Nursing Activities Score: an updated guideline for its application in the Intensive Care Unit.

Objective To describe nursing workload in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in different countries according to the scores obtained with Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and to verify the agreement among countries on the NAS guideline interpretation. Method This cross-sectional study considered 1-day measure of NAS (November 2012) obtained from 758 patients in 19 ICUs of seven countries (Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Egypt, Greece and Brazil). The Delphi technique was used in expertise meetings and consensus. Results The NAS score was 72.8% in average, ranging from 44.5% (Spain) to 101.8% (Norway). The mean NAS score from Poland, Greece and Egypt was 83.0%, 64.6% and 57.1%, respectively. The NAS score was similar in Brazil (54.0%) and in the Netherlands (51.0%). There were doubts in the understanding of five out 23 items of the NAS (21.7%) which were discussed until researchers' consensus. Conclusion NAS score were different in the seven countries. Future studies must verify if the fine standardization of the guideline can have a impact on differences in the NAS results.

Measuring patient satisfaction with the Polish version of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale.

The measurement of patients' satisfaction is increasingly becoming legal and ethical duty of healthcare providers worldwide. Till now, there were no validated, widely available Polish scales to assess patients' satisfaction with nursing care. The aim of this study was to assess the experiences and satisfaction with nursing care of patients hospitalized in surgical and nonsurgical wards in Poland using Polish version of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale. This is a multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive study. Eight hospitals were qualified to participate in a convenience manner. The correlations between variables were analysed using the Mann-Whitney or the Kruskal-Wallis tests. In the case of a significant correlation, the Dunn's test was used to conduct multiple comparisons for the group of variables. A significance of α = 0.05 was assumed for the tests. A total 918 patients participated in the study, and 787 (85.72%) questionnaires were correctly filled out. The average result on the 'experience' scale was 73.22 (Me 73.07) and on the 'satisfaction' scale, 74.98 (Me 76.31). Education levels did not affect the experiences of nursing care levels p = 0.2204 and satisfaction with nursing care p = 0.1075. Patient age had a statistically significant impact on the results of the 'experiences of nursing care' scale p = 0.0005 and the 'satisfaction with nursing' scale p = 0.0194. The experiences of nursing care (p = 0.0002) and patients satisfaction (p = 0.0000) were significantly higher in surgical wards than in nonsurgical wards. The experiences of nursing care were significantly lower in the university hospital than in provincial hospitals (p = 0.0374) and district hospitals (p = 0.0183). A comparison of patient satisfaction with nursing in various hospitals shows that patients were most satisfied in district hospitals (average 78.10, Me 82.89), followed by provincial hospitals (average 72.11, Me 76.31) and the university hospital (average 70.64, Me 71.05).

Assessment of Knowledge on the Prevention of Central-Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections among Intensive Care Nurses in Poland-A Prospective Multicentre Study.

The presence of a central venous catheter (CVC) leads to a high risk of blood infections, which are considered major causes of morbidity, mortality and high medical costs. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of nursing staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) regarding the prevention of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). A nationwide survey was conducted among ICU nurses from August 2016 to April 2017. A modified Polish version of the questionnaire developed by Labeau et al. was used to assess the nurses' knowledge. Of the 750 questionnaires distributed, 468 were returned. Women accounted for 95.73% of all respondents, and over 80% were university educated. Most of the nurses surveyed (85.9%) had previously received training in CVC guidelines, and thus over 82% rated their knowledge as good or very good. The guidelines introduced in hospitals were the main declared sources of information. In addition, more than half (68%) of respondents also knew the international guidelines. The knowledge of nursing staff in the study area is not sufficient. Studies show that the guidelines for the prevention of CLABSIs in ICUs should be standardized, and continuous training of personnel in this field should be provided.

[Nursing demand in intensive therapy units]. / Zapotrzebowanie na opieke pielegniarska w oddzialach intensywnej terapii.

BACKGROUND: The cost of nursing in a modern hospital can take up to 50% of the total budget. Therefore, it is very important to use objective tools for assessment of the nursing workload and adjust staff requirements accordingly. The purpose of the study was to evaluate nursing workload using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) in intensive care units. METHODS: This prospective analysis of nursing care of 314 adult patients was performed simultaneously in five intensive care units in Poland. NAS was used for the evaluation of nursing workload and the APACHE II score was used for assessment of the severity of cases. The APACHE score was calculated during the first 24 hours of ICU stay, while the NAS was recorded over an entire stay. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 58.4 +/- 16.6 years. The length of stay was 8.7 +/- 11.4 days. The distribution between surgical (56%) and non-surgical cases (44%) was almost equal. Mortality was 21%. The median APACHE II score was 20 (1-42) and the NAS score 84.4%. There was no correlation between patients' clinical condition and nursing workload (p > 0.05), and the workload in surgical and non-surgical patients. The NAS score correlated well with the length of stay (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study showed that ICU nurses spend 84.4% of their working time by the patient's bed. The optimal ICU nurse: patient ratio was estimated to be 1:1.2.

Application of the CardioCel bovine pericardial patch - a preliminary report.

