Development and preliminary validation of a questionnaire to measure satisfaction with home care in Greece: an exploratory factor analysis of polychoric correlations

Psychometric Results of a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Uveal Melanoma Post-Brachytherapy Treatment: The PROM-UM

The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new patient-reported outcome instrument intended for use with patients who have undergone brachytherapy for uveal melanoma (PROM-UM). Classical test theory and item response theory were used to evaluate the performance of individual items and domains. A convenience sample of 439 participants who had undergone brachytherapy for uveal melanoma from one of three North American ocular oncology treatment centers were included in this cross-sectional study. Exploratory factor analysis identified three domains which were labelled "Symptom Impairment", "Worry", and "Discomfort". The acceptability of the instrument was supported by little missing data (range = 0.00-1.14%) and low maximum endorsement (range = 0.00-1.82%). Item-total (range = 0.68-0.85) and inter-item (range = 0.74-0.80) correlations indicated acceptable reliability. Discrimination and difficulty were assessed using item response theory. Items in all three domains indicated moderate to very high discrimination (range = 1.00-4.10). Two items in the Symptom Impairment domain were too difficult to measure. Response ranges in the other two domains demonstrated acceptable difficulty. These results from the study indicate that this new patient-reported outcome instrument can be used with patients treated with brachytherapy for uveal melanoma. Providers could use this instrument to help inform post-treatment management.

Trend of risk and correlates of under-five child undernutrition in Bangladesh: an analysis based on Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data, 2007-2017/2018

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are to identify the trend of undernutrition risk among under-five children (U5C) in Bangladesh and the trend of its correlates.

DESIGN

Multiple cross-sectional data sets from different time points were used.

SETTING

Nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHSs) were conducted in 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017/2018.

PARTICIPANTS

In the BDHSs, the sample sizes for ever-married women (age: 15-49 years) were 5300 in 2007, 7647 in 2011, 6965 in 2014 and 7902 in 2017/2018.

OUTCOMES

Extant indicators of undernutrition (stunted, wasted and underweight) have been considered as the outcome variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and factor loadings from factor analysis have been used to determine the prevalence of undernutrition over the years and find the trend of risk and its correlates.

RESULTS

Risks of stunting among the U5C were 41.70%, 40.67%, 36.57% and 31.14%; that of wasting were 16.94%, 15.48%, 14.43% and 8.44%; and that of underweight were 39.79%, 35.80%, 32.45% and 22.46% in 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017/2018, respectively. From the factor analysis, it has been found that the top five potential correlates of undernutrition are the wealth index, the education of the father and mother, the frequency of antenatal visits during pregnancy, the father's occupation and/or the type of place of residence in the last four consecutive surveys.

CONCLUSION

This study helps us gain a better understanding of the impact of the top correlates on child undernutrition. To accelerate the reduction of child undernutrition more by 2030, Government and non-government organisations should focus on improving education and household income-generating activities among poor households and raising awareness among women about the importance of receiving antenatal care during pregnancy.

Sleep-related attentional bias: Development and validation of a Chinese version of the brief sleep-associated monitoring index in pregnant women

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the brief Sleep-Associated Monitoring Index (SAMI-B), and examine its psychometric properties among pregnant women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study conveniently recruited 665 pregnant women from two tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China; 110 completed a retest survey within two or three weeks after completing the baseline questionnaires. The scale was developed following established guidelines. Participants completed the SAMI-B, SAMI, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. Psychometric evaluation included reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability) and validity (construct, item and concurrent validity; and diagnostic accuracy).

RESULTS

The Chinese SAMI-B demonstrated uni-dimensionality construct, appropriate item fit and functioning; acceptable internal consistency (McDonald's ω = 0.917) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.736). It was significantly correlated with the SAMI (correlation coefficient = 0.765，P < 0.001) and other sleep-related measurements (correlation coefficients = 0.412-0.638, P_s < 0.001). The SAMI-B displayed a comparable area under the curve (0.739, 95% CI: 0.703-0.772) with the SAMI in detecting insomnia symptoms. The optimal cutoff point (18) presented a sensitivity of 0.765 and a specificity of 0.615 in distinguishing individuals with and without insomnia symptoms. After controlling for general information, the differences in the SAMI-B scores between those with or without insomnia symptoms remained significant (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.12-1.20).

