To determine the level of job satisfaction of nursing professionals in Slovenian hospitals and factors influencing job satisfaction in nursing.The study included 4 hospitals selected from the hospital list comprising 26 hospitals in Slovenia. The employees ...

The objective of this study was to survey health professionals to investigate their knowledge of probiotics. An online survey was conducted to gather data on the knowledge of health professionals. The online survey was distributed via email and social media platforms using snowball sampling. A total of 1066 health professionals (859; 80.6% female) from 30 countries responded to the survey. Most of the respondents evaluated their knowledge of probiotics as medium (36.4%) or good (36.2%). Only 8.9% of the respondents rated it as excellent. No statistical difference in knowledge was found between male and female health professionals. Over 80% of pharmacists, allied health professionals, medical doctors and dentists, and other health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”, whereas three quarters of registered nurses and midwives and less than two thirds of psychologists identified the correct definition. Statistically, more female than male health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics. The most frequently recognized species of bacteria containing probiotic strains were Lactobacillus acidophilus (92%), Bifidobacterium bifidum (82%), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (62%). The opinions on when it is best to take probiotics were different (χ² = 28.375; p < 0.001), with 90.2% of respondents identifying that probiotics have beneficial effects if taken during antibiotic therapy, 83.5% for diarrhea, 70.6% for constipation, 63.3% before traveling abroad, and 60.4% for treating allergies. Almost 79% of health professionals involved in this study have advised their patients to use probiotics and 57.5% of the respondents wanted to learn more about probiotics. All things considered, health professionals have a medium level of knowledge of probiotics, which could be improved by the implementation of targeted learning programs. As probiotics have many beneficial effects in a wide range of health areas, health professionals need to adopt the use of probiotics in clinical practice.

Poor sleep quality is prevalent among older adults, but limited data document associations between frailty and quality of life comparing individuals living in the community with those in nursing homes. This cross-sectional study (conducted between August and November 2019) included 831 older adults (mean age 76.5 years) from Slovenia’s community and nursing home settings. The results showed comorbidity in 38% of community-dwelling older adults and 31% of older adults in nursing homes. The prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older adults was 36.5%, and among older adults in a nursing home was 58.5%. A total of 76% of community-dwelling older adults and 95.8% of nursing home residents reported poor sleep quality. Sleep quality and frailty predict 42.3% of the total variability of quality of life for older adults in nursing homes and 34.8% for community-dwelling older adults. The study’s results indicate that the quality of life can be affected by factors (e.g., worse sleep quality and frailty) among older adults, regardless of being a resident or from the community. Understanding how sleep quality is affected by social, environmental, and biological factors can help improve sleep quality and potentially the quality of life of older adults.

Good psychological well-being contributes to a satisfying life, reduces loneliness, and enables a better quality of life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people worldwide have faced various challenges, which manifest in mental health problems, dissatisfaction with life and increased loneliness. This study aimed to investigate the influence of loneliness on mental well-being and life satisfaction among the adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022. A total of 664 participants took part in the survey, of whom 484 (73%) were female and 180 (27%) were male. Our results show that loneliness can explain 48% of the total variability in mental well-being and 52% of the variability in life satisfaction. The results show a higher level of loneliness and use of information and communication technology and a lower level of contact with relatives and friends, life satisfaction, and well-being during COVID-19 than they considered before the time of COVID-19. Study findings can help improve loneliness and mental well-being, and, consequently, life satisfaction.

Diabetic foot is a prevalent chronic complication of diabetes and increases the risk of lower limb amputation, leading to both an economic and a major societal problem. By detecting the risk of developing diabetic foot sufficiently early, it can be prevented or at least postponed. Using artificial intelligence, delayed diagnosis can be prevented, leading to more intensive preventive treatment of patients. Based on a systematic literature review, we analyzed 14 articles that included the use of artificial intelligence to predict the risk of developing diabetic foot. The articles were highly heterogeneous in terms of data use and showed varying degrees of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The most used machine learning techniques were support vector machine (SVM) (n = 6) and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) (n = 5). Future research is recommended on larger samples of participants using different techniques to determine the most effective one.

To compare nursing leaders’ and employees’ perception of leaders’ leadership style, personality characteristics, and managerial competencies and to determine the associations between these factors. The study included 4 out of 5 Slovenian major hospitals selected from the hospital list; 1 hospital refused to participate. The employees of these hospitals represent 30% of all employees in nursing in Slovenian hospitals and the 509 employees included in the study represent 6%. One structured survey questionnaire was administered to the leaders and the other to employees, both consisting of 134 statements evaluated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The relationship between demographic data, leadership style, leaders’ personality characteristics, and leaders’ training and managerial competencies was analyzed by correlation and multivariate regression analysis. The study took place in April 2009. Leaders and employees significantly differently evaluated 13 out of 14 managerial competencies of the leaders, where leaders rated themselves higher for vision and goals, communication, conflict resolution-agreement, compromise, adjustment, motivation, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, delegation, teamwork, decision making, emotional intelligence, and human resources development. Employees rated the leaders higher for managing changes and conflict resolution-dominance and avoidance. Multivariate regression analysis showed that managerial competencies were explained by leadership style, leaders’ training, leaders’ characteristics, and type of employment in 86.1% of cases. Leaders in nursing too frequently used inappropriate leadership style. Forming a unique model for all health care institutions in the country would facilitate the evaluation of competencies and constant monitoring of leaders’ work results.