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Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate how women working in office environments perceive their workplace as promoting healthy eating behaviors through employer-led actions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 professionally active women employed in office settings in Poland. Data were collected using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method. Participants were divided into two groups based on their perceived level of workplace support for healthy eating behaviors, as measured by the Workplace Healthy Eating Scale. Group 1 (n = 125; 54.3%; mean score = 15.69, SD = 3.76) and Group 2 (n = 105; 45.7%; mean score = 29.88, SD = 5.15) reflected low and high perceived support, respectively. Results: A linear regression model was employed to assess the association between the perceived level of support and specific workplace initiatives, including access to fresh fruits and vegetables, meal preparation facilities, cafeteria usage, lectures on nutrition, cooking workshops, and individual dietary consultations. For Group 1, access to fresh fruits and vegetables was the only factor significantly associated with a positive perception of the workplace as promoting healthy eating (p = 0.003), explaining 6.5% of the variance (adjusted R2 = 0.065). In Group 2, both access to fresh produce and participation in cooking workshops were significantly associated with positive workplace perceptions (p < 0.001), explaining 41% of the variance (adjusted R2 = 0.410). Conclusions: Access to fresh produce is a key determinant of employees' perceptions of workplace support for healthy eating behaviors, with a notably greater impact observed when combined with additional activities such as cooking workshops. Employer-led initiatives focusing on practical dietary engagement appear to be effective in enhancing workplace perceptions of health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The integration of Ukrainian war refugee nurses (UKR-N) into the European Union's healthcare system presents many challenges due to the differences in the organization of the healthcare system and the system of undergraduate education of nurses. This study aims to explore the experiences of Polish nurse managers in employing UKR-N. Material and methods. In-depth interviews conducted from March 2022 to June 2023 with 9 nurse managers from healthcare institutions. Female participants (mean age: 42.2 and mean management experience: 11.2 years) were selected using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. ATLAS.ti 8 software was employed for data management. Results. Three major themes were identified: I. Communication challenges in the workplace; II. Legal Frameworks and Employment Challenges; III. Integration into the Polish healthcare system. The three primary themes were broken down into six corresponding subthemes: 1. Language barriers and its impact on clinical practice, 2. Professional competence and safety, 3. Credential recognition and licensing process, 4. Process of adaptation to practice, 5. Navigating cross-cultural healthcare system challenges and 6. Future opportunities. Conclusions. The study provide nuanced insights into the complexities related to integrating UKR-N into the Polish healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse the level of cultural intelligence and multicultural personality profile of novice nurses in Poland in the context of the increase of migration and refugee crises. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study of 234 novice nurses working in clinical, district or city hospitals was conducted. The Polish version of the Cultural Intelligence Scale and the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire were used. Statistica™ 13.3 software was used for analysis. Results. The results indicate a moderate level of cultural intelligence and diversity in the levels of intensity of the multicultural personality traits. The highest levels were found in cultural empathy. A positive correlation was found between cultural intelligence and multicultural personality. The global dimension of cultural intelligence and its four domains were found to be related to three multicultural personality traits – cultural sensitivity, social initiative and open-mindedness. Conclusions. The study highlights the importance of cultural competence in healthcare and the need to strengthen it among novice nurses, especially amidst contemporary social changes and challenges associated with migration. The implementation of systematic training programmes aimed at increasing cultural competence among nurses is recommended to enhance and develop these skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many heat devices designers and operators meet the problem of low efficiency of combustion and restricted emission standards. This process should be improved to maximize its efficiency and satisfy additional requirements as, for example, uniform temperature fieldin combustion chamber, low noise level or very low NOx emission. These requirements are satisfied by homogeneous combustion. Such combustion method is particularly attractive for the steel or glass industry or power industry based in particular on natural gas. In this paper factors, which have the biggest influence on performance of flameless combustion, are discussed, among others: momentum of fuel and oxidizer, composition of the mixture, the temperature of the inlet gases. Additionally, blind simulations of combustion in a combustion chamber of a furnace are run to assess how high is the influence of these factors individually. Numerical simulations are performed in a CFD code AVL Fire. The detailed chemical kinetics mechanism GRI-mech 3.0 is used for combustion calculations. Calculations results are correlated with experimental data. Blind simulations and experiment provide similar level of NOX emission (~6-8 ppm). Experiments showed that the effect of the addition of ethylene to fuel on emissions of NOX, CO, THC is not significant. Similarly, numerical simulations predict that influence of ethylene is negligible. CO, THC and CO2 were on a stable level across all cases. NOX emissions increases when mass flow of air and fuel increases due to higher heat release in the same volume, what results in higher temperature of combustion products. When temperature of fuel increases NOX level decreases.

