Views and Challenges of COVID-19 Vaccination in the Primary Health Care Sector. A Qualitative Study.

COVID-19 has affected the global community as it has severely raised population mortality and morbidity rates. Vaccination was seen as a mechanism against the spread of the pandemic. Yet, there are still several reservations about its adoption. Professionals in the field of health care have a crucial frontline role. The present study uses a qualitative research approach to examine Greek health professionals' views on vaccination acceptance. According to the key findings, health professionals largely accept vaccination. The main reasons cited were scientific knowledge, a sense of obligation to society, and protection from disease. However, there are still numerous restrictions to adhering to it. This is due to the lack of knowledge of certain scientific disciplines or to misinformation, as well as to religious or political convictions. The issue of trust is central to the acceptance of vaccinations. According to our research, the most adequate strategy to enhance immunization and ensure that it is widely accepted is to promote health educational interventions for professionals working in primary care settings.

The Psychological and Professional Burden Experienced by Nurses Who Worked in COVID-19 Clinics during the Pandemic: A Content Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of the pandemic, nurses have played a key role in providing care for COVID-19 patients. Infection risk and fear, use of personal protective equipment, and social isolation were related to high levels of stress and extreme psychological drain among front-line healthcare providers. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore how front-line nurses experienced psychological and professional burdens during the coronavirus outbreak. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study used a qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews were applied as the method of data collection. Ten nurses from COVID-19 wards and units of two general public hospitals participated in the study. A content analysis approach was employed to analyze the data. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed two main categories, namely: (A) front-line experience "From fear to empowerment", and (B) caring and management "From powerlessness to adaptation". Eight sub-categories were developed and included within the corresponding main categories. The study's findings demonstrated that the pandemic caused significant psychological and professional strain on front-line nurses, with feelings of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty predominating. Nonetheless, the process of adaptation and adjustment brought about sentiments of self-actualization and empowerment. CONCLUSIONS: A thorough understanding of the psychological and professional burden experienced by the front-line nurses is crucial to ensure that nurses receive appropriate support and that quality care is sustained under highly demanding healthcare conditions.

Anxiety, Stress and the Resilience of University Students during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on everyone's daily lives with short-term or long-term consequences. Among the affected population, university students were studied by researchers specifically due to the total change to their educational way of learning and the courses they attended. The present study aimed to assess the psychological difficulties experienced by the university students of Greece during the first wave of the outbreak. Methods: 288 university nursing students completed an electronic questionnaire after consent. The sample included students from all years of study. The questionnaire included demographic data and questions about mental health status, resilience level, coping strategies, positive and negative emotions and an optimism assessment. Results: Depression (44.8%), anxiety (36.8%) and stress (40.3%) were experienced by the students. Females had significantly greater anxiety and stress signs compared to males (p < 0.001). The resilience score was significantly greater in males, as it was for the Positive Affect Score. Students in the fourth year of study used significantly more active/positive coping strategies than students in the first (p = 0.016) or second year of study (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Several students experienced serious mental disorders during the first period of the COVID-19 outbreak. Variables such as gender, year of study, age, positive and negative affect score, life orientation test score and coping strategies were identified as factors contributing to this situation. Special attention must be paid to female students as they mentioned negative emotions more frequently than males. Further research on the academic population could be beneficial to university administrators.

Early versus Late Tracheostomy Promotes Weaning in Intensive Care Unit Patients: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The time interval between the patients' intubation and the performance of a tracheostomy has been considered as critical for the disease prognosis and outcome. The aim of the present study was to compare and contrast the outcomes of early vs late tracheostomy with regard to ICU patients' weaning from respiratory support. METHODS: This retrospective observational study, involved patients who were hospitalized in two general and one Covid-19 ICUs of two tertiary hospitals in Athens and were subjected to tracheostomy. Data were collected from the patients' medical records in order to estimate the duration of patient weaning and the number of days from the patients' intubation until the time of tracheostomy. In the present study the term earlytracheostomy denotes tracheostomy performed within 14 days from patient intubation and late tracheostomydefines the tracheostomy carried out after 14 days. For Covid-19 patients, guidelines suggested that tracheostomies should be performed 21 days following intubation, due to the high risk of virus transmission. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one patients who underwent tracheostomy participated in the study. Most tracheostomies were performed using the percutaneous technique. The group of patients tracheostomized within 14 days after their admission in ICU weaned faster from respiratory support compared to ones who were tracheostomized after 14 days. CONCLUSIONS: The most common distinction between early and late tracheostomy is 14 days, with early tracheostomy being more beneficial in terms of patients' outcomes, and specifically ICU patients' weaning.

Association of University Students' COVID-19 Vaccination Intention with Behaviors toward Protection and Perceptions Regarding the Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. Vaccination is suggested to be one of the most efficacious precautionary measures, in combination with other protective behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the association of students' intention to get vaccinated about COVID-19 with protection behaviors and perceptions about the pandemic. Material and Methods: The study sample included 1920 university students who electronically completed two validated questionnaires anonymously and voluntarily from December 2020 to January 2021. Results: Results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that as the perceived general risk was getting lower, the number of protective behaviors significantly diminished (p < 0.001). Additionally, respondents who believed that they had minor or no personal risk had undertaken significantly fewer preventing behaviors in comparison with participants who thought they had major personal risk (p = 0.006). However, the experience of respondents with people having COVID-19 had statistically significant association with undertaking more preventing behaviors (p = 0.004). Lower general perception of risk had statistically significant association with lower determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Personally knowing someone who had the coronavirus and undertaking more behavioral changes due to the coronavirus situation were significantly related to greater determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study can provide universities with the appropriate information about the improvement of COVID-19 vaccination strategies.

Exploring Nurses' Working Experiences during the First Wave of COVID-19 Outbreak.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, nurses employed in the clinical sector faced a number of difficulties associated with excessive workload, increased stress, and role ambiguity, which impacted nurses themselves and patient care. The aim of the present study was to investigate how Greek hospital nurses working in non-COVID units experienced the virus outbreak during the first wave of the pandemic. A descriptive qualitative research design was applied using a content analysis approach. To recruit the study participants a purposive sampling strategy was used. Ten nurses participated in the study. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews. Content analysis revealed three themes namely, (a) emotional burden, (b) professional commitment, and (c) abrupt changes. Six subthemes were formulated and assimilated under each main theme respectively. Organizational changes, emotional burdens and feelings of fear and uncertainty, appeared to have a crucial effect on nurses and patient care. However, the professional commitment and the nurses' effort to provide excellent nursing care remained high. Nurses demonstrated that despite the burdens caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the pandemic era created opportunities for thoroughness and accuracy in nursing care.