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Background: Several factors are associated with the incidence of burnout, including alexithymia, social support, and depression. The relative importance of these three key parameters as mediators of burnout, however, is not well understood. In addition, there have been few studies to date specifically examining the association between alexithymia and burnout among nurses in China. Purpose: To evaluate the relationship of burnout with alexithymia, social support, and depression across emergency department nurses in China. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sampling methodology to survey nurses responsible for direct emergency care (n = 413) from 18 tertiary hospitals in Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern China between May 2020 and June 2020. A structural equation modeling approach was then used to assess a hypothetical model wherein alexithymia both directly and indirectly affects burnout among emergency nurses via impacting the incidence of depression and perceived social support. Results: Results supported all driving hypotheses. Alexithymia was positive direct correlated with burnout (β = 0.35; P < 0.001) and depression (β = 0.50; P < 0.001), and exhibited a negative direct effect on social support (β = − 0.14; P = 0.041). Depression was associated with burnout, both directly (β = 0.24; P < 0.001) and indirectly (β = 0.15; P < 0.001) through its relationship with social support. Alexithymia was the factor most strongly associated with burnout, and it was able to affect burnout indirectly through depression and social support. Conclusions: We found that among emergency nurses in China, alexithymia was correlated with burnout, depression, and social support. Alexithymia was the factor most strongly associated with burnout. These data suggest that providing better social support and alleviating alexithymia may decrease rates of burnout among emergency nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The first step in preventing pressure injuries (PIs), which represent a significant burden on intensive care unit (ICU) patients and the health care system, is to assess the risk for developing PIs. A valid risk assessment scale is essential to evaluate the risk and avoid PIs. Objectives: To compare the predictive validity of the Braden scale and Waterlow scale in ICUs. Design: A multicentre, prospective and cross‐sectional study. Methods: We conducted this study among 6416 patients admitted to ICUs in Gansu province of China from April 2021 to October 2022. The incidence and characteristics of PIs were collected. The risk assessment of PIs was determined using the Braden and Waterlow scale. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the two scales were compared. Results: Out of 5903 patients, 72 (1.2%) developed PIs. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive, and the area under the curve of the Braden scale were 77.8%, 50.9%, 0.014 and 0.996, and 0.689, respectively. These values for the Waterlow scale were 54.2%, 71.1%, 0.017, 0.994 and 0.651. Conclusions: Both scales could be used for risk assessment of PIs in ICU patients. However, the accuracy of visual inspection for assessment of skin colour, nursing preventive measures for patients and scales inter‐rater inconsistency may limited the predictive validity statistics. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Both scales could be used for PIs risk assessment. The low specificity of the Braden scale and low sensitivity of the Waterlow scale remind medical staff to use them in combination with clinical judgement and other objective indicators. Patient or Public Contribution: This study was designed to enhance the management of PIs. Patients and the general public were not involved in the study design, analysis, and interpretation of the data or manuscript preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]