A follow-up program in patients after hospitalization for heart failure: long-term health related quality of life and associated factors.

Background: The well-being of individuals with chronic heart failure (HF) is significantly influenced by their health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which serves as a crucial measure indicating how HF affects their daily activities. Monitoring programs aimed at reducing the number of hospitalizations and improving functional conditions are currently being offered to patients with chronic HF.

The Objective: To examine the long-term health-related quality of life changes in patients with heart failure enrolled in a follow-up program after hospitalization and to evaluate the factors associated with quality of life of patients with heart failure.

Relationship between subjective and objective fatigue and sleep characteristics in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders: An exploratory study.

Objective: Fatigue and sleep disturbances are important symptoms of anxiety and mood disorders (AMD). Studies about the relationship between these variables usually rely on self-report assessments. Therefore, the aim of our exploratory study was to investigate the independent correlations between subjective and objective fatigue and sleep characteristics in individuals with AMD.

Associations of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism, 5-HTTLPR, and adverse life events with late life depression in the elderly Lithuanian population.

Late-life depression (LLD) is a multifactorial disorder, with susceptibility and vulnerability potentially influenced by gene-environment interaction. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with LLD. The sample of 353 participants aged 65 years and over was randomly selected from the list of Kaunas city inhabitants by Residents' Register Service of Lithuania.

Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 in Lithuanian individuals with anxiety and mood disorders.

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) are short self-report questionnaires used to screen and assess depression and anxiety severity in medical and community samples. However, little is known about their psychometric properties in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 in individuals with AMD. Individuals (n = 244, mean age 39.

Factors Relating to a Safety Culture in the University Perinatal Center: The Nurses' and Midwives' Perspective.

Background: According to The Joint Commission, a culture of safety is a key component for achieving sustainable and safe health care services, and hospitals must measure and monitor this achievement. Promoting a patient safety culture in health services optimally includes midwifery and nursing. The first aim of this study is to assess the University Perinatal Center’s staff members’ perceptions of safety culture.

COVID-19 pandemic and mortality in nursing homes across USA and Europe up to October 2021.

Purpose: We compared the prevalence of COVID-19 and related mortality in nursing homes (NHs) in 14 countries until October 2021. We explored the relationship between COVID-19 mortality in NHs with the average size of NHs and with the COVID-19 deaths at a population level.

Methods: The total number of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths in all NHs as well as the total number of NHs and NH beds were provided by representatives of 14 countries.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire in Individuals With Coronary Artery Disease in Lithuania.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is known to be impaired in individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in those after a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Heart failure (HF) is a common burden in this population that significantly contributes to worsening HRQoL. To accurately measure the level of HRQoL in individuals with CAD after ACS, disease-specific scales, such as the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ), are recommended.

Frailty and Different Exercise Interventions to Improve Gait Speed in Older Adults after Acute Coronary Syndrome.

: The world's population is rapidly aging, and it is estimated that, by 2050, every sixth person on earth will be older than 65 years. Around 30% of older adults entering cardiac rehabilitation (CR) meet the criteria of frailty. Frailty identification has not been included in the routine evaluation of CR patients yet, and there is a lack of evidence on what training regimen for improving physical performance in frail people is optimal.

The prevalence of burnout, depression, anxiety and stress in the Lithuanian midwifery workforce and correlation with sociodemographic factors.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of burnout, depression, anxiety and stress of Lithuanian midwives.

Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design.

Methods: The Work Health and Emotional Wellbeing of Midwives (WHELM) survey instrument developed within the Australian maternity context was adapted and used in this research.

Cardiac Rehabilitation and Complementary Physical Training in Elderly Patients after Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Pilot Study.

: Nearly 23% of elderly patients hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome have reduced muscle strength. It is assumed that these patients would better benefit from a complex training-a combination of endurance, strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility-in order to reduce the loss of muscle strength and mass and improve functional capacity. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of two different complementary resistance and balance training programs during short-term cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in elderly patients after a percutaneous or surgical intervention due to acute coronary syndrome.

Discharge Planning and Home Care Needs Assessment for Older Patients in a Nursing Hospital.

: Following the accumulation of a sufficient amount of scientific evidence, it is now possible to appeal for changes in the organization of nursing services. Our aims are to assess the health status of patients discharged from nursing hospitals and to identify their home care needs by applying the international InterRAI Home Care (HC) assessment form. : 152 geriatric patients (older than 65 years of age) discharged after a 90-120-day stay at a nursing hospital were examined using face-to-face interviews.

European Collaborative and Interprofessional Capability Framework for Prevention and Management of Frailty-a consensus process supported by the Joint Action for Frailty Prevention (ADVANTAGE) and the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS).

Background: Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is currently recommended for the delivery of high-quality integrated care for older people. Frailty prevention and management are key elements to be tackled on a multi-professional level.

