Investigating demographic,work-related and job satisfaction variables as predictors of motivation in Greek nurses

Aim To investigate whether demographic variables and work-related factors predict work motivation in Greek nurses. Background Nurses’ motivation is crucial for an effective health-care system. Herzberg’s and Maslow’s motivation theories constitute the framework of this study. Method The sample consisted of 200 nurses from every sector and registration level in a University Hospital in Greece. The response rate was 76%. Instruments A previously developed and validated questionnaire addressing four work-related motivators (job attributes, remuneration, co-workers and achievements) on a five-point Likert scale. Results Most participants were women, married, between 36 years and 45 years old and higher education graduates. The highest mean score was recorded for ‘achievements’ (mean 4.07, SD 0.72), which emerged as the most important motivator. Job satisfaction, work sector and age were statistically significantly related to motivational factors. Conclusions Nurses placed emphasis on motivators not strictly relating to economic rewards, but which can be seen as intrinsic and could lead to self-actualization. Implications for nursing management The constantly changing health sector requires that human resources and job context be a priority for health administrators. By promoting nurses’ satisfaction and efficacy, an improvement in service quality is expected.     

Rectus Abdominis as a Source of Myopotentials Inhibiting Demand Pacemakers

We examined four patients with a demand pacemaker who exhibited transient symptoms of vertigo while trying to rise from the supine position. In two of these there was an epicardial pacing system with the pacemaker in the abdominal wall superficial to the rectus abdominis muscle; in the other two cases the pacing system was transvenous with the pacemaker superficial to the right pectoralis major muscle. It was found that the "pseudovertigo" was due to pacemaker inhibition caused by rectus abdominis myopotentials in all four patients. Changing the pacing mode from demand to fixed-rate resulted in the disappearance of all symptoms at rest and during exercise.     

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy in an Octogenarian Presenting with Ventricular Tachycardia

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is one of the major causes of sudden death. Myocardial atrophy with subsequent fibro‐fatty replacement predominantly affects right ventricular myocardium and results in global and regional dysfunction as well as areas of slow conduction and dispersion of refractoriness, which are prerequisites for reentrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias. ARVC is commonly presented in patients <65 years old. However, few cases of elderly people suffering from this cardiomyopathy have been reported in the literature. We present a case of an 82‐year‐old woman with sustained ventricular tachycardia due to first diagnosed ARVC.     

Brief Report: Absorption Spectra of Inclusion Bodies in beta-Thalassemia

The spectroscopic properties of isolated or single erythroblastic and erythrocytic inclusions of homozygous -thalassemia prove that these structures contain a hemoglobin-like component.

Submitted on June 22, 1964 Accepted on September 29, 1964     

Outcome of 100 randomly positioned children of very low birthweight at 2 years

Prematurely born children often show a tendency to adopt extensor motor patterns during the first years of life. These children and especially those children of very low birthweight are considered to be at high risk for abnormal development. Positioning in an ordinary manner or in a more flexed position imposed at random during the neonatal period until discharge from hospital did not have a statistically significant influence on the development of these children at 24 months after term. Analysis of the optimality score of the 100 randomly selected children, born consecutively at the University Women's Hospital, Bern, showed a significant influence of prenatal optimality and congenital malformations on their later outcome.     

Atrial Pressure and Experimental Atrial Fibrillation

SIDERIS, D.A., et al .: Atrial Pressure and Experimental Atrial Fibrillation . A possible profibrillatory effect on the atria of an elevated atrial pressure and the site of atrial stimulation was examined. In 15 anesthetized dogs, right or left atrial or biatrial pacing was applied at a high rate (300–600/min) for 5 seconds at double threshold intensity under a wide range of atrial pressures achieved by venous or arterial transfusion or bleeding. Induction of atrial fibrillation in 236 of 1,971 pacing runs was associated with a significantly higher (P < 0.001) atrial pressure (21.6 ± 12.2 mmHg, mean ± SD) than maintenance of sinus rhythm (16.8 ± 11.1 mmHg in 1,735 of 1,971 pacing runs). Stimulation of the right atrium resulted in atrial fibrillation more frequently than left atrial or biatrial stimulation, with biatrial stimulation less frequent than right or left atrial stimulation. The induction of atrial fibrillation was related to the atrial pressure and to the site of stimulation but not to the pacing rate or the prepacing heart rate. The prepacing heart rate, associated with failure to induce sustained atrial fibrillation, was higher than that associated with atrial fibrillation in 12 of 15 experiments (significantly in 6) and not significantly lower in 3 of 15. Atrial fibrillation lasting 1 minute or more was more frequently associated with simultaneous stimulation of both atria than of either atrium alone. Thus, an elevated atrial pressure may facilitate the induction of atrial fibrillation. The site of stimulation also plays an important role for both the induction and maintenance of atrial fibrillation in this model.     

Percutaneous Transvenous Mitral Valvuloplasty, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, and Coronary Thrombolysis Applied Successfully to One Patient

The present report describes a patient with severe mitral stenosis and coronary artery disease who was successfully treated by combined percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty and coronary angioplasty. A few days following these procedures, the patient, probably as a result of thrombus embolization in the LAD artery, developed signs of an evolving anterior myocardial infarction and was successfully treated with intravenous thrombolytic therapy. This case demonstrates the feasibility of the combined appliance of interventional techniques in selected patients as an alternative to cardiac surgery.