Croatian Nurses Research Articles

Predictors of Croatian Nurses' Turnover Intention: a cross-sectional study

Predictors of Croatian Nurses' Turnover Intention: a cross-sectional study

Croatian nurses' and nursing students’ attitudes towards pressure ulcer/injury prevention

AimThe research aimed to validate the Croatian version of the Attitude towards a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument (APuP) and determine the attitudes of students and nurses towards pressure injury prevention. MethodsThe cross-sectional study included 440 participants (114 nurses and 326 nursing students). The study used APuP translated into Croatian. Data were collected between 2020 and 2021. Descriptive statistics, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to determine the factor structure of the questionnaire. ResultsThe average result at the APuP was 40.90/52 or 78.65%, with the highest results achieved by full-time students (79.71%) and the lowest by part-time students (78.03%). Three-quarters of participants (75.45%) achieved ≥75% points on the attitude scale. The EFA extracted a four-factor structure solution (competency, priority, personal responsibility and confidence in the effectiveness of prevention), explaining 50.41% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total APuP Instrument was 0.68. ConclusionsNurses and nursing students in Croatia have positive attitudes towards pressure injury (PI) prevention. The Croatian version of the APuP has been successfully applied to nurses and nursing students. The instrument has 12 items and is valid, reliable, and useful for measuring attitudes towards PI prevention.

Ten years of Activities of the Quality Society of the Croatian Nurses Association 2012 – 2022

Uvod: Profesionalno udruživanje medicinskih sestara prema zajedničkom području stručnog interesa tradicija je Hrvatske udruge medicinskih sestara (HUMS). Društvo za kvalitetu (DZK) HUMS-a osnovano je 2012. godine prateći trend zapošljavanja medicinskih sestara u Jedinicama za kvalitetu (JZK) i njihove specifične potrebe za stručnim usavršavanjem. Cilj je ovog rada prikazati 10 godina djelovanja DZK-a od njegova osnivanja 2012. godine. Metode: Podaci prikazani u radu prikupljeni su iz zapisnika skupština, izvještaja o radu DZK-a, kratkih priopćenja i pisama uredniku Sestrinskog glasnika te tekstova koje su na internetu objavile sestrinske organizacije, a koji su značajni za djelatnost Društva. Rezultati: DZK HUMS-a osnovan je 28. 6. 2012. godine sa svrhom zajedničkog okupljanja medicinskih sestara / tehničara koji rade na radnim mjestima u JZK-u te glavnih sestara odjela i ustanova. Društvo djeluje s ciljem jačanja specifičnih kompetencija medicinskih sestara koje rade u JZK-u kako bi se kontinuirano unapređivala kvaliteta sestrinske skrbi. Društvo je organiziralo: 9 konferencija, 11 simpozija, 2 tečaja druge kategorije i 1 tečaj prve kategorije, 8 stručnih skupova kojima je obilježen Svjetski dan prevencije dekubitusa od kojih su 2 održana kao simpoziji, a ostali su bili samostalni stručni skupovi, 5 radionica, 10 online stručnih sastanaka i objavljivalo je razne publikacije. Djelatnost Društva ostvarivana je i u suradnji s drugim stručnim društvima medicinskih sestara i liječnika, raznim zdravstvenim ustanovama i organizatorima stručnih skupova sa zajedničkim područjem interesa u unapređenju kvalitete zdravstvene zaštite. Zaključak: U 10 godina kontinuiranog djelovanja Društvo za kvalitetu sukladno ciljevima osnivanja omogućava medicinskim sestrama stručno usavršavanje te stjecanje znanja i vještina temeljenih na specifičnim kompetencijama u području osiguranja i unapređenja kvalitete zdravstvene zaštite i sigurnosti pacijenata.

Impact of Sense of Coherence on Work Ability: A Cross-sectional Study Among Croatian Nurses.

