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Introduction: Sarcopenia is a severe condition affecting muscle mass, strength, and/or muscle function. It is influenced by various risk factors, including malnutrition. The consequences of this condition are significant and can limit a patient's independence in daily activities. Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between malnutrition, sarcopenia, and functional independence. Methods: Malnutrition was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale, functional independence was measured using the Barthel Index (BI) questionnaire, and sarcopenia was diagnosed using recommended methods, including the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Results: The study included 68 patients with an average age of 76 years (min. 65, max. 93). The sample consisted of 24 men (35.3%), including 5 men diagnosed with sarcopenia, and 44 women (64.7%), including 16 women diagnosed with sarcopenia. Among patients with sarcopenia, a significant correlation was found between patients' age and individual MNA (rSp = -0.2236), SPPB (rSp = -0.2236) and BI (rSp = -0.6324) test scores. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was observed in patients with sarcopenia between the SPPB and MNA tests (p = 0.00005) and the SPPB and BI tests (p = 0.00006). Conclusion: Sarcopenia has a multifactorial origin, not solely related to patients' age. Our study showed a higher prevalence of sarcopenia in women and demonstrated a significant mutual influence between malnutrition, sarcopenia, and functional independence. Timely diagnosis and targeted intervention are crucial in managing this condition.

The aim of this study is to point to the concept of the c-coping style of oncological patients, towards whom the attention has been shifted in the research sphere in the last few years. The preferences in coping strategies of oncological patients were identified and compared to the respondents who did not suffer from this serious disease. The result of the statistical comparison within the research group shows the differences in selected coping strategies, as well as differences in personal characteristics. The results of this study point to the fact that respondents diagnosed with oncological disease prefer, on the larger scale, selected coping strategies, which are generally considered to be more effective (Minimization, Distraction, Substitute gratification, Reaction control). At the same time, however, they possess the dimension of personal characteristics, through which the feelings of insecurity, hopelessness, and so on, can be defined. (Restlessness and Resilience dimension). Respondents diagnosed with oncological disease are also dominated by the need for social support and assistance strategy. On the other hand, respondents who have not been diagnosed with an oncological disease often show much higher intensity of the personal attribute called "Openness".
The authors respect the importance of using gender-sensitive language. For the purpose of clarity of the paper they are using the non-specific gender terms of patient or respondent, referring to both genders.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is generally associated with menopause. Scientific research has shown the existence of several factors involved in decreasing bone density in post-menopausal women. Goal: The aim of the review study is to map in detail the prevalence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in the context of postmenopausal age, postmenopausal duration, women's BMI and selected behavioural factors. Methods: Relevant sources were selected in 2020 using search services and sources in electronic databases (PubMed, BioMed Central, Web of Science). The analytical review was performed using PRISMA and PICO tools. Results and discussion: In analysing the available studies, we found that the most frequently observed significant findings showed a relationship between the prevalence of osteoporosis and age at menopause and the prevalence of osteoporosis and advancing age in postmenopause. Opinions differ on the influence of BMI as a protective or risk factor. Some behavioural factors that are preventable can have a significant effect on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. The results of several studies suggest an association between the prevalence of osteoporosis and smoking and alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Menopause is a critical period for bone health. The incidence of osteoporosis increases with increasing age of postmenopausal women. As part of prevention, it is recommended to have a suitable type of diet, exposure to sunlight, regular exercise and to stop smoking and drinking alcohol.

