The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on primary health care professionals in Greece.

Pandemics precipitate feelings of discomfort and anxiety in healthcare professionals. This study investigates the prevalence of anxiety and depression among public primary health care professionals (PHCPs) in Greece, along with the demographic risk factors, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to address work exhaustion and protect frontline professionals' psycho-emotional balance. This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to August 2021, using an online questionnaire (demographic data, GAD-7, PHQ-9). Eligible participants (medical, nursing, allied professionals) were PHCPs employed in Greek public PHC facilities. Analysis involved descriptive statistics to present sociodemographic characteristics, participants' experience with COVID-19, anxiety and depression levels. Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors and the anxiety and depression levels, and multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the presence of predictive factors for anxiety and depression. In total, 236 PHCPs participated in the study, with a mean age of 46 (SD 9.3) years and a mean professional experience of 14.71 (SD 9.2) years. Most participants were women (71.4%) and the majority were General Practitioners (38.9%) and Nurses (35.2%). Anxiety (33.1% mild, 29.9% moderate/ severe) and depression (33.9% mild, 25.9% moderate/ severe) were prevalent among PHCPs. The female gender is the most important predictor of anxiety manifestations (OR:3.50, 95%CI:1.39-10.7; p=0.014). Participants older than 50 years have a lower risk of both anxiety (OR=0.46, 95%CI:0.20-0.99; p=0.049) and depression (OR=0.48, 95%CI:0.23-0.95; p=0.039). PHCPs working in rural facilities have a lower risk of anxiety (OR:0.34, 95%CI:0.137-0.80; p=0.016). Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 was not associated either with anxiety (p=0.087) or with depression (p=0.056). Notably, having a friend, relative, or coworker who was hospitalized for COVID-19 or died from it, was not associated with the presence of anxiety or depressive symptoms. Additionally, living with someone in a high-risk group for severe SARS-CoV-2, living with children or being at high risk for severe COVID-19 was not associated with higher GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Findings indicate concerning levels of psychological distress among PHCPs. Early recognition of emotional discomfort in PHCPs and the prompt intervention could reinforce PHCPs' resilience against the pandemic.

Applications and Prospects of Nanotechnology in Food and Cosmetics Preservation.

Cosmetic and food products containing water are prone to contamination during the production, storage, and transit process, leading to product spoilage and degraded organoleptic characteristics. The efficient preservation of food and cosmetics is one of the most important issues the industry is facing today. The use of nanotechnology in food and cosmetics for preservation purposes offers the possibility to boost the activity of antimicrobial agents and/or promote their safer distribution into the end product upon incorporation into packaging or film constructions. In this review, current preservation strategies are discussed and the most recent studies in nanostructures used for preservation purposes are categorized and analyzed in a way that hopefully provides the most promising strategies for both the improvement of product safety and shelf-life extension. Packaging materials are also included since the container plays a major role in the preservation of such products. It is conclusively revealed that most of the applications refer to the nanocomposites as part of the packaging, mainly due to the various possibilities that nanoscience offers to this field. Apart from that, the route of exposure being either skin or the gastrointestinal system involves safety concerns, and since migration of nanoparticles (NPs) from their container can be measured, concerns can be minimized. Conclusion: Nanomaterial science has already made a significant contribution to food and cosmetics preservation, and rapid developments in the last years reinforce the belief that in the future much of the preservation strategies to be pursued by the two industries will be based on NPs and their nanocomposites.

