Attitudes and Feelings towards the Work of Teachers Who Had a School Nurse in Their Educational Center during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the availability of a health professional on the beliefs, attitudes, and work feelings of teaching staff when facing the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a two-phase study: In the first one, the Delphi technique was used to update an instrument used by the authors in a previous investigation in 2020. The second phase was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative study, carried out through an electronic questionnaire distributed among the teaching staff of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (Spain), during the first two months of the 2021/22 academic year, in the midst of the fifth wave of COVID-19. Data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test and the linear trend test. The reasons for advantages were analyzed and the dimensions of the questionnaire were compared between the groups studied (with or without a healthcare professional in the center). Out of 640 teachers in the study, 14.7% (n = 94) stated that they had a reference professional with health training in their educational center (a school nurse) for the management of possible cases of COVID-19. Significant differences were found in five of the nine dimensions studied between the groups of teachers analyzed. Teachers who had a health professional, specifically a nurse, during the pandemic indicated that they felt safer in their educational center, as they perceived that they had more personal protective equipment (OR = 2.03, [95% CI: 1.23-3.35]; p = 0.006). They were also more committed (OR = 1.89, [95% CI: 1.04-3.46]; p = 0.038) with their educational work and assumed more obligations (OR = 1.87, [95% CI: 1.01-3.44]; p = 0.045) and risks (OR = 2.82, [95% CI: 1.13-7.07]; p = 0.027). In addition, they presented fewer feelings of burnout (OR = 0.63, [95% CI: 0.41-0.98]; p = 0.041). These results indicate that having nurses in educational centers improves teachers' ability to cope with a pandemic situation.

The Need for Psychological Support of Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Influence on Their Work.

The aim of this research was to analyze how the need for psychological support of health workers (HCWs) influenced the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes towards their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and to predict the need of psychological assistance. A descriptive transversal study was conducted based on a self-administered questionnaire distributed to health professionals working in the Canary Islands, Spain. The data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test and the linear trend test. The correlation test between ordinal and frequency variables was applied using Kendall's Tau B. Multiple logistic regression was used to predict dichotomous variables. The sample included 783 health professionals: 17.8% (n = 139) of them needed psychological or psychiatric support. Being redeployed to other services influenced the predisposition to request psychological help, and HCWs who required psychological support had more negative attitudes and perceptions towards their work. After five waves of COVID-19, these HCWs reported to be physically, psychologically and emotionally exhausted or even "burned out"; they did not feel supported by their institutions. The commitment of health personnel to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic decreased after the five waves, especially among professionals who required psychological support.

Nurses' perception on competency requirement and training demand for intensive care nurses.

Objectives: Various authors have explored the combination of competencies necessary for ensuring safe and quality care carried out by nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Nurses' perception of training is an element that must be studied in order to adopt appropriate educational measures. This study aimed to evaluate nurses' perception of the importance of intensive care training in Spain. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study was conducted on a national level in Spain. Totally 85 ICUs took part in the study. The questionnaire used was developed using the Delphi method and had 66 items to investigate nurses' perception on competency requirements and training needs. The evaluation was conducted by a 10-point Likert scale. Results: The sample was 568 Spanish nurses. Significant differences were found on an academic level, in terms of gender and hospital type, and in the professional experience of the nurse when it comes to evaluating the different training items; the differences in overall questionnaire scores among these groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The nurses analyzed believe that previous training and professional experience in other care services are necessary before starting work in an ICU. Conclusion: Implementation of training programs tailored to the needs of critical nurses had benefits for nurses and the health system. Nurses benefited from training focused on the skills and knowledge of each moment of their working life. Nurses have a different evaluation of their training needs throughout their professional cycle. Therefore, their training must be adapted to the professional stage of each nurse.