IntroductionAimed at preparing the basis for planning evidence-based public health measures for preservation/ improvement of nurses’ work ability (WA), the objective was to assess the relationship between WA and sense of coherence (SOC).MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 among 713 nurses in Croatia. The association between poor WA index (PWAI) and SOC score (SOCS), adjusted for possible confounders, was determined by binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe results of univariate logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant negative association between SOCS and PWAI (OR=0.977, 95% CI 0.968 – 0.986, p<0.001). The results of multivariate logistic analysis showed an even stronger statistically significant negative association between SOCS and PWAI (OR=0.966, 95% CI 0.954 – 0.977, p<0.001) when adjusted for confounders.ConclusionsThe present study suggested SOC as an important health promoting resource of nurses which might offer protection regarding work-related stress. Weak SOC could be an important explanatory factor of poor WA. Accordingly, improving SOC by implementing health promotion measures in nurses’ workplace could be an important way to increase the WA among nurses.

Croatian nurses' and nursing students' knowledge about pressure injury prevention

AimThe aim of the study was to determine the knowledge of nurses and nursing students about pressure injury (PI) prevention. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was used, and the sample consisted of 312 participants, of whom 198 were nursing students and 114 were nurses from the clinical hospital. The response rate for the total population was 78%. The Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool PUKAT 2.0. was translated to Croatian and used in the study. Data were collected between January and March 2020. Descriptive statistics and chi square tests with Fisher correction for small samples were used to analyze the data. ResultsThe mean number of correct answers was 10.45 points or 41.8%, which is not considered a satisfactory result. Nurses from the clinical hospital achieved 45.48% correct answers, while part-time students achieved 39.7%. Respondents achieved the best results in the theme of risk assessment and the lowest in the theme prevention of pressure ulcers. A statistically significant difference between the two groups of respondents was found in the themes of classification and observation (p = 0.004), nutrition (p = 0.015), prevention of pressure ulcers (p = 0.010), and specific patient groups (p = 0.002), as well as in the number of total correct answers (p = 0.000). ConclusionsThe results showed that knowledge about PI prevention in nurses and nursing students was inadequate. Nurses showed a higher level of knowledge than the students. PIs are a significant clinical problem affecting quality of life, health care costs, and treatment outcomes in patients, so it is important that nurses have adequate knowledge.

AN OPPORTUNITY LOST IN TIME - THE FIRST GENERATION OF STUDENTS AT THE COLLEGE OF NURSING: SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ZAGREB, 1953/1954

The aim of this paper is to present the course of the transformation of the Nursing high school into the College of Nursing and its accession to the School of Medicine in Zagreb. The task of the paper is to present the organisation of schooling for the first generation of nursing students. The reconstruction of the data was based on the archival material stored in the files of the School of Nursing Mlinarska in Zagreb and the Society for Nursing History of the Croatian Nurses Association (CNA). Documents and photographs kept in private collections were used as well as already published literature related to the topic. For the purposes of oral history collection, a semi-structured questionnaire created in 2013 by the Society for Nursing History was used. The first program of the College of Nursing was launched at the initiative of Dr Andrija Štampar in the academic year 1953/1954. There were 17 students enrolled, 11 of whom graduated on time. The study program was comparable to the current world trends in nursing education. The analysis of the teaching staff reveals that the teachers were nurses with extensive experience and recognised university lecturers. The introduction of a higher education nursing program, comparable to the international nursing programs, speaks to the nurses' expectations and status. Compared to today's programs, it was very modern.

Job demands, job control, and social support as predictors of job satisfaction and burnout in Croatian palliative care nurses.

