Evaluating Critical Thinking Disposition, Emotional Intelligence, and Learning Environment of Nursing Students: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic may have inhibited the development of critical thinking and emotional intelligence of nursing students due to the transition from traditional to online learning environments. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the development of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the perceived learning environment of nursing students during the pandemic from their first to second year. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study of 82 nursing students from 2 universities in Greece. We measured critical thinking disposition, emotional intelligence, and the students' perceptions of the learning environment in 2 phases, separated by a 10 month interval, before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: Students had moderate-to-high critical thinking and emotional intelligence and perceived the learning environment as more positive than negative in both phases. However, there were no statistically significant changes between phases in critical thinking disposition (mean score 44.3 vs 45.1, p = .224) and emotional intelligence (mean score 5.05 vs 5.06, p = .950) between the 2 phases. Nevertheless, students rated the online learning environment (phase 2) higher than the traditional (mean score 137.8 vs 132.2, p = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Critical thinking and emotional intelligence did not change, but students favored the online learning environment over the traditional. These findings suggest that nurse educators persevered, adapted, and maintained the quality of the learning environment despite the pandemic. Moreover, the utilization of an online learning environment may have led to enhanced enjoyment and engagement for students, which could potentially result in improved learning outcomes.

The Cost and the Value of Stroke Care in Greece: Results from the SUN4P Study.

The aim of this study was to measure the one-year total cost of strokes and to investigate the value of stroke care, defined as cost per QALY. The study population included 892 patients with first-ever acute strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, and ischemic strokes, (ICD-10 codes: I61, I63, and I64) admitted within 48 h of symptoms onset to nine public hospitals located in six cities. We conducted a bottom-up cost analysis from the societal point of view. All cost components including direct medical costs, productivity losses due to morbidity and mortality, and informal care costs were considered. We used an annual time horizon, including all costs for 2021, irrespective of the time of disease onset. The average cost (direct and indirect) was extrapolated in order to estimate the national annual burden associated with stroke. We estimated the total cost of stroke in Greece at EUR 343.1 mil. a year in 2021, (EUR 10,722/patient or EUR 23,308 per QALY). Out of EUR 343.1 mil., 53.3% (EUR 182.9 mil.) consisted of direct healthcare costs, representing 1.1% of current health expenditure in 2021. Overall, productivity losses were calculated at EUR 160.2 mil. The mean productivity losses were estimated to be 116 work days with 55.1 days lost due to premature retirement and absenteeism from work, 18.5 days lost due to mortality, and 42.4 days lost due to informal caregiving by family members. This study highlights the burden of stroke and underlines the need for stakeholders and policymakers to re-organize stroke care and promote interventions that have been proven cost-effective.

Learning needs in healthy and active aging according to key stakeholders: a multinational survey.

Healthy and active aging and age-friendly society frameworks attempt to address the well-documented challenges and opportunities of population aging. To meet the needs of an increasingly older society, there is a demand for professionals with appropriate age-related knowledge and skills. To this end, a master's in active aging is in development. This study reports on the consultation with prospective students, employers, older people and academics on the knowledge areas to be included in the course. An anonymous online survey gathered data from stakeholders in Ireland, Slovenia, Austria, Portugal, Finland, and Greece. Participants ranked the importance of 14 broad knowledge areas and linked topics. The influence of participant characteristics on decisions was examined using multivariate regression modeling. Across all stakeholder groups (total sample N = 757), health promotion was most often deemed very important (80%), followed by psychology (73%), and social inclusion and engagement (71%). Potential students from healthcare backgrounds were more interested than others in aging physiology, social aspects, and the physical environment. More western-located European countries overall showed more enthusiasm for the topics presented, additional to regional variations between topics. This learning needs analysis provides multi-stakeholder insights into priorities regarding learning in healthy and active aging and age-friendly society.

The COVID-19 burnout scale: development and initial validation.