Introduction: There are few studies on the association between insomnia and categories of psychological well-being among nurses in clinical settings. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the effect of insomnia and shift working on psychological well-being among nurses in public hospitals. Methods: A total of 107 nurses (20-44 years old) were included using a non-random technique. The nurses were selected from four public hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2019. Results: The mean age of the nurses was 29.94 (20-44 years). They had diploma (48.6%) and bachelor's degrees (51.4%), worked morning (36.4%), evening (19.6%), and night shifts (14.0%), and some (29.9%) were shift rotators. Most nurses worked in the public sector (56.1%) or both sectors (43.9%). The mean sleep score of the nurses was 10.68 out of a total of 24. The prevalence of insomnia among nurses was 80.4%. The mean value of general psychological well-being was 26.64 out of a total 36. Working morning shifts and having a high level of insomnia were predictors of worse psychological well-being. Nurses who worked in the morning or as shift rotators were more likely to feel unable to overcome difficulties. They were also less likely to enjoy normal day-to-day activities, less likely to feel reasonably happy, and more likely to lose confidence in their lives. The level of facing up to one's problems increased according to the severity of insomnia. Conclusions: The study showed that nurses with insomnia had worse psychological well-being than nurses without insomnia in public hospitals.

The contribution indicates theoretical and methodological possibilities of managing the quality of life of elderly people, particularly quality of life associated with their health. The author of the contribution indicates the importance of accepting the autonomy (independence) of elderly man in the measurement and assessment of the life quality.

In the present contribution, the authors indicate a problem, which occurred in association with the assessment of the quality of life of members of the Romany minority in Slovakia. The concept of the quality of life and its measurement is universal, primarily established and employed by majority societies - mostly or possibly exclusively by societies of so called Euro-American type. In the course of forming the concept of the quality of life in the discursion of nursing and in association with the target group, a question emerged, which became as important as the primary research intention. Is it possible to implement this universal approach given the social and cultural differences in Romany people? The use of universal measuring tools is, in spite of many advantages (psychometric characteristics, standardized questionnaires), not complex for the explanation of the quality of life of specific groups and the method should be supplemented.
Target: A comparative analysis of the concepts of the quality of life with taking into account cultural specificity and searching for methodological possibilities of their use in nursing for a particular target group - Romany minority in Slovakia.
Methods: The authors identified literature sources giving themes of the quality of life from the viewpoints of nursing, related humanitarian disciplines and cultural specificity. By a contents and comparative analysis they attempted to outline methodological possibilities and their use for a particular target group - Romany ethnic group in Slovakia. They are pointing out different epistemic starting points in the research of the Romany minority compared with the majority, such as mixing of ethnic specific features with the culture of poverty, problem of a representative research sample, need of subjective declaration of the identity, specific features of social bonds, language, communication and other differences, which should also be reflected in the methodical approach. In the present contribution, the authors outline the concept of the quality of life, which respects the widest methodological framework of nursing represented by the integral approach on the one hand and also taking into account specific features of the Romany minority on the other.
Conclusion: Optimum approaches to establishing the level of the quality of life in the Romany population are those directly resulting from the nature of the construct (analysis of life conditions, activities, relationships and targets and their subjective evaluation by subjects providing the information) and characteristics of the target group. Research strategy and methods are conclusively identified in agreement with the findings mentioned (WHO questionnaires supplemented by ethnographic interview and objective observation in natural environment).

The scope of the present contribution is extraordinarily topical in terms of currently preferred social problems in the field of the social work and social services. It brings topical information and evaluation of activities of the givers of services and seniors living in institutional conditions. The authors point out reserves present in the given field and simultaneously offer proposals of solutions for subjects of the social work, i.e. effective formation of the political strategy and projects, active cooperation in social security, etc.
The target of the research presented by the authors was mapping of the situation in granting the health and social care, identification of parameters of the quality of life in selected institutions, and monitoring of subject information level about possibilities within the network of social services and also role of social professionals. The research tool was a non-standardized questionnaire compiled for these specific purposes, presented to intentionally chosen clients addressed by an institution providing the health-social services.
Given the data accumulated by the research, it is possible to consider that the variables examined included lack of information and also drawbacks in providing social services - they do not adhere to assumptions and expectations, or certain types of supportive and respiting services for chronically diseased people and for their families are missing. The authors assume that increase in the quality and extension of the network of social and supportive services with simultaneous enhancement of the prestige of the social work and position of social professionals in healthcare facilities could considerably improve the quality of life and establish improved conditions for citizens suffering from chronic diseases.