The Job Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model has seldom been tested in palliative care settings, and occupational well-being of palliative care professionals has never before been investigated in Croatia. Our aim was therefore to fill that gap by testing the JDCS model among Croatian nurses providing palliative care. More specifically, we wanted to see how job demands, job control, and social support at work affect occupational well-being outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and burnout dimensions of exhaustion and disengagement from work) in terms of the model’s iso-strain and buffer hypotheses. This cross-sectional study included 68 nurses working in various palliative care institutions across Croatia, who answered our online questionnaire. Overall, the nurses did not report high levels of burnout or low job satisfaction. The only significant effect was that of job control on job satisfaction (β=0.38; P<0.01) and disengagement (β=-0.45; P<0.01), while job demands and social support at work had a significant interaction effect on the burnout dimension of exhaustion (β=0.39; P<0.01) in the sense that high social support at work buffered the increase in exhaustion associated with high job demands. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at increasing perceived job control and social support at the workplace could improve occupational well-being of nurses working in palliative care.

Questionnaire for Assessing Social Contacts of Nurses Who Worked with Coronavirus Patients during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the psychometric characteristics of a scale measuring nurses’ experiences working with COVID-19 patients. (2) Methods: The participants were 180 Croatian nurses who worked in departments with COVID-19 patients, with a mean age of 36.8 years (ranging from 20 to 48). Research was conducted from March to June 2020. For the purpose of constructing the scale, 10 statements were developed. Factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure and construct validity of the scale. (3) Results: The scale consisted of nine statements divided into a three-factor structure: factor I—stigmatization and mistrusting (four items), factor II—social distancing (four items), and factor III—fear of infection (two items). Cronbach α was calculated to confirm the reliability of the scale: factor I—α = 0.80, factor II—α = 0.76, and factor III—α = 0.70. (4) Conclusion: The nurses’ pandemic-related experiences scale showed good psychometric properties and can be applied in future research as a standardized tool for measuring health care workers’ experience during COVID-19 or other infectious crises.

Validation of the Professional Quality of Life Scale among Slovenian and Croatian nurses

Aim: The aim was to validate the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: The data were collected using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) from February to April 2019 among nurses in Slovenia and Croatia. Results: The results indicate that the original version of the scale was not suitable for this sample. Thus, the scale was revised to improve the model fit. The final model showed a good fit (TLI = 0.886; CFI = 0.915; RMSEA = 0.107). It is comprised of eleven items, three belonging to the compassion satisfaction subscale, four to the burnout subscale, and four to the secondary traumatic stress subscale. Conclusion: Although the ProQoL was revised to show a good fit to data, it is an adequate questionnaire for assessing the professional quality of life of nurses. Effective interventions can be proposed to improve the nurses&#8217; professional quality of life.

How health care professionals confront and solve ethical dilemmas – a tale of two countries: Slovenia and Croatia

AimTo assess the differences in the way how Slovenian and Croatian health care professionals (HCPs) confront ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of hospital ethics committees (HECs).MethodsThis cross-sectional, survey-based study involved HCPs from three Slovenian and five Croatian university medical centers (UMC). The final sample sizes were 308 (244 or 79.2% women) for Slovenia and 485 (398 or 82.1% women) for Croatia.ResultsCompared with Croatian physicians, Slovenian physicians reported a higher share of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, suboptimal working conditions due to interpersonal relationships in the ward, and end-of-life treatment withdrawal, and a lower share regarding access to palliative care and patient information protection. Compared with Croatian nurses, Slovenian nurses reported a lower share of ethical dilemmas regarding the distribution of limited resources, recognizing the patient’s best interests, and access to palliative care. Compared with Croatian other HCPs, Slovenian other HCPs reported a lower burden of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, distribution of limited resources, and access to palliative care. When encountering an ethical dilemma, all HCPs in both countries would first consult their colleagues. Slovenian and Croatian HCPs recognized the importance of the HECs to a similar extent, but viewed their role differently.ConclusionCroatian and Slovenian HCPs are confronted with different ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of HECs differently.