BACKGROUND: Research on the pandemic-related burnout has focused on work-related burnout especially among healthcare workers, but not in the general population. AIM: To develop a valid and reliable instrument scale to measure pandemic-related burnout in the general population. METHODS: We took several steps to develop the scale items and achieve content and face validity; literature review, panel of experts, calculation of content validity ratio, and cognitive interviews. We assessed structural and construct validity, and reliability of the COVID-19 burnout scale (COVID-19-BS). RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified three factors for the COVID-19-BS; emotional exhaustion, physical exhaustion, and exhaustion due to measures against the COVID-19. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the three factors and the COVID-19-BS ranged from 0.860 to 0.921. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0.945, and p-value for Bartlett test was <0.001. A significant positive correlation between the three factors and anxiety and depression indicated high concurrent validity. Cohen's kappa ranged from 0.848 to 0.957, while intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.888 to 0.997. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the final 3-factor model with 13 items of COVID-19-BS is a brief, easy to administer, valid and reliable scale for assessing COVID-19-related burnout in the general public.

Linking Learning Environment and Critical Thinking through Emotional Intelligence: A Cross-Sectional Study of Health Sciences Students.

BACKGROUND: Health sciences educators should increase the critical thinking of their students as this may improve the quality of care. However, this is rarely considered as a critical point in teaching, despite studies identifying factors such as the learning environment and emotional intelligence as increasing critical thinking at an undergraduate level. Thus, there is a need to better explore these factors and investigate interrelations and ways of improving critical thinking, especially in the critical field of healthcare students (nursing and medicine). OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to examine the potential relationships between critical thinking with emotional intelligence and the learning environment. METHOD: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with 208 first year health sciences university students of two nursing departments and one medicine department from three universities in Greece. The Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, and Trait Emotional Intelligence-Short Form questionnaires were used to assess critical thinking, the education environment, and emotional intelligence, respectively. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that critical thinking was positively related to emotional intelligence (ß = 0.82, p < 0.001), but not to the learning environment (ß = 1.06, p = 0.30). However, a structural equation modeling analysis supported the indirect relationship between the learning environment and critical thinking through emotional intelligence (M = 1.10, CI = 0.13-2.17, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional intelligence may be the underlying mechanism for achieving critical thinking if it is well applied and cultivated in a learning environment. Therefore, universities could modify their curricula and place emotional intelligence at the epicenter of teaching.

Emotional intelligence is more important than the learning environment in improving critical thinking.

PURPOSE: To examine the association of critical thinking (CT) and emotional intelligence (EI) versus CT and learning environment (LE) in order to investigate which has the greatest influence EI or LE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 340 s-year healthcare university students in two nursing and one medical schools from three universities in Greece, between October and December 2020. Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form were administered. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, with five steps, was used to compare the associations of CT and EI to CT and LE. RESULTS: Participants' mean age (years) was 20.9 (6.6 SD); 82.6% female; 86.8% studying nursing. Students mean scores were moderate to high for CT disposition (44.7 ± 4.68). The general characteristics (age, gender, and school) were not significantly associated with CT (p > 0.05). However, CT was positively associated with LE (UCB = 0.064 & p < 0.001) and EI (UCB = 1.522 & p < 0.001). Moreover, CT seems to be associated in a higher degree (R2 change adj = 0.036 & p < 0.001) with emotional intelligence (UCB = 1.522) than with learning environment (UCB = 0.064). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a different more optimal pathway for educators to improve the CT of their students through EI and not with LE as believed till now. By focusing on improving EI, educators may help their students become critical thinkers, who will provide better quality of care.

Postgraduate education in healthy and active ageing: a systematic scoping review of learning needs, curricula and learning impact.

