Continuous professional development of nurses and ICNP® introduction in Poland.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to explore Polish nurses' readiness to use the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®) as part of continuous professional development and life-long learning. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 772 nurses, divided into 2 study groups. The first group comprised those who had participated in a course enhancing the knowledge and improving skills in the use of ICNP® terminology (N = 457). The second group comprised people who had not yet attended such a course (N = 315). RESULTS: In the pre-course group, education correlated significantly with a general knowledge of ICNP® and its components, as the answers to 9 out of 13 questions revealed (p > 0.05). In the postcourse group, such a correlation was observed in the answers to all the questions except the following: "Is it possible to implement ICNP® in your place of work?" (ρ = 0.066, p = 0.137). Statistically significant differences were found when it comes to the correlation of all 13 questions and the results with the overall level of knowledge of ICNP®. A higher level of agreement with the questions and a higher level of knowledge were observed in the post-course group. However, this did not apply to the following question: "Is it possible to implement ICNP® in your place of work?" (Z = -0.06, p = 0.955, r = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Effective pre- and postgraduate education prepares nurses for working with ICNP® terminology. In fact, IT tools, implemented into the education process, could help to develop skills and the understanding of how nurses can use ICNP® in the nursing process. There are some obvious difficulties with the practical implementation of ICNP® into clinical practice. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(3):353-63.

[Psychometric properties assessment of the Meister questionnaire (Polish version) used in evaluating mental load among nurses]. / Ocena wlasnosci psychometrycznych polskiej adaptacji kwestionariusza meistera do oceny obciazenia psychicznego w pracy pielegniarki.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Meister questionnaire for subjective assessment of work-related mental load among nurses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 211 nurses (mean age, 43.1 +/- 7.26) participated in our study. In the process of adaptation stability (test-retest) reliability and factorial validity were assessed. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used as a tool for assessing construct validity). RESULTS: Factor analysis of the questionnaire confirmed a very good fit between input data and factor model (Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin measure of 0.83). Selected variables, including overload, monotony, and non-specific load, explained 57%, 41%, and 66% of the variance, respectively. The analysis proved high validity of the tool, Cronbach alpha was 0.83 for the total score. The correlation factor for questions and scores in subscales was high. Repeated measurements resulted in similar outcomes, which proved the stability of this measure. The analysis of construct validity showed that overload, monotony, and non-specific load presented positive correlation with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Correlation between variables was moderate (rHO = 0.39-0.58; p < 0.001). 'he total score indicated the following correlations: strong positive with emotional exhaustion (rHO = 0.6, p < 0.001), negative with personal achievements, and positive and moderate with depersonalisation (rHO = -0.14; p < 0.05, rHO = 0.48; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The Polish version of the Meister questionnaire meets all psychometric criteria and may be used for evaluating mental load among nurses.

[The knowledge about "date rape drugs" among Polish students]. / Poziom wiedzy na temat "pigulki gwaltu" wsród studentów.

The Main Department of Police in Poland notes about 2000 rapes a year. Some of the crimes are performed with "Date Rape Drugs". The term means substances helping comitting a rape such as GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid), ketamine, flunitrazepam and other benzodiazepines derivatives, MDMA ("ecstasy"), marihuana, amphetamine. The substances are often joined with alcohol. The victims are usually young women, and not all the cases are recorded by the police or physicians, because the victims often do not remember details of the event. The toxicological analysis of blood or urine would be helpful to explain the circumstances of the case and to prove using "Date Rape Drug". The samples for toxicological determinations should be collected as soon as possible (24 to 72 hours after admission). Preventing violence with "Date Rape Drugs" include wide education by media, police, teachers and parents. The purpose of the research was to check the level of knowledge about "Date Rape Drugs". The consciousness of risk behavior when the kind of substances is used and the ways of preventing the risk of being a sexual victim were checked. Material for the research were the results of questionnaire prepared by The Department of Medicine Sociology Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University in Krakow, carried out on 740 students. Most of respondents (77%) were women. The age of respondents was between 19-36 years (mean 21.41; SD - 1.29). The results of the research showed, that respondents didn't have completed knowledge about "Date Rape Drugs". They did not know the ways of recognizing and preventing the risk of being given this kind of substances. The main source of information about "Date Rape Drugs" were internet and colleagues. There is a need to start education about "Date Rape Drugs" by serious institutions such as the police and schools in Poland. This is the best way to prevent young people against a risk of being given "Date Rape Drugs" and being a victim of sexual crimes.

