Does mindfulness reduce perceived stress in healthcare professionals?

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are exposed to multiple psychosocial risks that may lead to high levels of stress and low levels of life satisfaction and well-being. Mindfulness, defined as the awareness that arises by intentionally paying attention in the present moment and in a non-judgmental way, seems to be a moderator in the causal association between life stressors and well-being. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to test the model of relationships between self-reported mindfulness, perceived stress, well-being index and life satisfaction in a sample of Tunisian HCPs. METHODS: We performed a correlational cross-sectional study on a sample of HCPs at Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Tunisia. We used validated self-reporting instruments: the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the World Health Organisation Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). For data analysis, the SPSS version 23 program was used. RESULTS: Participants (n=297) included staff nurses (49.2%), medical technicians (19.2%) and doctors (31.6%). The overall model revealed that reduced perceived stress (ß=-0.30, P<0.000) and high levels of well-being (ß=0.13, P=0.03) were associated with mindfulness, explaining 14% of the variance. Individually, perceived stress significantly predicted mindfulness explaining 13% of the variance. CONCLUSION: The study explores a variety of elements that can support the development of mindfulness interventions for stress prevention, staff well-being, and improvement of services as a whole.

Workaholism in engineers: Prevalence and associated factors.

INTRODUCTION: Workaholism is an emerging form of behavioural addiction encountered in the workplace. The present study aims to assess the prevalence and the associated factors of this phenomenon in engineers. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted for two months by means of an online questionnaire of engineers practising in Tunisia. The evaluation of workaholism was based on the WART questionnaire (Work Addiction Risk Test). RESULTS: A total of 107 engineers have answered the questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 29.2±4.4 years. Computer engineers represented 32.7% of our sample. Most of engineers worked more than 8hours per day (45.8%) and less than 6 days per week (63.6%). A high risk of workaholism was noted in 42.1% of cases. Statistical analysis showed that workaholism was not associated with socio-demographic characteristics. However, it was associated with smoking cigarettes, psychotropic drug consumption and poly-addiction and inversely associated with the presence of a leisure activity. With regard to occupational factors, workaholism was associated with agronomic engineering, working more than 8hours per day, working the whole week and a job satisfaction score under 5/10. CONCLUSION: Workaholism interested a significant proportion of this sample, and several professional factors could increase the likelihood of adopting this behaviour. The intervention of occupational doctors seems important in order to raise awareness about this form of addiction and to identify its early signs among employees.

Occupational blood exposure among health care personnel and hospital trainees.

Blood and body fluid Exposure is a major occupational safety problems for health care workers. Therefor We conducted a descriptive and retrospective study to identify the characteristics of blood exposure accidents in health care settings which lasted five years (2005-2009) at the two university hospitals of Sfax. We have 593 blood exposure accidents in health care settings 152 (25.6%) health personnel and 441 (74.4%) trainees' doctors, nurses and health technicians. The mechanism of blood and body fluid exposure was accidental needle-stick injury in 78.9% of health staff, and 81% of trainees, accidental cut in 14.7% of health workers and 10.2% of trainees. The increasing severity of blood exposure accidents is linked to the lack of safe behavior against this risk.

[Cancer of the penis in Tunisia. Apropos of 3 cases]. / Le cancer de la verge en Tunisie. A propos de 3 cas.

The authors report 3 cases of penile carcinoma seen over a 15 year period. They analyse features related to epidemiology, etiopathogeny, diagnosis and treatment, and review the literature on this affection.

[Male internal pseudohermaphroditism or a man with a uterus]. / Le pseudo-hermaphrodisme mâle interne ou homme à utérus.

Mullerian structures were discovered during cure of bilateral ectopic testes in a 14-year-old boy. The original feature of this case was the presence of both testes on the same side. The Mullerian structures were left in place as they were intimately adherent to the vas deferens. This attitude was adopted as no degeneration of these structures has been described and because of the possibility of reproduction of these patients during adulthood.

[Invasive and non-invasive studies of the protective action of a silicon-containing cream and its excipient in skin irritation induced by sodium laurylsulfate]. / Etudes invasive et non invasive du pouvoir protecteur d'une crème siliconée et de son excipient vis-à-vis de l'irritation cutanée induite par le laurylsulfate de sodium.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the protective effect of a new silicone-containing barrier-cream (Anthydro) and its vehicle (Anthydro without silicone) in the prevention of cutaneous irritation by detergents. We therefore planned a study in several stages, using an anionic surfactant well known for its irritant properties: sodium laurylsulphate (SLS) in aqueous solution. In a first series of experiments, the protective effect of the Anthydro cream against SLS was studied by invasive methods on guinea-pigs in order to determine histologically the protective effect of the cream when a 10 p. 100 SLS solution was applied on the skin under occlusion during 24 hours (Square chambers, Van der Bend). Typical and reproducible lesions were apparent, and the protected sites were compared with the unprotected sites. In parallel, we used non-invasive methods (conductivity, transepidermal water loss and cutaneous blood flow) to determine in humans the protective effect of Anthydro cream in comparison with unprotected sites after application during 24 hours of patches soaked with a 5 p. 100 SLS solution on the forearms of 13 adult and healthy volunteers (Silver patch tests, Van der Bend). In both experiments the Anthydro cream was effective in reducing the SLS-induced cutaneous irritation. In a second series of experiments, the Anthydro barrier-cream was compared with its "base" (Anthydro without silicone) in terms of effectiveness, following the same experimental procedure (invasive on guinea-pigs, and non-invasive on humans). The base was shown to be effective in protecting against irritation. However, the histological lesions were less intense when the skin was protected by Anthydro than by its vehicle. Concerning the non-invasive methods in humans, no significant statistical differences appeared in the measurement of various parameters between the sites protected by Anthydro and the sites protected by the vehicle. These results lead us to suggest the existence of an essentially mechanical protective effect in which the silicone plays a very small part in terms of effectiveness. These experimental results necessitates further investigations to be extrapolated to occupational conditions without tests performed in industries and well-conducted epidemiological investigations.

Ring-shaped positive allergic patch test reactions to allergens in liquid vehicles.

In recent years, we have observed several "ring-shaped" positive allergic patch test reactions to allergens dissolved in a liquid vehicle, a more intense response at the periphery of the site of application than in the central part. The occurrence of such reactions was evaluated for formaldehyde, Kathon CG, hydrocortisone and hexamidine diisethionate. Possible explanations for such reactions include pressure and/or a capillary effect.

The "edge effect" with patch test materials.

A positive "edge effect", i.e., the accumulation on the skin of a chemical solution (such as fluorescein 0.01% in a 50/50 water-ethanol solution) at the periphery of the patch test sites has been demonstrated. It occurs with different test materials (Finn Chamber; Silver Patch Test; Patch Test Chamber). Practical implications are discussed: this observation could be important when discussing results of laboratory investigations. In clinical practice, it could explain the occurrence of "ring-shaped" positive allergic patch test reactions to chemicals used in solution, i.e., Kathon CG or hydrocortisone.