To inform a new European-based online master's programme in active aging and age-friendly society, a scoping review was performed to identify previously reported learning needs and learning outcomes on this topic. Four electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCO [Academic Search Complete], Scopus, and ASSIA) were systematically searched, along with gray literature. Dual, independent review of an initial 888 studies led to 33 included papers which underwent independent data extraction and reconciliation. Just 18.2% of studies employed a student survey or similar to determine learning needs, with the majority reporting educational intervention objectives, learning outcomes or curriculum content. Main study topics were intergenerational learning (36.4%), age-related design (27.3%), health (21.2%), attitudes toward aging (6.1%), and collaborative learning (6.1%). This review found limited literature on student learning needs in healthy and active aging. Future research should elucidate student- and other stakeholder-determined learning needs, with robust evaluation of post-education skills, attitudes, and practice change.

Predictors of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Willingness among High-Risk Populations Three Years after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

High-risk populations are at increased risk of severe influenza-related illness, hospitalization, and death due to influenza. The aim of our study was to assess the willingness of high-risk populations to take the influenza vaccine for the 2022-2023 season, and to investigate the factors associated with such willingness. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Greece in September 2022 using a convenience sample. We considered demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related variables, resilience, social support, anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related burnout as potential predictors. Among participants, 39.4% were willing to accept the seasonal influenza vaccine, 33.9% were unwilling, and 26.8% were hesitant. Multivariable analysis identified that increased age and increased family support were associated with increased influenza vaccination willingness. Moreover, participants that have received COVID-19 booster doses were more willing to accept the influenza vaccine. In contrast, adverse effects because of COVID-19 vaccination and exhaustion due to measures against COVID-19 reduced influenza vaccination willingness. We found that the intention of high-risk populations to receive the influenza vaccine was low. Our study contributes to an increased understanding of the factors that affect vaccination willingness. Public health authorities could use this information to update vaccination programs against influenza. Emphasis should be given on safety and effectiveness issues.

Inpatient Cost of Stroke Care in Greece: Preliminary Results of the Web-Based "SUN4P" Registry.

The aim of this study was to calculate the average operational cost per sub-type of stroke patient and to investigate cost drivers (e.g. ALoS, NIHSS score, age) correlated to cost. METHODS: Direct medical costs (diagnostic imaging and clinical laboratory exams, overheads/bed cost, pharmaceuticals, ringers and other non-durables and inpatient rehabilitation) per patient were calculated from the providers' (hospitals') perspective. Resource use data derived from the "SUN4P" web-based registry and unit costs were retrieved from publically available sources and were assigned to resource use. RESULTS: The sample comprised 6,282 inpatient days of 750 patients (mean age: 75.5±13.3 years) admitted from July 2019 to July 2021, in nine public hospitals. Mean length of stay was 8.4±7.6 days and mean total operational cost was calculated to €1,239.4 (from which 45% and 35% related to diagnostic exams and overheads/bed cost respectively). Mean cost related to hemorrhagic stroke patients that were discharged alive was calculated significantly higher compared to mean cost related to ischemic stroke patients who didn't undertake thrombolysis and were also discharged alive from the hospital (€2,155.2 vs. €945.2, p<0.001). Linear regression analysis revealed that length of stay was significantly correlated with cost (coefficient beta=232, 95% CI confidence interval = 220-243, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings are in accordance with current evidence and should be thoroughly assessed to rationalize inpatient reimbursement rates in order to achieve improved value of care.

Social Support Mediates the Relationship between COVID-19-Related Burnout and Booster Vaccination Willingness among Fully Vaccinated Nurses.

COVID-19 booster doses for high-risk groups such as nurses are necessary to reduce the impacts of the pandemic and promote public health. We examined the relationship between COVID-19-related burnout and booster vaccination willingness among nurses, and we assessed whether social support can buffer this relationship. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 963 fully vaccinated nurses working in healthcare settings in Greece. We used the multidimensional scale of perceived social support to measure social support and the COVID-19 burnout scale to measure COVID-19-related burnout. We measured vaccination willingness with a scale from 0 (extremely unlikely to take a booster dose) to 10 (extremely likely). Among nurses, 37.1% reported being very likely to be vaccinated, 34.4% reported being uncertain about their likelihood of vaccination, and 28.6% reported being very unlikely to be vaccinated with a booster dose. We found that COVID-19-related burnout reduced vaccination willingness, while social support functioned as a partial mediator of this relationship. In conclusion, nurses who experienced burnout were less likely to accept a booster dose. Furthermore, increasing nurses' social support reduced the negative effects of burnout, resulting in improved booster vaccination willingness. Immunization awareness programs should be implemented in order to address nurses' concerns and support booster doses.