In clinical practice for diagnosis of anxiety it is very useful to know various predictors which increase the risk of preoperative anxiety in patients. The aim of the study is to identify which predictors (gender, age, type of surgery, type of anaesthesia, previous experience with surgery, time before surgery, and medical diagnosis) are significant predictors of preoperative anxiety.
A total of 278 respondents with medical diagnoses requiring abdominal surgery, aged between 18 and 86 years (AM = 46.04; SD = 16.5) participated in the study. To assess anxiety in the patients we used the scale Anxiety Level-12 which was designed by modification of the measurement tool Anxiety Level from the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) and had been validated in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. Anxiety assessment in the patients was carried out before their surgeries in various times (AM = 8 h; SD = 5; Mdn = 6.50). The research was approved by the Ethics Committee. The software SPSS 22.0, multiple linear regression analysis, was used for the statistical data analysis.
Gender, type of surgery, type of anaesthesia, and time before surgery are significant predictors of preoperative anxiety; previous experience with surgery, age, and medical diagnosis are non-significant predictors.
Knowing the predictors of preoperative anxiety would help nurses identify at-risk patients, thus early implement effective intervention strategies to reduce it and ensure smooth surgery and postoperative period.

Introduction: Anti-vaccination campaigns have been broadened with a strong negative impact on the parental refusal of vaccination despite of the fact that fatal diseases had been greatly reduced thanks to mandatory vaccination programmes valid in Slovakia. Methods: We used the questionnaire implemented by the Slovak public health institution to collect meaningful data, analysing the attitudes of 875 mothers of two-years old kids towards vaccination and the impacts of their emotional beliefs on decision-making. Results: The results showed the correlation between attitudes to vaccination and variables such as age (p = 0.136), parenting (p = 0.037), regional district (p = 0.326), emotional backgrounds (p = 0.043) and life experiences (p = 0.015). The emotions have a significant impact on decision-making about vaccination in the first step and on the rational conclusion to get a child vaccinated (p = 0.025). Discussion: In the sample of 875 women, the refusal of vaccination was found to reflect multiple factors, including family background, perceptions about healthy lifestyle and aspects of the natural immune system of children, awareness of risks of the diseases; perceived disadvantages of vaccines; its adverse effects compared to the efficacy, and negative experience with vaccination in the family or social environment in relation to the emotional effects. Conclusions: Most of the parents call for non-mandatory vaccination and they are convinced that vaccination should be at everyone's free choice. On the other hand it can bring great chaos to the vaccination system, break preventive strategies and collective immunity, and may spread many old and new serious diseases into the population.

Aim: Identification of hypertension factors among elderly people is expected to form appropriate nursing interventions to improve the self-efficacy of patients by modifying factors affecting the blood pressure of elderly people with hypertension. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of hypertension and predictive factors of self-efficacy among elderly people with hypertension in institution-based rehabilitation (IBR) in Indonesia. Methods: An IBR cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 64 elderly people selected through random sampling. Research data were collected using a structured questionnaire and standard protocol, employing a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure. The data were then analysed using descriptive and comparative statistics, as well as multivariate linear regression analyses. Results: The prevalence of systolic and diastolic hypertension among elderly people who lived in the IBR were 31.30% and 45.30%, respectively. The predictors of self-efficacy of the elderly with regard to systolic hypertension were spiritual activity, length of stay, education, the occupation of the elderly before entering the rehabilitation, and dementia; while daily activities, risk of falling, pain, and depression anxiety and stress become significant predictors of self-efficacy in elderly people with diastolic hypertension. Conclusion: This study provides new evidence that signifies the current burden of hypertension and the critical factors of self-efficacy for uncontrolled hypertension among the elderly in the IBR. The study suggests that health-promotion programs should be developed to modify factors of hypertension among elders of IBR in Indonesia.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the scientific findings available on the prevalence of musculoskeletal lower back pain among nursing professionals in an inpatient direct care setting. This literature review is baseline research for further analysis on cross-cultural comparisons of the prevalence of lower back pain among nursing professionals in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Methods: Rapid literature review - selected keywords according to PICO, using Boolean Allies, were searched in scientific electronic databases (MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, CINAHL). Results: A total of 370 scientific sources were found. After being analysed, 15 sources were subjected to a critical analysis and a total of 8 studies that met the study criteria were selected for the final analysis. Conclusions: The literature review confirmed that despite 21st century modern technology the prevalence of lower back pain in nursing professionals remains a very serious problem among the examined population of nurses. Studies have shown that the implementation of effective preventive measures of occupational safety is not standardized nor widely implemented in the health care industry around the world. The results of the literature review showed that the nurses' working conditions, lack of awareness of occupational risks, and low emphasis on prevention and safe manual handling education may affect the occurrence of musculoskeletal lower back pain in nurses. Chronic musculoskeletal lower back pain in nursing personnel can lead to frequent absences from work, leaving the profession, and early retirement - which in some regions may worsen the nursing shortage.