Aim: This study aims to develop a consensus-based European multi-professional capability framework for frailty prevention and management.

Stressful Life Events Are Associated With Health-Related Quality of Life During Cardiac Rehabilitation and at 2-yr Follow-up in Patients With Heart Failure.

Purpose: According to recent literature, stressful life events might represent an important risk factor of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between stressful life events and HRQoL in patients with heart failure after acute coronary syndrome, both during cardiac rehabilitation and during 2 yr of follow-up.

Methods: Patients with heart failure (n = 481; 75% male; mean age: 58 ± 9 yr) were evaluated for sociodemographic, clinical, and mental distress factors including stressful life events, anxiety and depression symptoms, perceived social support, and type D personality.

European postgraduate curriculum in geriatric medicine developed using an international modified Delphi technique.

Background: the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS-GMS) recommendations for training in Geriatric Medicine were published in 1993. The practice of Geriatric Medicine has developed considerably since then and it has therefore become necessary to update these recommendations.

Methods: under the auspices of the UEMS-GMS, the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) and the European Academy of Medicine of Ageing (EAMA), a group of experts, representing all member states of the respective bodies developed a new framework for education and training of specialists in Geriatric Medicine using a modified Delphi technique.

Exploring potential biomarkers associated with health-related quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure.

Objective: There has been a lack of research examining associations between biomarkers and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure. In patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure, we aimed to explore potential associations between biomarkers of health such as serum levels of thyroid hormones, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP), inflammatory biomarkers and HRQoL.

Methods: In sum, 482 patients (75% male; mean age 58±10 years) with coronary artery disease and heart failure were evaluated for socio-demographic and clinical coronary artery disease risk factors.

Patient safety culture in obstetrics and gynecology and neonatology units: the nurses' and the midwives' opinion.

Patients treated in health care facilities that provide services in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, and neonatology are especially vulnerable. Large multidisciplinary teams of physicians, multiple invasive and noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and the use of advanced technologies increase the probability of adverse events. The evaluation of knowledge about patient safety culture among nurses and midwives working in such units and the identification of critical areas at a health care institution would reduce the number of adverse events and improve patient safety.

Prognosis of Treatment Outcomes by Cognitive and Physical Scales.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of using scales for measuring cognitive and physical functions for a prognosis of care outcomes in elderly patients.

Methodology: The survey was carried out in one of the Vilnius City Hospitals for Nursing and Support Treatment. A total number of 177 respondents were involved in the study.

Mental Distress Factors and Exercise Capacity in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Attending Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Purpose: There is still insufficient data on mental distress factors contributing to exercise capacity (EC) improvement before and after cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations between various mental distress factors and EC before and after exercise-based CR (EBCR).

Methods: Over 12 months, 223 CAD patients (70% men, mean age 58 ± 9 years) were evaluated for socio-demographic, clinical, and mental distress symptoms as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Assessment of radiographers' competences from the perspectives of radiographers and radiologists: a cross-sectional survey in Lithuania.

Background: Assessing radiographers' clinical competence is of major importance in all medical imaging departments, and is a fundamental prerequisite for guaranteeing professional standards in both nursing care and radiography. Despite the fact that self-assessment has been reported to be the most common form of competence evaluation only several studies defining the radiographers' self-assessment of clinical competencies were identified. The aim of the study was to evaluate radiographers' professional competence from the perspectives of radiographers and radiologists by applying the Radiographers' Competence Scale (RCS).

Associations of the quality of life and psychoemotional state with sociodemographic factors in patients with psoriasis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the interrelationships between the quality of life and psycho-emotional, demographic, and clinical factors in patients with psoriasis.

Materials And Methods: The study included 18-year-old or older patients with psoriasis recruited from the university hospital (n=385). Their sociodemographic data, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score and disease duration were assessed.

The Impact of Arts Activity on Nursing Staff Well-Being: An Intervention in the Workplace.

Over 59 million workers are employed in the healthcare sector globally, with a daily risk of being exposed to a complex variety of health and safety hazards. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of arts activity on the well-being of nursing staff. During October-December 2014, 115 nursing staff working in a hospital, took part in this study, which lasted for 10 weeks.

COMPETENCE IN TOPIC OF PSORIASIS AMONG NURSES IN HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS.

Unlabelled: Nurses in their everyday work meet patients with various diseases (including chronic skin diseases), and play an important role in improving patients' quality of life. Nurses working in dermatology clinics frequently play leading roles in the care of patients with skin disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge about the psoriasis among nurses working in non-dermatological healthcare institutions.

An exploration of self-management support in the context of palliative nursing: a modified concept analysis.

Background: The role of self-management is often ambiguous, yet, it is an important area in clinical practice for palliative nurses. A clear conceptual understanding, however, of what it represents is lacking.

Method: This paper reports an analysis of the concept of self-management support in palliative nursing.