The expectations of senior citizens with regard to their future care and services
Papp K., Balogh Z.

In spring of 2003, a survey was launched, involving the 50-59-year age group in four European countries. The purpose of the investigation was to examine the expectations and outlook of people in this age bracket with regard to the care and services they will receive in the future.
The majority of respondents considered themselves to be the best organisers of their own care. In their opinion, the most important characteristics of carers are: a friendly personality, professional qualifications, willingness to listen to opinions, practical experience.
Less than half of those who responded believed that they would work in the future as a family carer. Among the most important outcomes of care for the aged, they highlighted health, an ability to function, and the provision of social and healthcare services.

---

Degenerative motor-organ disorders suffered by nurses on rehabilitation wards
Baranyi J., Sziráki E.

The purpose of the study: to reveal the origins of degenerative motor-organ disorders suffered by nurses on rehabilitation wards.
Method: anonymous, questionnaire-based survey. The questions pertained to the degenerative motor-organ disorders suffered by nurses working at hospitals, and to the way they were related to the physical nature of the nurses' work, and the frequency with which equipment to assist in moving and changing the position of patients, and special lifting techniques, were used.
Results: A high proportion of nurses who participated in the survey experience degenerative motor-organ disorders, which are mainly localised in the lumbar spinal region and knee joints. A knowledge and use of special lifting techniques was also found to be lacking. The availability and frequency of use of equipment for moving and changing the position of patients was negligible.
Conclusions: The survey revealed a correlation between the development of degenerative motor-organ disorders and a failure to use proper lifting techniques by nurses and a lack of equipment designed to assist in moving patients.

---

The number of nursing staff providing patient care at hospitals
Szloboda I.,Pap K. MD

The scarcity of available resources and high healthcare costs represent a serious problem for all institutions. Since the majority of the expenses are accounted by wage costs, at most hospitals the primary means of cost-cutting is what is termed "headcount rationalisation." For this reason the authors seek to ascertain the staff numbers that service providers maintain for performing their duties under these circumstances. Some 295 departments, covering eight fields of medicine, in 37 institutions that provide inpatient care participated in the study. From the data thus gathered it was concluded that the number of patients cared for by a single nurse is three times that of the corresponding figure in more developed nations, but not nearly as high as is generally perceived. However, there are substantial differences between the various institutions in terms of the number of specialist nurses working per shift, which is presumably also reflected in the quality of nursing care provided. In order to ensure uniform quality standards, it is necessary to introduce a precise methodology for establishing the ideal headcount, since only when staff numbers are optimal will nursing staff gain the job satisfaction that they require in order to raise their motivation, and thus boost their performance.

---

Survey of the competence of head nurses
Helenbai K. MD, Tulkán I., Gábor K. MD, Bársony J., Csanádi L. MD, Szögi Z., Ungi L., Tóth I.

The nursing development strategy of the World Health Organisation places special emphasis on the planning of human resources, and the expansion of HR capacity, as well as the use of evidence-based practices. The purpose of the report was to contribute to the formulation of European protocols regarding the further training of head nurses, from the articulation of competency directives through implementation of ongoing training. The current study presents the Hungarian findings of a situation assessment, funded under the Leonardo da Vinci Program, performed with the involvement of head nurses (N = 6), nursing supervisors (N = 6), direct medical supervisors (N = 6).
The program spans seven countries, and the survey was performed using the same methodology in each. The interviews, followed by work time analyses performed based on observations of a typical working day, as well as the findings of a situation analysis, revealed the complex system of duties performed by head nurses, as well as the indispensable contribution they make to achieving nursing goals. The authors established that the head nurses play a very important role in the operation of human resources, and that they usually achieve results intuitively. Based on their findings, the authors consider it necessary, in the course training nurses, to deepen their skills related to performance appraisal.

---

The possible role of university educated nurses in the Hungarian health sector
Mészáros J., Balogh Z., Rimár I. MD

Supplementary university degree courses in nursing commenced at the Healthcare College Faculty of Budapest's Semmelweis Medical University in the second term of the academic year 2002/2003. The detailed program was developed after several years of preparatory work. When compiling the syllabus for the university nursing diploma, we performed a study of the needs and expectations of the existing student body in respect of university training, and compared our findings with the provisions of the government decree (85/2000. VI. 15.), issued in 2000, on the requirements for basic nursing training at university level. Besides this we held discussions with those nursing specialists who, in the course of their nursing management work, perform the roles of medical and nursing managers and trainers. In the course of our development work, we also took into consideration the recommendations of the industry body the Hungarian Nursing Association. Besides examining Hungarian standards, we also studied the results of similar training schemes in overseas countries with a long history of nursing (USA, Canada), where some 10% of registered nurses are university graduates. In the course of creating the syllabus, we also drew on the professional and teaching experience of colleagues who have worked in vocational healthcare and university nursing education for many years.

---

Back to work, with a real chance
Kujalek É.

This year, the Heim Pál Children's Hospital launched a new type of training program, which has been awarded funding under the European Union's EQUAL program. The training assists those returning to work after a prolonged absence (maternity leave), to refresh and update their skills. The other part of the program involves the training of mentors to assist employees who have small children to care for. The author gives summarises the results of the first three months of the program.

---

The effect of problem-based learning on teacher and student attitudes
Szögedi I.

The last decade has witnessed a rapid expansion of biomedical knowledge. Despite this, fashions in medical education over the same period have shifted away from factual (didactic) teaching and towards contextual, or problem-based, learning (PBL). This paradigm shift has been justified by studies showing that PBL improves reasoning and communication while being associated with few if any detectable knowledge deficits. Analysis of the literature indicates that the recent rapid rise of PBL has closely paralleled the timing of the information explosion. New initiatives in this New initiatives towards this end could include the development of more integrated cognitive techniques for facilitating the comprehension of complex data; the design of differentiated medical curricula for producing graduates with defined high-priority skill sets; and the encouragement of more cost-effective faculty teaching activities focused on the prototyping and testing of innovative commercializable educational tools. (Bleakley, 2002)
For this reason, we need to re-evaluate the present and future vision of higher education, and the current role of students and teachers in the educational process.
The PBL method outlined in the article was developed in response to highly practical considerations, but nevertheless can be regarded as a form of synthesis of the evolution of educational science over recent years, containing recognisable elements of constructivist teaching theory, the cooperative and collaborative learning method, motivation-based learning and the role of the teacher as helper/facilitator. (Forgács,2000).

---

Back