A cross-sectional study of discipline-based self-perceived digital literacy competencies of nursing students.

AIMS: This study offers an empirical exploration of self-assessed digital competencies of students, most of whom studied in nursing courses, using a discipline-based self-assessment survey tool. A range of digital competencies were explored: information and communication technology proficiency and productivity, information literacy, digital creation, digital research, digital communication, digital learning and development, digital innovation, digital identity management and digital well-being. DESIGN: A cross-sectional empirical study. METHODS: Quantitative data were collected from November to December 2021 via a questionnaire survey administered to students. Quantitative results were reported through descriptive statistical analysis. Mann-Whitney (U-test) and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric statistical tests were used to identify statistically significant differences based on age demographics and pre- or post-registration course. Thematic analysis was utilized for survey open-ended questions data. RESULTS: Students reported low competencies in the following digital literacy dimensions, all of which were imperative for their studies and for their future professional careers: information literacy, digital research, digital innovation. Significant statistical subgroup differences were found between age demographics and pre/post-registration within most of the digital competence dimensions. The survey open-ended comments revealed that students encountered challenges around digital skills they had mostly developed via everyday life experiences and trial-and-error approaches. CONCLUSION: Increasing awareness of existing digital gaps and offering tailored digital skills enhancement can empower students as future-proof evidence-based practitioners in an evolving digital healthcare landscape. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Highlights the importance of embedding digital literacy within nursing study programmes, as preparation for comprehensive patient healthcare. IMPACT: Offers insights into digital competencies gaps of nursing students. Proposes targeted educational digital skills training interventions. Stresses the value of academic staff supporting nursing students to develop digital skills in important areas of professional practice. REPORTING METHOD: JBI critical appraisal checklist. No patient or public contribution.

The Impact of Smokers' Information-Seeking Behavior on Smoking Cessation.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking has a harmful effect on human body and is rated to be the primary cause of preventable premature disease and death worldwide, while it is responsible for at least 25 life-threatening diseases. METHODS: An empirical investigation has been carried out through the development and distribution of a structured questionnaire. The sample of empirical investigation consisted of 150 smokers aged over 18 years (response rate 85.7%). ANALYSIS: Descriptive analysis and correlation control of questionnaire variables are used to report the findings of the study. RESULTS: Information about passive smoking, smoking consequences, and current therapies in quitting smoking were rated highest among smoke-related information needs. The main sources of information were family/relatives/friends/colleagues and Internet and less important factors were formal sources like medical staff, health professionals, and primary health care services. Ε-health literacy is correlated with higher self-efficacy, positive intention to quit smoking, and better educational level while is negatively correlated with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS: The creation of specialized programs and upgraded information services is fundamental for successful smoking cessation. These programs and services should be addressed to all socioeconomic groups and combined with the improvement in smokers' e-health literacy will contribute to a higher self-efficacy and finally drive them to quit smoking.

Level of Awareness Regarding Cervical Cancer Among Female Syrian Refugees in Greece.

Nowadays, prevention, control and treatment of cervical cancer are a worldwide public health priority. Primary objective of this study was to evaluate the level of awareness of female Syrian refugees who have recently settled in Greece regarding the warning signs and the risk factors of cervical cancer. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study that was conducted in two facilities of the Hellenic Red Cross. The Cervical Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire was addressed to 176 female Syrian refugees, aged between 18 and 50. Syrian women presented low awareness both for risk factors and warning signs. The most frequently identified warning signs were vaginal bleeding after menopause (44.3%), vaginal bleeding between menstruation (34.1%) and unexplained weight loss (32.4%). Regarding the risk factors' recognition rates, 74.5% considered the existence of many sexual partners as a risk factor and 61.3% the existence of a sexual partner with many previous sexual partners. Older age, a higher level of education and confidence that any potential symptom would be identified were associated with increased awareness. Our findings confirm former published reports that indicate poor awareness regarding cervical cancer among refugee populations. Full compliance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization for a national cervical cancer screening programme is highly advised in Greece and should address the needs of both native and refugee populations. This research is the first one that underlines the need for raising awareness of cervical cancer among female Syrian refugees in Greece by developing health promotion strategies adjusted to their unique cultural needs.

