The relationship between sex life satisfaction and job stress of married nurses

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among work stress, sex life satisfaction, and mental health of married nurses. Demographic information, work stress, sex life satisfaction, sexual desire and mental health measured using the Chinese Health Questionnaire, data were collected from 100 married nurses in Taiwan. FINDINGS: Sex life satisfaction and age were negatively correlated, but sex life satisfaction and sexual desire were positively correlated. The mental health of over-committed nursing staff was not affected. Higher reward for effort was positively correlated with sex life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: No matter whether job stress was high or low, receiving a higher reward for effort led to better sex life satisfaction, which had a satisfying positive effect on the nurses' lives. To improve nursing care quality at the hospital, nursing administrators should assist nurses in confronting work stress via positive adjustment, which is associated with the nurses' sexual harmony, and quality of life.     

Implementing the LifeSkills Training drug prevention program: factors related to implementation fidelity

Background

Organizational context plays a central role in shaping the use of research by healthcare professionals. The largest group of professionals employed in healthcare organizations is nurses, putting them in a position to influence patient and system outcomes significantly. However, investigators have often limited their study on the determinants of research use to individual factors over organizational or contextual factors.

Methods

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of research use among nurses working in acute care hospitals, with an emphasis on identifying contextual determinants of research use. A comparative ethnographic case study design was used to examine seven patient care units (two adult and five pediatric units) in four hospitals in two Canadian provinces (Ontario and Alberta). Data were collected over a six-month period by means of quantitative and qualitative approaches using an array of instruments and extensive fieldwork. The patient care unit was the unit of analysis. Drawing on the quantitative data and using correspondence analysis, relationships between various factors were mapped using the coefficient of variation.

Results

Units with the highest mean research utilization scores clustered together on factors such as nurse critical thinking dispositions, unit culture (as measured by work creativity, work efficiency, questioning behavior, co-worker support, and the importance nurses place on access to continuing education), environmental complexity (as measured by changing patient acuity and re-sequencing of work), and nurses' attitudes towards research. Units with moderate research utilization clustered on organizational support, belief suspension, and intent to use research. Higher nursing workloads and lack of people support clustered more closely to units with the lowest research utilization scores.

Conclusion

Modifiable characteristics of organizational context at the patient care unit level influences research utilization by nurses. These findings have implications for patient care unit structures and offer beginning direction for the development of interventions to enhance research use by nurses.     

'Because we see them naked' - nurses' experiences in caring for hospitalized patients with dementia: considering artificial nutrition or hydration (ANH)

The aim of this study was to explore and describe how Flemish nurses experience their involvement in the care of hospitalized patients with dementia, particularly in relation to artificial nutrition or hydration (ANH). We interviewed 21 hospital nurses who were carefully selected from nine hospitals in different regions of Flanders. 'Being touched by the vulnerability of the demented patient' was the central experience of the nurses, having great impact on them professionally as well as personally. This feeling can be described as encompassing the various stages of the care process: the nurses' initial meeting with the vulnerable patient; the intense decision-making process, during which the nurses experienced several intense emotions influenced by supporting or hindering contextual factors; and the final coping process, a time when nurses came to terms with this challenging experience. From our examination of this care process, it is obvious that nurses' involvement in ANH decision-making processes that concern patients with dementia is a difficult and ethically sensitive experience. On the one hand, the feeling of 'being touched' can imply strength, as it demonstrates that nurses are willing to provide good care. On the other hand, the feeling of 'being touched' can also imply weakness, as it makes nurses vulnerable to moral distress stemming from contextual influences. Therefore, nurses have to be supported as they carry out this ethically sensitive assignment. Practical implications are given.     

Work ability of health care shift workers: What matters?

