Search

Purpose: The goals of this study were to determine and evaluate the perception of cultural competence of nurses in the Slovak healthcare system, identify factors that influence their perception, and ascertain opportunities to improve nurses' cultural competence., Design: Cross-sectional nonexperimental study., Methods: Nurses from Slovakia were surveyed in this cross-sectional study using the standardized Cultural Competency Assessment (CCA) questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA)., Results: In total, 267 nurses responded. Only 28% perceived themselves as very culturally competent to care for people from other cultures. Over 68% received no diversity training. Age (p < .011) and prior diversity training (p < .006) were significantly associated with culturally competent behavior (CCB). A significant relationship (r = 0.17; p < .015) was also confirmed between the self-reported CCA and CCB., Conclusions: Culturally competent care is a professional imperative. The ability to deliver high-quality, culturally congruent care may be enhanced by cultural diversity education and training. Further research is needed to identify other influences on cultural competency and the impact on patient care and outcomes., Clinical Relevance: There is a need for nurses to enhance their knowledge and skills related to cultural competency, awareness, sensitivity, and behaviors. Education and training contribute to nurses' ability to provide high-quality, culturally competent nursing care to patients from different cultures, and may possibly contribute to decreased health disparities., (© 2020 Sigma Theta Tau International.)

The aim of our study is to determine microbial contamination, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of 14 pollen samples of Corylus avellana collected from different locations in Slovakia. Microbiological analysis was carried out in two steps: microbiological assays and studies of antibacterial activity of pollen extracts. The antimicrobial properties of pollen extracts were carried out with the disc-diffusion method. Methanol (70%), ethanol (70%) and distilled water were used for pollen extracts. Five strains of bacteria such as gram-negative ( Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica CCM 3807, Escherichia coli CCM 2024, and Yersinia enterocolitica CCM 5671) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus CCM 2461 and Bacillus thuringiensis CCM 19T) were tested. Antioxidant activity of pollen extracts was determined by the DPPH method. Bacterial analysis includes the determination of the total bacterial count ranged from 4.08 to 4.61 log CFU g -1 , mesophilic aerobic bacteria ranged from 3.40 to 4.89 log CFU g -1 , mesophilic anaerobic bacteria ranged from 3.20 to 4.52 log CFU g -1 , coliform bacteria ranged from 3.30 to 4.55 log CFU g -1 , yeasts and filamentous fungi ranged from 3.00 to 3.56 log CFU g -1 . Microscopic filamentous fungi Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium spp., Rhizopus spp., and Paecylomyces spp. were isolated from hazelnut pollen. Yersinia enterocolitica was the most sensitive strain among ethanolic and methanolic pollen hazelnut extracts. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive strain against aqueous hazelnut pollen extracts. We determined the following sensitivity against ethanol pollen extracts respectively: Yersinia enterocolitica > Salmonella enterica > Staphylococcus aureus > Bacillus thuringiensis > Escherichia coli. Methanol pollen extracts had shown following sensitivity: Yersinia enterocolitica > Salmonella enterica > Escherichia coli > Staphylococcus aureus > Bacillus thuringiensis. Aqueous extracts had shown the following sensitivity: Staphylococcus aureus > Salmonella enterica > Escherichia coli > Bacillus thuringiensis > Yersinia enterocolitica. Hazelnut pollen extracts have over 82% antioxidant capacity in samples from non-urban zones. An elevated level of antioxidant potential in the pollen is determined by its biological properties conditioned by biologically active substances. DPPH method allowed characterizing pollen as a source of antioxidants.