Predictors of nurses' intention to accept COVID-19 vaccination: A cross-sectional study in five European countries.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate nurses' intention in accepting COVID-19 vaccination and the factors affecting their decision. BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccination has started in most European countries with healthcare personnel being the first group receiving the vaccine shots. Their attitude towards vaccination is of paramount significant as their role in the frontline could help in the awareness of general population. METHODS: A study was conducted in Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Kosovo with the use of an online questionnaire. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used. The STROBE checklist was followed for this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Study population consisted of 1135 nurses. Mean age of the participants was 38.3 years, while most of them were female gender (84.7%) and married (53.1%). Acceptance of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine was higher among Greek (79.2%) and Spanish (71.6%) nurses, followed by Cypriot (54%), Albanian (46.3%) and Kosovo (46.2%) nurses. Key factors for willingness to get vaccinated were male gender, living in a country with a high mortality rate in comparison with low mortality, being not infected with COVID-19, having high level of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and having been vaccinated for influenza in the last 2 years. Moreover, trusting the government and doctors regarding the information about the COVID-19 and having high level of fear about this virus were key factors for willingness to get vaccinated. CONCLUSION: Vaccination of healthcare personnel is a crucial issue not only for their own safety but also for their patients'. Healthcare acceptance to get vaccinated can work as a role model for general population. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Gender, country, mortality rate, trust in government and health professionals and the level of fear were key factors that should be managed in clinical practice.

Training as an Effective Tool to Increase the Knowledge About Hand Hygiene Actions. An Evaluation Study of Training Effectiveness in Kosovo.

INTRODUCTION: Hand hygiene (HH) compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines is essential to prevent bacterial transmission and infections acquired from hospital settings. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of training tool of World Health Organization's (WHOs) Hand Hygiene multi modal campaign at all public hospitals and at the University Clinical Center in Kosovo (UCCK). METHOD: During February 2016, 691 questionnaires were distributed to health care workers. The data collection was conducted through a questionnaire distributed before and after training. Measurement of questions was realized through a 5 point Likert scale. RESULTS: The gender structure of participants turned out to be greater for women (n=571, 85%). The knowledge of health care workers differed significantly before and after the training (p<0.001), emphasizing that the impact of the training was important to improve the knowledge of participants. Thus, the average value of improvement of HCW' knowledge was about 41.66 %. CONCLUSION: The findings emphasized the role of the training to improve the knowledge of participants about hand hygiene as well as prevention from infection.

The Relation Between Depressive Symptoms and Self-Care in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Kosovo.

BACKGROUND: The depression is a significant problem in patients with diabetes. This research is the first of it's kind conducted in the Republic of Kosovo to determine the prevalence of depression diagnosed in people with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) and interrelation between depressive symptoms and behavior of diabetes self-care (glucose monitoring, exercise, diet, and self- health care). METHODS: Research was conducted in the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK), in Pristine. The sample consisted of 200 individuals. Data collection was done through structured questionnaires. HANDS (Harvard Department of Psychiatry / National Depression Screening Day Scale) questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms and DSMQ (The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire) was used to assess self-care behavior. Data analysis was run through SSPS program, version 21. RESULTS: The results showed that the prevalence of depression in diabetic patients was 66.5% in Kosovo. Being a woman, a resident of rural areas or with low level of education, there were significant predictors and were associated with increased chance of developing the symptoms of major depression. Significant relations were found between major depression and physical activity (p<0.05). While between major depression and management of blood glucose level, dietary control and self health care, no significant correlation was found. CONCLUSION: This paper concluded the involvement of psychological aspect in health care plan for diabetics, in order to reduce the number of individuals affected by depression, to diagnose and to treat these individuals for a better quality of life.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Opinions of Women Planning a Pregnancy: International Web Blogs Scanning.

Background: The unprecedented COVID-19 has infected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands of people. A strategy to contain the spread of the disease was the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Objective: In our study, it was determined the opinions of women who are planning to become pregnant about the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Blogs were used as the data source in the research, which was designed as a descriptive qualitative study. For this purpose, the expressions of 34 women identified between February and March 2021 were evaluated with directed qualitative content analysis. Results: Psychological changes, cognitive changes, and coping methods were determined as the themes of our results. This study demonstrates the value of using qualitative methods to determine the thoughts of women planning to become pregnant regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: For women planning pregnancy, continued research into vaccine safety and efficacy is vital, and results should be carefully investigated and handed in the right channels.

Epidermolysis Bullosa: A case study in Cyprus and the nursing care plan.

PURPOSE: To present a case study with Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in Cyprus and to determine the nursing care plan, explaining the nursing interventions and showing the importance of nursing care of patients with EB. METHODS: Literature review on EB and semi-structured interviews commenced through a direct discussion with open-ended questions to the research subject as well as to a close relative describing his feelings, experiences, and concerns about the disease. FINDINGS: Thematic analysis approach was used to identify and analyze patterns in the data. Then, data were synthesized using the standardized nursing terminology of NANDA-I and the Nursing Interventions Classification. The accuracy of the diagnoses and the appropriateness of the nursing interventions were supported by the positive health outcomes of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses should apply evidence-based practice interventions for EB wound care, pain management, nutrition, psychological and social support to these patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Although EB is classified in the category of rare diseases, the presentation of a case study in Cyprus and the nursing care plan contribute further bibliographically to the holistic and at the same time individualized nursing practice.