Nursing practice environment and employee silence about patient safety: The mediating role of professional discrimination experienced by nurses.

AIMS: To examine the associations between nurse work environment with nurses' silence about patient safety and the mediating effects of professional discrimination experienced by nurses. DESIGN: Multicentre cross-sectional study. METHODS: Between January and April 2019, 607 nurses and nursing assistants from seven hospitals in Greece assessed their clinical environment using the 'Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index Revised-PES-NWIR', and the silence about patient safety. The 'Experiences of Discrimination Index' was adapted to specifically address experienced discrimination based on the nursing profession. The PROCESS macros for SPSS were used to examine the above associations. FINDINGS: Better nurse practice environment, with the exception of 'staffing and resource adequacy' dimension, was directly associated with less experienced professional discrimination, and directly and indirectly associated with less silence about patient safety, through the mediating role of professional discrimination experienced by nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Silence about patient safety is dependent on the clinical work environment and may be a response of nurses to discrimination in the work context. Both an improvement in the nurse work environment and a decrease in professional discrimination would minimize silence about patient safety. IMPACT: On many occasions, nurses are directly or indirectly discouraged from voicing their concerns about patient safety or are ignored when they do, leading to employee silence and decreasing the standard of care (Alingh et al., BMJ Quality & Safety, 2019, 28, 39; Pope, Journal of Change Management, 2019, 19, 45). Nurses' work-related determinants for silence are not clearly understood in the patient safety context. A favourably evaluated nurse practice environment is associated with less experienced professional discrimination and less silence about patient safety. To minimize silence about patient safety, both the nurse work environment and the experienced professional discrimination should be taken into consideration by nurse and healthcare managers.

Harmonious work passion and work-related internet information seeking among nurses: The mediating role of intrinsic motivation.

AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between nurses' harmonious work passion and work-related internet information seeking. In doing so, we examine intrinsic motivation as an underlying mechanism of this relationship. BACKGROUND: Nurses seek and utilize information to respond effectively to their tasks and to develop their skills and competencies. Internet consists one of the easiest and richest sources of information. Both nurses and organizations need to identify potential antecedents of work-related internet information seeking. METHODS: Data were collected from 239 nurses and nurse assistants in a Greek University hospital and were analysed using bootstrap analysis with PROCESS macro. RESULTS: Harmonious work passion was positively related to intrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation related positively to work-related internet information seeking. The mediating role of intrinsic motivation was also supported. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses with harmonious work passion seek more regularly work-related information on the internet because they experience high levels of intrinsic motivation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Health care organizations and managers need to recruit passionate nurses and cultivate a workplace culture that will trigger higher levels of harmonious work passion. Recruitment tools and methods such as interviews, situational judgement tests or role playing could be very beneficial towards uncovering potential candidates with an elevated passion for their work.

Nurses' ehealth literacy and associations with the nursing practice environment.

AIM: To report on ehealth literacy levels in nurses and to explore its associations with the nursing practice environment. BACKGROUND: Nurses increasingly use the Internet and associated technologies to seek health-relevant information and manage their health. INTRODUCTION: High ehealth literacy is a predictor of better health outcomes in diverse populations but its levels and work-related determinants have not been adequately explored in direct-care nurses. METHODS: The sample for this cross-sectional study consisted of 200 staff nurses and nursing assistants in Greece. Participants reported during February-March 2019 their sociodemographic and work-related characteristics on a self-administered questionnaire which included the "electronic Health Literacy Scale"-eHEALS, and the "Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index"-PES-NWI. Crude and adjusted logistic regressions were performed. FINDINGS: In adjusted models, participants that scored higher on the "Collegial nurse-physician relationships" and "Nurse participation in hospital affairs" dimensions of the clinical environment had higher odds of reporting better ehealth literacy. The lowest item score in eHEALS was related to not being able to make health decisions using Internet information. DISCUSSION: Nurses' ehealth literacy was positively associated with some dimensions of the hospital practice environment. Nurses reported higher ehealth literacy scores in comparison to other studies; however, they were not confident in distinguishing reliable health information from Internet sources. This is quite alarming because it can directly impair the ability of nurses to provide relevant and up-to-date evidence-based care. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report internationally on the positive associations of a good working environment with nurses' ehealth literacy levels. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY: Nursing policy should address the ehealth literary of nurses and integrate it into continuing professional education initiatives. Special focus should be put on nurses' ambiguity in distinguishing which ehealth information is reliable and can guide nursing practice. This should be combined with efforts to improve the nursing clinical environment and increase nurses' participation in hospital decisions.