Resilience interventions in physicians: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in promoting resilience among physicians. Previous reviews concerning resilience did not assess effectiveness in a systematic way using meta-analytic methods. PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to January 31, 2020. Randomized clinical trials, non-randomized clinical trials, and repeated-measures studies of intervention designs targeting at resilience in physicians were included. Eleven studies were included in the review (n = 580 physicians). Research findings suggest that interventions for resilience in physicians were associated with small but significant benefits. Subgroup analyses suggested small but significantly improved effects for emotional-supportive-coping interventions (Hedges's g = 0.242; 95% CI, 0.082-0.402, p = .003) compared with mindfulness-meditation-relaxation interventions (Hedges's g = 0.208; 95% CI, 0.131-0.285, p = .000). Interventions that were delivered for more than a week indicated higher effect (Hedges's g = 0.262; 95% CI, 0.169-0.355, p = .000) compared with interventions delivered for up to a week (Hedges's g = 0.172; 95% CI, -0.010 to 0.355, p = .064). Results were not influenced by the risk of bias ratings. Findings suggest that physicians can benefit in their personal levels of resilience from attending an intervention specifically designed for that reason for more than a week. Moreover, policy-makers should view current results as a significant source of redesigning healthcare systems and promoting attendance of resilience interventions by physicians. Future research should address the need for more higher-quality studies and improved study designs.

Is wellbeing at work related to professional recognition: a pilot intervention.

The aim of this pilot study was to design, implement and evaluate an intervention aiming at increasing professional recognition among health-care professionals working in primary care. Professional recognition was operationalized at three levels: self, co-workers and patients/recipients of care. Thirty-six (n = 36) residents and consultants working in primary health-care settings in Greece participated in the study. Emotional states of participants were measured before and after the intervention with the Self-Assessment Manikin, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and an open-ended question. Results showed significantly higher levels of dominance after the intervention (t(35) = -3.014, p= .005), higher levels of excitement (t(37) = -2.158, p= .038), feelings of being proud (t(37) = -2.485, p= .018) and being inspired (t(37) = -2.490, p= .017). Furthermore, the analysis of open-ended responses using the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance model showed that participants reported higher levels of positive emotions and lower levels of arousal emotions after receiving the intervention (χ2(4, N = 36) = 35.526, p < .001). To our knowledge, this is the first intervention targeting professional recognition implemented in health-care settings. Results indicate significant changes on the emotional states of participants after receiving the intervention. Future research is needed to examine the feasibility of positive psychology interventions in primary health-care settings.

Can self-pampering act as a buffer against depression in women? A cross-sectional study.

Despite preliminary evidence that self-pampering can alleviate psychological burden that may lead to depression among women, no studies have so far examined the link between pampering and depression. The aim of this study was to explore the differential effect of pampering on depression depending on women's marital, parental, or caregiving status. A cross-sectional design was employed. The sample consisted of 154 women employees of the municipal authority of Thessaloniki, Greece. The Pampering Behaviors Inventory was developed for the purposes of the present study. Depression was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Controlling for the effects of age, self-pampering was negatively related to depression (p=.001). Married women, women with children, and women caregivers engaged in self-pampering activities less frequently. Married women who did not use pampering were more depressed than married women who used pampering (p=.002). Women with children who did not use pampering were more depressed than women with children who used pampering (p=.004). Results of the present study contribute to a deeper understanding of the importance of self-pampering as a buffer against depression. Given the rising prevalence of depression today, it is essential to explore the potential of minimal interventions.

Non-clinical rounds in hospital settings: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the types of non-clinical rounds implemented in hospital settings. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This scoping review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA. The review followed the four stages of conducting scoping review as defined by Arskey and O'Malley (2005). FINDINGS: Initially, 978 articles were identified through database search from which only 24 studies were considered relevant and included in the final review. Overall, eight types of non-clinical rounds were identified (death rounds, grand rounds, morbidity and mortality conferences, multidisciplinary rounds, patient safety rounds, patient safety huddles, walkarounds and Schwartz rounds) that independently of their format, goal, participants and type of outcomes aimed to enhance patient safety and improve quality of healthcare delivery in hospital settings, either by focusing on physician, patient or organizational system. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: To the authors' knowledge this is the first review that aims to provide a comprehensive summary to the types of non-clinical rounds that has been applied in clinical settings.