Nurses' Grief Counseling for Bereaved Family Members of COVID-19 Patients in Wuhan, China: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

This is the first study to assess nurses' attitudes and skills regarding grief counseling for bereaved family members of patients who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. Using a cross-sectional design, 412 nurses selected through convenience sampling completed a demographic characteristics survey, Attitudes of Grief Counseling Scale, (AGCS) and Skills of Grief Counseling Scale (SGCS). Average AGCS score was 32.89 (SD = 9.46), with an overall percentage rate score of 65.6%. Factors influencing attitudes toward grief counseling included other grief counseling skills, educational level, communication skills, and training related to grief counseling (p < 0.05). Average SGCS score was 18.81 (SD = 4.25), with an overall percentage rate score of 58.7%. Factors influencing skills of grief counseling included responsibilities and roles, frequency of contact with the bereaved, and positive view of grief counseling (p < 0.05). Nurses' attitudes and skills regarding grief counseling were low, indicating an urgent need to improve grief counseling. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 59(11), 18-24.].

The prognostic significance of electrocardiography findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached a pandemic level. Cardiac injury is not uncommon among COVID-19 patients. We sought to describe the electrocardiographic characteristics and to identify the prognostic significance of electrocardiography (ECG) findings of patients with COVID-19. HYPOTHESIS: ECG abnormality was associated with higher risk of death. METHODS: Consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and definite in-hospital outcome were retrospectively included. Demographic characteristics and clinical data were extracted from medical record. Initial ECGs at admission or during hospitalization were reviewed. A point-based scoring system of abnormal ECG findings was formed, in which 1 point each was assigned for the presence of axis deviation, arrhythmias, atrioventricular block, conduction tissue disease, QTc interval prolongation, pathological Q wave, ST-segment change, and T-wave change. The association between abnormal ECG scores and in-hospital mortality was assessed in multivariable Cox regression models. RESULTS: A total of 306 patients (mean 62.84 ± 14.69 years old, 48.0% male) were included. T-wave change (31.7%), QTc interval prolongation (30.1%), and arrhythmias (16.3%) were three most common found ECG abnormalities. 30 (9.80%) patients died during hospitalization. Abnormal ECG scores were significantly higher among non-survivors (median 2 points vs 1 point, p < 0.001). The risk of in-hospital death increased by a factor of 1.478 (HR 1.478, 95% CI 1.131-1.933, p = 0.004) after adjusted by age, comorbidities, cardiac injury and treatments. CONCLUSIONS: ECG abnormality was common in patients admitted for COVID-19 and was associated with adverse in-hospital outcome. In-hospital mortality risk increased with increasing abnormal ECG scores.

Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess Health-Care Workers' Grief Counseling for Bereaved Families of COVID-19 Victims in Wuhan, China.

OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to examine health-care workers' grief counseling for bereaved families of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) victims in China. Our research may provide a new opportunity to stimulate development of grief counseling in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 724 health-care workers selected by convenience sampling from 7 hospitals in Wuhan. Data collection tools included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the skills of grief counseling scale (SGCS), and the attitudes of grief counseling scale (AGCS). RESULTS: The average SGCS score was 18.96 ± 4.66, whose influencing factors consisted of sense of responsibility, frequency of contact with bereaved families, and relevant training (P < 0.05). The average AGCS score was 33.36 ± 8.70, whose influencing factors consisted of other grief counseling skills, communication skills, education background, and relevant training (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The skills and attitudes toward grief counseling among health-care workers combating COVID-19 were at a lower level in Wuhan, China, indicating the need to build a comprehensive grief counseling system, establish a standardized training course, and strengthen the popularization of grief counseling services to the public.

Status of grief counseling for medical workers from coronavirus disease 2019 designated hospitals in Wuhan. / 武汉市2019å† çŠ¶ç— æ¯’ç— å®šç‚¹åŒ»é™¢åŒ»æŠ¤äººå‘˜å“€ä¼¤è¾ å¯¼çŽ°çŠ¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the front-line medical workers from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) designated hospitals in Wuhan for the bereaved family members and to provide the basis for proper hospital management strategies. METHODS: The convenience sampling method was applied to select 422 medical workers who kept touch with the bereaved family members in five COVID-19 designated hospitals in Wuhan from January to February 2020. Questionnaire regarding grief counseling attitudes and questionnaire regarding grief counseling skills were used to evaluate the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in medical workers. The scores of grief counseling attitudes and skills in group of different characteristics were further compared. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in medical workers. RESULTS: The scores of grief counseling attitudes in medical workers were 15-46 (33.00±9.31). Length of service, professional title, whether or not receiving relevant training, frequency of contact with bereaved family members contributed to impacting the medical workers' attitudes of grief counseling (all P<0.05). The scores of grief counseling skills in medical workers were 9-30 (19.30±4.42). Length of service, professional title, religion, whether or not receiving relevant training, frequency of contact with bereaved family members contributed to impacting the medical workers' skills of grief counseling (all P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the medical workers (r=0.608, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the medical workers from COVID-19 designated hospitals in Wuhan still need to be improved. Grief counseling group and a long-term, comprehensive training system are recommended.

Effect of serum albumin on the prognosis of elderly patients with stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of serum albumin on the prognosis of elderly patients with stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: From July 2013 to November 2015, elderly CKD patients (≥60 years), with eGFR ≥15 mL/min/1.73 m2 and <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, with CKD stage 3-4 in the geriatric nephrology clinic were enrolled. General information and underlying diseases were recorded. Laboratory indices were evaluated. Composite endpoint events (CEE) including renal endpoint events, cardiocerebral vascular endpoint events, and death were elucidated. Based on the ROC curves, the patients were divided into lower and higher serum albumin groups (<42.5 and ≥42.5 g/L). RESULTS: The occurrence of CEEs was significantly higher in lower serum albumin group than those in the higher group. Also, the patients in the higher group were significantly younger with lower urinary protein, blood urea, brain natriuretic peptide, and cystatin C than those in the lower serum albumin group. Contrastingly, hemoglobin, total serum protein, serum calcium, and superoxide dismutase were remarkably higher. The composite endpoints of multifactor logistic regression analysis indicated that as the serum albumin is increased by every 1 g/L, the probability of CEEs would reduce 14.8%, and the risk occurrence rate of the lower serum albumin group was 4.739 fold than the higher group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that patients with higher serum albumin had a better prognosis than those with lower serum albumin. The low level was an independent risk factor influencing the prognosis of elderly patients in stage 3-4 CKD.