Alarm fatigue and sleep quality in medical staff-a Polish-Czech-Slovak study on workplace ergonomics.

Background: Alarms are crucial in informing Healthcare Workers (HCWs) about critical patient needs, but unmanaged frequency and noise of alarms can de-sensitize medical staff and compromise patient safety. Alarm fatigue is identified as the major cause of the clinical alarm management problem. It occurs when the medical staff is overwhelmed by the number of clinical alarms. Methods: The survey was conducted online using Google's form-making tools from June to July 2023. There were three parts to the survey used in the study: a socio-demographic metric, the Alarm Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire (AFAQ), and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A significance level of 0.05 was used in the analysis. Results: The survey included 756 medical professionals from three European countries (Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland). The participants in the study were 42 years old on average, and they had 12 years of work experience. 603 out of 756 survey participants had poor sleep quality, 147 had good sleep quality, and 6 did not provide an answer. This study analyzed the alarm fatigue levels of respondents in every country. In the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, a statistically significant association (p = 0.039, p = 0.001, p < 0.001) was found between alarm fatigue and sleep quality in medical staff. Conclusion: Based on our study, alarm fatigue and sleep quality of HCWs are correlated. Therefore, alarm fatigue and sleep hygiene should be monitored.

Perception of Work-Related Stress and Quality of Life among Nurses during COVID-19 Pandemic-An International, Multicenter Prospective Study.

The major focus of the study was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers' mental health. Nurses are the workers who were exposed to pandemic-related stress, being the most affected. The present cross-sectional study was focused on finding out the differences of the level of work-related stress and quality of life in nurses of the three Central European states, specifically the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and Poland. A structured anonymous online questionnaire was created, and then the link was distributed to the target population through executives. Data analysis was performed by using the R programme-version 4.1.3. The study found that nurses from the Czech Republic achieved lower stress levels and had a higher quality of life than nurses from Poland and Slovakia.

Problems, Stressors and Needs of Children and Adolescents with Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer diseases in children and adolescents are considered to be one of the most serious health problems in the world. It is estimated that about 151,435 cases are diagnosed in children annually. Children with cancer experience many comorbid symptoms related to diagnosis and treatment that can profoundly affect their lives. They experience physical and emotional suffering, which affects their well-being and physical fitness, influencing the prognosis and deteriorating their physical, mental and social functioning. Given the limited data, an attempt was made to assess the problems of the biopsychosocial sphere of need and stressors among children and adolescents treated for cancer. Accurate symptom assessment is essential to ensure high-quality care and effective treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The qualitative study was conducted in pediatric oncology of hospitals in Poland. Children diagnosed with cancer were invited to participate in the study to assess their problems, stressors and needs. RESULTS: The study included 520 people, where female sex constituted 48% and male 52%. The mean age of the children is 13.2 SD = 2.5. Negative experiences related to the disease are experienced by 82% of children. Among the surveyed children, the most experienced were anxiety (61%). The conducted research shows that as many as 69% of all respondents experienced states that indicate severe depression. The most common somatic problems reported by children were pain (58%). The most dominant areas of life that had a negative impact was body image (85%). CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents diagnosed with neoplastic disease experience many problems and stressors in every sphere of life, which undoubtedly affects a high level of unmet needs. The main category of needs concerning the challenges faced by children with cancer was psychological and care problems. In the youth group, the needs were mainly related to education and social support.

Patient Safety in the Process of Pharmacotherapy Carried Out by Nurses-A Polish-Slovak Prospective Observational Study.

Pharmacotherapy, i.e., the use of medicines for combating a disease or its symptoms, is one of the crucial elements of patient care. Nursing workloads in the pharmacotherapy process prove that nurses spend 40% of their work on the management of medications. This study was aimed at the determination and comparison of safety levels at the nurse-managed stage of the pharmacotherapy process in Poland and Slovakia by identifying the key risk factors which directly affect patient safety. The study involved a group of 1774 nurses, of whom 1412 were from Poland and 362 were from Slovakia. The original Nursing Risk in Pharmacotherapy (acronym: NURIPH) tool was used. The survey questionnaire was made available online and distributed to nurses. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.832. Nurses from Slovakia most often, i.e., for six out of nine factors (items: one, five, six, seven, eight, and nine), assessed the risk factors as "significant risk (3)", and Polish nurses most often, i.e., for as many as eight out of nine risk factors (items: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and nine), assessed the risk factors as "very significant (5)". It has been found that the safety of the pharmacotherapy process is assessed by Polish nurses to be much lower than by Slovak nurses.

Reproductive health of Roma women in Slovakia.

OBJECTIVE: In most indicators of the way of life, the Roma community is generally different from the majority population and dominant culture. The objective of the study was to describe factors affecting the health of the Roma living in Slovakia, with an emphasis on the sexual and reproductive health of Roma women, and report on the results of analysis of high-risk pregnancies of Roma women in the district of Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia. METHODS: A retrospective study of medical documentation was used. The results were analyzed using the absolute and relative frequencies. Statistical methods were used. RESULTS: A total of 1,256 high-risk pregnancies were analyzed, of which 622 (49.52%) were in Roma women. The average age of Roma respondents was lower by 5 years compared to non-Roma. The age of Roma women at the first pregnancy was statistically significantly lower compared to non-Roma (p < 0.001). The Roma respondents achieved statistically significantly lower levels of education than non-Roma. There was a demonstrably higher number of pregnancies as well as a higher number of artificial and spontaneous abortions per Roma woman. These results were statistically significant. For Roma women, pregnancy began to be risky demonstrably earlier than for non-Roma (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in attending prenatal counselling. Roma women attended prenatal counselling statistically significantly less frequently than non-Roma (p < 0.001). A significant statistical dependence was found between attending prenatal counselling and the onset of pregnancy problems in Roma women. There was no significant difference in the incidence of other diseases associated with high-risk pregnancy among Roma and non-Roma respondents. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that Roma women are exposed to health problems in the area of sexual and reproductive health in Slovakia. In the approach to the Roma, it is essential to focus on improving accessibility to health care, prevention, knowledgeableness and effectively preventing, eradicating and strongly penalizing all forms of discrimination in access to health care, especially for Roma women, who are more likely to receive health care.

Imported tropical neuroinfections: practice skills and knowledge among nurses and nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: Tropical neuroinfections are still cause of substantial mortality in travelers. Therefore, good knowledge of early symptoms is very important for nurses acting as first contact persons. METHODS: Nurse's practical skills and knowledge of signs and early recognition of tropical neuroinfections, providing first aid and quick action has been studied among graduates of two Tropical Nursing PhD programs (in EU-Countries vs. tropical country) using a standardized questionnaire. Statistical package EPI info was used to determine potential differences between both groups of graduates. RESULTS: Acceptable knowledge on early symptoms and signs of cerebral malaria and meningococcal meningitis in returning travelers was found among 121 graduates of two PhD programs who were included in the study. Of these, 99 questionnaires were filled in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany and another 22 were filled in Malaysia, as a part of the Tropical Nursing PhD Study Programs. CONCLUSION: Nursing students and recent graduates in two PhD programs demonstrated acceptable, although not large-scaled, knowledge of early signs and symptoms of tropical neuroinfections.