Intensive care nurse managers' experiences during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic: Implications for future epidemiological crises.

BACKGROUND: Nurse managers play an important role in coordinating the multidisciplinary teamwork, which is specifically important in emergency and crises situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this qualitative study is twofold: (1) to explore the experiences of the Intensive care units (ICU) nurse managers regarding their work during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) to analyse what implications might be provided based on experiences of nurse managers for future possible epidemiological crises. METHODS: In-depth phone interviews were conducted to explore the experiences of ward managers-nurses (n = 15) working in different hospitals across Poland. Interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim, and then qualitatively analysed. RESULTS: Three main categories were identified: (1) Challenge of working with the unknown, (2) Nurse managers' expectations, and (3) Methods of coping and received support. The COVID-19 pandemic strongly affected the work of ICU nurse managers and uncovered the malfunctioning of the healthcare system. CONCLUSION: It is important to improve the knowledge and competence of hospital management personnel through exercises and in-service training on how to handle emergencies in order to improve the management of healthcare facilities, increase the safety of patients and employees, and the quality of healthcare.

Effects of the Trp64Arg Polymorphism in the ADRB3 Gene on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Physical Activity in Healthy Adults.

The ADRB3 gene plays a role in energy expenditure by participating in lipolysis, which affects body composition and performance. The ADRB3 rs4994 polymorphism has been studied in groups of athletes, overweight individuals, and obese and diabetic patients, but it has not been studied in young and healthy adults so far. In the present study, we examined the association of ADRB3 rs4994 polymorphism with body composition, somatotype, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity in young, healthy adults (N = 304). All subjects had anthropometric measurements, and somatotypes were assessed using the Heath-Carter method. In addition, cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity levels were assessed. Genotyping for the ADRB3 gene was performed using a PCR-RFLP method. In the male group, body components were associated with the Trp64Trp genotype (waist circumference (p = 0.035), hip circumference (p = 0.029), BF (%) (p = 0.008), and BF (kg) (p = 0.010), BMI (p = 0.005), WHtR (p = 0.021), and BAI (p = 0.006)). In addition, we observed that the Trp64Trp genotype was associated with somatotype components (p = 0.013). In contrast, the Arg allele was associated with the ectomorphic components (0.006). We also observed a positive impact of the Trp64Trp genotype with maximal oxygen uptake (p= 0.023) and oxygen pulse (p = 0.024). We observed a negative relationship of the Trp64Trp genotype in the female group with reported moderate-intensity exercise (p = 0.036). In conclusion, we found an association of the Trp64 allele with anthropometric traits, somatotype and parameters describing physical performance in the male group. In the female subpopulation, we only found an effect of the polymorphism Trp64Arg on the level of physical activity for moderate-intensity exercise.

Adaptation and validation of the Barriers to Research Utilization (BARRIERS scale) questionnaire among Polish nurses and midwives: Cross-sectional study.

AIM: The study was designed to assess a Polish version of the Barriers to Research Utilization (BRU) scale for reliability and validity, in a group of nurses and midwives. BACKGROUND: The implementation of Evidence-Based in practice is a key element of care and the use of research requirements the research awareness of nurses. METHODS: In 2018, cross-sectional validation was carried out among nurses and midwives qualified for the project. RESULTS: The Cronbach alpha internal consistency index and mean correlations between items for each of the five subscales comprised in the BRU Instrument were satisfactory. The regression weights show that the items fit well with the subscales and there are no deviations from it. CONCLUSIONS: We should the right tools to assess research awareness and be able to identify barriers. Knowing them will allow us to implement preventative measures and allow us to plan our activities.

Assessment of Anxiety and Depression in Polish Primary Parental Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy Compared to a Control Group, as well as Identification of Selected Predictors.