The training needs of critical care nurses: A psychometric analysis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Nurses develop the care methods they learn through specific training and this enables them to provide care in a safe, effective and efficient manner. Intensive Care Units (ICU), as complex areas in terms of care, require nurses with specific training. Due to this fact, we set ourselves the objective to validate a questionnaire that detects the training needs of intensive care nurses in Spain. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study, using an electronic questionnaire, adapted and validated through the Delphi technique, in 85 ICUs in Spain, for which a psychometric analysis is conducted. To explore the dimensions and determine the factorial structure, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were carried out. Internal consistency was determined through ordinal alpha. The statistical treatment was carried out using the statistical programmes Factor Analysis 10.9.02 and IBM AMOS version 24. RESULTS: A total of 568 Spanish intensive care nurses, randomly divided into two samples, participated in the study. The EFA presented a factorial solution with suitable values for both the Kaiser-Meyer-Olsen Index and Bartlett's Sphericity. In the CFA, the model fit achieved close to ideal values with a Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) close to values of 0.9. The values of individual reliability, internal consistency and average variance extracted were appropriate for this type of analysis. CONCLUSION: The dimensions detected are close to the construct that encompasses the training needs of ICU nurses. The analyses carried out indicate that there are reasonable realities for incorporating these dimensions into the field of nursing training. This study opens the possibility of incorporating new items to adjust the model to improve the explanatory variables. Our findings help us to understand the dimensions that the training programmes should incorporate.

[Beliefs and attitudes of health workers and nursing students toward an influenza pandemic in a region of Spain]. / Creencias y actitudes de trabajadores sanitarios y estudiantes de enfermería de una región de España ante una pandemia de gripe.

A survey was carried out during March-May 2017 to analyze the beliefs and attitudes of health workers and nursing students in the face of an influenza pandemic in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. A high percentage doubted that there is a vaccine to protect them against an influenza pandemic, although workers showed greater certainty than students concerning access to a vaccine. Health workers showed themselves as more responsible for their work than students; i.e., 46.7% would be in favor of penalizing anyone who refused to go to work because there is a high percentage that put work before their responsibility toward themselves and their families. In conclusion, this study suggests promoting initiatives for reducing absenteeism, identifying those factors that would facilitate it, and having a contingency plan prepared in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Con el objetivo de analizar las creencias y actitudes de trabajadores sanitarios y estudiantes de enfermería de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria en España ante una pandemia por gripe, se aplicó una encuesta durante marzo-mayo del 2017. Un alto porcentaje duda que exista una vacuna que les proteja ante una pandemia por gripe aunque los trabajadores muestran mayor seguridad con respecto al acceso a una vacuna que los estudiantes, los trabajadores sanitarios manifestaron una mayor responsabilidad ante su trabajo que los estudiantes, así un 46,7% estaría de acuerdo en sancionar al que se negase a ir a trabajar, debido a que existe un alto porcentaje lo anteponen a su responsabilidad para sí y su familia. En conclusión, se sugiere la promoción de iniciativas encaminadas a reducir el absentismo, identificando aquellos factores que lo facilitarían y tener preparado un plan de contingencia ante una pandemia por gripe.

Presencia de microorganismos en teléfonos móviles del personal de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de España / Presence of microorganisms in mobile phones of intensive care staff at a hospital in Spain

RESUMEN Con el objetivo de identificar la presencia de microorganismos en los teléfonos móviles del personal de la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) de un hospital en España se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo entre los profesionales sanitarios y no sanitarios que tuvieran teléfonos móviles durante su jornada laboral. La recogida de muestras se llevó a cabo mediante hisopo y siembra en placa de cultivo con análisis e identificación de los microorganismos. Se analizaron 111 teléfonos móviles, de los cuales 56 estaban contaminados siendo 41,5% y 41,1% para los que pertenecían a las enfermeras y los médicos respectivamente y 60,6% para la encontrada en los auxiliares de enfermería, destaca el crecimiento de Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12,5%), Staphylococus aureus meticilin-resistente (10,9%), y Stenotrophomonas maltophila (4,7%). En conclusión, los teléfonos móviles presentaron presencia de microorganismos de relevancia clínica. La presencia de estas bacterias y hongos deben alertarnos sobre la posibilidad de que sirvan de reservorio para la transmisión al paciente crítico.

