The use of mechanical restraint in critical care units: Characterisation, application standards and related factors. Results of a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe and characterise the use of mechanical restraint (MR) in critical care units (CCU) in terms of frequency and quality of application and to study its relationship with pain/agitation-sedation/delirium, nurse:patient ratio and institutional involvement. METHOD: Multicentre observational study conducted in 17 CCUs between February and May 2016. The observation time per CCU was 96 h. The main variables were the prevalence of restraint, the degree of adherence to MR recommendations, pain/agitation-sedation/delirium monitoring and institutional involvement (protocols and training of professionals). RESULTS: A total of 1070 patients were included. The overall prevalence of restraint was 19.11%, in patients with endotracheal tube (ETT) 42.10% and in patients without ETT or artificial airway it was 13.92%. Adherence rates between 0% and 40% were obtained for recommendations related to non-pharmacological management and between 0% and 100% for those related to monitoring of ethical-legal aspects. The lower prevalence of restraint was correlated with adequate pain monitoring in non-communicative patients (P < .001) and with the provision of training for professionals (P = .020). An inverse correlation was found between the quality of the use of MR and its prevalence, both in the general group of patients admitted to CCU (r = -.431) and in the subgroup of patients with ETT (r = -.521). CONCLUSIONS: Restraint is especially frequently used in patients with ETT/artificial airway, but is also used in other patients who may not meet the use profile. There is wide room for improvement in non-pharmacological alternatives to the use of MC, ethical and legal vigilance, and institutional involvement. Better interpretation of patient behaviour with validated tools may help limit use of MR.

Uso de contenciones mecánicas en unidades de cuidados críticos: caracterización, estándares de aplicación y factores relacionados. Resultados de un estudio multicéntrico / The use of mechanical restraint in critical care units: Characterisation, application standards and related factors. Results of a multicentre study

Objetivos: Describir y caracterizar el uso de contenciones mecánicas (CM) en unidades de cuidados críticos (UCC) en términos de frecuencia y calidad de aplicación y analizar su relación con la monitorización del dolor/agitación-sedación/delirio, la ratio enfermera:paciente y la implicación institucional. Método: Estudio observacional multicéntrico realizado en 17 UCC entre febrero y mayo del año 2016. El tiempo de observación por UCC fue de 96h. Las principales variables fueron la prevalencia de contenciones, el grado de adherencia a las recomendaciones de uso de CM, la monitorización del dolor/agitación-sedación/delirio y la implicación institucional (protocolos y formación de los profesionales). Resultados: Se incluyeron 1.070 pacientes. La prevalencia general de contenciones fue del 19,11%, en pacientes con tubo endotraqueal (TET) del 42,10% y en pacientes sin TET ni vía aérea artificial del 13,92%. Se obtuvieron valores de adherencia entre el 0 y el 40% para las recomendaciones relacionadas con manejo no farmacológico y entre el 0 y el 100% para las relacionadas con la vigilancia de aspectos ético-legales. La menor prevalencia de contenciones se correlacionó con una adecuada monitorización del dolor en pacientes no comunicativos (p<0,001) y con la impartición de formación a los profesionales (p=0,020). Se halló correlación inversa entre la calidad de aplicación de CM y su prevalencia, tanto en el grupo general de pacientes ingresados en las UCC (r=−0,431) como en el subgrupo de pacientes con TET (r=−0,521). Conclusiones: Las contenciones son especialmente frecuentes en pacientes con TET/vía aérea artificial, pero también están presentes en otros pacientes que a priori no responden al perfil de uso atribuido. Las alternativas no farmacológicas al uso de CM, la vigilancia de aspectos éticos y legales y la implicación institucional presentan un amplio margen de mejora.(AU)

