Background
Sarcopenic obesity is a condition characterised by the coexistence of low muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) and excessive fat mass (obesity). The aim of this study was to determine the ...prevalence of this condition in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery by gender and type of orthopaedic surgery. In addition, this study investigated the suitability of a waist circumference-based anthropometric measure, body shape index (ABSI), for predicting sarcopenic obesity and the predictive power of ABSI for fat-free mass index (FFMI), a surrogate marker of lean body mass.
Methods and findings
A cross-sectional study of overweight and obese orthopaedic patients undergoing knee or hip and spine surgery was conducted between October 2019 and March 2020 in Orthopaedic Hospital Valdoltra, Slovenia. General anthropometric parameters body mass index (BMI) and ABSI = (WC/(BMI
2/3
x height
½
) as well as body composition data (fat mass FM, fat-free mass FFM, FFMI, and the ratio FM/FFM as an index of sarcopenic obesity) were determined in 120 women (aged 66.5 ± 9.6 years) and 89 men (aged 65.5 ± 7.8 years) with overweight (25 kg/m
2
≤ BMI < 30 kg/m
2
) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m
2
) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Sarcopenic obesity phenotypes based on FM/FFM ratio > 0.80 was present in 15.3% of patients, mainly in female patients undergoing knee surgery. ABSI was significantly associated with age in all women and obese men and with waist circumference (WC) in all patients. ABSI did not correlate with BMI in women and men; however, multiple linear regression analysis showed that BMI independently predicted FFMI (R = 0.83 and 0.70, respectively,
p
< 0.001) in women and men (β-coefficients: 0.801 and 0.686, respectively) and ABSI in women only (β-coefficient: -0.104). Women with a lower ABSI had a significantly higher FFMI than the group with a higher ABSI.
Conclusions
Sarcopenic obesity was most prevalent in obese women scheduled for knee surgery. In addition, ABSI, independently predicted FFMI in women and represents a significant predictor of sarcopenic obesity.
Agriculture is a sector that today demands even greater efficiency; thus, it relies extensively on the use of precision agriculture technologies: IoT systems, mobile applications, and other ...digitalization technologies. Experience from a large-scale EU-funded project with a consortium made up of several software companies shows that software companies have a different and unequal knowledge/understanding of agricultural processes and the use of precision agriculture in agricultural processes. This finding coupled with what is known about the standard process model for IT governance (COBIT) triggered the idea of a reference standard process model for agriculture (RSPMA), which we present in this paper. We applied the Delphi technique to assess the RSPMA and evaluate its potential implementation in the area of agriculture. A panel of 20 members from Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, and Serbia was established for the study. The majority of RSPMA elements were identified as appropriate for the use in agriculture by the panel. The study results show that RSPMA is suitable for use in this field.
In the contemporary working environment, it is important to have a referential instrument for assessing and comparing employee work motivation. Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) is a ...reliable and valid instrument for operationalising the Self-determination theory in practice (SDT). MWMS was previously translated into seven languages, and its validity and reliability were proved in nine different countries. The goal of this study was to translate it in Croatian and test its content and construct validity and reliability (internal consistency, item-total/interitem correlations and test-retest reliability) in practice. The data was collected through a web survey. The final sample consisted of 141 participants. Our results confirm that the translated instrument is reliable and valid. The items of the
translated instrumented loaded on the six factors as expected and showed a good fit to the basic factor structure. The translated version of MWMS could help the management in identifying potential problems related to motivation in Croatian companies.
Background: Clinical mentors play an important role in the development of knowledge and the acquisition of competencies of different health professionals. The success of the entire mentoring process ...also depends on the professional and personal characteristics of the clinical mentor. The purpose of this study was to identify which professional and personal characteristics of clinical mentors are relevant to physiotherapy (PHT) and social gerontology (SG) students.
Methods: The web survey was performed between January 20 and May 15, 2018, using the adapted version of the nursing clinical teacher effectiveness inventory. The final sample consisted of 100 PHT and SG students from one of the Slovenian Universities.
Results: The competencies “explains clearly” (p ˂ 0.001) and “takes responsibility of own actions” (p = 0.023) were statistically significantly more relevant to PHT students than to the SG students. The competencies “explains clearly” (p ˂ 0.001), “demonstrates clinical skill and judgment” (p = 0.033), “takes responsibility of own actions” (p = 0.023), and “is self-critical” (p = 0.023), were statistically significantly more relevant to PHT than to the SG students, while the statements “discusses current development in his/her field” (p = 0.002), “communicates expectations of students” (p = 0.029), “demonstrates empathy” (p = 0.037), “demonstrates enthusiasm” (p = 0.005), and “has a good sense of humor” (p = 0.005) were statistically significantly more relevant to SG students.
Conclusion: The contrast in responses reflects the differences in the nature of both professions: The predominantly instrumental nature of PHT and the predominantly expressive nature of SG.