COVID-19-Related Burnout and Intention of Fully Vaccinated Individuals to Get a Booster Dose: The Mediating Role of Resilience.

Because an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine appears to be required to control the pandemic, identifying the factors that influence individuals' decision to receive a booster dose is critical. Thus, our goal was to quantify the influence of COVID-19-related burnout on vaccination intention and to investigate the role of resilience in mediating the link between burnout and intention. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample during October 2022. We used the COVID-19 burnout scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. The study sample included 1256 people who had received their primary COVID-19 vaccination. Among the participants, 34.1% reported being very likely to be vaccinated with a booster dose. COVID-19-related burnout was found to be inversely connected with vaccination intention. Moreover, our results suggested that resilience not only had a positive direct effect on vaccination intention but also mediated the relationship between burnout and vaccination intention. Although our study had limitations, such as a convenience sample and information bias, we demonstrate the critical role of resilience in reducing the impact of COVID-19-related burnout on the vaccination intention. Policymakers should develop and implement initiatives to address the issues of COVID-19-related burnout and enhance booster adoption by strengthening psychosocial resources such as resilience.

Sarcopenia and polypharmacy among older adults: A scoping review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia and polypharmacy are both prevalent conditions in the geriatric population, leading to poor quality of life and adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To explore the evidence on the relationship between sarcopenia and polypharmacy and to summarize the findings and the gaps from the existing literature. METHOD: A systematic scoping review was conducted between March and May 2021, with no restriction on publication date, using the Arksey and O'Malley framework and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. Four bibliographic databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest One Academic, and four sources of gray literature were searched for studies written in English or Greek. Data were extracted quantitatively and using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Of the 397 initially retrieved records, 22 studies were finally included in this review, 20 published articles and 2 posters-presentations. Most of the studies used cross-sectional data. The relationship between sarcopenia and polypharmacy should be interpreted on the basis of the definition of polypharmacy, the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia used, and the population setting. Sarcopenia or risk for sarcopenia are associated with polypharmacy or the number of medications in community-dwelling older adults, regardless of diagnostic criteria used for sarcopenia. CONCLUSION: There is an association between sarcopenia or risk for sarcopenia and polypharmacy or the number of medications in community-dwelling older adults but not among residents of nursing homes or inpatients. Specific widely accepted definitions of polypharmacy and sarcopenia, a consensus on the method of sarcopenia assessment, and prospective studies are needed to identify polypharmacy as a potential risk factor for sarcopenia.

Providing care to patients with COVID-19 in a reference hospital: health care staff intentional behavior and factors that affect it.

OBJECTIVE: The investigation of intentional behavior of hospital staff to care for COVID-19 patients and the study of the factors that influences it. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study, of 261 physicians and nurses working in a COVID-19 reference hospital. Data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire including demographic and professional characteristics and a scale measuring behavioral intention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior of Ajzen. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 21. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 40.8 years old, while most of them were nurses (75.7%). Behavioral intention mean score was 18.2 (5-21), which shows high intention to care for COVID-19 patients. Bivariate analysis between independent variables showed that behavioral intention mean score was higher for those that had cared for COVID-19 patients and those that did not (19.0% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified that increased subjective norms (the perceived social pressure to perform or not the behavior) score was associated with increased behavioral intention score (p < 0.001). Also, participants that provided care for COVID-19 patients had higher behavioral intention score (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Healthcare staff, that cared for COVID-19 patients had high behavioral intention to continue caring for them. This finding could be used to inform policies and training for staff that will be employed in COVID-19 units.

Association between self-reported or perceived fatigue and falls among older people: A systematic review.