Objectives: To describe and characterise the use of mechanical restraint (MR) in critical care units (CCU) in terms of frequency and quality of application and to study its relationship with pain/agitation-sedation/delirium, nurse:patient ratio and institutional involvement. Method: Multicentre observational study conducted in 17 CCUs between February and May 2016. The observation time per CCU was 96h. The main variables were the prevalence of restraint, the degree of adherence to MR recommendations, pain/agitation-sedation/delirium monitoring and institutional involvement (protocols and training of professionals). Results: A total of 1070 patients were included. The overall prevalence of restraint was 19.11%, in patients with endotracheal tube (ETT) 42.10% and in patients without ETT or artificial airway it was 13.92%. Adherence rates between 0% and 40% were obtained for recommendations related to non-pharmacological management and between 0% and 100% for those related to monitoring of ethical-legal aspects. The lower prevalence of restraint was correlated with adequate pain monitoring in non-communicative patients (P<.001) and with the provision of training for professionals (P=.020). An inverse correlation was found between the quality of the use of MR and its prevalence, both in the general group of patients admitted to CCU (r=−.431) and in the subgroup of patients with ETT (r=−.521). Conclusions: Restraint is especially frequently used in patients with ETT/artificial airway, but is also used in other patients who may not meet the use profile. There is wide room for improvement in non-pharmacological alternatives to the use of MC, ethical and legal vigilance, and institutional involvement. Better interpretation of patient behaviour with validated tools may help limit use of MR.(AU)

The value of human resources: Experience of critical care nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented health crisis. Pressure on the National Health System has created unique demand particularly in certain services and care units like the critical care units. OBJECTIVE: To learn about the experience of nurses in caring for people with coronavirus in critical care units. METHOD: A qualitative phenomenological study that constitutes the second phase of a mixed methodology project. We conducted interviews with 17 nurses caring for patients affected by COVID-19 in critical care units. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic discourse analysis. RESULTS: This article shows the findings around the theme "the value of human resources" which is nuanced through sub-themes "it's not the beds, it's the expert staff", "shouldering the patient's burden", and suffering because "they have not cared well". DISCUSSION: Expert nurses have emerged as leading professionals in the care of the critical patient during the COVID-19 pandemic. This leadership is executed from a profile framed in an inclusive philosophy where wisdom, agility and intuition are the key elements underpinning problem identification and solving in a creative way, while adapting to the needs of the patient and healthcare team as they emerge. CONCLUSIONS: Expert nurses have played an advanced role in the management of care and human resources by exercising effective leadership in the clinical setting. Care has been hampered due to the crisis, which causes nurses moral distress because they have been unable to meet standards of quality and excellence in care.

El valor del recurso humano: experiencia de profesionales enfermeros de cuidados críticos durante la pandemia por COVID-19 / The value of human resources: experience of critical care nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic

La pandemia por COVID-19ha supuesto una crisis sanitaria sin precedentes. La presión asistencial sobre el Sistema Nacional de Salud ha generado escenarios insólitos de demanda especialmente llamativos en algunos servicios o unidades asistenciales como las Unidades de Cuidados Críticos.Objetivo: Conocer la experiencia de los profesionales enfermeros referida a la atención de personas infectadas por coronavirus en las Unidades de Cuidados Críticos.Método: Estudio cualitativo de carácter fenomenológico que constituye la segunda fase de un proyecto de metodología mixta. Se realizaron entrevistas a 17 enfermeras que prestaron cuidados en Unidades de Cuidados Críticos a pacientes afectados de COVID-19. Las entrevistas fueron audiograbadas, transcritas y analizadas mediante análisis temático del discurso.Resultados: En este artículo se muestran los hallazgos en torno al tema «el valor del recurso humano» que matiza su significado a través de los subtemas «no son las camas, es el personal experto», «llevando la carga del paciente» y sufriendo por «no haber cuidado bien».Discusión: Los profesionales enfermeros expertos se erigen como profesionales líderes en el cuidado del paciente crítico durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Este liderazgo se ejerce desde un perfil enmarcado en una filosofía integradora donde sabiduría, agilidad e intuición son los elementos clave que dan soporte a la identificación y resolución de problemas de forma creativa adaptándose a las necesidades emergentes de los pacientes y equipo de cuidados.Conclusiones: Los profesionales enfermeros expertos han desempeñado un rol avanzado en la gestión de cuidados y de recursos humanos mediante el ejercicio de un liderazgo eficiente en el entorno clínico. Los cuidados se han visto mermados por la situación de crisis, circunstancia que les genera sufrimiento moral por no haber podido cumplir con los estándares de calidad y excelencia en el cuidado.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented health crisis. Pressure on the National Health System has created unique demand particularly in certain services and care units like the critical care units.Objective: To learn about the experience of nurses in caring for people with coronavirus in critical care units.MethodA qualitative phenomenological study that constitutes the second phase of a mixed methodology project. We conducted interviews with 17 nurses caring for patients affected by COVID-19 in critical care units. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic discourse analysis.Results: This article shows the findings around the theme “the value of human resources” which is nuanced through sub-themes “it's not the beds, it's the expert staff”, “shouldering the patient's burden”, and suffering because “they have not cared well”.Discussion: Expert nurses have emerged as leading professionals in the care of the critical patient during the COVID-19 pandemic. This leadership is executed from a profile framed in an inclusive philosophy where wisdom, agility and intuition are the key elements underpinning problem identification and solving in a creative way, while adapting to the needs of the patient and healthcare team as they emerge.Conclusions: Expert nurses have played an advanced role in the management of care and human resources by exercising effective leadership in the clinical setting. Care has been hampered due to the crisis, which causes nurses moral distress because they have been unable to meet standards of quality and excellence in care.

