Patients' Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC): Validation and Evaluation of PACIC Scale among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Hungary.

Introduction: The aims of this study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Hungarian translation of the PACIC in a sample of patients with type 2 diabetes and to reveal the associations between the mean PACIC scores and the number of chronic diseases, or visits to GPs, and specialist. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has also been performed to test the structural validity of the PACIC scale. Methods: The Hungarian version of PACIC was validated using randomly selected patients with type 2 diabetes (N = 684) from licensed GP practices. Results: Floor (1.6%-30.2%) and ceiling effects (11.3-33.6%) were similar of the PACIC scale. The internal consistency of the total scale (Cronbach's alpha 0.93) was excellent and subscales were good (between 0.73-0.9). The mean scores of each PACIC subscale group were between 2.99-3.53. There was a weak significant correlation between the mean PACIC scores of subscales and the number of GP visits (p < 0.001), and specialist visits (p < 0.001). The EFA identified four factors on the sample (KMO = 0.931). Gender and education showed correlation with some new factors. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of PACIC questionnaire showed a reasonable level of validity among patients with type 2 diabetes. Now, this instrument is ready to assess the chronic care of diabetic patients in Hungary.

Predicting cervical screening and HPV vaccination attendance of Roma women in Hungary: community nurse contribution is key.

BACKGROUND: HPV screening/vaccination has been observed lower for ethic minorities. Understanding factors that predict and can improve attendance is therefore key. Hence, the aim was to identify causes, especially concerning the quality of the patient-provider relationship, that predict past HPV screening and vaccination turnout of Roma women in Hungary. METHODS: Cross-sectional research design with self-developed, culturally sensitive questionnaire. A final, female Roma sample of 368 participants was randomly selected from census register. Community nurses contacted participants and distributed surveys. Surveys were mailed-in by participants. Bivariate logistic regression was used to predict former participation in HPV screening/vaccination. RESULTS: Of the total sample, 17.4% of women attended at least one cervical screening and HPV vaccination in the past. Bad screening experience was positively associated with racially unfair behaviors of physicians. The odds of past attendance were 4.5 times greater if 'no negative earlier experience' occurred, 3.3 times likelier if community nurse performed screening/immunization and 1.6 times more probable if respondent felt 'no shame'. Evaluating the screening/vaccination process painful, being only financially motivated and attendance involving a lot of travel decreased the odds of 'no show' by 50%, 40% and 41%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: When considering the ratio of past cervical screening attendance, we conclude that our female Roma sample did not behave differently from the general population. We saw no evidence that racial mistreatment made any contribution to explaining cervical screening participation. Past positive screening experience and the quality of patient-provider relationship increased the odds of participation the most. Cancer of friends, pain, financial motivation and travel distance decreased odds of participation to a lesser extent. In order to improve future screening and immunization, community nurses should play more central and advanced role in the organization and implementation of such services specifically targeting Roma populations.

The role of faculty and clinical practice in predicting why nurses graduate in Hungary.

AIMS: to estimate the proportion of nursing students in Hungary who intend to graduate from a nursing program and intend to work as a nurse after graduation. METHODS: a cross-sectional, mail survey was implemented. A total of 381, purposively selected, final year students returned the survey instrument developed by the researchers. The survey was conducted in 3 of the total 7 nationwide nursing schools. RESULTS: the rate of estimated student attrition ranged between 7 and 20%. Students were most satisfied with the mentoring and support received from faculty, and were least satisfied with their future career as a nurse. The most important factors that predicted intent to graduate and work after graduation were satisfaction with faculty support and clinical experiences, influence from family/peers to leave nursing, and intent to work abroad. CONCLUSIONS: self-reported student attrition was prevalent in the sample studied. Students ranked faculty support as the top influence to graduate and work as a nurse after graduation. The finding that family/peers had negative influence on students' intent to graduate requires further exploration. Provision of strong, continuous support to faculty members by the school administration seems the best, but not the only counter attack against student attrition.

Training nurses for CPR: support for the problem-based approach.

AIM: To assess whether problem-based learning (PBL) is more effective over conventional teaching methods by comparing final resuscitation exam results of nursing students who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training either by traditional or by a PBL approach. METHODS: A retrospective and comparative research design was implemented. Data on final CPR exam grades, collected both from PBL and traditionally trained students, were obtained for a total of 1775 students between 2000 and 2007 in three major schools of health sciences in Hungary. Comparison between PBL and traditional teaching methods as well as across schools was made. RESULTS: t-tests on means yielded significant differences (t=3.569; p<0.001) between PBL and conventional training favoring PBL instructed students. Students who received PBL training had better final CPR exam grades than traditionally trained peers. The only significant difference among schools was found for PBL training. There was no difference across schools in final CPR grades when traditional training was concerned. CONCLUSION: PBL was a superior instruction method for CPR training. Students who attended PBL classes achieved greater theoretical knowledge and demonstrated better resuscitation skills when tested. Whether or not PBL is superior in real-life application of CPR practice is yet to be confirmed.