[The level of experienced stress and personality traits in health professionals - the Polish study]. / Poziom odczuwanego stresu a cechy osobowosci u pracowników sluzby zdrowia ­ badania polskie.

Among professions of social services the highest level of stress is connected with health care and saving lives. This work demands making decisions, rapid changes, coordination of unforeseen requirements, moreover abounds in critical situations. One of the important factors affecting an ability of managing stressful situations are personality traits. AIM: The aim of this study was to verify hypothesis if there is a connection between personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism) and level of perceived stress among health care workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 180 participants of training (Certificated Partner of the Mental Health Center conducted in Poland) were selected to the analysis: psychologists, paramedics, nureses and doctors. Research was conducted using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R). RESULTS: Statistically significant corellation was observed in relation to subjectively experienced tension and results in scale of Psychoticism and Neuroticism (positive relationship). In case of extraversion scale corellation has negative character, but is not statistically important. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroticism as a state feature of character dominate among helath care workers. Both neuroticism and psychoticism conduce to negative effects of experienced stress.

Evaluation of chosen determinants of the positive practice environments (PPE) at Polish nursing wards.

BACKGROUND: At many Polish hospitals, insufficient attention is given to positive work environment. In many cases nurses, similarly to the representatives of other professional groups, are not provided with facilities or tools to perform their professional tasks in safe conditions. The aspects of recruitment and retention of employees are often ignored. The aim of this study has been to assess the chosen determinants of work environment of nurses in Poland using the concept of the Positive Practice Environments (PPE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The survey was carried out from 2008 to 2011 among 1049 nursing students of 3 randomly selected public medical universities that provided nursing education at the graduate level of the Master of Science. All the people qualified for the study group were practising nurses or midwives. The Polish Nursing Association coordinated the project, obtained the tool, translated it and adjusted it to the Polish conditions. The areas covered in the survey were: a place of employment, selected physical and social elements influencing the work conditions, and biographical information. RESULTS: Access to as many as 8 factors identified as attributes of friendly environments was found unsatisfactory by over 50% of the nurses. For the purpose of objective assessment, the results were compared with the results obtained in the group of nurses in England. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the surveyed nurses were not satisfied with their work environments. Polish nurse managers should ensure that aspects of recognized attributes of friendly, positive practice environments for nurses are established to support nurses' satisfaction as a pre-condition for patients' safety.