CONCLUSION

The SAMI-B may be an effective alternative for clinicians and researchers to screen or track vulnerable individuals for prenatal insomnia symptoms.

What constitutes a quality community aged care service-client perspectives: An international scoping study

Overwhelmingly, older Australians (people aged 65 years and older or 50 years and older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) prefer to remain living in their own home rather than moving into residential care. To enable older Australians who require assistance to remain living at home, the Federal Government provides a wide range of community care services, the provision of which has increased substantially over the last 15 years. The importance of client preferences, prefaced by the introduction of consumer directed care across community aged care services, has gathered momentum in Australia following legislation in 2015. Older peoples' preferences differ in comparison to younger people with disability and those with mental health concerns. Older people focus more on the provision of services rather than the notion of independent living itself. This scoping review aimed to explore what aspects people aged 65 years and older consider to be important qualities of aged care services delivered in the community. A computerised search in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed and PsychINFO and hand searches of the Cochrane database and Google Scholar were completed in May 2022. Sixty-two articles met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Data were extracted using a fit-for-purpose protocol and analysed using the Miles and Huberman Model for thematic analysis. Results identified five themes representing quality domains that describe features that are important to clients: staff knowledge, respect for clients, a person-centred approach, a collaborative partnership with clients and clear communication. When providers of community aged care services are planning to assess the quality of their services, these findings could be used to guide their evaluation. This will ensure that future services delivered accommodate the needs and preferences of clients who receive them.

Social capital and alcohol risks among older adults (50 years and over): analysis from the Drink Wise Age Well Survey

Although there has been significant research on the relationship between alcohol consumption and demographic and psychological influences, this does not consider the effect of social influence among older drinkers and if these effects differ between men and women. One aspect of social influence is social capital. The aim of this paper is to examine whether relational and cognitive social capital are associated with higher or lower risk of alcohol use among adults aged 50 years or older and to assess the extent to which this relationship differs between men and women. To investigate this, data were collected from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of adults over the age of 50 in the United Kingdom who were recruited from general practitioners. The sample consisted of 9,984 individuals whose mean age was 63.87 years. From these data, we developed proxy measures of social capital and associate these with the respondent's level of alcohol consumption as measured on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-10) scale. In the sample, just over 20 per cent reported an increasing risk or dependency on alcohol. Using two expressions of social capital – relational (social relationships) and cognitive (knowledge acquisition and understanding) – we found that greater levels of both are associated with a reduced risk of higher drinking risk. Being female had no significant effect when combined with relational capital but did have a significant effect when combined with cognitive capital. It is argued that interventions to enhance social relations among older people and education to help understand alcohol risks would be helpful to protect older people from the damaging effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Health professional's job satisfaction and its determinants in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Health professional’s job satisfaction is directly related to patient satisfaction and quality of care. Without satisfied health professionals the health system is not functional, and the national and global health related plans are not achieved. However, little is known on the level of health professional’s job satisfaction in sub Saharan African countries including Ethiopia. In addition, in Ethiopia there is no summarized evidence helped us an input to design strategies. Therefore, we aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of health professional’s job satisfaction and its determinants in Ethiopia.

Methods

Articles were searched from PubMed, PsycINFO, Hinari, Science Direct, web of science and African journal of online (AJOL) databases, Google and Google scholar. A standardized Microsoft excel spread sheet and STATA software version 16 were used for data extraction and analysis respectively. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis to write this report. A random effect meta-analysis model was used to determine the pooled prevalence of job satisfaction. I² was done to check heterogeneity. Egger’s test and funnel plot were conducted to detect publication bias. Subgroup analysis was also conducted. Association was expressed through pooled odd ratio with a 95% CI.

Result

In this review and meta-analysis, a total of 29 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of health professional’s job satisfaction was 46.17% [95% CI (43.08, 49.26)]. The heterogeneity and publication bias test results were I² = 87.3%, P <  0.001 and Eggers’, P = 0.16. Female sex; OR: 2.20 [95% CI (1.63, 2.97)], working environment; OR: 9.50 [95% CI (6.25, 14.44)], opportunity for professional growth and development; OR: 5.53 [95% CI (1.56, 19.56)], staff relationship; OR: 3.89 [95% CI (1.65, 9.17)] and supportive supervision; OR: 5.32 [95% CI (1.77, 15.92)] were associated with health professional’s job satisfaction.