Factorial Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in Croatian Nurses

Introduction: The role of nurses in healthcare is of great importance for the well-being of patients. Nurses are exposed to daily stress in the workplace due to the lack of staff, irregular working hours, and lack of support from the management. Such conditions greatly affect the emotional and psychological health of nurses. This study aims to explore the factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) on the Croatian sample of nurses.Methods: A cross-sectional study on the sample of 119 nurses, using the MBI scale to assess burn-out in nurses.Results: The reliability of individual subscales expressed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients showed that all three scales meet the criterion of internal consistency of 0.832. The obtained coefficients of internal consistency are 0.860 for the dimension of emotional exhaustion, 0.809 for the dimension of depersonalization, and 0.791 for the dimension of personal accomplishment.Conclusion: According to this research and comparative research results, we can conclude that MBI 22 can be applied as a valid and reliable burn-out assessment indicator among nursing staff.

Validation of the Croatian Version of the Sense of Coherence 29-Item Scale in Croatian Nurses.

IntroductionThe aim of the study was to validate the Croatian version of the Sense of Coherence 29-item instrument (SOC-29) within a nursing population.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2017 and June 2018 at the University Hospital Centre Sisters of Mercy (UHCSM) in Zagreb, Croatia. A total of 711 nurses participated in this study. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α), while the structure of the questionnaire was verified by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (method of extraction: principal component analysis (PCA)) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsThe instrument demonstrated high internal consistency (α=0.885). PCA analysis has identified five factors that together account for 48% of the variance. However, the observed factors could not be interpreted. In the CFA, none of the models fitted well, although the fit of the three-factor model (CMIN/DF=4.786, CFI=0.767, RMSEA=0.073) was slightly better in comparison with the one-factor model (CMIN/DF=6.072, CFI=0.685, RMSEA=0.084). As the three-factor model in PCA has been shown to be uninterpretable, and all three factors were mutually positive and significantly correlated (correlation coefficients: 0.365–0.521), this indicated a single factor in the background. All items also showed saturation with the first factor (accounting for 25.7% of the variance).ConclusionsThe Croatian version of the SOC-29 instrument successfully fulfilled the necessary psychometric criteria for being used on the population of Croatian nurses. The study proposes that potential users use the single-factor structure.

Validation of the Croatian Version of Work Ability Index (WAI) in Population of Nurses on Transformed Item-Specific Scores.

AimTo assess the psychometric properties of the Croatian version of a Work Ability Index Questionnaire (WAIQ-CRO) in the population of nurses by using a specific methodological approach.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in a sample of 711 Croatian nurses in 2018 in Zagreb, Croatia. The instrument’s internal consistency was assessed by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α). The factor structure was verified by confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), with the assumption of a single-factor structure. To ensure the equality of importance of items in the assessment, the item-specific scores were transformed.ResultsThe internal consistency of the instrument was satisfactory (α=0.71). CFA showed poor first model (Model-1) compatibility data (p<0.001, CFI=0.85, GFI=0.93, RMSEA=0.13). The modificated indexes suggested the introduction of correlation parameters residual variances of results from WAIQ-CRO Item-1 and Item-2. After introducing these covariances, the index model assentation (Model-2) showed desirable assentation measures (p<0.001, CFI=0.95, GFI=0.97, RMSEA=0.08). Comparison showed better compatibility of Model-2 (p<0.001). The implementation of EFA has identified three factors. Replication of this model in CFA resulted in relatively good model assentation approaches with data (p<0.001, CFI=0.96, GFI=0.98, RMSEA=0.07). Comparison of this model (Model-3) with Model-2 showed a significantly better compatibility of Model-3 (p<0.001).ConclusionThe WAIQ-CRO proved to be a reliable and valid instrument which can be used in research among Croatian nurses. The results suggest that it would be better to consider a three-factor structure than a single-factor structure, as a three-factor structure can direct decision-makers to which segment to locate interventions.

Nurses' perception of implicit nursing care rationing in Croatia-A cross-sectional multicentre study.

