Association between sleep quality and uncertainty stress among healthcare professionals in hospitals in China: a nationwide cross-sectional survey

Objectives
Sleep quality is a critical concern among healthcare professionals, yet the role of uncertainty stress has been inadequately explored. This study aims to explore the associations between sleep quality and uncertainty stress among healthcare professionals working in Chinese hospitals.

Design
Cross-sectional survey.

Setting
Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey administered to healthcare professionals across three Chinese provinces from 29 September 2022 to 18 January 2023.

Participants
A total of 1902 participants contributed valid responses for analysis.

Primary outcome measure
Sleep quality.

Results
Out of 1902 respondents, 26.4% reported uncertainty stress and 50.5% experienced insomnia. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that higher uncertainty stress significantly predicted poor sleep quality (OR=3.89; 95% CI 3.06, 4.95; p

Leggi
Ottobre 2024

Cyberbullying victimisation and its association with depression, anxiety and stress among female adolescents in Deumai Municipality, Nepal: a cross-sectional survey

Objective
To estimate the prevalence of cyberbullying and its association with depression, anxiety and stress among female adolescents attending higher secondary schools in Deumai Municipality, Nepal.

Design
Cross-sectional survey study.

Setting
The survey was conducted at all available higher secondary schools of Deumai Municipality, Ilam District, Nepal, from February to April 2022.

Participants
A total of 501 female adolescents enrolled in grades 11 and 12 were included in the study. All eligible participants available on the day of data collection were approached until the calculated sample size was reached.

Outcome measures
The study assessed the prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation, along with the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and their associated factors. The level of psychological distress was explored using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Pearson’s 2 test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to determine the association between psychological distress and related variables, including cyberbullying victimisation, at 95% CI and 5% level of significance.

Results
Nearly a third (32.5%) of the female adolescents included in the study had experienced cyberbullying. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 46.5%, 52.7% and 34.9%, respectively. Cyberbullying victims were observed to have increased odds of experiencing depression (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.64, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.42), anxiety (aOR: 2.49, 95% CI 1.67 to 3.70) and stress (aOR: 2.59, 95% CI 1.74 to 3.86) in comparison with non-victims.

Conclusion
Cyberbullying victims are significantly more likely to experience psychological distress. There is an urgent need to strengthen cybersecurity and to have strong legislative measures to address cyberbullying in order to safeguard the mental health of adolescents in the digital age.

Leggi
Ottobre 2024

Action Needed to Ease Parental Stress, US Surgeon General Warns

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, issued an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents and caregivers of children younger than 18 years. The report comes in response to the intense pressure reported by the roughly 63 million parents of children in the US: 33% reported high levels of stress over the course of a month compared with 20% of other adults in 2023.

Leggi
Ottobre 2024

Evaluating artificial intelligence-driven stress echocardiography analysis system (EASE study): A mixed method study

Introduction
The use and value of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools and techniques are under investigation in detecting coronary artery disease (CAD). EchoGo Pro is a patented AI-driven stress echocardiography analysis system produced by Ultromics Ltd. (henceforth Ultromics) to support clinicians in detecting cardiac ischaemia and potential CAD. This manuscript presents the research protocol for a field study to independently evaluate the accuracy, acceptability, implementation barriers, users’ experience and willingness to pay, cost-effectiveness and value of EchoGo Pro.

Methods and analysis
The ‘Evaluating AI-driven stress echocardiography analysis system’ (EASE) study is a mixed-method evaluation, which will be conducted in five work packages (WPs). In WP1, we will examine the diagnostic accuracy by comparing test reports generated by EchoGo Pro and three manual raters. In WP2, we will focus on interviewing clinicians, innovation/transformation staff, and patients within the National Health Service (NHS), and staff within Ultromics, to assess the acceptability of this technology. In this WP, we will determine convergence and divergence between EchoGo Pro recommendations and cardiologists’ interpretations and will assess what profile of cases is linked with convergence and divergence between EchoGo Pro recommendations and cardiologists’ interpretations and how these link to outcomes. In WP4, we will conduct a quantitative cross-sectional survey of trust in AI tools applied to cardiac care settings among clinicians, healthcare commissioners and the general public. Lastly, in WP5, we will estimate the cost of deploying the EchoGo Pro technology, cost-effectiveness and willingness to pay cardiologists, healthcare commissioners and the general public. The results of this evaluation will support evidence-informed decision-making around the widespread adoption of EchoGo Pro and similar technologies in the NHS and other health systems.

Ethics approval and dissemination
This research has been approved by the NHS Health Research Authority (IRAS No: 315284) and the London South Bank University Ethics Panel (ETH2223-0164). Alongside journal publications, we will disseminate study methods and findings in conferences, seminars and social media. We will produce additional outputs in appropriate forms, for example, research summaries and policy briefs, for diverse audiences in NHS.

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Ottobre 2024