Monday 11 March 2019

Nurses knowledge, practice and strain of care for delirium management among critical care nurses in Kuwait hospitals

     Jassim Al Barrak

This study aim to (i) assess ICU nurses’ knowledge of delirium, practice skills of delirium assessment and management, and strain of care when caring for patients having delirium in Kuwaiti ICUs; (ii) identify relations between ICU nurses’ knowledge, practice skills, and strain of care for delirium in Kuwait; and (iii) test for significant differences in nurses’ knowledge, practice skills, and strain of care between nurses’ different demographic characteristics groups. The target population of this study is critical care nurses working in adult ICUs in Kuwaiti hospitals. Study sample selected from the total population which is estimated to be 822 nurses who are working in different critical care units in Kuwait. The study found that (i) the sample ICU nurses of both Group 1 and Group 2 generally have average knowledge of delirium despite generally having several years of experience in ICUs, and (ii) Group 2 nurses have higher levels of knowledge of delirium than Group 1 nurses. The study found that perceptions of the sample nurses of the level of effectiveness of 20 practices in delirium management varied widely amongst members of each group and between the two groups and nurses of Group 1 rank the 20 investigated skills and practices for delirium management as about 60% effective in delirium management. Stated otherwise, almost 60.0% of the 20 listed practices are effective in delirium management. The study found that a nurse’s knowledge of delirium increases, his/her perception of the effectiveness of the 20 practices for management of delirium listed on the NPSDM instrument increases, and vice versa. The study results of testing for significant differences between the demographic characteristics groups of Group 1 ICU nurses in the main variables of the study (median scores on the NKD, NPSDM, and SCDI instruments) revealed that out of 24 potential combinations of variables and groups, only four significant differences between groups have been detected: Healthcare sector-NKD, ICU Category-NPSDM, Experience in Nursing-SCDI, Experience in ICU-SCDI.

Tuesday 5 March 2019

Nurses Job Satisfaction in a Tertiary Medical Care Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Job satisfaction is of interest to both people who work in organizations and people who study them. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the health care delivery system relies heavily on expatriate human resources; hence their job satisfaction is crucial for patient satisfaction and quality of care.

The objectives of this study are to: determine the overall job satisfaction and its correlates among nurses working in tertiary care.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study among nurses working in a tertiary care center. A stratified random sample with proportional allocation used to choose 980 nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was used. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis was used for data analysis using SPSS version 17 software. The level of significance was set to be <0.05 throughout the study.

The results showed that mean satisfaction scores for all participants was 105.2 out of 150 (70%satisfaction), males were less satisfied than females, Saudis were less satisfied than non-Saudis but the differences were not significant. Significantly higher satisfaction was associated with Staff nurse 2, nurses working in Women hospital, nurses with lower than doctorate qualification and nurses with higher salaries. In general, the overall job satisfaction of nurses is acceptable and comparable to similar medical care facilities.
The study recommends Revision of salaries and fringe benefits to make them more attractive in this competitive market and in-depth inquiry about the specific reasons and determinants of the poor satisfaction among nurses with doctorate qualification, nurses working in Rehabilitation hospital to boost their job satisfaction level.

Monday 4 March 2019

Coping Skills for Nurses


Being in the healthcare industry isn’t just stressful for the nurse, but also your patent and family members. If they lash out at you know that their frustration isn’t geared to you. Their stress could be a concern for their loved one, financial, or the facility. If you are put in this experience remember to first take a deep breath. You don’t want to overreact or say anything negative. Instead, find your floor manager and explain the situation to them. Cooler heads will prevail.

2. Practice deep breathing exercise:

Deep breathing exercises have proven to be an affecting coping skill. It will reduce stress, improve your mood, and allow you to not to hold onto things that are out of your control. There are plenty of resources out there to help you properly find deep breathing exercises. If nothing more, close your eyes, take inhale for a 5 count, and exhale for a 5 count. Then repeat.

3. Find a quiet place:

Taking breaks is a necessary requirement for people in all industries, especially for nurses. As a new nurse, it is important to locate a place where you can escape for a few moments. Find a quiet room at your facility or perhaps there is a garden where you can sit and collect your thoughts. Finding a quiet place will rejuvenate your mood and allow you to have a successful rest of the day.

4. Find a mentor:

Mentors help guide us and are there when we need them. As a new nurse, find a seasoned nurse that can show you the ropes of the facility will go a long way in coping for new nurses. Being a nurse is a stressful job so having someone you can lean on and get you up to speed is critical.

5. Master your skills:

The quickest way to feel confident as a nurse is to master your skills. Having this level of confidence will make handling any related task seem like second nature and give you satisfaction in your new role.

6. Eat well-balanced meals:

As a nurse, you are always on the go. This makes it easier to neglect to eat properly. The key to eating a well-balanced meal is prepared. Make your meals ahead of time. Don’t skip meals. The healthier you can eat will increase your energy and productivity.

