0.016), while age of 65 years or above (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.23-0.79, P = 0.007) and parenting of two children (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.90, P = 0.020) decreased the chances of exposure to physical violence. Conclusions We found the rate of exposure to psychological and physical violence of 17.9%, which indicates that this problem is a serious public health issue that needs to be addressed by adequate measures. The identified risk and protective factors could serve as a valid guidance for family physicians dealing with physical violence

Vpliv edukativne intervencije zdravnikov na samooceno kakovosti življenja, zadovoljstva z obravnavo in partnerskega odnosa z zdravnikom družinske medicine pri bolnikih z medicinsko nepojasnjenimi stanji

Introduction: Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are very common in family medicine, despite being a poorly-defined clinical entity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention (EI) on self-rated quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and the family physician-patient relationship in patients with MUS. Methods: In a multi-centre longitudinal intervention study, which was performed between 2012 and 2014, patients were asked to rate their quality of life, assess their depression, anxiety, stress and somatisation, complete the Hypochondriasis Index, the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale and the Patient Enablement Instrument for assessing the physician-patient relationship, before and after the EI. Results: The mean values before and after the intervention showed that after the EI, patients with MUS gave a lower (total) mean rating of their health issues and a higher rating of their quality of life, and they also had a more positive opinion of their relationship with the physician (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in the (total) rating of treatment satisfaction before and after the EI (p=0.423). Significant differences in the symptoms in patients with MUS before and after the intervention were confirmed for stress, somatisation and hypochondriasis (p<0.05). Conclusions: It could be beneficial to equip family physicians with the knowledge, skills and tools to reduce hypochondriasis and somatisation in MUS patients, which would improve patients’ self-rated health status.Uvod: V družinski medicini so medicinsko nepojasnjena stanja (MNS) pogosta, vendar slabo opredeljena klinična entitetaod 2,5 do 25% bolnikov, ki obiskujejo zdravnika, se pritožuje zaradi telesnih simptomov, za katere ni mogoče odkriti patofiziološkega vzroka. Namen študije je bil odkriti dejavnike, povezane s samooceno kakovosti življenja pri bolnikih z MNS v povezavi z edukativno intervencijo (EI), ki so ji bili podvrženi zdravniki. Metode:K sodelovanju v multicentrični vzdolžni intervencijski raziskavi, ki je potekala od leta 2012 do leta 2014, je bilo povabljenih 90 zdravnikov družinske medicine, v sodelovanje jih je privolilo 63 (70% ali 7,5% vseh timov družinske medicine v Sloveniji). Po koncu prve faze je bila polovica zdravnikov (32 od 63) povabljena na dvodnevno usposabljanje s področja prepoznavanja in obravnave bolnikov z MNS. Bolniki so pred EI in po njej izpolnjevali vprašalnike o kakovosti življenja, depresiji, anksioznosti, stresu in somatizaciji, hipohondriji, zadovoljstvu in o partnerskem odnosu z zdravnikom. Rezultati: Zdravniki so s sistematičnim vzorčenjem povabili k sodelovanju 1410 bolnikov, v sodelovanje je privolilo 826 (58,58%) bolnikov, od tega 422 z izpolnjenimi kriteriji za MNS: (1) starost (18 do 80 let), (2) zdravnikov sum in (3) izpolnjeni točkovni in klinični kriteriji za MNS (prisotnost simptoma vsaj tri mesece, klinično pomembne težave pri bolniku, nezmožnost razlage simptoma s katerokoli znano telesno boleznijo). Povprečna starost bolnikov je bila 50,35 leta ± 11,49 leta, izstopale so ženske (64,9 %) in osebe z osnovnošolsko (23,7%) in srednješolsko izobrazbo (29,1%). Brezposelnih je bilo 28,9% bolnikov. Bolniki z MNS so po intervenciji izkazovali v povprecju nižjo (skupno) oceno težav in višjo kakovost življenja ter boljše mnenje o partnerskem odnosu z zdravnikom (p<0,05), ne pa razlik v (skupni) oceni zadovoljstva z obravnavo pred intervencijo in po njej (p=0,423). Značilne razlike v simptomih pri bolnikih z MNS pred intervencijo in po njej smo potrdili v primeru stresa, somatizacije in hipohondrije (p<0,05). Zaključki: Edukacija zdravnikov je pri bolnikih z MNS izboljšala samooceno težav z zdravjem in kakovosti življenja, vplivala je na znižanje stopnje simptomov stresa, somatizacije in znižala stopnjo hipohondrije ter izboljšala mnenje bolnikov o partnerskem odnosu z zdravnikom. Do sedaj v Sloveniji MNS kot ena od specifičnih vsebin dela v družinski medicini niso bila dovolj raziskana, tudi pristopi k obravnavi bolnikov z MNS še niso bile oblikovani. Zdravnike bi kazalo opremiti z znanji, veščinami in orodji za zmanjševanje hipohondrije in somatizacije pri bolnikih z MNS, saj bi na ta način tudi izboljšali samooceno zdravja bolnikov

Empathy and burnout in Slovenian family medicine doctors: The first presentation of jefferson scale of empathy results

Study aimed to assess the burnout prevalence and level of empathic attitude in family medicine doctors (FMDs) and its associations with demographic factors, working conditions and physician health, using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Health Professional version (JSE-HP)