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The living and working conditions of nurses in Szeged and Voivodina
Piczil, M., Kasza, B. MD, Markovic, M., Pikó, B. MD

The aim of the study: to map out and compare the career strategies of nurses from Szeged and Subotica, what they see as the main benefits and disadvantages of working in the healthcare sector, their perception of the general state of health, and their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their work.
Study methods and sample population: Healthcare workers from Szeged and Subotica participated in the survey. The self-completed questionnaire was completed by 201 Hungarian and 253 Voivodinians.
Results: Despite the fact that the nurses who participated in the survey are separated by a national border, their opinion of their vocation is generally the same. The low level of financial recognition, the overwork, the stress and the shortages that characterise the health sector are prompting many to consider changing career.
Conclusion: The results highlight the urgency of those reforms which could remedy the existential problems faced by workers in the sector. At the same time, it is also important to restore the prestige of a career in the health service, without which even more healthcare workers are likely to change career, possibly even those who are still motivated by a desire to participate in the process of caring and healing.

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Project plan for the review of a nursing protocol
Szijjártó, É.

   It is becoming necessary for nursing practices traditionally followed "instinctively" to be changed in line with new theoretical knowledge and the demands of patients and society in general.
   Today, the formulation and application of nursing guidelines (nursing protocols) have become a natural element of hospitals' quality assurance systems.
   It is advisable to prepare workflow descriptions of identified approved processes. This makes it possible for those who participate in the given process to be precisely aware of their duties, for there to be clearly defined areas of personal responsibility, and to measure the effectiveness and results of the given procedure.
   A variety of quality development procedures can be used to examine, on an ongoing basis, whether a given nursing practise needs to be reviewed, evaluated or corrected over a given quality development cycle, thus ensuring the compliance of nursing services with quality requirements.
   It should also be stressed that the introduction of changes is not the final objective, but only a part of the ongoing activities to improve quality. For this reason, the work of quality development teams is never done.
   The articles contains a presentation of a model, developed by the author, which can used step-by-step to conduct a review of any general or specialist nursing protocol.

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Protecting the physical health of healthcare workers
Járomi, M., Betlehem, J.,

The purpose of the article is to draw attention to the long-term effects of the physical exertion to which healthcare workers are subjected on a daily basis. Incorrect posture and body movements can result in various forms of spinal damage, which could however be prevented with a certain degree of caution and a well-formulated exercise program. The prevention of back complaints and avoiding the development of chronic symptoms are in the interest of both the employee and the employer. The article provides information about a scientifically proven spinal exercise program.

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New risk factor homocysteine
Hanyecz, T.

The aim of the study: The purpose of this survey is to asses the level of healthcare workers' awareness of homocysteine (Hcy), as a new risk factor.
Study methods, sample population: I conducted my research using a questionnaire. A total of 156 of the 225 questionnaires distributed at various clinic-style departments within the Békés County (Pándy Kálmán) Hospital were returned completed and suitable for evaluation. Of the respondents 121 (78%) were nurses, and 35 (22%) were doctors.
Results: A total of 56% (87 persons) of the healthcare workers who replied had heard of Hcy as a new risk factor, while 44% (69 persons) had not.
Conclusions: Despite the fact that measurement of plasma Hcy was introduced as a new test at the Central Laboratory of the Békés County Hospital, many of the healthcare staff working at this institution were not aware of its status as a possible risk factor.

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The nursing of post-pulmonectomy patients
Sági, T.

   Some 4431 patients were treated at the Pulmonary Surgery Department of the Markusovszky Hospital in the period from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2003. A total of 1,835 underwent "major chest operations," of which 322 involved the removal of a lung (pulmonectomy).
   The medical work is conducted by a team consisting of a doctor, a nurse and a physiotherapist. Close teamwork between the medical staff on the ward is of key importance.
   The author gives an account of the nursing that constitutes an integral part of the treatment, involving the intensive monitoring of patients who have undergone lung surgery, especially pulmonectomy, as well as the frequency and characteristics of the operation itself.
   The patient's recovery is largely dependent on the timely recognition of any possible complications. The observations of nurses play a key role in this. There is no machine that can substitute for the clinical observations of a well-trained nurse.

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