Assessment of COVID-19 Fear in Five European Countries before Mass Vaccination and Key Predictors among Nurses and Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Levels of fear have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The absence of a safe and effective vaccine for mass-vaccination deteriorates this situation, which has a significant impact on mental health. This study aimed to assess the feelings of fear among nurses and nursing students in five European countries. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in five European countries (Greece, Albania, Cyprus, Spain, and Kosovo) before the start of mass vaccination in Europe. Data collection was conducted in December 2020-January 2021 using an online questionnaire for nursing students and professional nurses. Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) was used for measuring levels of fear. IBM SPSS version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The study population included 1135 nurses and 1920 nursing students from Kosovo (n = 1085), Spain (n = 663), Greece (n = 534), Albania (n = 529), and Cyprus (n = 244). According to multivariable analysis, females (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.89-3.15), married (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.24-1.48), nurses (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.28-1.45) and those with a chronic disease (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.11-1.62) were more fearful of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to decrease fear in the population of nurses who are at the frontlines of the pandemic. The provision of appropriate education and training activities for nurses and students to manage their stress levels is of high importance. Future studies should focus on levels of fear after the administration of several safe and effective vaccines worldwide.

Factors influencing nursing students' intention to accept COVID-19 vaccination: A pooled analysis of seven European countries.

BACKGROUND: Experiencing the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, high vaccination coverage by a safe and effective vaccine globally would be a great achievement. Acceptance of vaccination by nursing students is an important issue as they play a decisive role as future professionals in educating patients, counselling, and guiding them to the right clinical decision. OBJECTIVES: To explore the intention of nursing students to get vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the factors acting either as motivators or as barriers towards vaccination. DESIGN: A multicenter cross-sectional design. PARTICIPANTS: In total 2249 undergraduate nursing students participated. METHODS: The study was conducted in 7 universities in participating countries (Greece, Albania, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, and Kosovo) through a web survey. Data was collected during December 2020-January 2021 in all countries. RESULTS: Forty three point 8% of students agreed to accept a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, while the acceptance was higher among Italian students. The factors for intention to get vaccinated were male gender (p = 0.008), no working experience in healthcare facilities during the pandemic (p = 0.001), vaccination for influenza in 2019 and 2020 (p < 0.001), trust in doctors (p < 0.001), governments and experts (p = 0.012), high level of knowledge (p < 0.001) and fear of COVID-19 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Understanding of factors that influence students' decision to accept COVID-19 vaccination could increase the acceptance rate contributing to a management of the pandemic.

A Self-Reported Study Toward Melanoma Knowledge, Protective Behavior and Personal Risk Among Nursing Faculty Students at AAB University of Kosovo.

INTRODUCTION: In nowadays, melanoma is one of the major problems of public health all over the world. In Kosovo, the incidence of melanoma has shown irregular tendency with significant increases and decreases in the last five years. AIM: The aim of this paper was to detect the knowledge level of nursing students in Kosovo's University (AAB University) regarding melanoma and its risk factors; to evaluate their knowledge about the protection and prevention methods of melanoma as one of the main topics of dermatology and major problems of public health worldwide nowadays. Of a great importance, it was to evaluate the necessity of establishing a dermatology course in nursing curricula in Kosovo universities, as nurses have a key role in educating and promoting health in the population. METHODS: The training was conducted through slides, photos, videos and a questionnaire was used to collect the data before and after training. Data analysis was run through SPSS program version 20.0. Data were expressed through mean values and standard deviations. T-test, Anova and regression analysis were performed to test the relationship between the protective behaviors, knowledge, personal risk and level of concern. RESULTS: Results indicated a low level of knowledge and a fairly poor protective behavior among the participants. CONCLUSION: On-going training and enrichment of school curricula emerged as an intervention to increase the awareness of the students toward potential risks of melanoma and ultimate change in the protective behavior.

The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Nurses Toward Management of Hospital-acquired Infections in the University Clinical Center of Kosovo.

BACKGROUND: Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) are called those infections that were not present at the time of patient' hospitalization in a hospital or other medical institutions and have been acquired after hospitalization. AIM: The aim of this paper was to investigate the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses about preventing the spread and management of HAIs at University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK). METHODS: The questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection in 6 clinics of UCCK during the November-December 2016. Out of 350 nurses, only 331 returned the questionnaire completed. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package-SPSS, version 22. RESULTS: The age of participants was 37.9 ± 9.3 years by the mean. The general level of knowledge of nurses about the spread of HAIs was 90%, about the attitudes was 84.4% and about the nurses' practices was 76.2%. The work experience had a significant impact on the nurses' knowledge about management of HAIs OR = 2.18 (95% Cl 1.01-4.71), the attitudes of nurses OR = 3.99 (95% Cl 2.14-7.45) and the nurses' practices OR = 2.87 (95% Cl 1.65-4.99). The impact of the level of education in the knowledge OR = 0.22 (95% Cl 0.10-0.48) was significant (p <0.05), while its impact in the nurses' attitudes OR = 0.59 (95% Cl 0.32-1.09) and the nurses' practices OR = 0.8 (95% Cl 0.46-1.38) was not statistically significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Nurses stated that they had the necessary competencies to practice safe patient care. However, there are necessary joint efforts of policymakers and managers of UCCK to implement intervention strategies in order to reduce HAIs.