Conclusion

More than half of professionals were dissatisfied with their jobs. Therefore, the ministry of health and stakeholders better to design strategies to increase the level of satisfaction. Furthermore, it is better to strengthen staff relationship and making the working environment more attractive and equipped.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13690-021-00664-7.

Effect of continual quality improvement of palliative care consultation teams by iterative, customer satisfaction survey-driven evaluation

Background

Current consensus recognizes the benefits of early intervention in palliative care consultation teams (PCCTs). As consultants, we should now attempt to improve the quality of our teams by utilizing a method mainly used in the business field. We aimed to investigate the effects of iterative evaluation of customer satisfaction surveys, filled by physicians and ward nurses in this study, for quality improvement of PCCTs.

Methods

In October 2019, the participants filled the first questionnaire survey about palliative care and PCCTs at a 678-bed hospital, and improvement areas were uncovered. Refinements were planned and implemented, and then reevaluated using the second questionnaire survey in March 2020.

Results

In addition to the characteristics of our clients evaluated from approximately 500 valid responses, the first survey showed that the response rate of the questionnaire, knowledge of palliative care and PCCTs, and publicity of the PCCT were recognized as issues needing attention. We planned to contrive ways to collect questionnaires, hold monthly workshops for palliative care, launch newsletters of palliative care, and go on client rounds. The second survey revealed improvements in the physicians’ response rate (p = 0.02), the accuracy rate of application of PCCTs in Japan (p < 0.01), and ward nurses’ confidence in opioid use (p = 0.04) and tendency toward easier accessibility to the PCCT (p = 0.07).

Conclusion

Continual quality improvements through iterative, customer satisfaction survey-driven evaluation are a widely established practice in the business field. By using this appropriately, we could enable PCCTs to improve their quality.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-021-00741-2.

Yes, no, maybe so: the importance of cognitive interviewing to enhance structured surveys on respectful maternity care in northern India

Quantitative survey findings are important in measuring health-related phenomena, including on sensitive topics such as respectful maternity care (RMC). But how well do survey results truly capture respondent experiences and opinions? Quantitative tool development and piloting often involve translating questions from other settings and assessing the mechanics of implementation, which fails to deeply explore how respondents understand survey questions and response options. To address this gap, we conducted cognitive interviews on survey questions (n = 88) adapted from validated RMC instruments used in Ethiopia, Kenya and elsewhere in India. Cognitive interviews with rural women (n = 21) in Madhya Pradesh, India involved asking the respondent the survey question, recording her response, then interviewing her about what the question and response options meant to her. We analysed the interviews to revise the tool and identify question failures, which we grouped into six areas: issues with sequencing, length and sensitivity; problematic response options; inappropriate vocabulary; temporal and spatial confusion; accessing different cognitive domains; and failure to resonate with the respondent’s worldview and reality. Although women tended to provide initial answers to the survey questions, cognitive interviews revealed widespread mismatch between respondent interpretation and question intent. Likert scale response options were generally incomprehensible and questions involving hypothetical scenarios could be interpreted in unexpected ways. Many key terms and concepts from the international RMC literature did not translate well and showed low resonance with respondents, including consent and being involved in decisions about one’s care. This study highlights the threat to data quality and the validity of findings when translating quantitative surveys between languages and cultures and showcases the value of cognitive interviews in identifying question failures. While survey tool revision can address many of these issues, further critical discussion is needed on the use of standardized questions to assess the same domains across contexts.

Developing and validating five-construct model of customer satisfaction in beauty and cosmetic E-commerce

Grounded on the American Customer Satisfaction Framework (ACSF) of Bryant (1995), the European Customer Satisfaction Framework Model (ECSF) of Anderson and Fornell (2000), and Eleven-factor Customer Satisfaction Model of Hokanson (1995), this study develops reliable and valid five constructs of customer satisfaction theoretical model and build up a questionnaire in the unique context of Beauty and Cosmetic Online Shopping in the Vietnamese market. More specifically, we identified five main constructs including 5 implementation constructs (i.e., online shopping experience, customer service, external incentives, security/privacy, and personal characteristics), and one outcome construct (i.e., customer satisfaction). A detailed questionnaire was then developed with items for these constructs along with the questions on the personal characteristics of the respondents. The questionnaire was sent to randomly consumers via online channels including Facebook. The target participants are Vietnamese people who have experience in shopping online products like beauty and cosmetics. Based on 334 full responses have been received, we use Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to test for 167 observations to ensure that all items in each scale reflected sufficiently the scope of each construct. This technique helps to identify the underlying dimensions of consumer satisfaction. Furthermore, we also employ Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate the constructs and items in questionnaire. To do this, we have used the sample of 167 responses. Finally, together with results from SEM models, our study contributes to providing a reliable and valid questionnaire which fully reflect for our self-constructed theoretical model of five constructs including Online shopping experience (OSE), External incentives (EI), Seller service (SS), and Security/privacy (SP), as well as personal characteristics (PC).

