Frailty syndrome (FS) is an independent predictor of mortality in cardiovascular disease and is found in 15–74% of patients with heart failure (HF). The syndrome has a complex, multidimensional aetiology and contributes to adverse outcomes. Proper FS diagnosis and treatment determine prognosis and support the evaluation of treatment outcomes. Routine FS assessment for HF patients should be included in daily clinical practice as an important prognostic factor within a holistic process of diagnosis and treatment. Multidisciplinary team members, particularly nurses, play an important role in FS assessment in hospital and primary care settings, and in the home care environment. Raising awareness of concurrent FS in patients with HF patients and promoting targeted interventions may contribute to a decreased risk of adverse events, and a better prognosis and quality of life.

Purpose: Everyday nursing practice under demanding conditions, high mental and physical strain may result in occupational burnout. There is still a need for studies on the comprehensive identification of burnout among nursing staff. This study aimed to evaluate factors affecting occupational burnout among nurses, including job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and dispositional optimism. Methods: The study involved 625 survey participants with a mean age of 49.47 years and was conducted between January and December 2018. The inclusion criteria were job experience > 1 year, current nurse work activity, and written informed consent to participate in the study. The study used standardized research tools such as Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Life Orientation Test-Revised version (LOT-R), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Satisfaction with Job Scale (SWJS). Also, sociodemographic data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire. The STROBE guidelines were followed. Results: Emotional exhaustion (EE) was significantly greater in respondents with medium life satisfaction (SWLS). Also, EE was significantly greater in pessimists and those with a neutral orientation than in optimists (LOT-R). Housing conditions and family-related problems were significant factors differentiating depersonalization (DEP). Reduced personal accomplishment (PA) was more significant in respondents with a bachelor’s degree than in those with a master’s degree. Also, decreased PA was significantly greater in respondents with low life satisfaction than those with medium life satisfaction. Life satisfaction and life orientation were significant factors differentiating job dissatisfaction among the health-related and psychological variables. Conclusion: Burnout was found to be related to individual, interpersonal and organizational feelings. There was an interrelationship between personality traits, where a higher level of occupational burnout was found among nurses with a pessimist attitude. Health programs should be implemented to identify and eliminate burnout through mental health support, improved communication skills, optimized teamwork, and evidence-based interventions.

Background: A thorough analysis of the capability for self-care in patients with heart failure (HF) reduces the frequency of hospitalizations that are caused by decompensation. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the method of therapy for HF, the degree of the acceptance of illness, and the occurrence of frailty syndrome on adherence to the therapeutic recommendations and self-care in patients with HF. Methods: The study included 180 patients who were hospitalized after being diagnosed with HF. In all, we used the Polish versions of three validated instruments: the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale, Illness Acceptance Scale, and The Tilburg Frailty Indicator. Results: The capability for self-care of patients with HF was 27.8%. More than 65% of the patients followed the recommendations for taking medication and also followed a low-sodium diet, while only 5.5% of the patients followed the recommendations for physical exercise. Positive correlations were found between the capability for self-care and frailty syndrome and its components: general frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.4449, P=0.0000; physical frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.3974, P=0.0000; emotional frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.2831, P=0.0001; social frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.2180, P=0.0032, and a negative correlation between the capability for self-care and the degree of the acceptance of the illnesses (r=-0.4662, P=0.0000). Conclusion: A relatively low capability for self-care was found in patients with HF. The presence of frailty syndrome and a low level of the acceptance of illness are connected with a low capability for self-care.

The nursing practice refers to a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. In a situation where there is a problem of limited resources, nurses are forced to ration the patient’s care—that is, minimize and skip some tasks. The main purpose of this work was to assess the rationing level of nursing care among staff in the intensive care units. Methods: The research included 150 anaesthesiological nurses in the Silesian Region in Poland. The research was conducted from July to October 2019 using the standardized Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care (PRINCA) questionnaire on rationing nursing care, assessing the quality of patient care, and job satisfaction. The Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) standardized questionnaire was used to assess the level of fatigue of respondents in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial spheres. Results: Sociodemographic factors, such as gender, age, place of residence, education, seniority, and type of employment were not found to affect the rationing level of nursing care in the intensive care unit. The average quality of patient care was 6.05/10 points, while the average job satisfaction rating was 7.13/10 points. Analysis of the MFIS questionnaire showed that respondents experienced fatigue between “rare” and “sometimes”, and nursing staff fatigue was the main factor for rationing care. Conclusions: The higher the level of fatigue, the greater the rationing of care and the less satisfaction from work.

Purpose: Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing depression. The aim of the study was to determine the occurrence of depressive symptoms in patients with type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), including the association with different independent sociodemographic and clinical variables. Patients and Methods: The studies were carried out on 618 people, including 115 patients with T1DM and 215 patients with T2DM and 288 people without diabetes constituting two control groups. Subjects were characterized in terms of sociodemographic, clinical and biochemical aspects, and the occurrence of depressive symptoms using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was determined. In the logistic regression analysis, the correlations between BDI score and with independent variables such as sex, age, body mass index, duration of diabetes, HbA1c level, diabetic complications and mean arterial pressure were examined. Results: The mean BDI score was significantly higher in women and men with T1DM and T2DM compared to controls. In diabetic patients, depressive symptoms occurred more often in women than in men. Among patients with T1DM, the incidence of depressive symptoms was 17.5% of the women and 8.6% of the men and in patients with T2DM, the incidence of depressive symptoms was revealed in 28.9% of the women and in 19.8% of the men. In patients with T1DM and T2DM, the occurrence of depressive symptoms increases with age, HbA1c level and complications, and the risk of depressive symptoms turned out to be almost three times higher in women than in men with T2DM. Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in diabetic patients is higher than in non-diabetics. Depressive symptoms account for 13% of the patients with T1DM and 24.7% of the patients with T2DM. The risk of depressive symptoms in T1DM and T2DM increases with age, HbA1c level and the presence of complications, and it is gender-related in T2DM only.