“Lituanistika”, International Research Database
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Health workforce forecast in the university hospital: evidence from Lithuania
No full textBackground. The increasing shortage of staff in healthcare facilities worldwide calls for a human resource planning strategy in order to ensure safe, timely and patient-centred care. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis and supply and demand projections of nurses, midwives, and radiographers within the labor market of the largest university hospital in the Baltic States by 2030. Methods. The staff supply was calculated on the intake and outflow of persons in the labour market annually for various factors. Projections for the demand of nurses, midwives, and radiographers took into account the different needs of the population, categorized by gender and age, for the services offered within the institution. Results. The analysis highlights significant projected shortages in the supply of nurses and radiographers by 2030, while the supply of midwives is expected to meet the demand. The projected supply of nurses in 2030 will be lower than in 2021. Projected nurses demand in 2025 according medium scenario - shortage of 59 nurses, on prospective scenario - of 331 nurses. In 2030 according medium scenario - shortage of 173 nurses on prospective - of 772 nurses. The projected supply of radiographers in 2030 will be higher than in 2021. Projected radiographers demand in prospective scenario which is the most likely in 2025 - shortage of 26 and in 2030 - shortage of 52 radiographers. The projected supply of midwives in 2030 will be higher than in 2021. The variables influencing the increase in the demand for midwives did not exceed the projected supply in the institution, indicating a balanced supply-demand scenario for midwives. Conclusions. Due to the rising demand for nurse and radiographer services from the aging population, the predicted supply of nurses and radiographers will be insufficient. To ensure the projected demand for nurses in the medium and prospective scenarios, the nurses recruited each year should increase up to 38% in the medium scenario and 69% in the prospective scenario from 2022. In the prospective demand scenario, the recruitment of radiographers should increase three-fold and the recruitment of midwives should be reduced by 30%. Keywords: human resources, supply, demand forecast, nurse, midwife, radiographer
STEM teachers' motivation and engagement in teacher professional development and career advancement: a case study of Lithuania
No full textThe demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills has been consistently increasing due to technological advancements and globalization, making STEM education and teacher training a critical priority. Although many national and international initiatives have been implemented to strengthen STEM education and raise the attractiveness of the teaching profession, a shortage of teachers in general, and STEM teachers in particular, is still evident across Europe. This study aimed to identify factors contributing to attracting existing and potential teachers to careers in STEM education. Qualitative research methods were employed to study teachers’ perceived motivation, challenges, and suggestions regarding STEM teachers’ careers, competence, and collaboration development. The study revealed that the practical application of competence development initiatives significantly motivates STEM teachers, emphasizing the importance of aligning professional development with classroom implementation. These results emphasize the importance of prioritizing practical, classroom-oriented professional development and fostering a culture of collaboration in educational institutions. Keywords: STEM education; teacher professional development; shortage of teachers; career advancement; teacher motivation
The Interrelationship between pro-environmental attitudes and subjective well-being: the case of Central and Eastern European countries
No full textScientists and policy makers more often point out that pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour are related to subjective well-being, but there is a lack of deep scientific insights, as well as possible measure analysis, which would promote pro-environmental behaviour but, at the same time, lead to higher subjective well-being. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes, concerns about climate change, and subjective well-being in Central and Eastern European countries. This study employs descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis to identify subjective well-being predictors in the case of Central and Eastern European countries. This study uses data from European Social Survey (ESS) rounds 4–10, and includes questions on pro-environmental attitudes, climate change cognition, orientation towards materialistic values, and households’ total net income. The conducted research revealed that pro-environmental attitudes were related to higher levels of subjective well-being in different ESS rounds in many Central and Eastern European countries. In addition, there is some evidence that the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes and subjective well-being is weaker among individuals who are more oriented towards materialistic values. According to the results of this study, policy makers should develop policies that not only address environmental problems but also contribute to subjective well-being. Keywords: subjective well-being; environmental cognition; pro-environmental attitudes; climate change cognition; Central and Eastern European countries
Adaptation of psychological performance inventory for sport schools’ students