7. Get enough sleep:

Your body needs time to rest. After a busy day of work, getting the proper amount of sleep is a necessity to take on the new day. You will find out that when you neglect sleep that you are not your normal self.

8. Maintain a positive attitude:

This supports the coping skill to not stress over things you cannot control. Try to replace negative thoughts with a positive one. When you have a positive attitude, you will feel like you can handle anything thrown at you.

9. Get organized:

One way to stay on top of your game is being organized. Nurses are handing a lot of responsibilities daily. Thus, taking the time to set your daily priorities can help you formulate a plan to complete everything.

10. Leave the day with a clear mind:

Your days are long and busy. You have accomplished a lot during your day. When the day is done don’t stress over things that weren’t accomplished. You can’t change anything at home. Reflect on your shift, plan out your next day, get a good night sleep, and take on tomorrow. Move on. Otherwise, you will carry that un-needed stress the next day.http://nursingeducation.pulsusconference.com/

Wednesday 27 February 2019

The association of spiritual well-being and depression among patients receiving hemodialysis

       
               Mutaz Foad Alradaydeh

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between spiritual well-being (meaning/peace, and faith) and depression among Jordanian patients receiving hemodialysis. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive correlation design was used to carry out on a nationally representative convenience sample of 158 patients receiving hemodialysis at five different hospitals in Jordan. Results: The mean total score of the depression was 17.8 of the 40. While the mean total score of the spiritual well-being was 36.9 of the 48. The Pearson's correlation coefficient test showed a significant negative correlation between spiritual well-being and depression (r = -.64, p < .005). Conclusion: Healthcare providers should consider spiritual well-being in their assessment and interventions by helping the patients to establish meaning, peace, and faith to reduce patients' depression.

Thursday 21 February 2019

The elderly and life’s channels: The threads of life

           Dr. Elma Jazz Macrohon
                      Philippines

This study was undertaken with the aim to validate the assumption in JEM’s Theory on Intergenerational Visits to the Elderly, which states that Intergenerational visits promote socialization, that spirals into family solidarity, quality time shared; that affords the elderly parents more meanings, purposes, significance in their lives, the feeling of successfully aging, and make family relationship tighter every time it happens. It is also to come up with narrative materials from the experiences of the informant-elderly during intergenerational visits, together with children, grandchildren, friends, and relatives, before, during, and after the visitation. The method used is the narrative inquiry. Interview schedules were used both in Filipino and English.  There were recorded interviews and later transcriptions of them, then a story was woven entitled: “The Elderly and Life’s Channels: The Threads of Life”.  There were six parents interviewed equally to six families.  The characters in the narrations are representatives from these families.  Findings proved that “intergenerational visits to the elderly”, is a key factor to improve the social relationship between children and parents and between and among parents and children.  Other findings were on the smooth and rough (conflicts) events in the family, but the latter mended by the faithful observance of intergenerational visits, which serve as the knot that binds family members together because the former promotes socialization. It is recommended that Intergenerational visits be included in the yearly activities for the elderly people or the senior citizens, by their respective family members, often or even far in-between.

Monday 18 February 2019

Time Management Tips for Busy Nurses


Nursing is a demanding job and it can often feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to complete all your tasks. Unlike other jobs, priorities can change rapidly. When a patient is in urgent need of your attention, your to-do list can change rapidly. The hectic pace of the job is one of the reasons that many nurses get burned out and stressed out. Using these time management tips for nurses is one way to make your life a little easier, as well as getting more done.

Many nurses say that while planning is a good idea, their days are too unpredictable to plan. It is difficult to plan your day because your environment can change rapidly, and much of your day is spent responding to the needs of patients. However, nurses who do plan their day and the tasks they must accomplish will find that they get more done with less stress. Make a list of everything you must get done today. Then, make a note of how long it will take and rank the jobs in order of importance. Start looking at tasks and seeing when you will have time in your day to get one or two items done. When you have a few minutes, complete a task that you can get done in that time. You will also feel better knowing that you are not forgetting anything.

When you make the list, focus on the items with the highest priority. Remember, you may not be able to get everything done. But by completing the most important tasks, you will be less stressed. Also keep in mind that if nothing is going on right now, you should be working on one of your tasks. Due to the unpredictable nature of your nursing job, you can’t be sure that you will have time later. As you complete tasks, check them off on your list. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and make your stress levels drop.

Nurses must deal with many interruptions, many of which can’t be helped. However, there are many interruptions that are not so important. Interruptions like long non-work-related chats with other staff members, checking non-work email, or other non-essential tasks can get you off track quickly. Make time to relax, visit, and do things to lower your stress. But don’t let those things become more important than your work.

Being organized saves time. If you have a desk, spend a few minutes at the end of the day to put papers where they belong so that you can find them when you need them. At the beginning of the day, make sure all equipment is clean and ready for use. This will lower your stress level and make your day easier.

Remember that you can’t do it all, nor should you have to. Remember the five rights of delegation in nursing; right orders, right instructions, right skills, right tools, and the right time frame.