Evidence-Based Leadership: A Study of Its Application to General Hospital of the Public Health System Through the Implementation Leadership Scale.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is about integrating scientifically proven effective methods into clinical practice by healthcare professionals in the context of patient care. This approach is being studied extensively by the scientific community because of its positive effects on patients and on the health system. The aim of the study was to investigate the degree of implementation of evidence-based leadership in Greek public hospitals. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consisted of 213 nurses who worked to two large public hospitals of Athens, Greece. The Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) used for data collection. The SPSS v. 24. was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Most of participants were females (89.7%), aged 31-40 years (38.5%), married (74.8%), were RN (68.1%), and had more than 10 years of work experience (63.9%). About half of participants (40.4%) supported that the head nurse has taken in a great extent the necessary measures to facilitate evidence-based clinical care, thus positively affecting its implementation. About one third of participants (35.2%) considered that their head nurses are well informed. The more knowledge nurses have about evidence-based clinical care, the greater their prevention (r = 0.852, p < 0.05) and the more persistent they are in implementing it despite any difficulties (r = 0.796, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledgeable, supportive, proactive, and persistent leadership positively influences the implementation of evidence-based practice. The hospital managers, and especially head nurses, are able to promote the implementation of evidence-based care.

Investigating the Main Causes of Conflicts and the Management Strategies That Are Used by Healthcare Professionals: The Case of General Hospital of Arta.

BACKGROUND: Employees in healthcare systems are often conflict in the workplace due to the high-pressure environment and the diversity between different departments. The aim of the study was not only to investigate the main causes of creation of conflicts but also investigate conflict management strategies health professionals use in a public hospital. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. An anonymous questionnaire was used on a sample of 25 physicians and 95 nurses. RESULTS: Conflicts exist between colleagues and other professional groups. The most common management strategy is to avoid conflict, and second-place behavior such as compromise and negotiation for mutual benefit come along. The results of the organizational causes of conflicts have shown that important factors are the workload, the commands received by more than one supervisor, their reward, and the fact that their present work does not look like as what they had in mind about ideal work. Finally, the results on the causes related to employee expectations have shown that significant causes in this direction are the differences in the level of education, the unfair rewards among the various professional groups are that they do not have common professional expectations with other professional groups and that professional development is not related to their expectations. CONCLUSIONS: The most popular proposals for conflicts solutions are nondiscrimination between the healthcare professionals, a fair approach to reward and punishment, communication and cooperation in the organization/hospital, establish a clear division of responsibilities, and establish professional management and the departments have to be autonomous.

A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Information-Seeking Behavior on Cancer Patients' Long-Term Prognosis.

Cancer is considered as one of the main challenges of modern healthcare systems. Cancer patients are obliged to cope with the uncertainty of disease progression. Their anxiety regarding said uncertainty is intensified because they need to constantly make decisions concerning the management of their disease. Information and communication are considered important in cancer management. As a result, the research associated with the impact of healthcare information-seeking behavior on numerous cancer management aspects has intensified and grown in astonishing rates. This work concentrates on the interplay of oncological patients' information-seeking behavior regarding their long-term prognosis. Therefore, a conceptual framework is proposed that identifies and associates several clinical, socio-demographic, psychological, and information-seeking behavioral factors that are likely to be linked with patients' health outcomes.

Learning analytics: Survey data for measuring the impact of study satisfaction on students' academic self-efficacy and performance.

This paper presents learning analytics data for measuring the impact of study satisfaction on students' academic self-efficacy and performance. For this purpose, a specially designed questionnaire was developed and distributed across 124 undergraduate students. Preliminary analysis using descriptive statistics for items and confirmatory factor analysis is provided. The analysis provides evidence for the relation between students' satisfaction, self-efficacy, and academic performance, and evaluates the role of academic information resources in fulfilling students' information needs. These data are of importance for researchers and practitioners involved with budgetary decisions in academic collections as well as the influence of research specific (rather than training specific) information resources in student satisfaction.