AIM: The aim of the present review was to examine the evidence of the relationship between self-reported or perceived fatigue and falls among older adults. METHODS: A systematic review, following the PRISMA recommendations, was performed. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cinahl were searched from February 2021 until March 2021, without any limitation on publication date. The methodological quality of the recruited studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Of the 2,296 initially retrieved records, 20 met the inclusion criteria; 11 cohort and 9 cross-sectional studies. They were classified as "good or very good" studies. Data on 59,852 older adults was reported. Most studies reported a strong association between fatigue and incidence or risk of falls, with odds ratios ranging from 1.04 to 3.53. Evidence obout the relationship between fatigue and recurrent, as well as injurious, falls is limited. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported or perceived fatigue is associated with the incidence of falls or risk of falling among older adults. Nurses could contribute to decreasing the inicdence of falls through prevention and proper geriatric assessment, including the management of fatigue in their daily clinical practice. The evidence about the potential effect of fatigue on falls-related injuries is inconclusive and on recurrent falls remains to be further defined.

Postgraduate education in healthy and active ageing: learning needs, curriculum and expected outcomes: a scoping review protocol.

Background: As the European population ages, it becomes increasingly important to promote and facilitate healthy and active ageing and age-friendly societies. Professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors need knowledge and skills to support both. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and map the literature on learning needs, learning outcomes and respective curricula in healthy and active ageing and age-friendly society concepts. Inclusion criteria: Studies focused on the teaching/learning process in healthy and active ageing and/or age-friendly society, of any design type, are eligible. Included studies may focus on undergraduate, postgraduate or continuing education and on any aspect of the educational process, such as needs analysis, content delivery, learner satisfaction/acceptability, or education outcome. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for conducting scoping reviews. Four electronic databases, PubMed, EBSCO (Academic Search Complete), Scopus and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), will be searched, limited to studies published from 1 st January 2000. Text language will be limited to English, German, Greek, Portuguese, Finnish, and Slovenian. Google Scholar and Research Gate will be searched for grey literature, limited to the first 50 results of each. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening will be undertaken independently by at least two reviewers. The JBI extraction tool will be adapted for data extraction. Quality assessment will be conducted using a tool developed by Hawker and colleagues. A narrative synthesis will outline the data in relation to the aims and objectives outlined.

Association between muscle strength and sleep quality and duration among middle-aged and older adults: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between sleep quality and duration and muscle strength among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted from March 2020 until May 2020. Searches were done for peer-reviewed and English-written articles reporting results of studies in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and in article references lists. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was used as well as the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) to appraise the methodological quality. RESULTS: Twenty-one cross-sectional, three prospective studies and a total of 92,363 subjects were included. The majority of the included studies are classified as "high quality". Handgrip strength is the main method of muscle strength assessment. Sleep assessment is usually conducted using subjective measures, such as validated sleep scales or self-reported questionnaires. Actigraphy, as an objective measure, is used less often. Most studies support strong evidence on the association between weak muscle strength and poor sleep quality and duration among middle-aged and older adults; whereas the results for the gender-specific association and the impact of short or long sleep duration were inconclusive. CONCLUSION: This review has identified strong evidence on the relationship between sleep quality and duration and muscle strength among middle-aged and older adults. Health professionals should consider this relationship as a component of geriatric assessment in community practice and geriatric settings. Future rigorous research with a combination of subjective and objective measurements is needed to explore whether gender and specific sleep duration are related to muscle strength.

Instruments for Patient Education: Psychometric Evaluation of the Expected Knowledge (EKhp) and the Received Knowledge of Hospital Patients (RKhp).