To examine Croatian nurses' perception of implicit nursing care rationing and the patient safety culture from the perspective of acute care hospital staff. In the past three decades, the Croatian health system has undergone numerous transformations driven by geopolitical, legal, financial, demographic, scientific and technological progress. These changes have led to systemic changes in the structure, organisation, financing and delivery of health care, and thus, of nursing care. A cross-sectional study of 438 nurses was conducted at four university hospitals in Croatia, based on the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care Questionnaire. A lower assessment of the quality of care in the unit is associated with a higher score on the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care Questionnaire, r=-.379, p<.001. A lower satisfaction with the current workplace is associated with a higher score on the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care Questionnaire, r=-.432, p<.001. The perception of nurses in Croatia indicates that the implications of nursing care rationing and dissatisfaction with their post in acute care hospital units are closely related to poor quality of nursing care provided to patients. Based on these results, nurse managers should take their nurses' perceptions of implicit nursing care rationing into consideration in order to develop strategies to improve nursing care delivery, nursing satisfaction and, consequently, better nursing care quality.

The effect of job satisfaction, absenteeism, and personal motivation on job quitting: A survey of Croatian nurses

Previous studies point to many inconsistencies regarding the determinants of job quitting. This study focuses on the impact of nurses’ job satisfaction, work motivation, nursing practice environment, personal characteristics and absenteeism on their intention to leave the job. An anonymous survey was performed on a sample of Croatian registered nurses. The results indicate that nurses’ job dissatisfaction, combined with a higher rate of absenteeism, represents a clear indication of their future turnovers. Nursing practice environment and personal motivation do not have a significant direct effect on the Intention to leave the job, but do have an indirect one through job satisfaction.

14. Course of Continuing Education of Oncologic-Hematologic society, Croatian Nurses Association [Baška, Krk, 5th to 7th of October 2017

14. Course of Continuing Education of Oncologic-Hematologic society, Croatian Nurses Association [Baška, Krk, 5th to 7th of October 2017

Quality control of health care; 7th Conference of the Society for Quality, Croatian Nurses Association, Zadar, March 24th to 25th 2017

Quality control of health care; 7th Conference of the Society for Quality, Croatian Nurses Association, Zadar, March 24th to 25th 2017

Looking for the Possible Association Between Stress, Presenteeism and Absenteeism Among Croatian Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Stress is an important occupational hazard in numerous occupations. The consequences of stress have been associated with a number of health conditions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether nurses’ perceived levels of stress are associated to presenteeism and absenteeism. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, conducted at a public general hospital in Croatia, medical nurses filled the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) and short-form of the World health organization health and work performance questionnaire (WHO HPQ). Results: Nurses experiencing absenteeism (26, 53%) had a little higher levels of stress (X = 18.85, SD = 7.31) when compared to those without absenteeism (X = 17.52, SD = 6.63), t (144) = 1.037, P = 0.301. Nurses with presenteeism (15.74%) had statistically significantly higher levels of stress (M = 21.42, SD = 5.62), compared to nurses without presenteeism (X = 17.35, SD = 6.84), t(144) = 2.47, P = 0.015. Linear regression (R2 = 0.032, P = 0.036) showed an association between presenteeism and stress (B = 3.952, S.E. = 1.26, β = 0.069). No association was found between absenteeism and stress. Conclusions: Although there is an association between presenteeism and stress, we cannot draw a causal line from this finding.

Electoral Assembly of the Croatian Nurses Association [HUMS

Electoral Assembly of the Croatian Nurses Association [HUMS

Curriculum vitaa of newly elected president of Croatian Nurses Association [CNA

Curriculum Vitae Tanja Lupieri, rođena je 15.10.1969. godine, u Zagrebu, majka je dvoje djece. Osnovnu školu završila je u Zagrebu, a srednjoškolsko obrazovanje završila je 1988. godine u Školi za medicinske sestre u Vinogradskoj ulici u Zagrebu.