ABSTRACT In order to identify the presence of microorganisms in mobile phones of the staff from the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Spain, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among healthcare and non-healthcare professionals who had mobile phones during their working day. Samples were collected by swabbing and sowing on a culture plate with analysis and identification of microorganisms. One hundred eleven (111) mobile phones were analyzed, of which 56 were contaminated: 41.5% and 41.1% of those belonging to nurses and physicians, respectively, and 60.6% found in nursing assistants. The growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.5%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (10.9%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophila (4.7%) stand out. In conclusion, mobile phones presented the presence of clinically relevant microorganisms.

Creencias y actitudes de trabajadores sanitarios y estudiantes de enfermería de una región de España ante una pandemia de gripe / Beliefs and attitudes of health workers and nursing students toward an influenza pandemic in a region of Spain

RESUMEN Con el objetivo de analizar las creencias y actitudes de trabajadores sanitarios y estudiantes de enfermería de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria en España ante una pandemia por gripe, se aplicó una encuesta durante marzo-mayo del 2017. Un alto porcentaje duda que exista una vacuna que les proteja ante una pandemia por gripe aunque los trabajadores muestran mayor seguridad con respecto al acceso a una vacuna que los estudiantes, los trabajadores sanitarios manifestaron una mayor responsabilidad ante su trabajo que los estudiantes, así un 46,7% estaría de acuerdo en sancionar al que se negase a ir a trabajar, debido a que existe un alto porcentaje lo anteponen a su responsabilidad para sí y su familia. En conclusión, se sugiere la promoción de iniciativas encaminadas a reducir el absentismo, identificando aquellos factores que lo facilitarían y tener preparado un plan de contingencia ante una pandemia por gripe.

ABSTRACT A survey was carried out during March-May 2017 to analyze the beliefs and attitudes of health workers and nursing students in the face of an influenza pandemic in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. A high percentage doubted that there is a vaccine to protect them against an influenza pandemic, although workers showed greater certainty than students concerning access to a vaccine. Health workers showed themselves as more responsible for their work than students; i.e., 46.7% would be in favor of penalizing anyone who refused to go to work because there is a high percentage that put work before their responsibility toward themselves and their families. In conclusion, this study suggests promoting initiatives for reducing absenteeism, identifying those factors that would facilitate it, and having a contingency plan prepared in the event of an influenza pandemic.

[Presence of microorganisms in mobile phones of intensive care staff at a hospital in Spain]. / Presencia de microorganismos en teléfonos móviles del personal de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de España.

In order to identify the presence of microorganisms in mobile phones of the staff from the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Spain, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among healthcare and non-healthcare professionals who had mobile phones during their working day. Samples were collected by swabbing and sowing on a culture plate with analysis and identification of microorganisms. One hundred eleven (111) mobile phones were analyzed, of which 56 were contaminated: 41.5% and 41.1% of those belonging to nurses and physicians, respectively, and 60.6% found in nursing assistants. The growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.5%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (10.9%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophila (4.7%) stand out. In conclusion, mobile phones presented the presence of clinically relevant microorganisms.

Con el objetivo de identificar la presencia de microorganismos en los teléfonos móviles del personal de la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) de un hospital en España se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo entre los profesionales sanitarios y no sanitarios que tuvieran teléfonos móviles durante su jornada laboral. La recogida de muestras se llevó a cabo mediante hisopo y siembra en placa de cultivo con análisis e identificación de los microorganismos. Se analizaron 111 teléfonos móviles, de los cuales 56 estaban contaminados siendo 41,5% y 41,1% para los que pertenecían a las enfermeras y los médicos respectivamente y 60,6% para la encontrada en los auxiliares de enfermería, destaca el crecimiento de Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12,5%), Staphylococus aureus meticilin-resistente (10,9%), y Stenotrophomonas maltophila (4,7%). En conclusión, los teléfonos móviles presentaron presencia de microorganismos de relevancia clínica. La presencia de estas bacterias y hongos deben alertarnos sobre la posibilidad de que sirvan de reservorio para la transmisión al paciente crítico.