No full textRecently, there has been an increasing need to develop mental toughness of students who participate in sport, in order to improve their adaptation not only during sporting activities but also in other contexts. Developing mental toughness skills among sport school students is one of the main ways to ensure their psychological well-being, and therefore research in this area is of great importance. However, there is currently a lack of adapted validity measures that consider sociocultural factors to assess their psychological skills, namely mental toughness. For this purpose, it is necessary to adapt and validate a modern, useful measure of psychological resilience skills. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to conduct an adaptation of the Psychological Performance Inventory-Alternative (PPI-A) for sport school students. The participants of the study were 378 basketball sport school students aged 15-18 years from different Lithuanian basketball sport schools. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using Jamovi software. Pearson correlation coefficients and average variance extracted were calculated using Jamovi software and Excel program. These indicators were used to check the convergent and discriminant validity of the questionnaire. Reliability of the questionnaire was checked using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Structural equation modelling showed an acceptable fit of the four-factor PPIA model. Validity and reliability analyses revealed a good level of internal consistency between the factors. Given the appropriate psychometric properties, the Lithuanian version of the Psychological Performance Inventory-Alternative (PPI-A) can be used in studies aimed at better understanding of mental toughness among sport school students. Further research on the structure of the instrument is also warranted in order to validate the questionnaire for other samples. Keywords: mental toughness, psychological performance, validation, adaptation, sport schools, students
Unveiling determinants of successful dairy farm performance from dairy exporting EU countries
No full textThe dairy sector is the second largest agricultural sector in the EU and Lithuania. It faces economic challenges (price volatility, farm consolidation and downsizing, etc.), but its importance outstrips other agricultural sectors (combining agro-systems and providing valuable food products for people). The aim of the study is to identify the vulnerabilities of dairy farms and to consider how to improve their performance after analysis of dairy farms in dairy exporting EU countries. As the problem of the study is complex, a set of indicators was analysed, including farm size, milk yield per cow, number of cows per annual work unit (AWU), milk production per fodder area, feed autonomy, milk price, total operating costs, depreciation, farm net value added per AWU, milk production per capita, and GDP at current prices per capita. The analysis was carried out using data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) for 2017–2019. As Lithuania’s dairy sector is export-oriented, EU countries with more than 100% milk self–sufficiency (18 countries in total) were chosen for the comparison. The multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) were used for the study. The multi-criteria evaluation revealed that countries that are leaders in dairy exports obtained the best values of dairy farm performance. These countries (Denmark, Netherlands, Ireland, and Belgium) have the highest farm size, production scale, productivity, and income indicators. While Slovenian, Latvian, and Lithuanian dairy farms performed poorly in terms of productivity and economic indicators, these countries achieve competitiveness in the dairy sector through lower milk prices, higher utilisation of own resources, and higher levels of public support. Keywords: dairy farms; economic analysis; multi-criteria decision-making methods
Social work perspective in integrated care for elderly people with chronic diseases
No full textIn Lithuania, integrating healthcare and social services is a possible solution for the care of the growing number of older people with chronic diseases. When implementing integrated care in Lithuania, the aim is to include social work professionals who have already accumulated experience in organizing and coordinating the provision of social services to the elderly. The article aims to reveal the perspective of social work in integrated care by highlighting social workers’ roles. The literature review focused on two tasks: identifying the prospective roles that social workers implement in integrated care and observing the challenges of implementing integrated care. Results: The practice perspective of social workers in providing integrated care services relates to the realization of the roles of mediation, representation, advocacy, case management, and crisis prevention. Fulfilling professional roles can be difficult due to bureaucracy, organizational issues, and lack of integrated service funding solutions, as well as insufficient inter-professional teamwork and collaboration. Keywords: integrated care, elderly people with chronic diseases, social worker roles
An Evaluation of the quality of life and emotional status of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators at the Vilnius University Hospital, Lithuania
No full textBackground and objective: An arrhythmia is a disorder of the heart rate or rhythm. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small electronic device connected to the heart to continuously keep track of and help control rapid and sometimes life-threatening electrical problems with the heart. However, it may result in psychological tension in patients' lives, eventually affecting their quality of life (QoL). In light of this, we aimed to assess the QoL of patients with ICD at the Vilnius University Hospital, Lithuania. Methods: We employed the following three questionnaires in this study: an originally prepared questionnaire including sociodemographic and health factors; the 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36); and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess depression and anxiety. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics v. 13.00 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: Of the patients evaluated in all areas of QoL, males demonstrated higher scores compared to females. A statistically significant difference was found when assessing the domains of physical activity, social function, pain, and physical and mental health QoL. Conclusions: Based on our findings, the majority of ICD patients can achieve their desired QoL and psychosocial outcomes. Our results show that patients with ICDs have the potential to return to a normal life. Depression and anxiety manifested more commonly in respondents with a disease duration of up to five years. Keywords: sf-36, depression, qol, icd, heart rhythm disorders
"I believe a miracle happened here, not yet explained by science": memories of Romanas Krasninkevičius about 1944-1946
