Assessment of Empathy as a Prerequisite for Holistic Nursing: Psychometric Analysis of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Students for Croatian BSc and MSc Nursing Students

Purpose: To translate the original Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Students version in a group of nursing students and asses its psychometrical characteristics according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments guidelines. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: The study included 345 bachelor's and master's students in the nursing degree program. Construct validity was tested by exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Convergent validity was tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient to test the relationship between empathy and emotional intelligence. The reliability of internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha. Findings: The final version of the 16-item scale with its three-factor structure has a high reliability with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.86, and the Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and the total score of the empathy scale and the three subscales. Conclusion: The contribution of the study is significant as the instrument is qualitatively validated and its content is clinically and educationally important for understanding the concept of empathy, especially in the education of nursing students. The correct assessment of empathy contributes to a better understanding and implementation of the components of holistic care.

Sagittal Abdominal Diameter as the Best Predictor of Metabolic Syndrome in HIV-Infected Men on Antiretroviral Therapy

BACKGROUND

The interaction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), host and antiretroviral therapy causes a range of metabolic disorders that can be characterized as a metabolic syndrome (MetS) that increases the cardiovascular risk. MetS involves central obesity, which can be detected using different anthropometric parameters.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the abilities of different anthropometric parameters in the prediction of MetS in HIV-infected men on ART.

METHOD

The study involved 92 male participants (mean age 44.46±10.38 years), divided into two groups: with and without MetS. All subjects underwent biochemical evaluation (triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, fasting glucose), blood pressure measurement and anthropometric assessment: body mass, body height, body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, body circumferences (chest, upper arm, forearm, waist, hip, proximal and middle thigh and calf), sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), skinfold thicknesses (subscapular, anterior and posterior upper arm, anterior and lateral forearm, abdominal, supraspinal, thigh and calf), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR), sagittal abdominal diameter-to-body height ratio (SADH), body adiposity index (BAI) and conicity index. MetS was specified according to IDF criteria.

RESULTS

Subjects with MetS had statistically significant higher values of all anthropometric parameters except middle thigh circumference, calf skinfold and body height. According to ROC analysis and Binary Logistic Regression, SAD has been shown as the best predictor of MetS with a predictive value of 21.40 cm (AUC:0.91), followed by WHR with a predictive value of 0.93.

CONCLUSION

Sagittal abdominal diameter is the strongest anthropometric indicator of MetS in HIV-infected patients on ART.

Impact of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue on satisfaction with life in Serbian and Polish nurses: A cross-sectional study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate demographic and occupational factors of professional life on life satisfaction among nurses in Serbia and Poland.

BACKGROUND

Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, as aspects of a nurse's professional life, may affect their satisfaction with life in general. However, most studies on this topic have been conducted in Asian countries, and because there are differences in health care system performance across countries amid a global shortage of nurses, it is necessary to investigate professional quality of life in the European nursing context.

METHODS

This multicenter, comparative, and correlational study was conducted on a sample of 669 hospital nurses in Serbia and Poland. The survey data were collected between November 2019 and February 2020 using the Demographic and Occupational Questionnaire (DOQ), Professional Quality-of-Life Scale (ProQOL-5), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). STROBE Statement guidelines for cross-sectional studies were followed.

RESULTS

Most nurses from both countries reported having moderate compassion satisfaction, moderate risk for compassion fatigue, and an average life satisfaction. The predictive factors of life satisfaction that most stand out include country of origin, financial situation, education, job satisfaction, and compassion fatigue.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Quality of professional life is significantly affected by shift duration, age, work experience, and job satisfaction. Negative aspects of professional life are significant predictors of life satisfaction.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

The findings of this study indicate a need for implementing flexible shift patterns and enhancing interventions that will improve job satisfaction and compassion satisfaction while reducing the risk of compassion fatigue.

Croatian Version of the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50): Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation

(1) Background: Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50) was originally designed for Spanish-speaking regions, and translations validated for several languages. The aim of the study was to adapt and verify the psychometric characteristics of SAHLSA-50 in the Croatian context; (2) Methods: The cross-sectional study included 590 respondents from the general population older than 18 years of age. Health literacy was measured by two scales: SAHLCA-50 and the Croatian version of the Newest Vital Sign screening test (NVS-HR), which was used as a measure of concurrent validity. Subjective Health Complaints (SHC) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) questionnaires were also used to assess convergent validity; (3) Results: Internal consistency reliability of SAHLCA-50 was high and corresponds to the findings of the authors of the original research. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for SAHLCA-50 version was 0.91. The correlation of SAHLCA-50 with the NVS-HR test speaks in favor of concurrent validity. Correlation between health literacy and SHC speaks for convergent validity, just as was expected, while correlation with life satisfaction was not observed; (4) Conclusions: The SAHLCA-50 test can be a good and quick tool to assess health literacy of the adult population in the Croatian language. HL can affect the health and quality of life of the individual and the wider community.