[The value of human resources: experience of critical care nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic]. / El valor del recurso humano: experiencia de profesionales enfermeros de cuidados críticos durante la pandemia por COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented health crisis. Pressure on the National Health System has created unique demand particularly in certain services and care units like the critical care units. Objective: To learn about the experience of nurses in caring for people with coronavirus in critical care units. Method: A qualitative phenomenological study that constitutes the second phase of a mixed methodology project. We conducted interviews with 17 nurses caring for patients affected by COVID-19 in critical care units. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic discourse analysis. Results: This article shows the findings around the theme "the value of human resources" which is nuanced through sub-themes "it's not the beds, it's the expert staff", "shouldering the patient's burden", and suffering because "they have not cared well". Discussion: Expert nurses have emerged as leading professionals in the care of the critical patient during the COVID-19 pandemic. This leadership is executed from a profile framed in an inclusive philosophy where wisdom, agility and intuition are the key elements underpinning problem identification and solving in a creative way, while adapting to the needs of the patient and healthcare team as they emerge. Conclusions: Expert nurses have played an advanced role in the management of care and human resources by exercising effective leadership in the clinical setting. Care has been hampered due to the crisis, which causes nurses moral distress because they have been unable to meet standards of quality and excellence in care.

La visita infantil a la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos desde la experiencia de las enfermeras / Children's visits to the paediatric intensive care unit from the nurses’ experience

Objetivo Explorar la experiencia de las enfermeras en relación con la facilitación de la visita infantil a la UCIP. Método Estudio fenomenológico interpretativo mediante entrevistas en profundidad. El estudio se desarrolló en las UCIP de dos centros públicos madrileños de nivel IIIC. Participaron 12 enfermeras con experiencia mayor de dos años en UCIP que, en el momento de la entrevista, prestaban servicios en dichas unidades. Además, se entrevistó a una psicóloga con experiencia de cuatro años en UCIP cuya información se consideró en el contexto de los datos en la sombra. La información se analizó mediante un análisis temático del discurso. ResultadosLa experiencia de las enfermeras en relación a la facilitación de la visita infantil a la UCIP se puede condensar en cuatro temas: el emerger de la demanda, la preparación progresiva, la toma de decisiones desde el consenso y la creación de espacios de intimidad. Conclusiones Las experiencias de facilitación de la visita responden, principalmente, a la demanda de las familias que viven hospitalizaciones prologadas o al final de la vida. El rol de la enfermera es de acompañamiento reconociendo la labor prioritaria de los padres en la preparación de los niños y el desarrollo de la visita. Las enfermeras se sienten inseguras y faltas de recursos para el apoyo emocional y reclaman protocolos de actuación que orienten la intervención y toma de decisiones. (AU)

Aim To explore nurses’ experience related to promoting the visits of siblings to PICU. Methods An interpretative phenomenological study was carried out through in-depth interviews in two PICUs belonging to third level public hospitals in Madrid. Twelve nurses with more than two years of experience in PICU were interviewed. They all were working in PICU during the study. Furthermore, a PICU psychologist with an experience of four years was interviewed and this was considered shadowed data. Data analysis followed a thematic discourse analysis. Results Nurses’ experience of facilitating children's visits to PICU can be condensed into four themes: emerging demand for visits, progressive preparation, decision-making through common consensus and creating intimate spaces. Conclusions The experience of nurses in facilitating visits is mainly in response to the demand of families going through prolonged hospitalisation or end-of-life situations. The role of the nurse is one of accompaniment, recognising the major role of parents in the preparation of children and in developing the visit. Nurses feel insecure and lack resources for emotional support and demand action protocols to guide intervention and decision making. (AU)

Children's visits to the paediatric intensive care unit from the nurses' experience.