BACKGROUND: Taking care of a child with Cerebral Palsy (CP) may be linked with adverse effects in the parents' physical and mental health. The causes of anxiety and depression symptoms associated with childcare are still not fully understood. AIM: To assess the intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms in parents of children with CP compared to a control group and to identify selected mental health predictors. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were collected from 301 respondents, including 190 parents of children with CP (study group) and 111 parents taking care of children developing normally (control group). Intensity of anxiety and depression was rated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scale. Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy (GMFCS), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), Berlin Support Social Scales (BSSS) scales and a specially designed questionnaire were used to assess the predictors. The investigated variables included the children's and the parents' characteristics, as well as environmental factors. The analyses applied Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, M(SD) as well as multiple regression. RESULTS: The level of anxiety and depression was clearly higher in the parents of children with CP-the mean levels of anxiety and depression in the study group and the controls amounted to 8.1 vs. 4.7 and 6.8 vs. 3.7, respectively. The factors associated with intensity of anxiety and depression in the parents of children with CP included lack of social support, mainly perceived and received support, unsatisfying parental health status, poor economic status of the family, as well as difficult living conditions, sense of coherence, loneliness, the parent's gender, and the child's intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of significant anxiety and depression predictors, understood as modifiable factors, should be considered in determining and planning comprehensive support for a child with CP and his/her primary parental caregiver.

Association of ACTN3 Polymorphism with Body Somatotype and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young Healthy Adults.

ACTN3 encodes the protein α-actinin-3, which affects the muscle phenotype. In the present study, we examined the association of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism with body somatotype and cardiorespiratory fitness in young, healthy adults. The study group included 304 young adults, in whom cardiorespiratory fitness was evaluated and the maximum oxygen uptake was determined directly. The somatotype components were calculated according to the Heath-Carter method. Genotyping for the ACTN3 gene was performed using a polymerase chain reaction followed by high-resolution melting analysis. In the female group, a lower maximal heart rate (HRmax) was more strongly associated with the RR genotype (p = 0.0216) than with the RX and XX genotypes. In the male group, the ACTN3 RX genotype, as compared with other genotypes, tended to be associated with a lower percentage of adipose tissue (p = 0.0683), as also reflected by the body mass index (p = 0.0816). ACTN3 gene polymorphism may affect cardiorespiratory fitness. Our analysis of ACTN3 gene polymorphism does not clearly illustrate the relationships among genotype, body composition, and somatotype in young, healthy adults.

Alcohol Consumption and Risky Drinking Patterns among College Students from Selected Countries of the Carpathian Euroregion.

Reduction of excessive alcohol consumption still remains a significant challenge to the actions in the scope of public health of European citizens. The aim of this study is to present the prevalence of alcohol consumption and to estimate the occurrence of risky drinking among college students from the Polish, Slovak, Romanian, and Ukrainian parts of the Carpathian Euroregion, taking social contexts into account. The consumption of alcohol was estimated on the basis of the respondents' statements regarding the quantity and frequency of their consumption of beer, wine, and vodka. The study included people from the first year of undergraduate studies. The analysis used the Chi-square independence test and odds ratios (ORs). There were significant differences in the frequency of alcohol consumption, as well as the individual types consumed, among the respondents from the analyzed countries. Of the examined college students, 70% admit to occasional drinking. The pattern of dangerous alcohol consumption occurs in the case of approximately every seventh person. Risky drinking occurs with much greater frequency among male students rather than their female counterparts. In Romania, a very small percentage of female students engage in risky drinking. The analysis did not show statistically significant differences in the frequency of risky drinking between countries. The coexistence of other adverse health behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, was confirmed.

Longitudinal assessment of quality of life in ovarian cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work was to evaluate longitudinally the quality of life (QOL) in women treated for ovarian cancer, pre-operatively, three and six months postoperatively. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study. A total of 93 patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer in F. Chopin Voivodeship Specialist Hospital in Rzeszow, Poland were interviewed pre- and post-operatively with two questionnaires: EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ- OV28 between October 2006 and December 2008. RESULTS: Based on EORTC QLQ-30 it was found that global health and emotional functioning improved. An improvement regarding symptoms such as nausea and vomiting was recorded between T2 and T3. Patients complained less of pain in the whole studied period of time. Based on the modules of the QLQ-OV28 showed improvement of QOL on the scales concerning abdominal and attitude to disease/treatment. Decrease of symptoms on the scales concerning body image and sexual worries were observed. Increase of chemotherapy side effects and hormonal symptoms were observed between T1 and T2, but then improved. CONCLUSIONS: QOL of patients had increased after the treatment in comparison to the baseline. There is a need to implement the assessment of quality of life in ovarian cancer patients in practice.

Psychosocial factors and health-related behavior among students from South-East Poland.

