Anxiety symptoms and burnout among Chinese medical staff of intensive care unit: the moderating effect of social support.

BACKGROUND: Social support can be a critical resource to help medical staff cope with stressful events; however, the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between burnout and anxiety symptoms has not yet been explored. METHODS: The final sample was comprised of 514 intensive care unit physicians and nurses in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. A moderated model was used to test the effect of social support. RESULTS: The moderating effect of social support was found to be significant (b = - 0.06, p = 0.04, 95%CI [- 0.12, - 0.01]). The Johnson-Neyman technique indicated that when social support scores were above 4.26 among intensive care unit medical staff, burnout was not related to anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to test the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between burnout and anxiety symptoms among intensive care unit staff.

Impact of nutrition support on clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness analysis in patients at nutritional risk: A prospective cohort study with propensity score matching.

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of evidence regarding the economic effects of nutrition support in patients at nutritional risk. The aim of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis by comparing an adequate nutrition support cohort with a no-support cohort. METHOD: A prospective observational study was performed in the surgical and medical gastroenterology wards. We identified patients at nutritional risk and the provision of nutrition support by the staff, unaware of the risk status, was recorded. Cost data were obtained from each patient's statement of accounts, and effectiveness was measured by the rate of infectious complication. To control for potential confounding variables, the propensity score method with matching was carried out. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated based on the matched population. RESULTS: We screened 3791 patients, and 440 were recruited for the analysis. Patients in the nutrition support cohort had a lower incidence of infectious complications than those in the no-support cohort (9.1 versus 18.1%; P = 0.007). This result was similar in the 149 propensity matched pairs (9.4 versus 24.2%; P < 0.001). The median hospital length of stay was significantly reduced among the matched nutrition support patients (13 versus 15 d; P < 0.001). The total costs were similar among the matched pairs (US $6219 versus $6161). The incremental cost-effectiveness analysis suggested that nutrition support cost US $392 per patient prevented from having infectious complications. CONCLUSION: Nutrition support was associated with fewer infectious complications and shorter length of stay in patients at nutritional risk. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio indicated that nutrition support had not increased costs significantly.

[Prevalence of nutritional risks, malnutrition and application of nutritional support rates at one Chongqing teaching hospital].

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively explore the prevalence of nutritional risks and undernutrition, obesity and the application of nutritional support in First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and compare the data with those of big hospitals in Beijing. METHODS: A total of 2255 inpatients from the department of gastroenterology, gastrointestinal surgery, neurology and respiratory medicine at our hospital were consecutively recruited from June to October 2011. Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) was performed at 24 h post-admission. And nutritional support was examined during the period of hospitalization. RESULTS: Among them, 2166 patients (96.1%) received NRS2002. The overall prevalence of nutritional risk was 29.5% (638/2166), undernutrition 12.2% (265/2166) and the incidence of obesity 2.4% (52/2166). For the patients at nutritional risks, only 9.2% (59/638) of them received nutrition support. The nutrition support of gastrointestinal surgery department was higher than Beijing, and that of neurology department was lower than Beijing. For those not at nutritional risks, 1.0% (16/1528) received nutritional support. And that of 4 department were all lower than Beijing (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional risk patients on nutritional support rates is lower at First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and excessive use of parenteral nutrition support seems routine. The Chinese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (CSPEN) guidelines of rational nutrition support should be vigorously promoted.