Iva Brabcová

Introduction. Informal caregivers provide a substantial share of long-term care in Europe, yet they often face psychological, physical, and financial strain, particularly where formal support is limited. In the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, support remains fragmented, and caregivers frequently depend on NGOs.Aim. The study examined the needs and experiences of informal caregivers providing home care to older adults in South Bohemia, with a focus on caregiver burden and the use of available support services. The research formed part of Project No. TL03000518, aimed at developing innovative support tools for informal caregivers.Materials and methods. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in the second half of 2020 among 168 informal caregivers aged 18 years and older. Participants lived in South Bohemia and had provided care for at least three months and a minimum of eight hours per week. Recruitment was carried out through local NGOs. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed with descriptive statistics.Results. Respondents reported major gaps in access to information, legal counselling, psychological support, training, and respite care. Information was insufficient for 56% of caregivers, legal counselling for 38.1%, and psychological assistance for 32%. Only 5% reported access to caregiver training. NGOs were positively evaluated by 76% of respondents, while formal institutions were often viewed as inflexible. In total, 93% felt unrecognised and excluded from care planning, 26% had no possibility of short-term relief, and 76% had no regular assistance. Awareness of caregiver rights was also inconsistent.Conclusions. Informal caregivers in South Bohemia operate within a fragmented and under-resourced support system that increases psychological and socio-economic burden. Sustainable improvement requires legal recognition of caregivers, broader psychological and legal support, accessible training, respite services, and their formal inclusion in long-term care planning.

Kontakt is a platform for publishing contributions on the complexity of interactions between clinical and social actions in the context of health improvement.

Aim. The aim of the research was to describe the level of health literacy among seniors aged 65+ in the South Bohemian regarding depression. The study was descriptive and cross-sectional. Material and methods. The survey included 403 individuals selected by quota sampling.. The study sample is representative in terms of gender, age, and region. The interview structure was derived from the standardized questionnaire HLS-EU-Q16, supplemented by socio-demographic questions. Results. The level of health literacy among seniors was considered suffi cient for 59.9%, problematic for 24.1%, and inadequate (insufficient) for 16.1%. Seniors who were measured to have inadequate health literacy were identified to suff er from mild depression to a significantly great extent. Conclusions. Research should focus on the role of low health literacy in people suffering from depression.

Aim. The purpose of the study is to develop a deeper understanding of anaesthetic nurses’ attitudes towards patient safety in anaesthesia care. Material and methods. The study employed a classical grounded theory approach with a qualitative design developed by Corbin and Strauss, utilising open, selective, and axial coding to analyse data and generate concepts. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 14 anaesthetic nurses from hospitals in the Czech Republic. Results. Patient safety represents the primary professional and ethical priority for anaesthetic nurses. These nurses establish the conditions necessary for providing safe anaesthesia care: “Prepared nurse”, “Prepared workplace”, “Prepared/safeguarded patient”, “Collaboration in anaesthesia team”, and “Safety culture in the organisation”. Based on these findings, the theory “Anaesthetic nurses’ conditions for ensuring patient safety during anaesthesia care” was developed. Conclusions. This article summarises anaesthetic nurses’ conditions for ensuring patient safety during anaesthesia care. Our findings can assist policymakers and healthcare managers at various levels in creating favourable working and legislative conditions for safe care provided by anaesthetic nurses.

Kontakt is a platform for publishing contributions on the complexity of interactions between clinical and social actions in the context of health improvement.

Missed and unfinished nursing care in hospitals depends on the quality of human resources. This paper aims to analyze the influence of selected work characteristics on missing and incomplete nursing care in inpatient wards of Czech hospitals. The relationship between the rate of missed and unfinished nursing care and selected work characteristics was studied using the Czech version of the standardized questionnaire, the MISSCARE Survey. The study was conducted from September 26, 2021, to October 15, 2021. Controlled interviews with 1,205 nurses working in ward blocks in Czech hospitals were used. The research results showed statistically significant connections between selected work characteristics and missed and unfinished nursing care. Nurses with the highest level of education (Master, Ph.D.), nurses with specialized education, nurses with the lowest number of working hours (less than 30 hours per week), and nurses with the highest number of years of work experience (21 years and over) show a significantly lower rate of missed nursing care. Nurses from surgical departments, specialist nurses, and nurses with the highest education (Master, Ph.D.) report statistically significantly lower unfinished care levels. In contrast, nurses from regional/district hospitals, practical nurses/nursing assistants, and nurses with the lowest education (secondary school of nursing) report significantly higher unfinished nursing care levels. The information obtained can be used to improve nursing processes in the identified weak parts, strategic planning of nursing care, and sufficient personnel. AcknowledgmentsI would like to express my gratitude to co-authors and other members of the research team – Hana Hajduchová, Chloubová Ivana, Hana Kubešová, Josef Malý, Martin Doseděl, Ondřej Tesař, and Kateřina Malá-Ládová, without whose support the article could not have been published.Supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grant no. NU20-09-00257. All rights reserved.

Aim. The study aimed to identify the occurrence of medication administration errors in clinical practice. Material and methods. This was a direct observational study. The study included observing the medication administration process over three years in four hospitals in the Czech Republic. STROBE was used as a checklist. Results. A total of 18,370 medication administrations to hospitalized patients were observed and recorded, including morning, noon, and evening administrations. The most common MAE was substituting a prescribed medication without the doctor’s consent, especially among nurses aged 35-44 (p < 0.001). These MAEs involved giving a medication of diff erent strength than prescribed (p < 0.001), giving the wrong medication (p < 0.001), and giving a diff erent dose (p < 0.001). Substitutions of MAEs occurred most often during morning medication administration (p < 0.001). Conclusions. A critical fi nding of this study was the substitution of medications without a doctor’s consent. It has been found that MAEs were not uncommon in clinical practice, and factors such as the nurse’s age, overall length of clinical practice, education, and workplace interruptions played a role.

Introduction: The multifaceted benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and infants include enhanced neurodevelopment and immune function in preterm infants. However, more research is needed to understand the unique factors affecting breastfeeding practices in preterm infants. This study aimed to...