The aim of this study was to determine the meaning of selected social-demographic factors, such as: gender, place of resident, education, level of knowledge about health and life orientation in modifying the behaviours related to health among university students.The study was conducted among 521 students of two major universities of the South-Eastern Region of Poland. The survey was conducted by means of a diagnostic survey with the use of the Inventory of Health-Related Behaviuor (Zygfryd Juczynski?s IZ ), A. Antonovsky?s Sense of Coherence Questionnaire SOC-29 and the original questionnaire, including socio-demographic variable, as well as a test of statements considering the assessment of the level of knowledge about health. Methods of descriptive statistics, such as: mean, standard deviation, median, upper and lower quartile, and highest and lowest value, methods of analysis of variance, the chi-square test, correlation and linear regression and Spearman?s rank correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and backward stepwise regression were used for statistical analysis. The study showed that almost a half of respondents (48.9 percent) were characterized by a low intensity of pro-health behaviour, and among 38.4 percent it was on an average level. Gender was a factor that differentiated the intensity of health-related behaviour - women indicated a higher level of these behaviours. Almost half of the studied group (48.6 percent) was characterized by a low level of knowledge about health. The major meaning among studied factors influencing health-related behaviour in the regression model had the level of sense of coherence, gender and material status.

[Tobacco smoking prevalence among students from Euro region Eastern Carpathians]. / Rozpowszechnienie palenia tytoniu wsród studentów z terenu Euroregionu Karpat Wschodnich.

Publisher in February 2008 WHO M-POWER report indicates that every year on the world tobacco epidemics kills 5.4 million of people and the analysis of tobacco smoking prevalence change shows great differences between European countries. It is estimated that in Poland 29% of adult people smokes, and 24% in Slovakia. However tobacco smoking among academic youth is still a big problem. The aim of the study was an attempt to estimate tobacco smoking prevalence among students from Poland and Slovakia. The study was conducted with the framework of science project: "Physical activity for the whole life". The aim of the project are multidirectional activities addressed to Polish-Slovakian students to create a system of taking care about health based on health education among students, selected modifying cardiovascular risk factors monitoring, as well as creating Internet portal to serve those goals. Project was co-fund by European Union from European Regional Development Fund - ERDF, as well as from the government budget by Euro Region Carpathians with the framework of Cross-border Co-operation Programme Republic of Poland - Slovakia Republic 2007-2013. Analysis considered 4584 group of students from University of Rzeszow and University of Presov, Technical University in Rzeszow and State Higher Vocational School in Krosno. The study was conducted from November 2009 to June 2010. The participation in the study was voluntary. The study was conducted using a diagnostics survey method with questionnaire. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Based on results it was claimed that the majority of the studied group of students have never smoked and do not smoke cigarettes. Place of residence was a factor influencing the fact of tobacco smoking. Slovakian students were characterized by more frequent tobacco smoking. Far more often smoke man, both in Polish and Slovakian group. Among Polish students there was a relation between subjective health state assessment and tobacco smoking. The higher self-evaluation, the smaller tobacco smoking prevalence.

[Risk behavior among farmers from Podkarpacie Provinece]. / Zachowania ryzykowne w populacji rolników z terenu Województwa Podkarpackiego.

Increasing awareness of science and medical environments and the society in the scope of behavioral conditioning of many diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, tumors and injuries motivates to shape pro-health behaviors and eliminate harmful habit also in rural areas. There is a need for constant monitoring of behaviors related to health among rural areas inhabitants. The results enriches present state of knowledge in that scope, as well as might be use to increase the effectiveness of health promotion and health education activities and shape pro-health lifestyle among rural areas inhabitants, and particularly among farmers. The aim of the study was to acquaint socio-demographic features related to risk behaviors (tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking) among farmers from Podkarpacie Provinece. The study was carried out between January and December 2009 among 755 farmers with national health insurance KRUS for minimum last year, living in Podkarpacie Provinece, whom had their own farm business, owned a farm either spouse or household member works on the farm. The study population was purposefully chosen. The study was conducted using a diagnostics survey method with questionnaire including above all questions considering tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and demographic issues. Results from questionnaires were analyzed using the statistical package STATISTICA 9.0 (Statsoft). The gathered data was statistically prepared using chi-square test, logistic regression model with stepwise and progressive regression. Based on results it was assumed that frequency of tobacco smoking in the studied group values 31.5%. More frequent smoke: men than women, people with high economic status and those evaluating their Heath state as a good one. Gender and material status are strong predictors of tobacco smoking among farmers. Age and level of education do not influence on tobacco smoking among studied farmers. Frequency of alcohol drinking in the studied group values 82.0%. More often drink alcohol: younger than older people, men than women, as well as people better educated. Heath self-assessment and wages do not have an influence on alcohol drinking among farmers.