[Suicidal poisoning in relation to use of psychoactive substances in adolescents]. / Zatrucia samobócze mlodziely, a uzywanie substancji psychoaktywnych.

The aim of the study is to assess interrelation between a usage of psychoactive substances and suicidal behaviour of adolescents and young adults (14-19 years). A three groups were included to the prospective study: patients hospitalized at the Kraków Department of Clinical Toxicology because of suicidal poisoning (examined group); patients hospitalized at the Department poisoned acciden tally (first control group); and Kraków secondary school children (second control group). Examined group consisted mostly of females--88%; distribution of gender in both the control groups was equal. Most of adolescents examined were inhabitants of Kraków. Near half of the patients treated due to suicidal attempt attended secondary school. A medication drugs dominated as a cause of poisoning in that group, whereas carbon monoxide dominated in the control group of accidentally poisoned patients. Most of the examined (examined suicidal group and both the control groups) declared alcohol initiation, but intensity of alcohol drinking in suicidal group was much more higher compared to the control groups. 44% of the suicidal patients confirmed the use of narcotics; the difference in relation to the control groups was statistically significant. Most of examined had reached for psychoactive substances in age of 14-16 years, but the age of abuse initiation in the suicidal patients was considerably lower compared to both controls. Marijuana was the most popular, but the suicidal patients also experienced with opioids and cocaine as well as with inhalatory substance abuse. In conclusion, obtained results confirmed statistically significant difference between the use of psychoactive substances in adolescent who attempted to commit suicide and adolescents from the control groups.

Suicide and suicide attempts in adolescents and young adults in Kraków in the years 2002-2003.

The aim of the study was to present the increasingly alarming phenomenon of completed suicide in adolescents and young adults. The material analysed had been drawn from the records of post-mortem examinations conducted by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Kraków. The analysis covered cases of completed suicide committed by 15-30 years old inhabitants of Kraków or its environs between the September 2002 and the September 2003. The group of subjects analysed comprised 47 individuals (9 females and 38 males); 57.4% of these had resided in a big city (Kraków), and the remaining 42.6%--in villages or little towns near Kraków. The data regarding cases of completed suicide were compared with the data regarding suicide attempts by self-intoxication in the period under consideration, extracted from the documentation of the Department of Clinical Toxicology in Kraków. The latter data encompassed 233 cases of suicide attempts by individuals ranging in age from 15 to 29 years, with females constituting 62.2% of these, and males--37.8%. 65% of the attempters had been residents of Kraków. The analysis of the data from the Institute of Forensic Medicine revealed that nearly half of the suicide victims concerned had been treated for mental disorders, mainly depression and addictive disorders. The occurrence of suicide attempts prior to the fatal act was established in the case of 17 subjects (18.5%). Over half of the subjects (48.9%) committed suicide by hanging themselves, 17%--by falling from a height, 8.6%--by drowning, and 19.1%--by self-intoxication with medicaments. 77.2% of the subjects committed suicide at home. In the case of 23 subjects (48.9%), the post-mortem examination revealed the presence of alcohol. The analysis of the cases of suicide attempts by self-intoxication revealed a significant percentage of depressive disorders (26%)--of high occurrence especially in the case of females, whereas alcohol addiction was the predominant diagnosis in the case of males. Furthermore, the majority of the attempters exhibited situational reactions or personality disorders. Suicide attempts constitute an essential part of the issue of suicide in adolescents and young adults and require further research. What attracts notice, is a high percentage of males among suicide victims, and a high percentage of suicide victims with earlier suicide attempts. The results of the study should be taken into consideration in suicide prevention in groups especially endangered by the risk of completed suicide, such as adolescents and young adults after suicide attempts.