This paper aims at identifying variables associated with inadequate work ability among nursing personnel at a public hospital, considering factors related to socio-demographic, lifestyles, working conditions, and health outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital in S?o Paulo, Brazil, as part of a larger research study on tolerance to 12 h night work. Nursing staff included registered nurses, nurse technicians, and nurse aides; in total, there were 996 healthcare workers (878 female; 118 male) at the time of the study. Some 696 workers (69.9%) of the population agreed to participate. Data collection (October 2004-July 2005) was based on a comprehensive questionnaire about living and working conditions (including incivility at work, work demands, work control, and support), mental and physical health symptoms (fatigue and sleep problems), and work ability. This report presents analyses of the adapted Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index (WAI) and associated variables. The study population worked one of the following shift schedules at this hospital: 12 h nights followed by 36 h off or 9 h or 6 h day (morning or afternoon) shifts. The mean age of the respondents was 34.9 (S.D.+/-10.4) years of age; 31.5% of the participants held two jobs. Statistical analyses using a hierarchical multiple logistic regression model were performed to evaluate the factors associated with inadequate (moderate and low scores) of the WAI. The significantly associated factors were socio-demographic (income responsibility, sole breadwinner, raising kids, age group), working conditions (thermal discomfort, organization of the workplace, and verbal abuse), and health outcomes (high body mass index, obesity, sleep problems, and fatigue). In spite of limitations of the study design, results indicate that the nursing profession is associated with stressful working conditions, contributing to inadequate WAI. This is in addition to bad living conditions and precarious work. Intervention measures, either at the workplace or at individual levels, are necessary to prevent a decrease in work ability, even in this quite young working population.     

Using psychological theory to inform methods to optimize the implementation of a hand hygiene intervention

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Careful hand hygiene (HH) is the single most important factor in preventing the transmission of infections to patients, but compliance is difficult to achieve and maintain. A lack of understanding of the processes involved in changing staff behaviour may contribute to the failure to achieve success. The purpose of this study was to identify nurses' and administrators' perceived barriers and facilitators to current HH practices and the implementation of a new electronic monitoring technology for HH. METHODS: Ten key informant interviews (three administrators and seven nurses) were conducted to explore barriers and facilitators related to HH and the impact of the new technology on outcomes. The semi structured interviews were based on the Theoretical Domains Framework by Michie et al. and conducted prior to intervention implementation. Data were explored using an inductive qualitative analysis approach. Data between administrators and nurses were compared. RESULTS: In 9 of the 12 domains, nurses and administrators differed in their responses. Administrators believed that nurses have insufficient knowledge and skills to perform HH, whereas the nurses were confident they had the required knowledge and skills. Nurses focused on immediate consequences, whereas administrators highlighted long-term outcomes of the system. Nurses concentrated foremost on their personal safety and their families' safety as a source of motivation to perform HH, whereas administrators identified professional commitment, incentives, and goal setting. Administrators stated that the staff do not have the decision processes in place to judge whether HH is necessary or not. They also highlighted the positive aspects of teams as a social influence, whereas nurses were not interested in group conformity or being compared to others. Nurses described the importance of individual feedback and self-monitoring in order to increase their performance, whereas administrators reported different views. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the benefits of using a structured approach based on psychological theory to inform an implementation plan for a behavior change intervention. This work is an essential step towards systematically identifying factors affecting nurses' behaviour associated with HH.     

Health Facility Graduation from Donor-Supported Intensive Technical Assistance and Associated Factors in Zambia

Introduction

The FHI360-led Zambia Prevention Care and Treatment partnership II (ZPCT II) with funding from United States Agency for International Development, supports the Zambian Ministry of Health in scaling up HIV/AIDS services. To improve the quality of HIV/AIDS services, ZPCT II provides technical assistance until desired standards are met and districts are weaned-off intensive technical support, a process referred to as district graduation. This study describes the graduation process and determines performance domains associated with district graduation.

Methods

Data were collected from 275 health facilities in 39 districts in 5 provinces of Zambia between 2008 and 2012. Performance in technical capacity, commodity management, data management and human resources domains were assessed in the following services areas: HIV counselling and testing and prevention of mother to child transmission, antiretroviral therapy/clinical care, pharmacy and laboratory. The overall mean percentage score was calculated by obtaining the mean of mean percentage scores for the four domains. Logistic regression models were used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the domain mean percentage scores in graduated versus non-graduated districts; according to rural-urban, and province strata.

Results

24 districts out of 39 graduated from intensive donor supported technical assistance while 15 districts did not graduate. The overall mean percentage score for all four domains was statistically significantly higher in graduated than non-graduated districts (93.2% versus 91.2%, OR = 1.34, 95%CI:1.20–1.49); including rural settings (92.4% versus 89.4%, OR = 1.43,95%CI:1.24–1.65). The mean percentage score in human resource domain was statistically significantly higher in graduated than non-graduated districts (93.6% versus 71.6%, OR = 5.81, 95%CI: 4.29–7.86) and in both rural and urban settings.

