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Objective: This study investigated the effects of psychological distress on the work ability of intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The sample size of this descriptive and cross-sectional study was determined to be at least 220 nurses, with a level of significance of 0.05, a confidence interval of 99%, and the ability to represent the population of 80%. The research was completed with 233 nurses. A Participant Information Form, the COVID-19-related Psychological Distress Scale, and the Work Ability Index were used to collect data online using Google Forms and email or social media accounts. In the analysis of data, Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis was used along with descriptive statistics. Results: A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the nurses’ length of time working in the profession and their WAI scores (r=0.132, p=0.043), and a negative correlation was found with their COVID-19 PDS scores (r=-0.162, p=0.013). A statistically significant difference was found about WAI total scores in the effect on work ability of the working conditions of the COVID- 19 pandemic (p

Abstract Introduction Medical devices and equipment are necessary for accurate and continuous monitoring of the patients admitted to intensive care units, one of which is alarm systems. Frequent sounds of alarms can affect nurses' concentration and accuracy when providing care. Complications such as headache, fatigue, and stress occur after repeated alarms, leading to poor quality of professional life among nurses. This study aimed to determine the relationship between quality of professional life and alarm fatigue syndrome among intensive care unit nurses. Methods This cross‐sectional study used convenience sampling to select nurses working in intensive care units from three hospitals in southern Iran in 2021 (n = 201). Data were collected using three questionnaires, including sociodemographic form, the professional quality of life questionnaire (ProQOL), and the alarm fatigue symptom (AFS) scale. Results The mean scores of compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS) (subscales of the ProQOL), and AFS were 34.66 ± 7.54, 28.98 ± 7.59, 27.69 ± 5.87, and 13.48 ± 7.32, respectively. The majority of them had no or mild AFS, moderate CS, burnout, and STS. Among the study variables, only AFS were a significant predictor of CS and STS among ICU nurses. In addition, work experience in ICU, AFS, and a second job were significant predictors of burnout among ICU nurses. Conclusions The study results showed a significant relationship between alarm fatigue syndrome, burnout, STS, and CS. Given that more than half of the nurses in the intensive care unit in the present study experienced some degree of alarm fatigue syndrome, it is necessary to plan and implement interventions to better manage the alarms in the intensive care unit.

Background: Nurses working in shift duties, including night duties, are subject to a cumulative sleep debt, a decreased quantity and quality of sleep, and continuous sleep deprivation. Hence, nurses working in shift duties are prone to sleep disturbance. Objective: To determine and compare the quality of sleep among oncology and intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Materials and Methods: Descriptive approach was adopted for this study. The sample comprised 126 nurses working at the units of Prince Bijay Singh Memorial (PBM) Hospital, Bikaner, Rajasthan, who were selected by purposive sampling technique. The quality of sleep was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 20.0. Results: In this study, majority of the participants (60.32%) were men. Majority of the nurses (75.40%) were working on a regular basis. The mean sleep quality scores of intensive care and oncology nurses were 3.863 ± 1.988 and 5.317 ± 1.899, respectively. The observed difference was statistically significant (t = 4.097; p < 0.001). Overall, there was poor quality of sleep in 46% of the participants. The intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are more likely to have poor quality of sleep than oncology nurses (61.90% vs. 30.16%; Χ2 = 18.15; p < 0.001). In addition, a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.6645, P = 0.0001FNx01) was observed between the sleep quality of ICU and oncology nurses. Among the intensive care nurses and oncology nurses, there was no significant association between sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, working status, job status, and the PSQI scores. (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Intensive care nurses and oncology nurses have poor quality of sleep, which can affect their health and professional performance. The ICU nurses have poorer quality of sleep than oncology nurses. Nurse administrators and hospital administration should take initiatives to reduce the prevalence of poor sleep among these nurses.

Abstract Aim To explore the perceptions and experiences of nurses in communicating the care and caring in the intensive care unit (ICU). Design A focused ethnography. Methods This study was conducted in an Australian metropolitan hospital, in which data were gathered from multiple sources: participant observations, document reviews, interviews, and participant's additional written information ‐ over six months (April‐September, 2014). The data were analysed thematically. Findings This study addressed inclusively communicating care and caring to patients, families, nurses and other health professionals in ICU. The findings identified main themes concerning the changing patterns of communicating the care and caring in ICU, various patterns of communication used, enablers and barriers of communicating care and caring, and significant issues in communicating care and caring in ICU. Documentation of patients’ psychological and emotional needs, and nurses’ caring behaviours are crucial. These findings need further consideration from all stakeholders.