Introduction: Hand hygiene is considered one of the most important and effective measures for infection prevention and control. It also plays a vital role in reducing healthcare-associated/acquired infections. The main goal is to assess hand hygiene compliance - with a special focus on using gloves when providing care in inpatient settings. Methods: A cross-sectional survey on compliance with hand hygiene was conducted in health care facilities in the Czech Republic in 2018 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were from 80 inpatient health care providers in the Czech Republic. Responses were scored on a 6-level scale, from "always" (100 points) to "never" (0 points). Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22. Results: The questionnaire was filled in by 2,049 health care personnel from 80 inpatient health care facilities in the Czech Republic. Respondents were further divided according to the medical specialty. Respondents worked in the field of internal medicine (43%), surgical fields (28%), psychiatry (14%), long-term care facilities (9%), and other non-classified fields (6%). Conclusions: The presented study verified the good level of declared compliance with hygiene standards in inpatient healthcare providers in the Czech Republic. Significant differences were found between the observed hand hygiene measures established in the Czech Republic and international best practices based on a high scientific evidence level. An appropriate measure would be to establish national clinical best practices based on convincing scientific evidence at the national level.

Nursing is a profession that entails a high risk of burnout, so effective organizational management is needed to reduce its occurrence. This study aims to investigate the moderating effects of Nurse Manager caring behaviors and work environment in burnout syndrome among nurses. This study design uses exploratory descriptions with a cross-sectional approach and considers a sample of 485 nurses in the medical surgical wards at three general hospitals in East Java Province, Indonesia. Data collection was performed using three separate questionnaires: The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) to identify burnout syndrome among nurses, Caring Assessment Tool: Administration (CAT: Admn) to identify caring behaviors in nurse managers, and My Relationship with Work test (MRW) to identify work environments. The data was analyzed using Partial Least Square analysis. Nurse manager caring behaviors have a direct effect on personal accomplishment among nurses. The caring behaviors of nurse managers influence control, workload, community, fairness, reward and value. Caring behaviors from nurse managers also affect emotional exhaustion and depersonalization through the mediation of rewards, controls and workload.

Currently, India is among the countries with the largest youth population with 65% of the people aged below 35 years. These youths engage themselves in a multitude of things which generation-x was not aware. Their daily routine, study habits, entertainment, computer knowledge, and financial affairs are different from that of earlier generations. There is a need to study their financial situation and saving habit as their approach towards enjoyment, recreation, and lifestyle are influenced by factors like social media and popular culture. This study aims to find the mediation effect of financial literacy and self-control on the relationship between social influence and saving behaviour of undergraduate (UG) students, who are freelancing while pursuing their studies. The study obtained 357 responses to questionnaires through purposive sampling method. The study adopted causal mediation research design and employed mediation analysis to find the direct, indirect, and total effects of the relationship between social influence and saving behaviour among freelancing UG students. The results of the study revealed a partial mediation effect, indicating that the social influence not only had a direct impact on the saving behaviour of UG students in India, but also mediated it through financial literacy and self-control. Further research could focus on understanding students' knowledge of digital-financial management, as digitisation of the financial sector is rapidly expanding.

