The current article is an integrative and analytical literature review on the concept and meaning of empathy in health and social care professionals. Empathy, i.e., the ability to understand the personal experience of the patient without bonding with them, constitutes an important communication skill for a health professional, one that includes three dimensions: the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. It has been proven that health professionals with high levels of empathy operate more efficiently as to the fulfillment of their role in eliciting therapeutic change. The empathetic professional comprehends the needs of the health care users, as the latter feel safe to express the thoughts and problems that concern them. Although the importance of empathy is undeniable, a significantly high percentage of health professionals seem to find it difficult to adopt a model of empathetic communication in their everyday practice. Some of the factors that negatively influence the development of empathy are the high number of patients that professionals have to manage, the lack of adequate time, the focus on therapy within the existing academic culture, but also the lack of education in empathy. Developing empathetic skills should not only be the underlying objective in the teaching process of health and social care undergraduate students, but also the subject of the lifelong and continuous education of professionals.

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Introduction: Nursing activities score scales are valuable instruments for assessing the quality of nursing care provided in critically ill patients and easy to use in validating nurse staffing. The aim of this study was the assessment of nursing workload (NW) as a predictive factor of mortality by using the nursing activities score (NAS) scale. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 91 days during 2019, convenience sampling was employed to recruit 82 registered nurses (RN) from three intensive care units (ICUs) of two public hospitals with 41 beds in total. Data were collected using the NAS scale, the researcher’s observation, the information given by the staff, and the nursing care reports. Descriptive and inductive statistics were used with significance level α = 0.05. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 25.0) was used for analyzing the data. Results: Females were the majority of the sample (84.1%), with a mean age of 38.9 (7.7) years, 87.8% had a nursing degree from a technological educational institute (T.E.I), the average working experience was 14 (8.1) years and the ICU experience was 12.9 (8.5) years. There were 3764 daily records of NAS with an average of 54.81 (2.34) and total NAS of 756.51 (150.27). The NW of the first day’s admission in the ICU was 65.15 (13.05), NW was 13.15 h/day and the NW of patients who died was 57.37 (4.06). The optimal nurse/patient ratio (NPR) was 1:1.82, while the existing NPR was 1:2.86. The mortality rate was 28.7%. Conclusion: Although the study results did not demonstrate a significant correlation between NW and mortality, the NW in ICU appeared to be relatively higher for patients who died than for those who survived. This result may serve as an indication for a positive correlation between these two variables. In addition, NW was found to be moderate, while one ICU nurse can take care of more than one patient.

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Chronic kidney disease is a condition that affects both the physical and mental abilities of patients. Nursing care is of pivotal importance, in particular when end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are concerned, since the quality of the provided care may severely influence the patient’s quality of life. This is why it is important to explore patient experiences concerning the rendered care. However, limited up-to-date studies have addressed this issue. The aim of the present study was to stress the experiences of ESRD patients concerning the provided nursing care in the hemodialysis unit at the University Hospital in Heraklion, Crete. A qualitative methodological approach was used, based on the principles of phenomenological epistemology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and open-ended questions were applied to record how patients experienced the rendered care during dialysis. The recorded data were analyzed via qualitative content analysis, which revealed three main themes: ‘Physical Care’, ‘Psychological Support’ and ‘Education’. Patients’ views were conceptualized into sub-themes within each main theme. The interviews revealed the varied and distinct views of ESRD patients, indicating that the rendered care should be individualized.

Introduction: Living with a permanent colostomy brings severe changes in patients’ lives. The general health status as well as the personal, social and professional life of patients are significantly affected. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the lived experience of patients undergoing permanent colostomy. Material and Methods: A qualitative research design based on interpretive phenomenology was carried out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as the data collection method to obtain in-depth information regarding the research topic. The study sample consisted of eight (8) patients who had undergone a permanent colostomy. The data analysis was performed by the method of content analysis. Results: From the analysis of the data, three main themes emerged, namely: (A) Experiencing a traumatic event; (B) Living a new reality; (C) Efforts to improve quality of life. Five subthemes were formulated which were encompassed within the respective main themes accordingly. Conclusion: Patients with permanent colostomy face significant life changes that are experienced in a traumatic way. Issues such as autonomy, family and organizational support, self-management and empowerment can significantly improve the patients’ quality of life. Further research, regarding caregivers’ experience, improved community nursing care as well as nurses’ views on the needs of colostomy patients and their families, is suggested.

This study gives an overview of the views and beliefs of nurses about the problems and barriers involved in PU prevention and treatment. The study reveals that although some barriers to good practice may exist, nurses can hold a positive attitude toward PU prevention and treatment, and their perceived value of prevention and treatment may help nurses to overcome the barriers in managing PUs.

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