Care is the most important concept that constitutes the core of nursing. Nurses perceptions on care influences the quality of care practices greatly. It is especially important that nursing care is adequate and effective at intensive care units where care is provided for patients with complex and life-threatening problems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the perceptions of nurses on the concept of care and their care practices. This qualitative study was conducted at an intensive care unit in the Southeastern Anatolia Region in Turkey. The study was performed with 17 intensive care nurses. Private face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. The data were analyzed using the method of content analysis. All the nurses stated that the concept of care is the basis of nursing. As a result of the analysis of the data, three main themes were determined. (a) Perception of care; physical care, psychological and physical care, (b) Care; care practice, care responsibility, contribution of care practices to perception of nursing as a profession, (c) Feelings after care; feeling happy, feeling of fulfilling your responsibility. Care perceptions and care practices of intensive care nurses should be improved further. [Med-Science 2019; 8(2.000): 330-4]

Background and Objectives: Spirituality and spiritual care, as essential components of holistic nursing care, are widely recognized, while spiritual aspect is still overlooked. Spirituality has been associated with the caregiver’s sense of well-being and ability to cope. The aim of this study was to determine attitude of intensive care nurses toward spirituality and spiritual care and its relationship with mental health. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 55 nurses working in the Intensive Care Units of educational hospitals in Qom, 2014. Tools of study include measures of Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and ANOVA in the statistical software SPSS, ver. 16. Results: There were 10.2% male and 89.8 % female nurses; age ranged from 21 to 46 years, with a mean age of 29 (SD=2.67). Mean and standard deviation attitude score of spirituality and spiritual care in nursing were 55.95 and 7.66, respectively. Among the demographic variables of age (r=0.491), and work experience (r=.496) were significant correlation with the perception of spirituality and spiritual care. Also, there were significant and direct correlations between spirituality and spiritual care and general health (r=0.348). Conclusion: Our finding indicated that attitudes toward spirituality and spiritual care in the intensive care nurses were moderate. According to the direct relationship between attitudes toward spirituality and spiritual care and mental health, there should be a significant focus on strengthening spirituality in nursing care in intensive care, education, and acculturation in the area of religious and spiritual activities among nursing students.

Background: Medication errors and adverse drug events of high alert medication are one of the major problems in therapeutic system. The purpose of the present study was to investigate ύthe effect of clinical supervision model on high alert medication safety in intensive care units nurses. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted on 32 nurses of intensive care units. The researcher observed the administration of high alert drugs including heparin, warfarin, norepinephrine, dobutamine, and dopamine by nurses and recorded the scores of "the work in preventing medication errors," "the work in preventing adverse drug events," and "medication safety." Then, the researcher performed clinical supervision model and during performance of the model, the researcher reassessed the score of "the work in preventing medication errors", "The work in preventing adverse drug events" and "medication safety". Tool of data collection was "action plan of high alert medication safety" checklists (heparin, warfarin, norepinephrine, dobutamine, and dopamine checklists). Results: The result of the statistical trials showed that before and after applying the clinical supervision model, there was a statistically significant difference between the average scores of medication safety of heparin (15.7 vs 18.73), warfarin (11.08 vs 15.67), norepinephrine (14.60 vs 19.72), dobutamine (13.80 vs 19.30), and dopamine (14.25 vs 19.47). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it seems that administration of clinical supervision model in intensive care units can lead to improving the status of safety of high alert medication.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the sleep quality of intensive care nurses. Material and Method: Sixty volunteer intensive care, policlinic and general wards nurses working in Celal Bayar University Hospital were included as three equal groups. The sleep characteristics of all nurses were evaluated initially by subjective tests: Pittsburgh Sleep quality index and Epworth sleepiness scale, furthermore actigraph was used to investigate sleep quality objectively in all groups. Results were compared between the groups. Results: Pittsburgh index, which is a subjective sleep test, was found to be significantly higher in intensive care nurses. In intensive care nurses, the values of Actigraphic sleep parameters such as ‘Actual wake time’, ‘Actual wake %’, ‘Total Activation Score’, ‘Fragmentation index’ were significantly higher and ‘Actual sleep time’, ‘Sleep efficiency’ and ‘Actual sleep %’ were significantly lower, when compared with the policlinic nurses and the general wards nurses. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that, nursing of the critically ill patients continuously should give rise to sleep disorders in intensive care nurses. (Journal of the Turkish Society Intensive Care 2011; 9:59-63)