EMPATHIC-N in a Greek-Cypriot sample: confirming its factorial structure

Background

Family-centered care has been receiving increased attention during the last decades and health professionals recognize family satisfaction with care as an important health indicator. The Empowerment of Parents in The Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPATHIC-N) is a newly developed, yet empirically reliable and valid measure for the assessment of parental satisfaction with the care provided by Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). The present study aims to present the Greek version of the EMPATHIC-N and to confirm its factorial structure.

Methods

The EMPATHIC-N was translated in Greek using a forward-backward translation and was piloted before use. A sample of 256 families receiving intensive care at the NICU of Archbishop Makarios III Public Hospital in Cyprus which is the only NICU in Cyprus, participated in the validation study of the EMPATHIC-N. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed using SPSS and AMOS 24.0.

Results

The Greek version of the EMPATHIC-N had good psychometric characteristics (Cronbach’s alpha = .87). The CFAs for the separate subscales of professionalism, organization, information, parental involvement and intervention for the EMPATHIC-N showed that all five subscales represented five distinct components of parental satisfaction with care. The CFA of the general instrument supported that a second-order model with a higher-order factor reflecting the organizational structure (professionalism, intervention and organization loaded on this factor) fitted the data best [χ2 (259) = 405.332, p < .001, ΤLI = .887, CFI = .903, RMSEA = .065 (90% CI .058, .073), SRMR = .0597].

Conclusions

EMPATHIC-N is a valid and reliable measure for the assessment of parental satisfaction with neonatal care in a Greek-Cypriot context. The organizational dimension of the NICUs is an important component with specific research and clinical implications for the enhancement of parental satisfaction with care.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3793-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Adding two culture-specific 'bolt-on' dimensions on the Thai version of EQ-5D-5L: an exploratory study in patients with diabetes

BACKGROUND

This study explored whether addition of culture-specific bolt-on dimensions, 'interpersonal relationships (IR)' and 'activities related to bending knees (AK)' improves the relevance and validity of the EQ-5D among Thai patients with diabetes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 diabetic patients. Ceiling/floor effects, known-groups validity and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Hierarchical multiple regressions was performed to evaluate the incremental value of the EQ-5D+AK+IR over the EQ-5D-5L in predicting utility measured by visual analog scale (VAS).

RESULTS

The EQ-5D+AK+IR reduced ceiling effects by 34%. For known-groups validity, women and lower educated patients reported more AK problems (p-value< 0.05); however, none of the IR dimension hypotheses were supported. Both IR and AK had the weighted kappa coefficients of 0.49, indicating good reliability. Hierarchical multiple regression found that adding AK (adjusted r²: 0.182 vs 0.156), but not IR (adjusted r²: 0.157 vs 0.156) significantly increased the explained variance in VAS score.

CONCLUSION

Preliminary findings suggest that AK, but not IR, may be a useful addition to the EQ-5D questionnaire for use with Thai patients. Further studies in diverse populations are needed to examine the impacts of the proposed new dimensions and determine if these cultural adaptations are justified.

A comprehension scale for central-line associated bloodstream infection: Results of a preliminary survey and factor analysis

BACKGROUND

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This condition is therefore the focus of quality initiatives, which primarily use audit and feedback to improve performance. However, feedback of quality data inconsistently affects clinician behavior. A hypothesis for this inconsistency is that a lack of comprehension of CLABSI data by decision makers prevents behavior change. In order to rigorously test this hypothesis, a comprehension scale is necessary. Therefore, we sought to develop a scale to assess comprehension of CLABSI quality metric data.