The requirements for the dignity of dying and good conditions of the death always inseparably include the quality of taking the care and evaluating and experiencing the end of the life by the patient. In spite of this, many patients are provided neither with specialized care nor with general palliative care at the end of their life. There are evidences suggesting that these patients encounter many unmet needs considerably reducing the quality of their life. The authors particularly point out the problem of lacking solutions to needs of patients at the terminal stage of their disease, very old fragile patients, or patients with dementia, due to the fact that the palliative treatment of non-cancer diseases is not very popular in the international context. Patients with the final stage of their chronic disease typically die in hospitals, their needs being frequently ignored. The target of the reviewing study presented here was to determine what psychosocial needs were found in oncological and nononcological patients and what tools are being most frequently employed for the measurement of psychosocial needs in patients at the terminal stage of their diseases. McIllmurray et al. (2003) consider six categories of psychosocial needs as follows: needs associated with the work of healthcare professionals, the need for information, the need for support, the need for finding their own intensity and emotional needs, spiritual needs, and practical needs, which are furthermore discussed in the work. Based on an analysis of research works carried out, it was found that in the field of psychosocial needs, the patients experiencing the palliative treatment feel a particular importance of relationships between them, the team of care providers and the family. In abroad, standardized questionnaires, as for example the NEQ (Needs Evaluation Questionnaire) or PNI (Psychosocial Need Inventory), are used in the measurement of psychosocial needs of patients submitted to the palliative treatment. Establishing the psychotherapeutic relationship with the patient based on the trust, having respect one for another, open communication and supporting the independence, should become an important element of taking care of patients at the terminal stage of their disease. Support of relationships between the patients and their families is also an integral component of this issue.

The study, Nursing care in patients after the surgical treatment of head and neck cancer, was conducted in the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in Pardubice in years 2009-2011. The group of 63 patients, who underwent surgical treatment, was included. Subjective evaluation of Redon's drainage, a number of drains, time of drainage duration and complications of healing in early post operative period were recorded. The mentioned period is crucial for early uncover of postoperative complications and moreover is significantly perceived by the patient. The wound healing is also influenced by administration of antibiotics, aseptic approach, suitable nursing care and the indispensable wound drainage. The Redon's drains meet high medical standards. However, the patients often experience negative emotions, due to uncomfortable conditions. The patients included in the research study were monitored during the whole period of their hospitalization, when both their health and mental condition were checked. There were many factors examined during the research. Since we had the opportunity to try a new method to measure the vacuum using special sensors, we also focused on the evaluation of the vacuum and its part in the possibility of occurrence of complications. That is why the article especially aims at presenting results related to the Redon's drainage.

Alzheimer's disease is currently a serious social problem because by prolonging human life, this type of dementia appears more and more often. In many cases, patients with Alzheimer's disease are treated by family members who provide 24 h continuous care to a relative. The aim of the qualitative research, which we report in the scientific study, was to describe the stressors in caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, to map the main areas of burden on caregivers, and to identify the emotions that the caregivers/research participants described most frequently. The research was carried out using the focus group method and it was conducted in specialized social counselling in Krompachy. The stress determinants were identified as: the inability of an individual with Alzheimer's to perceive reality understand the spoken word, the possibility of homelessness, and that an individual with Alzheimer's disease often shows signs of impulsivity and irritability. The impact of caring for an individual with Alzheimer's disease creates an emotional, physical and financial burden on the caregiver, but caregivers also describe strong feelings of loneliness. The most strikingly described emotions presented by the participants were anger and sadness. This anger arose from the feeling of real impotence in terms of contributing to the improvement of the health of a relative, and that caregivers lived in constant fear of possible complications in providing daily care. In the context of the research, we also found an interesting finding regarding the emotional survival of caregivers in the paradigm of the loss of positive memories of a family member before the onset of the disease. Loss of positive memories triggered acute sadness in participants and was identified by most participants.