BACKGROUND: Family process disruption is one of the main consequences of the hospitalization of a critically ill child in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Children's visits to PICU may help improve family coping. However, this is not standard practice and nurses' experiences in facilitating children's visits to units where it is encouraged is unknown. AIM: To explore nurses' experience related to promoting the visits of siblings to PICU. METHODS: An interpretative phenomenological study was carried out through in-depth interviews in two PICUs belonging to third level public hospitals in Madrid. Twelve nurses with more than two years of experience in PICU were interviewed. They were all were working in PICU during the study. Furthermore, a PICU psychologist with an experience of four years was interviewed and this was considered shadowed data. Data analysis followed a thematic discourse analysis. RESULTS: Nurses' experience of facilitating children's visits to PICU can be condensed into four themes: emerging demand for visits, progressive preparation, decision-making through common consensus and creating intimate spaces. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of nurses in facilitating visits is mainly in response to the demand of families going through prolonged hospitalisation or end-of-life situations. The role of the nurse is one of accompaniment, recognising the major role of parents in the preparation of children and in developing the visit. Nurses feel insecure and lack resources for emotional support and demand action protocols to guide intervention and decision making.

360-Degree evaluation: Towards a comprehensive, integrated assessment of performance on clinical placement in nursing degrees: A descriptive observational study.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of the acquisition of clinical competencies is a critical issue for nursing students. 360-degree evaluations are a widespread practice in professional competency assessment and can be applied to the learning/teaching process of future nurses. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of the implementation of a 360-degree evaluation proposal for assessing the competencies acquired by third-year nursing students during their clinical placements. DESIGN: A mixed-methods design was used with a primary component (a cross-sectional descriptive observational design) and a parallel qualitative component. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-seven third-year nursing students from a public university in Madrid, Spain, who were undertaking their clinical placements during seven weeks in medical/surgical units in hospital settings. METHODS: This study was conducted between September 2017 and May 2018. Quantitative data were obtained using assessment tools specifically developed for this 360-degree evaluation proposal. Qualitative information was collected from two focus groups, one with students and one with teaching staff. A descriptive analysis of the quantitative data was conducted. Qualitative data were studied using a thematic analysis. RESULTS: The mean scores for each of the items in the 360-degree evaluation were high, with the highest grades being observed in the evaluations made by peers and patients (a mean of 9.1 out of 10.0). On average, the 360-degree evaluation method yielded grades 0.067 percentage points higher than did the previous evaluation method (p ≤ 0.001). Students and teaching staff encountered difficulties in the evaluations made by users/families and other members of the healthcare team (nursing assistants and physicians), although they rated the overall proposal as being very powerful in terms of educational value. CONCLUSIONS: The 360-degree evaluation method is an innovative, motivating, and integrating approach to the acquisition of competencies with a focus on excellence.

Obstacles to compassion-giving among nursing and midwifery managers: an international study.

AIM: To explore nursing and midwifery managers' views regarding obstacles to compassion-giving across country cultures. BACKGROUND: The benefit of compassionate leadership is being advocated, but despite the fact that health care is invariably conducted within culturally diverse workplaces, the interconnection of culture, compassion and leadership is rarely addressed. Furthermore, evidence on how cultural factors hinder the expression of compassion among nursing and midwifery managers is lacking. METHODS: Cross-sectional, exploratory, international online survey involving 1 217 participants from 17 countries. Managers' responses on open-ended questions related to barriers for providing compassion were entered and thematically analysed through NVivo. RESULTS: Three key themes related to compassion-giving obstacles emerged across countries: 1. related to the managers' personal characteristics and experiences; 2. system-related; and 3. staff-related. CONCLUSIONS: Obstacles to compassion-giving among managers vary across countries. An understanding of the variations across countries and cultures of what impedes compassion to flourish in health care is important. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE AND POLICY: Nursing mangers should wisely use their power by adopting leadership styles that promote culturally competent and compassionate workplaces with respect for human rights. Policymakers should identify training and mentoring needs to enable the development of managers' practical wisdom. Appropriate national and international policies should facilitate the establishment of standards and guidelines for compassionate leadership, in the face of distorted organizational cultures and system-related obstacles to compassion-giving.