METHODS

The initial instrument was constructed via an exploratory approach, including literature review and iterative item development. The developed instrument was administered to a sample of clinicians, and each item was scored dichotomously as correct or incorrect. Psychometric evaluation via exploratory factor analyses (using tetrachoric correlations) and Cronbach's alpha were used to assess dimensionality and internal consistency.

RESULTS

97 clinicians responded and were included. Factor analyses yielded a scale with one factor containing four items with an eigenvalue of 2.55 and a Cronbach's alpha of 0.82. The final solution was interpreted as an overall CLABSI "comprehension" scale given its unidimensionality and assessment of each piece of data within the CLABSI feedback report. The cohort had a mean performance on the scale of 49% correct (median = 50%).

CONCLUSIONS

We present the first psychometric evaluation of a preliminary scale that assesses clinician comprehension of CLABSI quality metric data. This scale has internal consistency, assesses clinically relevant concepts related to CLABSI comprehension, and is brief, which will assist in response rates. This scale has potential policy relevance as it could aid efforts to make quality metrics more effective in driving practice change.

Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines among students in Greece: The ATtitude TOwards GENerics (ATTOGEN) questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

The use of generic medicines is a cost-effective policy, often dictated by fiscal restraints. To our knowledge, no fully validated tool exploring the students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines exists. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a questionnaire exploring the knowledge and attitudes of M.Sc. in Health Care Management students and recent alumni's towards generic drugs in Greece.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The development of the questionnaire was a result of literature review and pilot-testing of its preliminary versions to researchers and students. The final version of the questionnaire contains 18 items measuring the respondents' knowledge and attitude towards generic medicines on a 5-point Likert scale. Given the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal alpha and polychoric correlations were computed. The sample was randomly split into two halves. Exploratory factor analysis, performed in the first sample, was used for the creation of multi-item scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model analysis (GLLAMM) with the use of the rating scale model were used in the second sample to assess goodness of fit. An assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity was also performed.

RESULTS

Among 1402 persons contacted, 986 persons completed our questionnaire (response rate = 70.3%). Overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.871. The conjoint use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a six-scale model, which seemed to fit the data well. Five of the six scales, namely trust, drug quality, state audit, fiscal impact and drug substitution were found to be valid and reliable, while the knowledge scale suffered only from low inter-scale correlations and a ceiling effect. However, the subsequent confirmatory factor and GLLAMM analyses indicated a good fit of the model to the data.

CONCLUSIONS

The ATTOGEN instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool, suitable for assessing students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines.

Health professionals' job satisfaction and associated factors at public health centers in West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Human resources are vital for delivering health services, and health systems cannot function effectively without sufficient numbers of skilled, motivated, and well-supported health workers. Job satisfaction of health workers is important for motivation and efficiency, as higher job satisfaction improves both employee performance and patient satisfaction. Even though several studies have addressed job satisfaction among healthcare professionals in different part of the world, there are relatively few studies on healthcare professionals' job satisfaction in Ethiopia.

METHODS

A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among health professionals working in health centers in April 2015 using self-administered structured questionnaires. All 322 health professionals working in 23 randomly selected public health centers were included. Factor scores were computed for the identified items by varimax rotation to represent satisfaction. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed, and the effect of independent variables on the regression factor score quantified.

RESULTS

Three hundred eight respondents participated with a response rate of 95.56%. The overall level of job satisfaction was 41.46%. Compensation (benefits) (beta 0.448 [95% CI 0.341 to 0.554]), recognition by management (beta 0.132 [95% CI 0.035 to 0.228]), and opportunity for development (beta 0.123 [95% CI 0.020 to 0.226]) were associated with job satisfaction. A unit increase in salary and incentives and recognition by management scores resulted in 0.459 (95% CI 0.356 to 0.561) and 0.156 (95% CI 0.065 to 0.247) unit increases in job satisfaction scores, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall level of job satisfaction in health professionals was low. Salary and incentives, recognition by management, developmental opportunities, and patient appreciation were strong predictors of job satisfaction.

