Oral Health Education in Patients with Diabetes: A Systematic Review.

Diabetes is known as a "silent epidemic" and is a public health problem that accounts for 9% of all deaths worldwide. The prevention of diabetes is a significant challenge, as its prevalence and incidence are both increasing rapidly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), education is the cornerstone of diabetes treatment. Since the severity of oral diseases is significantly higher in diabetic patients, this systematic review aims to highlight the oral care of diabetic patients as a priority for glycemic control and the importance of education for diabetic patients' oral health. We evaluated 20 clinical studies and 15 meta-analyses from PubMed and Google Scholar over the last five years. Their main themes are the direct relationship between diabetes and oral health, especially periodontitis, and the necessity of education and behaviors that can lead to a better quality of life. Our analysis indicated that good oral health is a critical factor of glycemic control in diabetic patients and can be enhanced by targeted educational programs, backed by long-term medical and dental follow-up. Healthcare personnel should be encouraged to develop their knowledge of oral health in relation to the disease so that behaviors can be adopted to improve patients' quality of life. Telemedicine could also contribute to patient education and self-management of the disease.

Fatigue among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Impact of Spirituality and Illness Perceptions.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) can cause fatigue, negatively affecting the daily functioning and health of individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of spirituality and illness perceptions on fatigue among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, 100 patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus completed the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the FACIT Sp-12 scale, and the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised assessing fatigue, spirituality, and illness perceptions, respectively. The mean age of the sample was 52.18 ± 15.53 years and 65% were insulin-treated patients. The mean score for the FACIT Sp-12 scale was 31.86 ± 7.7, for the FAS 27.0 ± 7.63, and for the Consequences and Emotional Representations of IPQ-R 25.5 ± 5.3. Statistically negative significant correlations were observed between the FACIT Sp-12 total score and the FAS subscales (r = -0.44 to -0.48, p < 0.01) and positive correlations between the "IP-Consequences and Emotional Representations" subscales and FAS scores. The total score of the FACIT Sp-12 (ß = -0.35) was a negative predictor while Consequences and Emotional Representations (ß = 0.28) were positive predictors of the total FAS Score. Participants scored moderate levels of total fatigue. Spirituality and positive illness perceptions may have a protective effect on the fatigue of patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Investigation of Nurses' Wellbeing towards Errors in Clinical Practice-The Role of Resilience.

Background and Objectives: The fatigue, stress, and burnout of nurses lead to them frequently making mistakes, which have a negative impact not only on the safety of the patients but also on their psychology. The ability to bounce back from mistakes is crucial for nurses. Nursing staff members' physical and mental health, particularly their depression, is far from ideal, and this ill health is directly correlated with the frequency of self-reported medical errors. The nurses' mental and physical health are also positively correlated with their perception of wellness support at work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the status of nurses' mental and physical health regarding clinical errors and the impact of resilience on coping with these situations. Materials and Methods: A total of 364 healthcare professionals participated in this research; 87.5% of them were females and 12.5% of them were males. Most of the participants were 22-35 years old. The median number of years of employment was nine. Clinical nurses anonymously and voluntarily completed a special structured questionnaire that included questions from different validated tools in order to assess their state of physical and mental wellbeing after events of stress and errors made during their practice. Results: In total, 49.4% of the nurses had made an error on their own, and 73.2% had witnessed an error that someone else had made. At the time of the error, 29.9% of the participants were in charge of more than 20 patients, while 28.9% were responsible for a maximum of three patients. Participants who were 36-45 years old had more resilience (p = 0.049) and experienced fewer negative emotions than participants who were 22-35 years old. The participants who mentioned more positive feelings according to their mental state had greater resilience (p > 0.001). Conclusions: Errors were likely to happen during clinical practice due to nurses' negative experiences. The level of resilience among the nursing population was found to play a very important role not only in making mistakes but also in coping with errors during their daily routine. Wellness and prevention must be given top priority in all healthcare systems across the country in order to promote nurses' optimal health and wellbeing, raise the standard of care, and reduce the likelihood of expensive, avoidable medical errors. Healthcare administrations should promote prevention programs for stress occurrence in order to support nurses' wellbeing maintenance.

The Effect of Psychological Resilience and Coping Strategies on Mental Health of Nurses.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing professional is considered to be stressful with impact on nurses' mental health. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of coping strategies and psychological resilience on anxiety and depression among nurses. METHODS: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, 378 nurses from two hospitals (a general and a psychiatric) in Greece completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC 25), and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire for evaluating the depression, anxiety, psychological resilience, and coping strategies, respectively. The study was carried out between October and December of 2019. Statistical analysis was performed with JASP version 0.14.01 and significance for all statistical tests was set at 0.05 or less. RESULTS: Psychological resilience was significantly correlated with anxiety (r = -0.127, p = 0.014), Positive approach (r = -0.466, p<0.001), Seeking social support (r = -0.228, p < 0.001), Avoidance/Escape (r = -0.121, p = 0.020). Anxiety was positively correlated with Seeking social support (r = -0.112, p = 0.030), Prayer/Daydream (r = -0.132, p = 0.030), Avoidance/Escape (r = -0.164, p < 0.001), and Assertive problem solving (r =-0.195, p < 0.0010). Psychological resilience, Avoidance, and Assertive problem-solving were significant predictors of increasing of anxiety (ß = -0.128, p = 0.013, ß = 0.130, p = 0.027, ß = 0.131, p = 0.020, respectively). Avoidance (ß = 0.209, p < 0.001) and age (ß = 0.208, p = 0.029) were significant predictors of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological resilience and coping strategies have a significant effect on nurses' mental health.

Perceived Social Support in Parents of Hospitalized Children During COVID-19.