Conclusions

QA/QI tools can be used to assess performance at health facilities and determine readiness for district graduation. Human resources management domain was found to be an important factor associated with district graduation.     

Work Ability of Health Care Shift Workers: What Matters?

This paper aims at identifying variables associated with inadequate work ability among nursing personnel at a public hospital, considering factors related to socio‐demographic, lifestyles, working conditions, and health outcomes. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, as part of a larger research study on tolerance to 12 h night work. Nursing staff included registered nurses, nurse technicians, and nurse aides; in total, there were 996 healthcare workers (878 female; 118 male) at the time of the study. Some 696 workers (69.9%) of the population agreed to participate. Data collection (October 2004–July 2005) was based on a comprehensive questionnaire about living and working conditions (including incivility at work, work demands, work control, and support), mental and physical health symptoms (fatigue and sleep problems), and work ability. This report presents analyses of the adapted Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index (WAI) and associated variables. The study population worked one of the following shift schedules at this hospital: 12 h nights followed by 36 h off or 9 h or 6 h day (morning or afternoon) shifts. The mean age of the respondents was 34.9 (S.D.±10.4) years of age; 31.5% of the participants held two jobs. Statistical analyses using a hierarchical multiple logistic regression model were performed to evaluate the factors associated with inadequate (moderate and low scores) of the WAI. The significantly associated factors were socio‐demographic (income responsibility, sole breadwinner, raising kids, age group), working conditions (thermal discomfort, organization of the workplace, and verbal abuse), and health outcomes (high body mass index, obesity, sleep problems, and fatigue). In spite of limitations of the study design, results indicate that the nursing profession is associated with stressful working conditions, contributing to inadequate WAI. This is in addition to bad living conditions and precarious work. Intervention measures, either at the workplace or at individual levels, are necessary to prevent a decrease in work ability, even in this quite young working population.     

Professional Registered Nurses in the United States and California, 1962—Report of the Bureau of Research and Planning

• Figures on professional registered nurses recently made available indicate that the ratio of active nurses to population in California in 1962 was 327 per 100,000 persons. The comparable figure nationally was 298/100,000. California ranked twentieth out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.The percentage of all nurses actively engaged in nursing is considerably lower in California than in the total United States: 60.4 per cent compared with 65.3 per cent. This indicates that the shortage of nurses in California is more attributable to underutilization of potential manpower than to its absence.There are some identifiable categories of nurses in California in which the utilization of personnel is particularly low, as compared with other states. In terms of rates of utilization, the group of nurses over 60 years of age are most noticeably under-utilized, while in terms of numbers, married nurses could provide the greatest supply of extra nurses were their employment rate in the state equal to the national rate.The recruiting potential is a very great one, however, as this report indicates.     

Sources of stress among nurses: an empirical investigation

The effect of personality, demographic, and professional variables on nurses' experienced stress is examined through the use of the Nursing Stress Inventory in a midwestern Catholic hospital. Findings indicate that age, nursing role status, length of time since graduation, job tenure, area of nursing, and interpersonal needs are associated with various dimensions of stress.     

三级医院急诊科护士灾害护理能力现状及影响因素分析

目的 调查国内三级医院急诊科护士灾害护理能力现状及其影响因素.方法 采用一般情况资料表、临床护士灾害护理能力评估量表对12个省市、18家三级医院的418名急诊科护士进行问卷调查,并对回收问卷数据进行统计分析.结果 急诊护士灾害护理能力总体评分为(114.55±7.70)分,最高分和最低分别为159、93分.得分较高的灾...     

Staff attitudes to oral health care. A comparative study of registered nurses,nursing assistants and home care aides

This study compares differences in attitude, of oral health care of nursing personnel working with dependent elderly and severely disabled patients. A questionnaire was administered to 398 personnel covering (1) personal oral health care habits. (2) experiences and attitudes in assisting oral care and (3) willingness to assist patients/residents with their daily oral hygiene. Three hundred and sixty - four persons answered the questionnaire, including 70 registered nurses, 148 nursing assistants and 146 home care aides. The study revealed that oral care assistance is viewed as more disagreeable than other nursing activities. Although registered nurses were found to have more positive attitudes toward oral care assistance than the other nursing groups, they were seldom invoked in the daily practice of oral hygiene care. The results indicate a gap between knowledge and practice in nursing personnel's attitudes toward oral health care of dependent elderly and severely disabled patients.     

