(1) Background: Nurses are exposed to occupational stressors that may impair their well-being and quality of life. This study examined whether burnout and secondary traumatic stress mediate the relationship between perceived stress and physical and psychological quality of life. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study included 294 nurses employed at the Clinical Hospital Center Osijek, Croatia. Data were collected using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress subscales of the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5), and the physical and psychological domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. Pearson correlations and path analysis were used. (3) Results: Perceived stress showed significant negative effects on physical (β = −0.291; p < 0.001) and psychological quality of life (β = −0.217; p < 0.001), and positive effects on burnout (β = 0.230; p < 0.001) and secondary traumatic stress (β = 0.171; p = 0.002). Burnout significantly mediated both relationships, while secondary traumatic stress did not. The model explained 20.8% and 19.3% of variance in physical and psychological quality of life. (4) Conclusions: Burnout represents an important pathway linking perceived stress with poorer quality of life among nurses.

Herein we report a case of a male patient who was burned with hot oil and as a consequence developed a severe axillary contracture with limited abduction and elevation of his left arm. Due to the restriction in the range of movements, our patient reported limitations in everyday activities with decreased quality of life. For this patient we proposed a reconstructive plan that required a combination of multiple techniques of scar release and reconstruction of the defect with thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP)-based flap. One year postoperatively, we achieved a significant improvement in range of motion. We showed that TDAP flap provides a thin and pliable tissue coverage with a safe vascular supply. Furthermore, we eliminated the need for prolonged splinting which enabled early postoperative rehabilitation. To conclude, TDAP flap proved to be an ideal flap for this scenario and when used in combination with other techniques, optimal end result can be achieved.

Introduction: Sleep plays a crucial role in the recovery of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), yet it is frequently disrupted by specific environmental and clinical factors. Sleep quality influences the cognitive, emotional, and physical health of patients and is recognized as an important component of the treatment process. The aim of this study was to examine how hospitalized ICU patients perceive their sleep quality and to identify the main environmental factors that influence it. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in the ICU of the Clinical Hospital Center Osijek between February and April 2025. The study included 95 hospitalized patients. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed specifically for this research, based on available literature. Statistical analysis included both descriptive and inferential methods. Results: The strongest negative associations with sleep quality were observed for the infusion pump alarm sound (ρ = 0.753) and pain (β = 0.274; P =0.003). Diagnostic procedures (β = 0.326; P = 0.002) and blood sampling (β = 0.241; P =0.02) demonstrated weaker but still statistically significant negative associations. No significant differences in sleep quality were observed between sexes ( P =0.86), whereas the presence of malignant disease was associated with poorer sleep quality ( P =0.04). Conclusion: Sleep among ICU patients is markedly impaired, particularly due to noise, pain, and frequent nighttime interventions. Additional efforts are needed to optimize the ICU environment, educate healthcare staff, and individualize care to improve sleep quality in intensive care settings.

Cilj: Prikazati rijedak klinički entitet kasnog javljanja obostranih branhijalnih cista vrata. Branhijalne ciste najčešće su cistične tvorbe koje se javljaju na vratu. Pitanje njihovog nastanka još je uvijek otvoreno, iako se...

Background/Objectives: Nurses’ job satisfaction is influenced by organizational conditions and psychological responses to demanding work. Although perceived organizational support, organizational justice, and burnout are established correlates of nurses’ work outcomes, less is known about how distributive justice and emotional exhaustion may operate simultaneously within the association between organizational support and job satisfaction. This study examined these two theoretically distinct indirect pathways. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 157 nurses employed at General County Hospital Požega, Croatia, between November 2023 and January 2025. Perceived organizational support, distributive justice, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction were assessed using standardized questionnaires. Structural equation modeling used robust maximum likelihood estimation with full information maximum likelihood for partially missing data; indirect associations were evaluated in a separate maximum-likelihood model using 5000 bootstrap samples. Results: Greater perceived organizational support was associated with more favorable perceptions of distributive justice and lower emotional exhaustion. Greater distributive justice was associated with higher job satisfaction, whereas emotional exhaustion was associated with lower job satisfaction. The remaining direct association between organizational support and job satisfaction was not statistically significant after both pathways were included. Bootstrap analyses supported indirect associations through both distributive justice and emotional exhaustion. A sensitivity analysis showed that reversing the ordering of distributive justice and organizational support yielded identical global fit indices. Conclusions: Organizational support, perceived fairness, and emotional exhaustion appear to be closely interconnected aspects of nurses’ work experience. The findings integrate organizational and psychological perspectives and identify supportive management, fair resource allocation, and the prevention of emotional exhaustion as complementary organizational targets. Because of the cross-sectional design, the pathways should be interpreted as statistical indirect associations rather than causal mechanisms.

Introduction: Protecting patient privacy and confidentiality is a fundamental ethical and professional responsibility in healthcare and has become increasingly important in the era of digitalization. This study aimed to examine nursing students’ attitudes toward patient privacy protection and to assess differences according to sex, age, and year of study. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2024 among 176 undergraduate and graduate nursing students at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Croatia. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire developed for this study. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used for data analysis. Results: Most participants reported respecting patient privacy (97.2%), rarely or never searching for patient information on social media (88.9%), not taking photographs with patients (88.1%), not posting patient photographs on social media (96.6%), and frequently or always adhering to ethical principles (98.3%). Female participants demonstrated significantly greater respect for patient privacy (P = 0.05), communicated more frequently with patients’ family members (P = 0.04), and more often closed patients’ room doors during nursing care or medical procedures (P = 0.04). Male participants reported significantly more frequent unprofessional behaviors, including discussing patients’ diagnoses with friends (P = 0.01), accessing acquaintances’ medical records during breaks (P = 0.002), and commenting on patients’ appearance with colleagues (P = 0.02). Significant differences according to age and year of study were also observed in several privacy-related behaviors, including social media use and professional conduct. Conclusion: Nursing students demonstrated a high level of awareness regarding patient privacy and ethical responsibility. However, differences according to sex, age, and year of study suggest the need for continued education on professional ethics, digital professionalism, and responsible use of social media throughout nursing education.