Experimental Mindfulness Intervention in an Emergency Department for Stress Management and Development of Positive Working Environment.

Mindfulness-based interventions have increasingly gained the interest of health professionals in the last decade, especially practices that are short, economical, easily accessible, and physically, cognitively, and psychologically compelling. Nurses of Emergency Departments are a special, dynamic, but at the same time vulnerable group of health professionals who work in shifts and face multiple challenges. Considering the recent literature and the fact that stress and a hostile work environment are the top ranked health professionals' challenges, there is a need for a further study of the use of mindfulness. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the application of mindfulness on nurses in the Emergency Department on several factors related to daily nursing practice and that directly affect these specific health professionals. This experimental study was performed on 14 participating nurses in the Emergency Department of a Public General Hospital in Athens, randomized into two groups: a control and an intervention group. The data collection tools were two digital smart devices, participatory observation, and semi-structured interviews. By practicing mindfulness meditation, the participating nurses in the intervention group showed improvement in their cognitive functions (attention, thinking, memory, concentration), professional interpersonal relationships, personal satisfaction and communication with patients and caregivers, sleep rate, negative emotions, and behaviors. The findings suggest that the application of mindfulness practices should be considered an easy, affordable, economical, accessible, and effective method that nurses can use to strengthen and empower themselves, enjoying its multiple benefits. The effectiveness of the application of mindfulness remains an important issue for future research in other health professionals as well.

Self-Assessment of Health Professionals' Cultural Competence: Knowledge, Skills, and Mental Health Concepts for Optimal Health Care.

Current research often refers to cultural competence to improve health care delivery. In addition, it focuses on the cultural uniqueness of each health service user for optimal personalized care. This study aimed to collect self-assessment data from health professionals regarding their cultural competence and to identify their development needs. A mixed methods design was adopted using the Cultural Competence Self-assessment Checklist of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. This was translated into Greek, validated, and then shared with health professionals in Cyprus. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview guide was designed and utilized. This was structured in exactly the same question categories as the questionnaire. Data collection took place between October 2021 and May 2022, and convenience sampling was used to recruit 499 health scientists in Cyprus. The sample comprised doctors, nurses, psychologists, midwives, social workers, and physiotherapists. Subsequently, 62 interviews were conducted with participants from the same specialties. The results showed that (compared to other health professionals) nurses and psychologists are more sensitive to issues of cultural competence. It would appear that the more socially oriented sciences had better-prepared healthcare staff to manage diversity in context. However, there is a gap between knowledge and skills when comparing doctors to nurses; they seem to be more skilled and willing to intervene actively in cases of racist behavior or problem-solving. In conclusion, participants identified the importance of their cultural competence; they also realized the importance of optimal planning of personalized health care. There is a significant need for continuous and specialized cultural competence training for all health professions.

Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Permanent Atrial Fibrillation: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important public health problem that is increasing at an alarming rate, worldwide. The most common type is permanent AF followed by the paroxysmal and persistent AF. Purpose. This study was aimed at exploring anxiety and depression and the associated factors in patients with permanent AF. Materials and Methods. The sample of the study included 170 AF patients. Data collection was performed by the method of interview using the "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" (HADS) to assess anxiety and depression and a questionnaire including patients' characteristics. Results. 70% of the participants were men, and 32.4% were above 70 years old. Furthermore, 34.9% of the patients had high levels of anxiety, and 20.2% had high levels of depression. Anxiety levels were statistically significantly associated with gender (p=0.022), age (p=0.022), educational level (p=0.025), years having the disease (p=0.005), and relations with nursing staff (p=0.040). Depression levels were statistically significantly associated with age (p=0.037), degree of information of the state of health (p < 0.001), years having the disease (p < 0.001), and relations with medical staff (p=0.041). Conclusions. Patients' characteristics are associated with anxiety and depression and need to be evaluated when treating this frequently encountered arrhythmia.

A qualitative study on the experiences of mothers caring for their children with thalassemia in Athens, Greece.

This qualitative study investigated the caregiving experiences of mothers of children with thalassemia. Using a semistructured questionnaire, the researchers interviewed a convenient sample of 19 mothers who have children with thalassemia. A considerable failure to provide information regarding carrier testing prior to marriage or genetic screening for thalassemia during early pregnancy at the time of the participants' pregnancies was noted. Emotional distress, fear of death, and difficulties in dealing with feelings were some of the mothers' concerns. Although they reported that support was provided, approximately half of the subjects wished that support be offered on a more regular basis. Furthermore, most of the mothers stressed that, owing to the tremendous shortage of nursing staff, support services provided by nurses are difficult to obtain.

The impact of iron overload and genotype on gonadal function in women with thalassaemia major.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of chronic iron overload and genotype on gonadal function in women with thalassaemia major. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population consists of 101 women aged 15-48 years who were treated between 1981 and 1999. These women were divided into two groups according to their genotype: [A=no modifying genetic factor and B=presence of modifying factors], and into four groups according to their menstrual history: NM (normal menstruation), OLM (oligomenorrhea), PA (primary amenorrhea), and SA (secondary amenorrhea). RESULTS: Women with NM maintained eumenorrhoea for 14.62 years, whereas those with SA did so for 6.94 years. The serial values of both FSH and LH after stimulation with GnRH were lower in women with SA and PA (p<0.05) compared to women with OLM and NM. The average value of the minimum, mean and maximum ferritin levels over a period of 20 years displayed an increasing trend from women with NM to those with SA and PA. The lower levels of ferritin in women in Group A did not protect them from developing SA. In addition women with SA, who belong to Group A, had a shorter duration of eumenorrhoea compared to the ones with SA who belong to Group B. CONCLUSIONS: Although the pathogenesis of gonadal dysfunction in thalassaemia is known to be the consequence of iron overload, this study demonstrates that genotype acts as an independent variable, contributing to the development of SA in thalassaemic women.