It was March 2020 when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic due to the spread of a virus known as SARS-CoV-2, which started in Wuhan (China) and spread across the world. From that time onward, all governments took specific measures to minimize virus outspread. Human beings faced several challenges in each aspect of life mainly the more vulnerable ones, such as parents with sick children who encountered not only with hospitalization but also with the negative effects posed by pandemic. PURPOSE: Purpose of this study was to explore levels of perceived social support and the associated factors in parents of hospitalized children. METHOD AND MATERIAL: In the study were enrolled 110 parents (30 fathers and 80 mothers) of hospitalized children. Data were collected by the completion of "The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)," which included patients' self-reported characteristics. The statistical significance level was p < 0.05. RESULTS: From the 110 participants, 50% scored over 22, 22, and 20 (median) in support from significant ones, family, and friends, respectively. In addition, 25% of parents scored above 25, 25, and 24, respectively. With respect to the possible range of scores (4-28), these values indicate high levels of social support. Statistically significant higher levels of support from significant ones were experienced by parents who desired to be COVID-19 vaccinated (p = 0.019) and had a person at home belonging to a vulnerable group (p = 0.001). In terms of support from family, statistically significantly higher levels had parents who had been COVID-19 vaccinated (p = 0.003), who had not experienced family conflicts during pandemic (p = 0.026), and those who had a person at home belonging to a vulnerable group (p = 0.001). Regarding support from friends, statistically significant levels were experienced by parents who wished to be vaccinated (p = 0.012) and who had not experienced family conflicts during pandemic (p = 0.050). CONCLUSION: Through this unprecedented global health issue, levels of support remained high. Vaccination, having a vulnerable person at home, and intra-family conflicts were associated with support. A better understanding of support in parents with hospitalized children may help in the planning of rational and cost-effective interventions.

Body Image, Social Physique Anxiety Levels and Self-Esteem among Adults Participating in Physical Activity Programs.

(1) Background: individuals may benefit from being involved in physical and athletic activities in order to improve their body appearance and promote their physical and mental health. This study aimed to investigate body image, body mass index (BMI) characteristics, social physique anxiety, self-esteem and possible correlations between the above factors. (2) Methods: 245 adults engaged in training programs in gyms, as well as in track and field, football and basketball athletic activities completed (a) a sociodemographic questionnaire which recorded their BMI values and utilized the (b) Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, (c) the Social Physique Anxiety Scale and (d) the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. (3) Results: Females and individuals with higher BMI reported statistically significant lower body-esteem and greater social physique anxiety levels compared to males and individuals with lower BMI, respectively (p < 0.05). A total of 25.3% of our participants were labeled as "overweight", while 20.4% had been overweight in the past. Significant differences were reported between body-esteem and social physique anxiety levels (p < 0.001); age (p = 0.001); BMI value (p < 0.001) and never having a problem with body weight (p = 0.008). Additionally, individuals with lower body-esteem and greater social physique anxiety levels presented lower global self-esteem (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: individuals' engagement in physical activity promotes physical as well as mental well-being, contributing to an improved quality of life, which may be the most important issue for health care professionals.

Stress and burnout among Greek critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occupational stress and burnout of health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially of the nursing population in intensive care units (ICUs), were quite frequent along with negative effects and a direct correlation with the manifestation of many physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms. For the purposes of this research, a quantitative survey was carried out, in which 153 ICU nurses of secondary and tertiary public hospitals in Greece participated. Nurses completed anonymously and voluntarily a special electronic questionnaire about stress, burnout, personal concerns about the pandemic, the consequences of the outbreak and their resilience toward COVID-19 patients' care. Specific validated scales were used in this study. Female nurses felt, to a greater extent than males, work-related burnout, especially patient-related burnout and total burnout. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between the existence of a psychological support group within a hospital and personal burnout. Participants who had experience in caring for SARS-CoV-2 patients had higher mental resilience than those without experience. As the consequences experienced by the health professionals of the reference COVID-19 hospitals were increased, so did mental resilience and stress coping strategies during the pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak and the conditions configurated in the health system had negative effects on the psycho-emotional state of ICU nurses. The manifestation of anxiety, stress and burnout had a direct correlation with both the work and personal functionality of the nurses and the whole of the healthcare services provided. The early recognition of symptoms and their individualized management are imperative for the protection of the psycho-emotional well-being of nurses.

Investigation of Mental and Physical Health of Nurses Associated with Errors in Clinical Practice.

Background: Errors are common among all healthcare settings. The safety of patients is linked directly with nursing errors because nurses stand by them more often than any other healthcare professional. The role of mental and physical health of nurses is of great interest for a good and efficient job performance, but also for maintaining good patient care delivery. This study aimed to investigate the association between nurses' general health and making errors during clinical practice. Methods: A total of 364 nurses completed a specially designed questionnaire anonymously and voluntarily. The sample consisted of nurses with all educational degrees. The questionnaire included demographic data and questions about general health issues, resilience status and nurses' possible experience with errors within a hospital. Results: 65,8% of the participants stated that at least one error had happened at their workplace, and 49,4% of them reported that the error was caused by them. Somatic symptoms were found to have a positive correlation with making errors (p < 0.001). However, the other aspects of general health, which were anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression, had no statistical significance with adverse events. The most common type of error reported (65,5%) was a medication adverse event. Resilience level was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001) when correlated with all aspects of general health (anxiety/insomnia, severe depression, somatic symptoms), but not with social dysfunction. Conclusion: Nurses are affected by their somatic symptoms in their daily clinical practice, making them vulnerable to making errors that compromise patient safety. A high resilience level could help them cope with unfavorable situations and prevent them from doing harm to a patient or themselves.