No full textRomanas Krasninkevičius (1926-1996) - sudėtingo likimo savamokslis menininkas, tautodailininkas, vienas talentingiausių liaudies grafikų. Unikali jo kūryba radosi iš sunkių asmeninių patirčių, bet tebėra glaudžiai susijusi su liaudies kūrybos tradicijomis, jos plastiniu ir žodiniu palikimu. Pirmojoje dalyje aprašoma Antrojo pasaulinio karo realybė, kurią aštuoniolikmetis patyrė 1944 m. besitraukiančios Vokietijos kariuomenės prievarta paimtas darbams priešakinėse fronto linijose Prūsijoje. Antrojoje dalyje prisimenami patirti sužeidimai, stebuklingas išsigelbėjimas nuo žūties ir trumpas atokvėpis Danijoje. 1978 m. vasario 10 d. pradėtas rašyti rankraštis saugomas Lietuvos nacionaliniame dailės muziejuje.Romanas KRASNINKEVIČIUS (1926-1996) was a self-taught artist with a complex destiny, a folk artist, and one of the most talented folk graphic artists. His unique art arose from difficult firsthand experiences. In 1944, the Krasninkevičius family, who lived near the German border, were driven from their home by the Nazis, who then set fire to the house and destroyed the fields, while eighteen-year-old Romanas was taken away to work in Germany. Armed soldiers forced him to walk across all of Prussia. Later, Krasninkevičius described this experience - exhausting work digging trenches on the front lines, hunger, the constant closeness of death, and the vision of divine providence that saved his life - in his memoirs. Upon returning to Soviet-occupied Lithuania, he was once again met with suffering: interrogations, imprisonment, starvation, and forced army service. He returned to his homeland in 1951 and later lived in Marijampolė, where he worked as a hydrologist, cinema advertising artist, children’s nursery decorator, food supplier, and guard. His works were exhibited in solo exhibitions in Lithuania, Italy, Germany, and the United States. He lived poorly and often gave away his works - he did not recognize the concept of selling art
About the power of Lithuanian identity to shape and change political systems: a conversation with historian Vladas Sirutavičius
No full textA hymn to ethnic power - this is how the review of the monograph Politinė galia ir lietuviškas etniškumas: vėlyvasis stalinizmas ir ankstyvoji destalinizacija Lietuvoje 1944-1956 m. [Political Power and Lithuanian Ethnicity: Late Stalinism and Early Destalinisation in Lithuania 1944-1956] by Dr. Vladas SIRUTAVIČIUS, released in 2022, was named by his colleague from the Lithuanian Institute of History, Dr Česlovas Laurinavičius. According to his review, this book, which “blazes a new trail in Lithuanian historiography research,” challenges both contemporary propaganda cliches and traditional approaches to writing history. Without aiming for a systematic and detailed discussion of armed resistance, Soviet repression, and other defined period processes, it stands out with its focus on Lithuanian ethnic identity. Drawing on the concept of ethnic identity as a historically stable and perhaps determining phenomenon, as interpreted by Anthony D. Smith, the Lithuanian historian extended this idea, seeing political power inherent in ethnic identity. According to Dr Sirutavičius, “Lithuanian ethnic identity within the Soviet political structure unwittingly maintained the perspective of politicisation,” and the accumulated cultural and social capital turned into political capital in the 1990s when Lithuania regained independence. The interview with Dr Sirutavičius touches more broadly on the 1946 Song Festival — one of the cultural field narratives discussed in the book, the sum of which presents a new view of the Stalinist era. This year marks the centenary of the Lithuanian Song Festival - an occasion to once again ask we should understand and evaluate the half-century of this tradition under Soviet occupation; it has become fashionable to dismiss it as being ideologically corrupted, degraded, and transformed, as described by philosopher Dr Nerija Putinaitė, into a pillar of Soviet Lithuanian identity. The political regime has a much smaller impact on ethnic culture than it sometimes seems; political ideas change much faster than the ethnocultural foundation, says Dr Sirutavičius
Practical application of information technologies in social work studies
No full textApplying flexible and innovative teaching methods allows to improve the content of learning and education, as well as its quality and relevance. Efforts are made to provide as many opportunities for distance learning and virtual mobility as possible by using the benefits provided by new technologies, improving the training process and adapting it to each individual. A case study strategy was chosen, as the study consists of one separate object which is one higher school that implements the Social Work study program. The conducted research is of the "one-time cross-section" type, as it is dedicated for a specific purpose, namely, the modernization of the social work study program. In 2022 - 2023, semi-structured interviews were made with students of the Social Work Program participating in an international project on the application of innovative technologies in social work. The purpose of the research is to reveal aspects of the practical application of information technologies in the process of social work studies.Based on the findings obtained during the interviews and the research presented in the theoretical part about the application of information technologies in the study process, information technologies were divided into three groups of tools: technical tools, digital content creation tools, communication, and collaboration tools. The research found that the following technical tools are used the most and most often during lectures: computer, smartphone, camera, sound speakers, microphone with integrated speaker, Bluetooth headphones, projector, printer, high-speed Internet connection and wireless (wifi) network. It was found that students use text editors, calculators, the tools for video creation, presentation creation, quiz creation and survey assessment programs during lectures. Most often, 3-5 times a week, students use the following means of communication and collaboration: social networks, audio, and video storage, learning environments, laboratories, conferences, chat programs. Keywords: information technology, social work, study process