Chrysoula Lemonidou

Burnout syndrome indices in Greek intensive care nursing personnel.

Burnout symptoms in Greek intensive care unit (ICU) nurses have not been explored adequately. The aim of this descriptive, correlational study was to investigate the prevalence and intensity of burnout symptoms in Greek ICU nursing personnel and any potential associations with professional satisfaction, as well as with demographic, educational, and vocational characteristics. Findings showed that the overall burnout level reported by Greek ICU nursing personnel was at a moderate to high degree. The most pronounced symptom of burnout was depersonalization, whereas emotional exhaustion was found to be a strong predictor of job satisfaction. This is a factor connected with the nurses’ intention to quit the job. It appears that work factors have a more powerful influence over the development of burnout in comparison to personality traits.

Influence of shiftwork on greek nursing personnel.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the burden experienced by nursing personnel working irregular shifts in Greece and to conduct the first test of a Greek version of the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI). Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out. The SSI was completed by 365 nurses and nursing assistants working shifts, including nights. Results Female nursing personnel and those suffering from a chronic disease were most affected by working rotating shifts as they had elevated scores on the majority of the SSI scales, such as sleep, chronic fatigue, digestive and cardiovascular problems, general health questionnaire, cognitive and somatic anxiety, shift time satisfaction, engagement and disengagement strategies, languidity, flexibility, and neurotisicm. Nurses with longer working experience and those with family responsibilities also scored higher on some of the SSI scales, such as the sleep, shift time satisfaction, social and domestic disruption, disengagement strategies, morningness, and languidity scales. Conclusion Shiftwork affects female nurses, those with chronic disease, older age, and domestic responsibilities more severely. Therefore management should take these factors into account when designing work schedules to alleviate the burden caused by shiftwork.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire

PURPOSE: One of the major challenges for health care professionals in heart failure (HF) management is to maintain and/or improve HF patient health-related quality of life. The Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) is one of the most comprehensive and widely used tools for measuring health-related quality of life among patients with HF. The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the tool. METHODS: The MLHFQ was administered among 128 Greek-Cypriot HF patients to assess the internal consistency, content validity, and contrast validity of its Greek version. Exploratory factor analysis was undertaken to establish its construct validity. RESULTS: The factor analysis in this study provided support for a 3-factor solution explaining 64.15% of the variance (physical, emotional, and social subscales). The internal consistency for the Greek version of the MLHFQ total scale (0.95) and subscales (0.80–0.94) were found to be high. The contrast validity of the Greek version of the MLHFQ was explored through cumulative MLHFQ scores and comparisons that were able to distinguish among all different levels of HF severity, as defined by the New York Heart Association functional class grouping. CONCLUSION: This study provides support for the reliability and validity of the Greek version of the MLHFQ.

Patients’ perceptions and preferences of participation in nursing care

The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ perceptions and preferences of their participation in nursing care during hospitalisation in Greece. The sample consisted of medical and surgical patients (n = 300). A questionnaire was developed to measure patients’ perception of participation, including an open question and the control preference scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for quantitative data analysis and content analysis for qualitative data. Participation was described as ‘information receiving and responsibility’ and ‘ability to influence’. One-third of the respondents preferred a collaborative role with the nurses, while 77.2% rationalised patient participation with the themes ‘strengthening patient’s role’, ‘improve hospitalisation’ and ‘collaborative relationship’. The meaning of participation seems to support shared information, patient responsibility and motivation during nursing care. Patients were aware of the positive effects of their involvement in care and were willing to assume, at least to some extent, an active role in their own care. Changes in nursing care organisation, nurses’ communication skills and additional educational strategies need to be developed and implemented in clinical practice to optimise patient participation.

A descriptive correlational study of nurse physician collaboration in adult critical care in Greece

*Meropi DA Mpouzika RN; PhD, MSc, Lecturer, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technolgy, Limassol, Cyprus Stella Haikali RN; PhD, MSc, Registered Nurse, Tzaneio Hospital, Piraeus, Greece Margarita Giannakopoulou RN; PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kaposistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Maria NK Karanikola RN; PhD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus Chrysoula Lemonidou RN; PhD, MSc, Professor, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kaposistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Elisabeth Patiraki RN; PhD, Professor, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National & Kaposistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Elizabeth D E Papathanassoglou RN; PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Validation of the Greek version of the Revised Moral Distress Scale in critical care nurses

Stella Haikali RN; PhD, MSc, Registered Nurse, Tzaneio Hospital, Piraeus, Greece Maria NK Karanikola RN; PhD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Nursing Department, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus Giannakopoulou Margarita RN; PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Mpouzika DA Meropi RN; PhD, MSc, Lecturer, Nursing Department, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus Chrysoula Lemonidou RN; PhD, MSc, Professor, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Elisabeth Patiraki RN; PhD, Professor, Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Elizabeth DE Papathanassoglou RN; PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Translation and Validation of the Revised Professional Practice Environment Questionnaire in the Greek Language.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Professional practice environments have been correlated with quality of care, patient, and nurse outcomes. There is a lack of translated versions of established instruments such as the Revised Professional Practice Environment questionnaire and this study presents the validation of this questionnaire in Greek. METHODS Translation, cultural adaptation, and factor analysis of the instrument were carried out. Three hundred ninety-three nurses from 5 hospitals of the Republic of Cyprus completed the instrument. RESULTS A 7-factor solution with 39 items accounted for 55.03% variance. The overall Cronbachs alpha was .89 and ranged between .69 and .84 for the individual factors. CONCLUSIONS The testing of the translated version of the RPPE into Greek provides support for the validity and internal consistency of the instrument.