Edyta Cudak-Kasprzak

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major public health concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where limited resources, workforce shortages, and infrastructure constraints hinder...

Hand hygiene is a key measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), yet compliance remains low in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to limited resources, insufficient training, and behavioral challenges. Simulation-based education offers a promising approach to enhance technical and non-technical skills in safe learning environments, promoting behavioral change and patient safety. This study aimed to develop and pilot a contextually adapted hand hygiene simulation-based learning scenario for nursing students in SSA. Grounded in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Framework and Design-Based Research principles, a multidisciplinary team from European and African higher education institutions (HEIs) co-created this scenario, integrating international and regional hand hygiene guidelines. Two iterative pilot cycles were conducted with expert panels, educators, and students. Data from structured observation and post-simulation questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results confirm the scenario’s feasibility, relevance, and educational value. The participants rated highly the clarity of learning objectives (M = 5.0, SD = 0.0) and preparatory materials (M = 4.6, SD = 0.548), reporting increased knowledge/skills and confidence and emphasizing the importance of clear roles, structured facilitation, and real-time feedback. These findings suggest that integrating simulation in health curricula could strengthen HAI prevention and control in SSA. Further research is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes and the potential for wider implementation.

Rapid Response Team (RRT) is an interdisciplinary team which aims to improve the quality of care and patient safety. It consists of nurses, paramedics, doctors, and other specialists. Its goal is to identify the cause of patient’s deteriorating condition, as well as to stop and reverse this process. RRTs function effectively in many healthcare systems worldwide. Aim The objective of the study was to demonstrate the significance/advantages of RRT’s interventions in optimizing patient care and improving early treatment outcomes. Materials and Methods The study involved statistics from 2022 provided by one of the RRTs. Calculations were made using Statistica 13 (from TIBCO) and PQStat (from PQStat Software). The significance level was set at α=0.05 and the result was considered statistically significant if p<α. Results In total, 966 interventions were analyzed. The collected data included: age, sex, place, cause of intervention, response time, and intervention outcome. The intervention outcome was affected by response time. It is of note, however, that a longer response time did not result in an increase in mortality. The outcome was also dependent on the cause of intervention. Response time showed a significant impact on the duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and its effectiveness. Conclusions 21.9 % of all interventions involved sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In other cases, medical professionals were able to detect patient deterioration and to prevent SCA. As a consequence of these interventions, only 121 out of 967 cases resulted in the patient’s death. The findings demonstrate that CPR is more effective when intervention time is shorter. This confirms the significance of RRTs in hospitals.

The presence of a central venous catheter (CVC) leads to a high risk of blood infections, which are considered major causes of morbidity, mortality and high medical costs. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of nursing staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) regarding the prevention of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). A nationwide survey was conducted among ICU nurses from August 2016 to April 2017. A modified Polish version of the questionnaire developed by Labeau et al. was used to assess the nurses’ knowledge. Of the 750 questionnaires distributed, 468 were returned. Women accounted for 95.73% of all respondents, and over 80% were university educated. Most of the nurses surveyed (85.9%) had previously received training in CVC guidelines, and thus over 82% rated their knowledge as good or very good. The guidelines introduced in hospitals were the main declared sources of information. In addition, more than half (68%) of respondents also knew the international guidelines. The knowledge of nursing staff in the study area is not sufficient. Studies show that the guidelines for the prevention of CLABSIs in ICUs should be standardized, and continuous training of personnel in this field should be provided.

Introduction: The paper presents the methods of cultural adaptation of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale (NSNS) to the conditions in Polish hospitals. Material and methods : The process of cultural adaptation of the research tool took into consideration an analysis of different...

The cost of nursing in a modern hospital can take up to 50% of the total budget. Therefore, it is very important to use objective tools for assessment of the nursing workload and adjust staff requirements accordingly. The purpose of the study was to evaluate nursing workload using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) in intensive care units. This prospective analysis of nursing care of 314 adult patients was performed simultaneously in five intensive care units in Poland. NAS was used for the evaluation of nursing workload and the APACHE II score was used for assessment of the severity of cases. The APACHE score was calculated during the first 24 hours of ICU stay, while the NAS was recorded over an entire stay. The average age of the patients was 58.4 +/- 16.6 years. The length of stay was 8.7 +/- 11.4 days. The distribution between surgical (56%) and non-surgical cases (44%) was almost equal. Mortality was 21%. The median APACHE II score was 20 (1-42) and the NAS score 84.4%. There was no correlation between patients' clinical condition and nursing workload (p > 0.05), and the workload in surgical and non-surgical patients. The NAS score correlated well with the length of stay (p < 0.05). The study showed that ICU nurses spend 84.4% of their working time by the patient's bed. The optimal ICU nurse: patient ratio was estimated to be 1:1.2.