INTRODUCTION: Animal pericardial patches are widely used in adult and pediatric cardiac surgery. A search is ongoing for a new material with optimal surgical properties that will reduce intraoperative bleeding and the occurrence of restenosis, calcification, and pseudoaneurysms in long-term observation. One product of interest is the CardioCel bovine pericardial patch. AIM: Evaluation of the short-term results of CardioCel bovine pericardial patch implantation during pediatric cardiac surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 8 patients who underwent surgical correction of congenital cardiac defects between January 2015 and February 2016. Pericardial patches were used to repair supravalvular aortic stenosis and reconstruct the aortic arch and pulmonary arteries. The age of the patients ranged from 10 days to 14 years. RESULTS: There were no hospital deaths. The new material exhibited satisfactory durability and elasticity during surgery, facilitating optimal adaptation of the patch to the patient's tissues. No significant bleeding was reported from the suture site. The median duration of follow-up was 58 days. During the follow-up, there were no symptoms of pseudoaneurysm formation, patch thickening, or calcification in the areas where the pericardial patches were implanted. No clinical or laboratory symptoms of infection were observed in locations where the new material was applied. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory surgical properties of the patch were observed intraoperatively. Positive results using the new pericardial patch were obtained in short-term follow-up.

Cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale.

INTRODUCTION: The paper presents the methods of cultural adaptation of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale (NSNS) to the conditions in Polish hospitals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The process of cultural adaptation of the research tool took into consideration an analysis of different equivalence levels, the translation procedure and the estimation of psychometric parameters. The Polish version of the NSNS questionnaire was correctly completed by 787 patients making up 59.36% of the total number of patients who received the scale. RESULTS: The Polish version of the NSNS questionnaire was correctly completed by 787 patients making up 59.36% of the total number of patients who received the scale. Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.921 for the "experience" scale and 0.981 for the "satisfaction" scale. The values of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were from 0.224 to 0.797 for "experience" and 0.815-0.894 for "satisfaction". All questionnaire items of the Polish NSNS version exerted a statistically significant influence on the total results of the scale (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The Polish NSNS version, similarly as the original version, can identify differences referring to "experience" and "satisfaction" with nursing care between the particular departments and between hospitals. The Polish NSNS version was conducted among patients during multicentre studies and it meets the criteria of functional, psychometric and façade equivalences.

Nursing Activities Score: an updated guideline for its application in the Intensive Care Unit / Nursing activities score: manual atualizado para aplicação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva / Nursing activities score: manual actualizado para su aplicación en la Unidade de Cuidados Críticos

ABSTRACT Objective To describe nursing workload in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in different countries according to the scores obtained with Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and to verify the agreement among countries on the NAS guideline interpretation. Method This cross-sectional study considered 1-day measure of NAS (November 2012) obtained from 758 patients in 19 ICUs of seven countries (Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Egypt, Greece and Brazil). The Delphi technique was used in expertise meetings and consensus. Results The NAS score was 72.8% in average, ranging from 44.5% (Spain) to 101.8% (Norway). The mean NAS score from Poland, Greece and Egypt was 83.0%, 64.6% and 57.1%, respectively. The NAS score was similar in Brazil (54.0%) and in the Netherlands (51.0%). There were doubts in the understanding of five out 23 items of the NAS (21.7%) which were discussed until researchers’ consensus. Conclusion NAS score were different in the seven countries. Future studies must verify if the fine standardization of the guideline can have a impact on differences in the NAS results.

RESUMO Objetivo Descrever a carga de trabalho de enfermagem em Unidades de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) de diferentes países, segundo o Nursing Activities Score (NAS), e padronizar o manual do NAS para uso nessas Unidades. Método Estudo transversal realizado em 19 UTI de sete países (Noruega, Holanda, Espanha, Polônia, Egito, Grécia e Brasil) com um total de 758 pacientes adultos, em novembro de 2012. Resultados A média do NAS total da amostra foi 72.81%, com variação entre 44.46% (Espanha) e101.81% (Noruega). Nas UTI da Polônia, Grécia e Egito, as médias foram de 83.00%, 64.59% e 57.11%, respectivamente. As médias NAS no Brasil (53.98%) e na Holanda (50,96%) foram similares. Dos 23 itens da escala, houve dúvidas no entendimento de 5(21.74%), que foram solucionados por consenso entre os pesquisadores. Conclusão O estudo mostrou diferentes cargas de trabalho de enfermagem nas UTI estudadas. Um manual padronizado do NAS para uso nessas unidades contribuirá para sanar dúvidas em futuras aplicações.

RESUMEN Objetivo Describir la carga de trabajo de enfermería en Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) de diferentes países según el Nursing Activities Score (NAS) y establecer una guía estandarizada para su utilización en UCI. Método estudio observacional en 19 UCIs de siete países (Noruega, Países Bajos, España, Polonia, Egipto, Grecia y Brasil) incluyendo 758 pacientes adultos en Noviembre de 2012. Resultados La puntuación media total en la escala NAS fue de 72.81% com valores entre 44.46% (España) y 101.8% (Noruega). Las medias NAS en Polonia, Grecia y Egipto fue de 83.0%, 64.59% y 57.11% respectivamente. El NAS medio fue similar en Brasil (53.98%) y los Países Bajos (50.96%). De los 23 ítems de la escala hubo problemas en la interpretación de 5 de ellos (21.74%). Este problema se resolvió mediante el consenso entre los investigadores. Conclusión El presente estudio demuestra variación en la carga de trabajo en UCI de diferentes países. La guía estandarizada de puntuación del NAS puede servir como una herramienta para resolver dudas en futuras aplicaciones.