Education and Career Advancement Opportunities in Polish and English Nursing-A Comparative Study of Intensive Care Unit Nurses.

The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate education, job, and professional development satisfaction among intensive care unit nurses in Poland and England. A total of 258 ICU nurses from both countries were interviewed (72 Polish nurses working in Poland and 186 of various national backgrounds in England, including 50 of Polish origin). We used an 11-item structured survey followed by an open-ended qualitative interview retrospectively coded for statistical analysis. Regardless of national origin, nurses in England report significantly higher education satisfaction, attributed to better theoretical knowledge gain but not to other dimensions (such as practical knowledge or personal satisfaction). They also express greater satisfaction with job conditions regarding professional development, a state-of-the-art work environment, teamwork, and finance. The UK system is also considered significantly superior in promotion opportunities and participation in post-graduation training. In conclusion, systemic factors play a crucial role in career satisfaction and advancement in nursing, with the British band system having a clear advantage over the Polish one.

Acute Stress Disorder among 2022 Ukrainian war refugees: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Fleeing from war can be terrifying and result in Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), a mental health condition that can occur in the first month after a traumatic event. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of ASD among Ukrainian refugees and identify its risk factors to create a profile of the most vulnerable refugees. Methods: This cross-sectional study of 637 Ukrainian war-displaced persons and refugees in 2022 used the Acute Stress Disorder Scale. Results: The prevalence of ASD among participants was high (93.5%). Several factors increasing the risk of developing ASD in the sample were identified, e.g., witnessing Russian attacks (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.26-6.78), insufficient financial resources (OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.61-7.91), and feeling of loneliness in the host country (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.58-8.69). Pre-existing depression and the death of a close person, among others, were found to significantly (p < 0.05) exacerbate the ASD symptoms. At the same time, neither age, the distance traveled, time spent on fleeing the country, nor the type of companionship during refuge (escaping alone, with children, pets or the older adults) correlate with the severity of symptoms. Conclusion: The study shows extreme levels of trauma among Ukrainian war refugees and displaced persons. Knowledge regarding ASD vulnerabilities in the present conflict may facilitate prompt and adequate psychological help. Since ASD can be an antecedent of PTSD and several autoimmune disorders, these results may also serve as a predictor of future challenges for Ukrainian society.

The rhythm of chemotherapy and the felt experience of time: a front-loaded phenomenological retrospective cohort study.

It is well-known that chemotherapy brings about various adverse physical effects such as fatigue, nausea, or vomiting, and that it lowers mental well-being. It is less known that it desynchronizes patients with social environment. This study explores the temporal aspects and challenges of chemotherapy. Three groups equal in size and distinguished according to weekly, biweekly, and triweekly treatment schemes, each independently representative in terms of sex and age of the cancer population (total N = 440) were compared. The study found that chemotherapy sessions, regardless of their frequency, patients' age, and the overall length of treatment, have a very large effect on changing the felt pace of time from flying to dragging (Cohen's d = 1.6655). Most patients pay more attention to the passing of time than before treatment (59.3%), which has to do with the disease (77.4%). They also experience the loss of control over time, which they subsequently attempt to regain. The patients' actual activities before and after chemotherapy, however, are mostly the same. All these aspects create a unique 'chemo-rhythm', in which the significance of the type of cancer and demographic variables is negligible, and the mere rhythmic nature of treatment plays a central role. In conclusion, patients find the 'chemo-rhythm' stressful, unpleasant and difficult to control. It is vital to prepare them for it and help to reduce its adverse effects.

Chemotherapy, clocks, and the awareness of death: A quantitative phenomenological study.

Following a previous phenomenological study of lived time in ovarian cancer, this research aims to find how the frequency of chemotherapy affects orientation in time (the so-called "chemo-clock") and the awareness of mortality of service users with various cancers. For this purpose, a variation of a front-loaded phenomenological method that combines scientific hypothesis testing with phenomenological insights of both conceptual and qualitative nature was developed. The study is based on a purposive quota sample of 440 participants representative of the Polish cancer population in terms of sex (m:f ratio 1:1) and age (m > 65 = 61%; f > 65 = 53%) and undergoing chemotherapy for at least a month. The exposure environmental factors of interest are temporal: the frequency of chemotherapy [weekly (N = 150), biweekly (N = 146), and triweekly (N = 144)] and time since the beginning of treatment. The study confirms the relevance of the "chemo-clock"-participants use the pace of hospital appointments for orientation in time, and significantly more often when in triweekly treatments (weekly 38%; biweekly 61%; triweekly 69.4%; V = 0.242, p < 0.001, while neither age nor time since the beginning of treatment differentiate the usage of calendar categories and the "chemo-clock"). Simultaneously, chemotherapy increases their awareness of finitude, which again correlates neither with age nor time since the beginning of treatment but is significantly stronger in those with lower chemotherapy frequencies. Lower treatment frequencies are thus associated with its increased significance in terms of its impact on how people with cancer measure time and whether they increasingly consider their mortality.

The rhythm of chemotherapy and cancer patients' time perspectives.