[Prevalence of tobacco smoking university students and health locus of control]. / Rozpowszechnienie palenia tytoniu wsród studentów a umiejscowienie kontroli zdrowia.

Global spread of diseases of civilization, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, cancers, caused, that individual or group healthy behaviours, have become, for practitioners and researches, a basic area of interest. Healthy behaviours are the effect of shaped attitude against health, and particular against a sense of responsibility for owns health and co-responsibility for others health. Health Locus of Control theory indicates, that there exist relations between owns health locus of control and providing pro-health activities, for example reduce tobacco smoking. The aim of the study was the assessment of relation between prevalence of tobacco smoking among university students and health locus of control. The study was carried out among 457 university students from Podkarpackie Region- University of Rzeszow PWSZ Krosno and PWSZ Sanok. The survey was conducted by means of diagnostic survey with the use of questionnaire and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form B- MHCL-B. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and chi-square test were used in statistic analyzes. The study proved that the majority of students has never smoked and does not smoke. Place of residence turned out to be a differentiation factor of tobacco smoking, and there were more smokers among students living in cities. There were observed no characteristic differences in the group of smokers and non-smokers and health locus of control. Internal control, in the opinion of studied group, was recognized to be the most important factor, more less role was attributed to the impact of others and a chance. Faculty of study turned out to different the assessment of importance of internal control and a chance for health state. Internal control was the least emphasized by nursing students, and a chance by obstetrics students.

[The opinions of employees about smoking in the workplace]. / Opinie pracowników na temat palenia tytoniu w miejscu pracy.

Smoking is now a serious social problem in Poland and abroad. Unfortunately, adverse effects also affect the businesses in which the crews smoke tobacco. For several years a wide-ranging measures aimed at reducing the population of smoking employees can be observed, unfortunately their results are significantly below expectations. What must be noted is that the effectiveness of these projects to a large extent is determined by the opinion of the smoking part of the crew about the problem of smoking in the workplace. The aim of this work was to analyze the opinions of employees about smoking in the workplace. The selection of study group was expedient. The people tested were permanent employees of a large plant in Rzeszow. The research materials were the answers to the questions given to an anonymous survey. The survey contained 21 questions about their opinions to smokers and 17 questions about their opinions to non-smokers. The perception of risks arising from the smoking of tobacco by smokers and non-smokers was asked for, and their expectations towards the company. They were asked also the willingness to join special programs helping in quitting the addiction of smoking. The individuals who smoke at least one cigarette a day were recognized as daily smokers of tobacco (as defined by WHO). Those who used to smoke every day in the past or occasionally were considered as ex-smokers. (less than one cigarette per day). 4200 surveys were distributed in the plant. The filled - in forms with replies were received from 1412 workers, representing 33.6% of questionnaires distributed. All the surveys were put in order and checked on its merits. 1291 were classified as correct, what represented 30.7% of questionnaires distributed. The latest version of the program Statistica 8.0 was used for the statistical calculations. Test results show that 14.9% of employees smoke tobacco, and every third smoker is worried about the consequences of smoking. As far as opinions on the presence of smoking in the workplace are concerned, most workers believe (94.3%) that the employer should do everything to protect the non-smokers from having to inhale tobacco smoke. Only one in ten believes (11.4%) that talking about the harmfulness of smoking is the attack on the freedom of smokers, and argues that there is a lot of exaggeration in speaking about the harmfulness of smoking. As for the negative effects of smoking the most frequently mentioned are health consequences (36.6%). In a population of smokers 17.9% want to quit smoking very much and one in ten do not consider such possibility. What is comforting, however, is that 48.9% of respondents expressed opinions about joining the pro-health program which goal is to help in quitting smoking. The study shows that the vast majority of staff believes that the employer should protect the non-smokers from inhaling tobacco smoke and help the smoking employees in quitting smoking. More than half of all workers considered that the employer should help the employees to quit smoking addiction. Smokers worry about the health consequences resulting from tobacco smoking. Almost half of respondents expressed their willingness to join a program helping in releasing from the addiction of smoking, but a large group of smokers has not shown such an interest. Age and level of education do not affect the motivation to release from the addiction of smoking among smoking employees.