Introduction: With aging, the incidence of chronic diseases among elderly increases, as about 88% of them have at least one chronic condition, with 50% having at least two. The presence of these ...diseases influences their self-image and self-esteem. This study aimed to identify the effects of chronic diseases on self-esteem and self-image in the group of elderly people.
Methods: A quantitative research design using a structured questionnaire was employed, where Rosenberg questionnaire with an adapted measurement scale was used for evaluating self-esteem, while Marsh’s adjusted Multidimensional self-concept scale was used for assessing self-image.
Results: The survey involved 51 respondents: 25.5% were male, and 74.5% were female, the average age of the respondents was 77.0 years. 60.8 % of them reported high blood pressure, 31.4% rheumatism, 25.5% osteoporosis and 23.5% diabetes. “Rheumatism” was statistically significantly associated with two elements of self-esteem: the “athletic self-esteem” and “inclusion”, whereas the claim for self-assessment “I can do things as good the majority of other people” was associated to the incidence of “diabetes”.
Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that rheumatism, as a most common chronic disease among this population, has a significant impact on some elements of self-image and self-esteem. Further research should focus on the concepts of self-esteem and self-image of this population.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine, identify and describe the factors that influence the turnover intention of nurses in Croatia.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study ...was conducted in June 2018. The participants were 20 registered nurses working full time who were employed in different cities in the Republic of Croatia, working in different healthcare institutions and in different medical fields. The data were obtained from interviews and were analysed and interpreted using the content analysis method.
Results: During data analysis, four main ideas emerged as follows: job satisfaction, work motivation, psychological factors (individual) and structural factors – work environment. Job satisfaction has been identified as a key factor with direct impact in nurses' turnover intention. Work motivation, psychological factors (individual) and structural factors – work environment does not have a direct influence on the nurses' intention to leave their job, but they have a significant indirect impact through job satisfaction.
Conclusion: Recognizing nursing challenges in the healthcare system and the factors which influence the intention of nurses to leave their workplace can help with the development of a clear strategy and retention measures based on the factors that influence the nurses’ turnover intention.
(Smokrović E, Gusar I, Hnatešen D, Bačkov K, Bajan A, Grozdanović Z, Placento H, Žvanut B. Influence of Work Motivation, Work Environment and Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intention of Croatian Nurses: A Qualitative Study. SEEMEDJ 2019; 3(2); 33-44)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions around the world were challenged to shift from traditional to distance teaching processes. This was not an easy task as educational ...institutions had to face many technology and human related challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach that helps teachers to use remote conference tools (RCT) for a particular course more efficiently. The approach enables both teachers and students to be more effective in online education in general and during pandemics. The proposed approach leans on the Kano model and specifically focuses on evaluation of RCT features (RCTF) from students' and teachers’ perspectives. Such evaluation enables development of recommendations for effective RCTF use. The approach was tested in three different case studies: Case 1 (computer and information science – software development; 39 students, 2 teachers), Case 2 (criminal justice and security – introduction to information systems; 130 students, 2 teachers), Case 3 (applied kinesiology – statistics; 44 students, 2 teachers). In all three cases, the results clearly demonstrated the benefits of the proposed approach and showed that the use of RCTF should be adapted to the specifics of each course where lectures and tutorials need to be considered separately.
•A novel approach to help use remote conference tools in a more efficient way.•The effectiveness of the approach was confirmed in three case studies.•Use of remote conference tool features should be adapted to each course.
Background
While academic dishonesty among nursing students is becoming a global problem, the instruments used in studies on this topic are heterogeneous and, in many cases, not even validated. This ...makes it difficult or impossible to compare the findings on a global scale.
Objectives
To investigate the profile of Croatian nursing students’ dishonest behaviour in classroom and clinical settings and to examine the relationship between the incidence of dishonest behaviour in both settings.
Research design
A quantitative cross-sectional study using a Croatian online version of the Nursing Student Perceptions of Dishonesty Scale (overall Cronbach’s alpha 0.933).
Participants and research context
446 nursing students from a higher education institution in Croatia, EU, in the academic year 2020/21.
Ethical considerations
The study was approved by the relevant committee of the higher education institution.
Findings/results
Almost all participants (91.3%) performed dishonest behaviour on two or more occasions in the classroom and 32.5% did so in the clinical setting. The incidence of dishonest behaviour increased with the students’ year of BSc study (p = .008). All subscales of dishonest behaviour in the classroom were significantly and positively associated with dishonest behaviour in the clinical setting, except for the Not My Problem and Non-Compliance subscales.
Discussion
Based on these results, the following should be taken into consideration: 1) dishonest behaviour in the classroom is associated with dishonest behaviour in the clinical setting; 2) even the slightest occurrence of dishonest behaviour in the clinical setting can lead to fatal events.
Conclusions
The gradual increase in BSc nursing students’ dishonest behaviour with their year of study raises several questions regarding the development of ethical and moral values in this population. This raises the need for early and continuous exposure of students to ethical content from the beginning of their studies and support from competent educators.
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