Physical restraint in critical care units from the experience of doctors and nursing assistants: In search of an interdisciplinary interpretation. / La contención mecánica en unidades de cuidados críticos desde la experiencia de los médicos y técnicos en cuidados auxiliares de enfermería: buscando una lectura interdisciplinar.

OBJECTIVES: The study aim was to explore the experience of doctors and nursing assistants in the management of physical restraint (PR) in critical care units. METHOD: A multicentre phenomenological study that included 14 critical care units (CCU) in Madrid (Spain). The CCU were stratified according to their use of physical restraint: "frequently used" versus "seldom used". Three focus groups were formed: the first comprised nursing assistants from CCUs that frequently used physical restraint, the second comprised nursing assistants from CCUs that seldom used physical constraint, and the final group comprised doctors from both CCU subtypes. Sampling method: purposive. DATA ANALYSIS: thematic content analysis. Data saturation was achieved. RESULTS: Four principle themes emerged: 1) concept of safety and risk (patient safety versus the safety of the professional), 2) types of restraint, 3) professional responsibilities (prescription, recording, and professional roles) and 4) "zero restraint" paradigm. The conceptualisation regarding the use of physical contentions shows differences in some of the principal themes, depending on the type of CCU, in terms of policies, use and management of physical constraint (frequently used versus seldom used). CONCLUSIONS: The real reduction in the use of physical restraint in CCU must be based on one crucial point: acceptance of the complexity of the phenomenon. The use of physical restraint observed in the different CCU is influenced by individual, group and organisational factors. These factors will determine how doctors and nursing assistants interpret safety and risk, the centre of care (patient or professional-centred care), the concept of restraint, professional responsibilities and interventions, interactions of the team and the leadership.

[Therapeutic restraint management in Intensive Care Units: Phenomenological approach to nursing reality]. / Manejo de la inmovilización terapéutica en Unidades de Cuidados Críticos: aproximación fenomenológica a la realidad enfermera.

AIMS: To identify nursing experience on physical restraint management in Critical Care Units. To analyse similarities and differences in nursing experience on physical restraint management according to the clinical context that they are involved in. METHOD: A multicentre phenomenological study was carried out including 14 Critical Care Units in Madrid, classified according to physical restraint use: Common/systematic use, lacking/personalised use, and mixed use. Five focus groups (23 participants were selected following purposeful sampling) were convened, concluding in data saturation. Data analysis was focused on thematic content analysis following Colaizzi's method. FINDINGS: Six main themes: Physical restraint meaning in Critical Care Units, safety (self-retreat vital devices), contribution factors, feelings, alternatives, and pending issues. Although some themes are common to the 3 Critical Care Unit types, discourse differences are found as regards to indication, feelings, systematic use of pain and sedation measurement tools. CONCLUSIONS: In order to achieve real physical restraint reduction in Critical Care Units, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of restraints use in the specific clinical context. As self-retreat vital devices emerge as central concept, some interventions proposed in other settings could not be effective, requiring alternatives for critical care patients. Discourse variations laid out in the different Critical Care Unit types could highlight key items that determine the use and different attitudes towards physical restraint.

[Dispositional optimism in patients on chronic haemodialysis and its possible influence on their clinical course]. / Optimismo disposicional en pacientes en hemodiálisis y su influencia en el curso de la enfermedad.

