The use of information about health from everyday local presss among nurses

Paweł Więch
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Monika Binkowska-Bury
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Elżbieta Książek
Paweł Januszewicz
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Institute of Nursing and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszów, Poland
Institute of Health Sciences, Medical College of Rzeszow University, Rzeszow, Poland
Katedra Pielęgniarstwa, Wydział Medyczny, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, Rzeszów, Polska
Katedra Pielęgniarstwa, Wydział Medyczny, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, Rzeszów, Polska

Abstract

Introduction: Currently mass media are more and more interested in healthcare. Reliable and accurate transfer of information regarding society’s health needs and threats might be an important tool to gain professional knowledge by healthcare workers.

Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the use of the information about health from everyday local press among nurses.

Material and methods: Study was carried out from December 2008 to January 2009 with the use of questionnaire among 223 nurses employed in public healthcare centers of Debica district. An analysis of 86 issues (August-December 2008) of newspaper Gazeta Codzienna Nowiny was carried out to assess the evaluation of health information. A chi-square test was used in statistical analysis.

Results: Following this study it was found that the most popular topics of health undertaken by newspaper journalists were: functioning of healthcare institutions (79 articles) and healthy lifestyle (60 articles). Almost all nurses (99,1%) when reading press, put an attention on articles regarding health. Additionally they assessed their level as satisfactory (59,2%) and at the same time (55,2%) they declared the usage of obtained information at their workplace. The majority of nurses (63,7%) regularly read analyzed newspaper Gazeta Codzienna Nowiny, learnt from it from time to time (45,8%) or always (23,9%), and assessed their level as satisfactory (74,0%). There is a statistical relationship between education (p=0.001), continuing professional education (p=0.000) and frequency of use professional literature among nurses.

Conclusions: This paper confirms quite intense interest of media regarding health, and especially healthcare functioning and healthy lifestyle. The fact, that nurses too often use newspapers’ information in their work is alarming phenomenon. Nurses with higher education and continuing occupational or specialist education more often use professional literature.

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