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INTRODUCTION: A recent survey by the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region asserts that European public health programmes lack modernity and do not provide adequate leadership education. Aim of the study - to assess leadership competences in a group of Public Health students at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Medical University of Warsaw in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 178 students: 84 third-year first-cycle students and 94 second-year secondcycle students of Public Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. An 80% survey return rate; 153 women. Mean age 23.29 years (min. 22, max. 37, SD: 3.060). The PAPI method; voluntary participation; standardized anonymous Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment (SAP) questionnaire; 16 items on a Likert scale of 1 (completely disagree) to 5; four dimensions: 1. Self-awareness, 2. Ethics/morality, 3. Openness to feedback and 4. Transparency in relationships; high score: 16-20 points, low score: 15 points or less; Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.710; descriptive statistics. RESULTS: In the study group, 54% of students demonstrated a high level of leadership competences (16-20 points) in the dimension of Self-awareness (S). Most students obtained a low score (15 points or less) in the dimensions of: Ethics/morality - 55%, Openness to feedback - 58% and Transparency in relationships - 75%, which means a low level of the competences in question. CONCLUSIONS: The level of leadership skills in the study group was low, which is why, since the academic year 2017/2018, the first- and second-cycle study programmes have included courses on psychosocial skills. This may, in the future, promote the development and refinement of leadership skills, in line with the expectations of most employers. Due to the fact that the presented research is of a pilot nature, it will be continued in the following years in order to assess the impact of changes in the curricula on the improvement of students' leadership skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Summer internships constitute an essential component of the curriculum and have the greatest impact on preparing students for entering the labour market. Mandatory practical training for Warsaw Medical University students is usually held during summer internships. The study aimed to analyse the impact of the evaluation of summer internships on student self-assessment of and opinion on educational outcomes obtained by the second-cycle degree students of Public Health. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 87 graduates (15 men and 72 women) from the second-cycle degree programme in Public Health at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warsaw Medical University. The study enrolled second-cycle degree students who graduated in the academic year 2015-16. A questionnaire return rate was 97% (85/87). Mean age of the study population amounted to 25.85 years (min. 23; max. 51; SD 4.550). A voluntary questionnaire study was conducted between July and September 2016. The study used an anonymous questionnaire developed by the authors at the Department of Education and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warsaw Medical University, based on the the list of educational outcomes adopted by the resolution of Warsaw Medical University Senate. The default significance level was established at 0.05. RESULTS: Most students participating in the study reported that their internships were valuable for them and had a positive impact on the level of achievement of educational outcomes included in the curriculum for the second-cycle degree programme in Public Health. Internships had significantly influenced the opinion of students participating in the study on the achievement of educational outcomes related to this area (rS = 0.24, p = 0.027). It was shown that a better assessment of internship went hand in hand with better self-assessment of student's knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an overall positive assessment of summer internships, they did not have a significant impact on the level of achievement of educational outcomes and student self-assessment. Therefore, there is a need for further assessment of the quality of summer internships, varification of internship placements and development of an internship database for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is recognized by the healthcare community as the gold standard for the provision of safe and compassionate healthcare. The aim was to describe nurses' knowledge, behaviours and attitudes regarding EBP. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional approach was conducted during specialty state examinations in Poland in 2014 in a sample of 548 nurses. The self-completed reliable and valid evidence-based practice profile questionnaire (Australia) was used. Statistical analysis included Cronbach's α coefficient, analysis of variance, the Guttman split-half method and calculations in Statistica version 12. Results. Although the participants' beliefs about the benefits of EBP were high, their knowledge was relatively low. Statistically significant correlations were found between barriers and practice, knowledge and attitudes in relation to the level of nurses' education (p < 0.001 to p < 0.05). Total Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.970. Conclusions. Study findings highlight the importance of further supplementation of knowledge about EBP. The difficulties in using EBP in clinical practice are objective and require changes in the Polish system of nursing care. Additionally, life-long updating knowledge in the area of EBP by participation in various forms of postgraduate education can produce improvements in the knowledge, behaviours and attitudes of nurses in creating a positive EBP profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]