Background: While it is well known that illnesses such as cancer modify the experience of time, the impact of the rhythm and length of treatment on patients' time perspectives remains unknown. Methods: A short version of Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and Transcendental Future Perspective Questionnaire as well as a demographic questionnaire on a convenience sample of 259 patients (66.8% female, mean age 52.36) with various cancers and undergoing chemotherapy with different frequencies (1, 2, 3 weeks) and mean time in treatment 23.4 months. Results: The temporal perspectives mean scores of cancer patients are: positive past 3.69, negative past 3.13, present hedonism 3.08, future 3.77, transcendental future 3.40. Patients tend only slightly to lose faith alongside the course of oncological treatment regardless of their age (ρ =  - 0.210, p < 0.01). The frequency of chemotherapy mildly differentiates temporal perspectives of patients regarding present hedonism and transcendental future: a weekly treatment is more disturbing than the triweekly one and no treatment in terms of hedonism, while patients not in chemo score significantly higher in transcendental future than patients in biweekly and triweekly chemo. Conclusions: The variations of treatment rhythm are less significant than predicted, although still relevant. Since most sociodemographic variables are of no relevance, cancer experience likely unifies temporal perspectives among people of different backgrounds.

Psychiatrists Report Praecox Feeling and Find It Reliable. A Cross-Cultural Comparison.

Background: The psychopathological notion of the Praecox Feeling (PF) refers to an experience of strangeness and bizarreness that arises in a clinician during contact with a patient with schizophrenia. There is evidence that psychiatrists take advantage of this feeling in their diagnostic decisions despite the domination of an operationalized diagnostic approach. Methods: The article presents the results of a survey assessing the self-reported prevalence of the PF among psychiatrists in Poland and compares them with data from West Germany (1962), USA (1989), and France (2017) based on the same survey. Results: The study finds a consistent prevalence of reported feelings suggestive of the diagnosis of schizophrenia among psychiatrists of different cultural backgrounds and times. These feelings are independent of variables such as attitude toward schizophrenia, professional orientation, and professional experience and are considered reliable, even if not the most reliable, by the psychiatrists who have them. The study also finds that intersubjective phenomena, such as problematic affective attunement, gestures, and body language, are considered core to these feelings by the psychiatrists. Conclusions: The evidence confirms that psychiatrists' feelings about patients with schizophrenia are considered diagnostically relevant and calls for more deeply investigating the nature and diagnostic significance of these feelings. The article concludes with some speculations regarding the possible benefits of recognizing the PF in facilitating a psychotherapeutic encounter with psychotic patients.

Medical grounds for suspending the professional licence of physicians and dentists by Regional Medical Councils between 1990 and 2014. / Przyczyny zdrowotne zawieszenia prawa wykonywania zawodu przez okregowe rady lekarskie w latach 1990­2014.

OBJECTIVES: The professions of physician and dentist are associated with multiple health risks. The aim of this study was to identify the medical conditions that caused limitation or suspension of the professional license of Polish physicians and dentists, and to assess their return to professional activities. METHODS: We analyzed documentation of Regional Medical Registers concerning the procedure for suspending medical licences or limiting certain medical activities, and decisions of Regional Medical Councils in 1990-2014. RESULTS: The data on 65 decisions suspending the professional license, 8 decisions limiting the license and 1 revoking the right to practice have been obtained from 8 Councils. The most frequent cause of limiting or suspending the professional license was drug and alcohol dependence (54.1%). There was no correlation between the underlying medical condition and gender or profession (physician/dentist). Among doctors aged 42-57 and 58-67 whose licence had been suspended or limited, more than 60% suffered from substance use disorder (SUD). In the group of doctors aged 41 and younger, no such case was found. Among doctors older than 67, addiction was the cause of 37.5% of decisions suspending or limiting the professional license. In no case the medical condition causing limitation or suspension of the licence was an occupational disease. SUD was more frequent in surgical than nonsurgical specialties (76.5% vs. 46.9%, p < 0.05). The doctors suffering from addictions were more likely to return to their practice (57.5%) than those suffering from other illnesses (20.5%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The most common medical ground for limiting or suspending the professional licence was substance abuse. Number of decisions suspending or limiting the licence is relatively small and indicates a need for more efficient procedures for identification of doctors and dentists incapable of practicing due to health problems and assessment of the capacity to practice in the case of individuals who do not undertake treatment themselves and therefore are unable to assure sufficient quality of care to their patients. Moreover, although few decisions were issued, there is a need for an active addiction prevention, particularly among surgical specialists.

[Professional misconduct in obstetrics and gynecology in light of the Supreme Medical Court between 2002-2012]. / Przewinienie zawodowe w poloznictwie i ginekologii w swietle orzecznictwa Naczelnego Sadu Lekarskiego z lat 2002-2012.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to present and analyze the verdicts of the Supreme Medical Court concerning professional misconduct among obstetrics and gynecology specialists between 2002-2012. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Verdicts of the Supreme Medical Court from 84 cases concerning obstetrics and gynecology speciallsts, passed between 2002-20 12, were analyzed. The following categories were used to classify the types of professional misconduct: decisive erro, error in the performance of a medical procedure, organizational errol error of professional judgment, criminal offence, and unethical behavior. RESULTS: The largest group among the accused professionals were doctors working in private offices and on-call doctors in urban and district hospitals. The most frequent type of professional malpractice was decisive error and the most frequent type of case were obstetric labor complications. The analysis also showed a correlation between the type of case and the sentence in the Supreme Medical Court. CONCLUSIONS: A respective jurisdiction approach may be observed in the Supreme Medical Court ruling against cases concerning professional misconduct which are also criminal offences (i.e., illegal abortion, working under the influence). The most frequent types of professional misconduct should determine areas for professional training of obstetrics and gynecology specialists.