Data on patient's satisfaction from an emergency department: Developing strategies with the Multicriteria Satisfaction Analysis.

This article presents data that examine the patient׳s satisfaction from the services of an Emergency Department in Greece during the economic crisis. 490 questionnaires have been collected for the assessment of patient satisfaction by taking into account criteria like cleanliness, waiting room, access to the hospital, courtesy, friendliness and professional attitude of the emergency department staff, service processes and waiting times. In order to examine the satisfaction levels of the patients and moreover to design possible strategic actions we use the MUSA method.

Clinical Use of Smartphones Among Medical and Nursing Staff in Greece: A Survey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical use of smartphones among medical and nursing staff in Greece. This study used a 17-item questionnaire that was administered to the participants by the authors. The sample consists of 974 participants of 1200 who were asked to participate (ie, a response rate of 81.3%). The survey was open to all categories of medical and nursing staff (junior doctors, specialized doctors, assistant nurses, and RNs). In total, 167 participants (18.5%) were nurse assistants; 385 participants (42.6%), nurses; 154 participants (17%), specialized doctors; and 198 participants (21.9%), junior doctors. The data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics (version 21), and the significance level was set to .05. Medical doctors own smartphones on a higher percentage in comparison with nurses. Among smartphone owners, medical doctors use their devices for clinical issues more frequently compared with nurses. Although medical doctors believe that smartphones can be a great tool for their work, they state that they do not use it for clinical reasons. Nurses state that they do not use their smartphones for clinical reasons because they are not aware of the existence of applications that can be used to assist them in their daily clinical tasks.

Information-Seeking Behavior of Greek Nursing Students: A Questionnaire Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing the use of electronic journals by nursing students through identification of information needs, information resources used, and barriers to seeking information. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a specially designed structured questionnaire. Of 600 nursing students, 505 agreed to participate, indicating a response rate of 84.2%. Participants sought out nurses and doctors, printed materials, scholarly databases/e-journals, and seminars as information resources. Participants reported that they searched for information for themselves, parents, and inpatients. Most searched for information for diet or special nutrition needs and for specific diseases. The obstacles faced included lack of time and cost. Training in information literacy is important to enhance the skills of nursing students.

The Impact of Information on Doctors' Attitudes Toward Generic Drugs.

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of information on doctors' attitudes and perceptions toward generics. A cross-sectional survey based on a specially designed 21-item questionnaire was conducted. The survey involved doctors of different specialties working in a public hospital in Greece. The analysis includes descriptive and inferential statistics, reliability and validity tests, as well as structural equation modeling to evaluate the causal model. Statistical analysis was accomplished by using SPSS 20 and Amos 20. A total of 134 questionnaires out of 162 were received, providing a response rate of 82.71%. A number of significant associations were found between information and perceptions about generic medicines with demographic characteristics. It seems that the provision of quality information on generic drugs influences doctors' attitudes and prescription practices toward generic drugs. This is not a static process but a rather dynamic issue involving information provision policies for strengthening the proper doctors' attitudes toward generic drugs.

Information seeking behavior of patients with diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in an outpatient clinic of a university-affiliated hospital in Athens, Greece.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to examine the information behavior of diabetic patients, a relatively unexplored field of diabetes care, including their needs for information, resources used, obstacles encountered and degree of satisfaction for diabetes-related information acquisition. METHODS: 203 patients (males: 110, type 2:172) followed-up in the outpatient Diabetes Clinics of a University-affiliated hospital in Greece were assessed, using a validated questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients identified diet (61.4%) and diabetic complications (41.9%) as "the most important" for their information needs and the treating physician (94.6%) for information resources. Internet importance and frequency of use ranked low. Main obstacles to information seeking were "lack of time" and "cost". Most patients (71.4%) stated they were "quite" or "very satisfied" with the current possibilities of information seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients' stated information needs and information sources, as well as main obstacles to obtaining information could potentially have important implications in designing a future information campaign.