Development and Preliminary Validation of the Scale for Evaluation of Psychiatric Integrative and Continuous Care-Patient's Version

This pilot study aimed to evaluate and examine an instrument that integrates relevant aspects of cross-sectoral (in- and outpatients) mental health care, is simply to use and shows satisfactory psychometric properties. The development of the scale comprised literature research, held 14 focus groups and 12 interviews with patients and health care providers, item-pool generation, content validation by a scientific expert panel, and face validation by 90 patients. The preliminary scale was tested on 385 patients across seven German hospitals with cross-sectoral mental health care (CSMHC) as part of their treatment program. Psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated using genuine and transformed data scoring. To check reliability and postdictive validity of the scale, Cronbach's α coefficient and multivariable linear regression were used. This development process led to the development of an 18-item scale called the "Scale for Evaluation of Psychiatric Integrative and Continuous Care (SEPICC)" with a two-point and five-point response options. The scale consists of two sections. The first section assesses the presence or absence of patients' experiences with various CSMHC' relevant components such as home treatment, flexibility of treatments' switching, case management, continuity of care, cross-sectoral therapeutic groups, and multidisciplinary teams. The second section evaluates the patients' opinions about these relevant components. Using raw and transformed scoring resulted into comparable results. However, data distribution using transformed scoring showed a smaller deviation from normality. For the overall scale, the Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.82. Self-reported experiences with relevant components of the CSMHC were positively associated with the patients approval of these components. In conclusion, the new scale provides a good starting point for further validation. It can be used as a tool to evaluate CSMHC. Methodologically, using transformed data scoring appeared to be preferable because of a smaller deviation from normality and a higher reliability measured by Cronbach's α.

Performance obstacles of nurses in intensive care units of Greek National Health System hospitals

BACKGROUND

Nurses in intensive care units confront various challenges and problems during their everyday work that adversely affect performance and patient safety. Despite their importance, performance obstacles have been studied extensively only in the USA, with no validated instrument being available in the Greek setting for their measurement.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To develop a questionnaire that quantifies the obstacles nurses of intensive care units (ICUs) of Greek hospitals might be facing and examine its properties; to assess if such obstacles existed in selected Greek National Health System hospitals.

METHODS

A questionnaire was developed and administered to nurses who were working in intensive care units in Thessaloniki. Exploratory factor analysis was applied, and the reliability, validity and ceiling and floor effects of the constructed scales were evaluated. The potential influence of socio-demographic characteristics on scale scores was assessed by independent sample t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Summated mean and median scores were computed.

RESULTS

Two hundred and five nurses participated with a response rate of 65·3%. Resulting scales were 'Space Adequacy', 'Staff Collaboration', 'Materials' Suitability', 'Time Inefficiencies' and 'Psychological Aggravation'. Cronbach's alpha values ranged between 0·67 and 0·86. Multi-trait analysis confirmed construct validity. Ceiling effects were reasonable, whereas floor effects took acceptable values with the exception of the 'Materials' Suitability' scale. The medians of the scales ranged from 1·50 to 3·33. In terms of the measurement of performance obstacles per se, we found that considerable problems exist in the ICUs in all dimensions. Specifically, the suitability of hospital materials, the lack of appropriate spaces and facilities design and psychological distress were recorded as the most serious.

CONCLUSIONS

The questionnaire is a promising tool that can be exploited in the health care system to assess the obstacles faced by intensive care nursing staff. In fact, there is considerable room for performance improvement in hospitals in Northern Greece.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Nursing administrators and health care policy makers should administer the questionnaire in all Greek hospitals in order to quantify performance obstacles and identify potential managerial remedies.

The effect of integrated health management model on the satisfaction among Chinese elderly

The study objective was to investigate the effect of integrated health management model on the satisfaction among Chinese elderly. Using a randomized controlled trial, 600 people who are 60 and over have signed the informed consent in China were randomly assigned into management and control group. The management group received care integrated individual health management with community health management model in the follow-up 6 months. The individual health management included establishing health record, performing health evaluation, giving individual instruction, carrying out telephone consultation and follow-up. The community health management includes lectures on health knowledge, distribution of health education materials and physical fitness exercise kit. Factor analysis, t-test, χ(2)-test and logistic regression models were used. The average satisfaction scores of baseline and final of management or control group were calculated through factor analysis. The management group has shown a significant improvement in satisfaction score, no difference in control group. Logistic regression analysis of influencing factors of the elderly satisfaction showed that the satisfaction score of male, individuals without chronic disease and management group was higher. These results suggest that integrated health management model can improve the elderly satisfaction in China through realizing good communication between the elderly and medical staff in community.