PURPOSE: In patient education, there is a need for valid and reliable instruments to assess and tailor empowering educational activities. In this study, we summarize the process of producing two parallel instruments for analyzing hospital patients' expectations (Expected Knowledge of Hospital Patients, EKhp) and received knowledge (Received Knowledge of Hospital Patients, RKhp) and evaluate the psychometrics of the instruments based on international data. In the instruments, six elements of empowering knowledge are included (bio-physiological, functional, experiential, ethical, social, and financial). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The original Finnish versions of EKhp and RKhp were tested for the first time in 2003, after which they have been used in several national studies. For international purposes, the instruments were first translated into English, then to languages of the seven participating European countries, using double-checking procedure in each one, and subsequently evaluated and confirmed by local researchers and language experts. International data collection was performed in 2009-2012 with a total sample of 1,595 orthopedic patients. Orthopedic patients were selected due to the increase in their numbers, and need for educational activities. Here we report the psychometrics of the instruments for potential international use and future development. RESULTS: Content validities were confirmed by each participating country. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the original theoretical, six-dimensional structure of the instruments. For some subscales, however, there is a need for further clarification. The summative factors, based on the dimensions, have a satisfactory internal consistency. The results support the use of the instruments in patient education in orthopedic nursing, and preferably also in other fields of surgical nursing care. CONCLUSION: EKhp and RKhp have potential for international use in the evaluation of empowering patient education. In the future, testing of the structure is needed, and validation in other fields of clinical care besides surgical nursing is especially warranted.

Factors That Influence the Relationship Between Social Support and Health-Related Quality of Life of Older People Living in the Community.

As the proportion of older people in Greece grows and the need for promoting healthy aging is apparent, it becomes increasingly important to investigate the relationship between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older people in the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 451 older people living in the community in greater Athens, Greece, with an anonymous questionnaire, including demographics, and the EQ5D including EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multivariate linear regression analysis was applied to identify independent factors related to perceived social support and HRQoL. The majority of older people were women, married or widowed, living with their family or alone. Perceived social support was medium and higher from significant others and family. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between social support from significant others/friends and HRQoL, as well as between social support from friends/family/significant others and EQ-VAS. In conclusion, HRQoL of older people is influenced by the received social support.

Inequalities Between Migrants and Non-Migrants in Accessing and Using Health Services in Greece During an Era of Economic Hardship.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2013 until March 2014 to explore the existence of inequalities in access to and utilization of health services by migrants compared to non-migrants in Greece and to test the influence of various factors on these disparities. Also, we investigated the influence of several socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Study population included 1,152 migrants and 702 non-migrants. Migrants, participants suffering from a chronic disease, those without health insurance, and patients who assessed their health status as not at all good/a little good/moderate were statistically more likely to report unmet needs in getting their medication. Uninsured participants, females, those unemployed or without a permanent occupational status, and those who assessed their health status as not at all good/a little good/moderate were statistically more likely to report unmet needs in access to health services during the last year. Regarding the use of health services, those with health coverage, non-migrants, and females were statistically more likely to go for a blood test as a hospital outpatient. Greece, despite administrative delays and barriers, provided full coverage to the uninsured, asylum seekers, and migrants, even many groups of undocumented migrants.

Exploration of the relationship between stigma and burnout among Greek nurses in dementia care.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible correlations between stigma and burnout of nurses and non-graduate professional caregivers of elderly with dementia in nursing homes. BACKGROUND: Research on dementia stigma in health care professionals as well as its relationship with their well-being is seriously lacking. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved a convenience sample of 171 nurses and other professional caregivers in 16 Greek elderly care units who responded to Maslah Burnout Inventory (ΜΒΙ) as well as the Family Stigma in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FS-ADS). In order to find adjusted associations between independent variables and the stigma and burnout of professional caregivers, multiple linear regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Cognitive, emotional and behavioural attributions of the three dimensions of stigma were found to be independent predictive factors of burnout's dimensions which indicate that stigma nurses deposit on patients, contributes towards their burnout. CONCLUSION: Educational preparation of geriatric nurses should provide them with the option of seeing dementia as a normal stage of life since reducing stigma can contribute towards preventing and managing professional burnout. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: In order to reduce burnout, nurse managers should design lifelong learning programs on the basis of changing the stigmatizing negative cognitive and emotional attitudes of professionals towards dementia.