A survey on information seeking behaviour of nurses at a private hospital in Greece.

The paper deals with the investigation of the information seeking behavior of nursing staff of a private hospital in Greece. It is assumed that the information seeking behaviour has an effect on the nursing care and practices. A survey was conducted through a specially designed questionnaire distributed within 2013 to registered nurses of a major private Hospital in Athens. Nonparametric descriptive statistics have been carried out through SPSS version 20. The information needs of nurses are related to their work role and include information for nursing interventions and hospital infections control. The online scientific content is considered as the main source of information, while lack of time is considered as the main obstacle when seeking information. Regarding the effects of information, nurses believe that information quality and availability influences nursing care as well as nursing practices. Development of appropriate information services and information literacy skills for nurses is required.

Conflict management and job satisfaction in paediatric hospitals in Greece.

AIM: To assess the major causes of conflict and to identify choices of strategy in handling conflicts. BACKGROUND: Conflict is inherent to hospitals as in all complex organizations, and health personnel deal with internal and external conflicts daily. METHODS: The sample consisted of 286 participants. A five-part questionnaire, specific for conflicts in hospitals, was administered to health personnel. RESULTS: Of the participants 37% were physicians and 63% were nurses and nursing assistants. As far as choice of strategy in conflict management is concerned, avoidance was found to be the most frequent mode chosen while accommodation was the least frequent mode. Organizational problems were the main issue creating conflicts since 52% of nurses and 45% of physicians agreed that receiving direction from more than one manager may lead to conflicts (P=0.02). Educational differences and communication gaps were reported as another cause of conflicts, with nurses supporting this statement more than the other groups (P=0.006). CONCLUSION: To become effective in conflict management nurses and physicians must understand causes and strategies in handling conflicts. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Major changes are needed regarding human resource management, work incentives and dynamics of teamwork in order to improve working conditions in Greek public hospitals.

A study of the information seeking behaviour of hospital pharmacists: empirical evidence from Greece.

BACKGROUND: Hospital pharmacists need access to high-quality information in order to constantly update their knowledge and improve their skills. In their modern role, they are expected to address three types of challenges: scientific, organizational and administrative, thus having an increased need for adequate information and library services. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the information-seeking behaviour of public hospital pharmacists providing evidence from Greece that could be used to encourage the development of effective information hospital services and study the links between the information seeking behaviour of hospital pharmacists and their modern scientific and professional role. METHOD: An empirical research was conducted between January and February 2010 with the development and distribution of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was filled in and returned by 88 public hospital pharmacists from a total of 286 working in all Greek public hospitals, providing a response rate of 31%. RESULTS: The hospital pharmacists in Greece are in search of scientific information and, more particularly, pharmaceutical information (e.g., drug indications, storage, dosage and prices). The Internet and the National Organization of Medicines are their main information sources, while the lack of time and organized information are the main obstacles they have to face when seeking information. CONCLUSIONS: The modern professional role of hospital pharmacists as invaluable contributors to efficient and safer healthcare services may be further supported through the development of specialized libraries and information services within Greek public hospitals.

Patients' perceptions as an indicator of quality of care, in Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

AIM AND METHOD: The chronic nature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its frequent relapses result to a considerable utilization of healthcare resources. Current approaches for the assessment of quality of care are based on the perception of the healthcare provider, which may be different from that of the healthcare user. The purpose of this study was to assess IBD patients' satisfaction, as an indicator of healthcare quality, with the use of a validated instrument (QUOTE-IBD). Ninety-five patients with IBD completed the GR-QUOTE-IBD questionnaire, for the assessment of patient's perception, regarding the quality of the perceived care. RESULTS: According to this evaluation suboptimal care was observed in the dimensions of accommodation, accessibility and information (mean values: 8.92, 8.94 and 8.95, respectively). In the subgroup analysis significant differences were observed in relation to patient's age groups and educational level. Differences were also noted in relation to the disease duration (longer and shorter than 5 years). CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of the quality of health care, based on patients' perception, revealed quality problems in the dimensions of accommodation, accessibility and information. According to subgroup analysis, disease type, educational status, age and disease duration play an important role in the formation of patients' expectations from the healthcare system.