Although more and more people are searching for health information online, internet users often do not consult the information obtained with their doctor. In particular, users with low health literacy do not consider the quality of the information they receive, which poses considerable risks to their health. The aim of the online survey was to find out where internet users look for answers to health issues first, whether they are looking for help with an acute or chronic illness, or whether they are educating themselves on health issues. The follow-up survey focused on the quality of health information available on the Internet.
An online survey found that 68% of 1013 respondents preferred the Internet as their first choice for answering questions on health issues. 45% of respondents then sought help with acute problems, and only 29% answered that they were using the websites to educate themselves. The most frequently viewed topics were fatigue and swelling of the legs. A follow-up survey, focused on the quality of online health-related information, found that the range and quality of the information provided online were different. There was a lack of information about prevention options, incorrect or disputable information was reported on some sites, the author of the post could not always be traced, and in most cases no sources were reported. It was not possible to evaluate how current the provided information was, and none of the sites were accredited by a third party. Unexplained technical terms were found on half of the evaluated websites.
To increase the low health literacy of the population of the Czech Republic, it is necessary to cultivate the especially public popular educational sites, and to make available the criteria for assessing the quality of published information to the general public and web-makers.

Purpose: COVID-19 has caused a shift toward consumer-facing technology such as mobile health (mHealth) applications. However, most mHealth apps do not use accessible language. Standardized terminologies have potential to solve this problem but have not been simplified for consumer use. Methods: We used a standardized health terminology, the Omaha System, as the framework to develop the Simplified Omaha System Terms (SOST) for use within a mHealth application, MyStrengths + MyHealth. Plain language principles informed the SOST development in three phases, a community-validation focus group enabled feedback from diverse end-users, a readability assessment provide validation to the desired goal readability level. Results: The community-validation members (n = 19) ages ranged from 22 to 74; 51% male, 84% people of color, and 21% college educated. The reading level of the final SOST averaged 3.86 on the Coleman-Liau Index (fourth grade). A case study showed meaningful whole-person health data were generated in a community-led study during COVID-19. Conclusions: Community validation and readability assessment demonstrated accessible language for a clinical terminology. The SOST was deployed successfully in MyStrengths + My Health and in a community-led study. The Omaha System as a framework for the SOST may enable the data to be integrated with clinical datasets. Future research should focus on validation of SOST in additional languages and integration within electronic health platforms.

Introduction: Nurses and midwives play an important role in society and are essential for each human being. In Slovakia, nurses and midwives constitute the most significant group of employees in the health care institutions. Methods: The data regarding the number of nurses and midwives in Slovakia were collected from 2000 to 2019. Chain indexes and/or fixed-base indexes were used to follow the changes of the nursing workforce. The ageing of nurses and midwives was determined by mean age and age structure. Correlation analysis was selected to detect the association between the living standard and number of nursing workforce per 1,000 people in the EU. Results: The total number of nurses and midwives in Slovakia decreased from 40,380 in 2000 to 33,041 in 2019. This decline of the nursing workforce by 18.2% is a negative signal for the Slovak health care system. Ageing of the nursing workforce is the second negative sign for health system in Slovakia. The age structure of nurses and midwives has changed significantly. The number of nurses over 60 years of age was more than 13 times higher in 2019 compared to the year 2000. The changed age structure resulted in an increase of the mean age of the nursing workforce. The mean age of nurses increased from 37.2 in 2000 to 46.9 in 2019. In the case of midwives, the average age increased from 40.9 to 47.4. Conclusions: The decrease of the nursing workforce along with the ageing of nurses and midwives could result in a nursing shortage in Slovakia. To stop this trend towards a nursing shortage, the Slovak government should more actively solve the problem of renumeration, create a better work environment for the nursing workforce, and promote the importance and status of nurses and midwives in Slovakia.