针对性综合对策干预用于肿瘤病区护理可降低不良事件发生率

为了探讨肿瘤病区护理不良事件及其干预对策,本研究通过收集2016年1～12月我院肿瘤病区护理不良事件发生情况,制定针对性对策进行干预,观察干预后护理不良事件发生情况。本研究结果显示,2016年1～12月我院肿瘤病区上报护理不良事件59起,主要以意外拔管、医嘱处理错误和药物外渗为主,分别占38.98%、23.73%和16.95%;护理不良事件分级:0级共0起、Ⅰ级27起、Ⅱ级25起、Ⅲ级6起、Ⅳ级1起和Ⅴ级0起;护理工作年限<5年者中发生护理不良事件比例为33.33%,明显高于工作年限≥5年者(p<0.05);护士职称者中发生护理不良事件比例为30.88%,明显高于护师及以上职称者(p<0.05);护理不良事件时间分布中,13:00～18:00护理不良事件比例最高,达到45.76%,其次为7:00～12:00,达到28.81%;干预措施后,2017年护理不良事件发生率为0.52%,明显低于2016年(p<0.05)。通过上述分析,本研究根据肿瘤病区护理不良事件发生的原因,制定有针对性的综合对策进行干预,可有效降低护理不良事件的发生率,保障患者治疗安全。     

Prospective cohort study of predictors of incident low back pain in nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of handling patients and indicators of individual susceptibility on risk of low back pain in nurses. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with follow up by repeated self administered every three months over two years. SETTING: NHS university hospital trust. SUBJECTS: 961 female nurses who had been free from low back pain for at least one month at the time of completing a baseline questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of new low back pain during follow up and of pain leading to absence from work. RESULTS: Of 838 women who provided data suitable for analysis, 322 (38%) developed low back pain during follow up (mean 18.6 months), including 93 (11%) whose pain led to absence from work. The strongest predictor of new low back pain was earlier history of the symptom, and risk was particularly high if previous pain had lasted for over a month in total and had occurred within the 12 months before entry to the study (incidence during follow up 66%). Frequent low mood at baseline was strongly associated with subsequent absence from work for back pain (odds ratio 3.4; 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 8.2). After adjustment for earlier history of back pain and other potential confounders, risk was higher in nurses who reported frequent manual transfer of patients between bed and chair, manual repositioning of patients on the bed, and lifting patients in or out of the bath with a hoist. CONCLUSIONS: Of the indicators of individual susceptibility that were examined, only history of back trouble was sufficiently predictive to justify selective exclusion of some applicants for nursing posts. The main route to prevention of back disorders among nurses is likely to lie in improved ergonomics.     

The effect of social support and the work environment upon burnout among nurses

Burnout among hospital-based nurses appears to be a serious problem affecting the delivery of health care. Findings from previous empirical research indicate that burnout among these nurses results from reactions to adversities inherent in the hospital work environment, and that burnout can lead nurses to change jobs and/or abandon the practice of nursing. This paper presents and discusses research findings on the effects of various aspects of the hospital work environment on burnout among nurses, and, in addition, evaluates the effects of social support in reducing and/or mitigating the relationship between negative aspects of the work environment and burnout. A multiple regression approach is employed to test the hypothesized model. The data were collected from a sample of nurses (n = 310) employed at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (FAMC), Aurora, Colorado. The major determinants of burnout were found to be low job enhancement (autonomy, task orientation, clarity, innovation, and physical comfort); work pressure; and lack of supervisor support, along with the interaction term involving the combined effects of job enhancement and supervisor support. These predictors, in conjunction with demographic and job-related variables explained 53% of the variance in emotional exhaustion, a central component of the burnout syndrome.     

ICU护士工作压力与创新行为的相关性分析

目的 了解医院ICU护士工作压力和创新行为现状及二者之间的关系。方法 抽取哈尔滨市三所大型综合医院的10个ICU病区的289名护士为研究对象,采用一般资料、护士工作压力源量表和创新行为量表对护理人员进行调查。结果 ICU护士工作压力平均分为2.63±0.64分,创新行为平均分为4.21±0.92分。工作压力各维度中,管理及人际关系、护理专业及工作和工作环境及仪器设备三个维度为创新行为的主要影响因素（P＜0.05）。结论 临床护理管理者应想方设法减轻ICU护士的工作压力,才有利于促进临床护理工作者的创新行为,提高护理工作质量。     

