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Background Burnout and low quality of work life were linked to poor professional conduct, increased risk of medical errors and suicide for intensive care nurses. This study was to examine whether the Balint group training intervention could relieve burnout and improve the quality of work life for ICU nurses. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial at five ICUs in Guangdong province, China. Totally 152 nurses were randomly assigned to the Balint group with 8 weekly 1.5 -h training sessions and the control group with no interventions. The outcomes were assessed at pre-, mid- and post-training intervention with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Quality of Nursing Work Life Scale (QNWLS) questionnaires. Results At pre-training intervention, the scores of QNWLS and MBI for both groups ranged in 131.63–133.43 and 69.96–70.07, respectively, suggesting the high burnout and low quality of work life for ICU nurses. At mid-intervention, no significant differences were observed. At post-training intervention, the scores of QNWLS for the intervention group (141.93 ± 13.61) was significantly higher than the control group (132.39 ± 10.66), which was mainly contributed by the improvement in the work life-home life and work world dimensions. For MBI, the burnout for intervention group (58.33 ± 7.38) was significantly lower than the control group (70.50 ± 7.01) at post-training intervention, which was contributed by the improvement in the depersonalization and emotional exhaustion dimensions. Limitation the ‘healthy worker effect’ cannot be excluded. Conclusion Balint group training was an effective way to relieve burnout and improve the quality of work life for ICU nurses.

Dirty paper coding is an interference pre-cancellation method for known interference at the transmitter and serves as a basic building block in the digital watermarking system. In this letter, we investigate the dirty paper model in the simplest digital communication system, where both the codeword and the interference are binary. For watermark embedment, we derive the relevant coding, the constant coding, and the symmetric relevant coding when the encoder focuses on the binary codeword and interference. The channel capacity is analyzed and the optimal parameter is discussed in the case.

Background The current study examined the change in local government staff’s emotional distress over 7 years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and the influence of earthquake exposure and professional quality of life (ProQOL) on emotional distress. Methods This longitudinal study assessed 250 participants at 1 year after the earthquake; 162 (64.8%) were followed up at 7 years. Emotional distress was assessed with the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) at both time points. We assessed ProQOL, including compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, and earthquake exposure at 1 year. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to test longitudinal changes in emotional distress. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine the effect of earthquake exposure and ProQOL. Results The positive screening rate of emotional distress (SRQ ≥ 8) was 37.6 and 15.4% at one and 7 years, respectively. Emotional distress scores declined over time (p ps p = 0.018) and seven-year (p = 0.047) emotional distress. Conclusions Although emotional distress can recover over time, it persists even 7 years later. Actions to reduce burnout during the early stage of post-disaster rescue have long-term benefits to staff’s psychological outcomes.

Although local government staff are crucial in post-quake reconstruction, their long-term psychological and professional consequences remain unclear. This longitudinal study investigated changes of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and professional burnout over seven years, and their underlying relationship. The study assessed 250 staff at one year (T1y) after the earthquake, and 162 (64.8 %) were followed up at seven years (T7y). PTSD and professional burnout were assessed with the Short Screening Scale for DSM-IV PTSD and the burnout subscale of Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), respectively, at both time points. Longitudinal changes in PTSD and burnout were examined and cross-lagged panel analyses were conducted to test the relationship between PTSD and burnout. The rates of positive cases of PTSD screening were 23.2 % at T1y and 11.1 % at T7y. The percentages of moderate burnout were 61.7 % at T1y and 23.5 % at T7y. Scores of PTSD (z = -5.70, p < 0.001) and burnout (t = 10.07, p < 0.001) from T1y to T7y decreased. The cross-lagged analysis indicated that burnout at T1y predicted PTSD at T7y (β = 0.19, p = 0.025). In conclusion, the Wenchuan earthquake has long-lasting negative effects on local government staff, although they can recover over time. Interventions to reduce professional burnout after disaster may does be beneficial to decrease the risk of PTSD in the long run.