INTRODUCTION: Dispositional optimism is a personality trait significantly associated with the use of positive adaptive coping strategies as well as with perceived psychological and physical well-being, and it appears to be an important predictor of illness. OBJECTIVES: To analyse if dispositional optimism is significantly associated with the number of hospital admissions of our chronic haemodialysis patients, as well as its relationship with perceived state of health. METHODS: We studied 239 patients on chronic haemodialysis. Patients were categorised into two groups according to the variables: hospital admissions/no. of admissions in the last year and dispositional optimism (DO). We used the following variables and questionnaires: 1) Dispositional O/P using the Spanish-validated cross-cultural adaptation of the revised version of the Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) (Scheier, 1994): higher scores mean a higher degree of dispositional optimism. 2) Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the different aspects of the COOP/WONCA (CW) charts and its total score. In this case higher scores mean lower HRQoL. 3) Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI). 4) Age, gender, and time on dialysis. RESULTS: Mean age was 64.8 ± 14.3 years; median time on dialysis 2.9 years (range: 0-32); and median LOT-R 21 (range 6-30). Patients considered DO had a lower risk of hospital admissions than pessimists (DP) (OR: 0.55; IC 95%: 0.32-0.94; P<.05). PD Patients that were admitted in the last year showed a significantly lower score on LOT-R (they were more pessimistic) than those that had no hospital admissions (19.4 ± 5.7 vs 22.3 ± 4.6; P=.001). We found no significant differences between admitted and not admitted patients in age, gender, time on haemodialysis and comorbidity. Admitted patients showed worse HRQoL (higher scores in total CW) than those that were not (Total CW: 22.37 vs 19.42; P<.001). PD patients had significantly higher scores than OD patients in all COOP-WONCA aspects except in aspect 1 (physical fitness) and 5 (change in health). CONCLUSIONS: Pessimistic personality trait is significantly associated with hospital admissions in chronic haemodialysis patients, regardless of age, gender and comorbidity. Optimistic patients perceived a better state of health.

Optimismo disposicional en pacientes en hemodiálisis y su influencia en el curso de la enfermedad / Dispositional optimism in patients on chronic haemodialysis and its possible influence on their clinical course

Introducción: El optimismo disposicional es un rasgo de personalidad que se relaciona significativamente con el empleo de estrategias positivas de afrontamiento y con el grado de bienestar psicológico y físico percibidos por el paciente, y que parece ser, también, un importante predictor de enfermedad. Objetivo: Analizar si el optimismo disposicional guarda relación con el número de ingresos hospitalarios que han presentado en el último año los enfermos renales crónicos estadio Vd en nuestros centros. Material y métodos: Se estudiaron 239 pacientes en hemodiálisis que fueron categorizados en dos grupos respecto a las variables ingresos /no ingresos hospitalarios en el último año y optimismo/pesimismo disposicional. Se utilizaron los siguientes cuestionarios y variables: 1) O/P disposicional mediante el LOT–R de Scheier (1994) en su versión española: a mayor puntuación, mayor grado de optimismo disposicional. 2) Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) mediante las láminas COOP/WONCA: a mayor puntuación peor calidad de vida referida. 3) Índice de comorbilidad de Charlson (ICM). 4) Edad, tiempo en HD y sexo. Resultados: La edad media fue de 64,8 ± 14,3 años; la mediana de tiempo en hemodiálisis de 2,9 años (rango: 0–32), y la mediana en el LOT–R 21 (rango: 6–30). Los pacientes optimistas (OD) presentaban un menor riesgo de ser ingresados que los pesimistas (PD) (OR: 0,55; IC 95%: 0,32–0,94; p <0,05) y los pacientes con ingresos hospitalarios (..) (AU)

Introduction: Dispositional optimism is a personality trait significantly associated with the use of positive adaptive coping strategies as well as with perceived psychological and physical well–being, and it appears to be an important predictor of illness. Objectives: To analyse if dispositional optimism is significantly associated with the number of hospital admissions of our chronic haemodialysis patients, as well as its relationship with perceived state of health. Methods: We studied 239 patients on chronic haemodialysis. Patients were categorised into two groups according to the variables: hospital admissions/no. of admissions in the last year and dispositional optimism (DO). We used the following variables and questionnaires: 1) Dispositional O/P using the Spanish–validated cross–cultural adaptation of the revised version of the Life Orientation Test (LOT–R) (Scheier, 1994): higher scores mean a higher degree of dispositional optimism. 2) Health–related quality of life (HRQoL) using the different aspects of the COOP/WONCA (CW) charts and its total score. In this case higher scores mean lower HRQoL. 3) Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI). 4) Age, gender, and time on dialysis. Results: Mean age was 64.8±14.3 years; median time on dialysis 2.9 years (range: 0–32); and median LOT–R 21 (range 6–30). Patients considered DO had a lower risk of hospital admissions than pessimists (..) (AU)