关于护士职业价值观文献回顾研究

通过对近些年关于护理人员职业价值观研究的回顾与总结,对关键词“价值观”“工作价值观”“职业价值观”“护士职业价值观”“护士工作价值观”“护生价值观”“护生职业价值观”“护生工作价值观”“医学生职业价值观”“组织价值观”“道德价值观”进行网络检索。针对护理人员职业价值观内涵的总结与界定,形成构成护理人员职业价值观因素分析,提出研究护理人员职业价值观时代新意。     

Sleep, sleepiness, fatigue, and performance of 12-hour-shift nurses

Nurses working 12-h shifts complain of fatigue and insufficient/poor-quality sleep. Objectively measured sleep times have not been often reported. This study describes sleep, sleepiness, fatigue, and neurobehavioral performance over three consecutive 12-h (day and night) shifts for hospital registered nurses. Sleep (actigraphy), sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale [KSS]), and vigilance (Performance Vigilance Task [PVT]), were measured serially in 80 registered nurses (RNs). Occupational fatigue (Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale [OFER]) was assessed at baseline. Sleep was short (mean 5.5?h) between shifts, with little difference between day shift (5.7?h) and night shift (5.4?h). Sleepiness scores were low overall (3 on a 1-9 scale, with higher score indicating greater sleepiness), with 45% of nurses having high level of sleepiness (score >?7) on at least one shift. Nurses were progressively sleepier each shift, and night nurses were sleepier toward the end of the shift compared to the beginning. There was extensive caffeine use, presumably to preserve or improve alertness. Fatigue was high in one-third of nurses, with intershift fatigue (not feeling recovered from previous shift at the start of the next shift) being most prominent. There were no statistically significant differences in mean reaction time between day/night shift, consecutive work shift, and time into shift. Lapsing was traitlike, with rare (39% of sample), moderate (53%), and frequent (8%) lapsers. Nurses accrue a considerable sleep debt while working successive 12-h shifts with accompanying fatigue and sleepiness. Certain nurses appear more vulnerable to sleep loss than others, as measured by attention lapses.     

Professional registered nurses in the United States and california, 1962-report of the bureau of research and planning

* Figures on professional registered nurses recently made available indicate that the ratio of active nurses to population in California in 1962 was 327 per 100,000 persons. The comparable figure nationally was 298/100,000. California ranked twentieth out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.THE PERCENTAGE OF ALL NURSES ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN NURSING IS CONSIDERABLY LOWER IN CALIFORNIA THAN IN THE TOTAL UNITED STATES: 60.4 per cent compared with 65.3 per cent. This indicates that the shortage of nurses in California is more attributable to underutilization of potential manpower than to its absence.There are some identifiable categories of nurses in California in which the utilization of personnel is particularly low, as compared with other states. In terms of rates of utilization, the group of nurses over 60 years of age are most noticeably under-utilized, while in terms of numbers, married nurses could provide the greatest supply of extra nurses were their employment rate in the state equal to the national rate.The recruiting potential is a very great one, however, as this report indicates.     

Diurnal Urinary 6‐Sulfatoxymelatonin Levels among Healthy Danish Nurses during Work and Leisure Time

The present study aims to examine the influence of evening and night shift work, compared to day shift work, on melatonin secretion in nurses in a field setting. Effects were examined during a workday and during a day off. Both fixed schedules and mixed or rotating schedules were studied. In total, 170 nurses were studied: 89 nurses worked fixed schedules, 27 nurses worked the day shift, 12 nurses worked the evening shift, 50 nurses worked the night shift, and 82 nurses worked mixed schedules, with data collected during a day (n=17), evening (n=14), or night shift (n=50). All spot urine samples were collected during 24 h from the participants on a work day and on a day off and were analyzed for 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin. On the day of urine sampling, participants filled in the Karolinska Sleep Diary. Additional information was collected through a telephone interview. Data were analyzed using a mixed procedure with autoregressive covariance structure. The present study showed that shift work affected the concentrations of 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin in the short term by lower excretion in urine from nurses working the night compared to day shift on a workday and on a day off as well. No significant differences were observed between a workday and a day off when doing day and evening shifts, irrespective of mixed and fixed schedules. Sleep length was reduced workdays (from 6.1–6.8 h) among all nurses, compared to days off (from 7.8–8.7 h).