1. Perceptions of patient safety culture among triage nurses in the emergency department : a cross-sectional studyZvonka Fekonja, Sergej Kmetec, Nataša Mlinar Reljić, Jožica Černe Kolarič, Majda Pajnkihar, Matej Strnad, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The patient safety culture is key to ensuring patient safety in healthcare organizations. The triage environment is inherently demanding for patient safety and is characterized by high stress, rapid decision-making, and quick action. In several countries, including Slovenia, there is a lack of studies on the patient safety culture among triage nurses. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of the patient safety culture among triage nurses. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The Emergency Medical Services-Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, distributed to triage nurses, was used to collect data. A total of 201 triage nurses participated in this study. The results revealed that the overall average perception of the patient safety culture was 57.27% (SD = 57.27), indicating that the perception of the patient safety culture among triage nurses in the emergency department was non-positive and requires improvement. “Job Satisfaction” received the highest score (63.18%; SD = 17.19), while “Working Conditions” received the lowest (49.91%; SD = 17.37). The perception of positive and negative safety culture responses was statistically significant for age (χ2 (3) = 17.750, p ≤ 0.001), education (χ2 (2) = 6.957, p = 0.031) and length of working experience (χ2 (3) = 8.875, p = 0.031). The findings emphasize the significance of improving the safety culture in relation to several areas of patient care during the triage process. This research serves as a crucial foundation for enhancing patient safety in triage, providing quality care, and reducing adverse events.
Keywords: triage, patient safety, perception, safety management, emergency medical services
Published in DKUM: 07.04.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
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2. Harnessing environmental yeasts - Pichia kudriavzevii strain ZMUM_K002 : the quest for isolates with properties for efficient biotechnological applicationsTadeja Vajdič, Marjanca Starčič Erjavec, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The environment hosts a diversity of microorganisms whose potential for biotechnological applications has not yet been exhausted. The quest of our study was to find isolates of Pichia kudriavzevii from the environment that could be used as new biotechnological agents. Moreover, we aimed to explore the resource efficiency for microbial cultivation, in particular the efficiency of spent coffee grounds (SCG), an easily accessible waste coffee product with a high unutilized organic content. In this study, Pichia kudriavzevii strain ZMUM_K002, a yeast strain isolated from a grape pomace compost, was investigated. Antifungal susceptibility, particularly fluconazole susceptibility, was assessed, and the strain’s biotechnological potential by comparing its ability to utilize low-cost carbon sources, including SCG, with a natural isolate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain ZMUM_K003) was assessed. The P. kudriavzevii strain ZMUM_K002 exhibited higher fluconazole susceptibility and yielded more than 30% more biomass in optimized media formulations compared to S. cerevisiae ZMUM_K003. These findings demonstrate that P. kudriavzevii ZMUM_K002 has the potential for efficient biomass production in sustainable industrial biotechnology, particularly in processes requiring high biomass yields on alternative substrates.
Keywords: Pichia kudriavzevii, Candida krusei, environmental sampling, biomass production, sauerkraut, safety assessment, spent coffee grounds
Published in DKUM: 21.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
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3. A preliminary assessment of rider/driver gaze behaviour in slovenian urban areasTomaž Tollazzi, Matej Moharić, Chiara Gruden, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Motorcycle riders are an increasing group of road users. The intrinsic characteristics of
powered two wheelers (PTW) allow them to be particularly flexible, both in urban and extra-urban
environments. Nevertheless, crash statistics indicate that riders involved in road accidents are highly
likely to suffer severe injuries, underlining the vulnerability of this group of road users. An element
that can greatly affect the safety of PTW users is road design, as roads are usually designed for
two-track vehicles (cars, buses, and lorries) and do not consider the needs of PTWs. Additionally,
handling a motorcycle is quite different from driving a car; thus, the behaviour of riders is different to
that of drivers. The aim of this paper is to compare how different road designs are perceived by riders
and drivers and to preliminarily assess if riders’ behaviour and attention allocation are related. For
the purpose of this research, an eye-tracking experiment was developed outdoors. Both drivers and
riders travelled along a route comprising four different road designs and various road layouts, and
the output was analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Although it was not possible to carry
out a statistical analysis due to the limited number of participants, the results demonstrate that there
is a difference in the gaze behaviour of drivers and riders, with the latter being far more focused on
the left-hand side of the road and concentrating on defined elements of road design. Furthermore, the
experiment demonstrated that a higher number of fixations is related to lower speeds. Finally, it was
noted that both kinds of road users focus fairly well on the carriageway, leading to the conclusion that
the indications given through road markings may be much more effective than vertical signalisation,
which has rarely been observed.
Keywords: road safety, powered two-wheelers (PTW), ridera, eye-tracking, gaze behavior
Published in DKUM: 13.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 3
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4. In-depth analysis of fatal motorcycle accidents—case study in SloveniaTomaž Tollazzi, Laura Brigita Parežnik, Chiara Gruden, Marko Renčelj, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Motorcyclists remain a disproportionately large group of vulnerable road users, with fatality rates significantly higher than that in other road groups. Additionally, fatal accidents involving motorcyclists have a more slowly decreasing trend in comparison to that of other road users, while the number of this kind of users is growing fast. For all these reasons, there is a need to understand what the key factors leading to fatal accidents are in order to identify the possible measures to minimize the accidents themselves or at least their consequences. This would permit, indeed, to positively impact the road traffic system, leading to the creation of the safest road traffic system possible, as it is the goal of the Sustainable Safety approach. The aim of this study is to dive into the mentioned problem, analyzing fatal motorcycle accidents in Slovenia over a decade, highlighting the key factors contributing to these incidents. By integrating data from four databases, the study evaluated accident trends, infrastructural elements, and rider behavior through a multi-stage analysis. Firstly, data were collected from four national, up-to-date databases that contain information about road accidents themselves, the road infrastructure, additional police data, and media descriptions. After merging this information into one comprehensive database, where each row represents all the data available for one accident, a general analysis of accidents’ trends over the considered 10-year period was developed, considering at first all fatal road accidents, then deepening it to accidents caused by a motorcyclist, and finally to single-vehicle accidents. A statistical analysis followed, aimed at identifying a statistical correlation between the accidents and the factors leading to them. The results of the first accident analysis indicated that excessive speed, incorrect driving direction, and overtaking maneuvers are the primary causes of fatal accidents, especially on non-urban roads preferred by motorcyclists. Single-vehicle accidents frequently involve collisions with roadside objects, including safety barriers and poles, underscoring the need for targeted infrastructural improvements. The following correlation analysis revealed that a total of seven factors were statistically significant: three human factors (age, gender, experience)—which were the ones with the strongest correlations—one infrastructural factor (pavement width), and three factors belonging to external conditions (accident type, cause, and location). Of these, four were positively correlated to the causer, while three, i.e., pavement width, causes, and road location, were negatively correlated. This study provides a foundation for future research on less severe accidents and proactive risk behavior analysis, aiming to improve motorcyclist safety comprehensively.
Keywords: motorcycle safety, fatal accidents, road infrastructure, rider behavior
Published in DKUM: 10.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 10
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5. The NASA-TLX approach to understand workers workload in humanrobot collaborationAljaž Javernik, Borut Buchmeister, Robert Ojsteršek, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Human-robot collaboration (HRC) is becoming increasingly widespread in today's production systems, as it can contribute to achieving more efficient and flexible production systems. Given the growing importance of HRC, this paper addresses the significance of human workload in HRC. To study workers workload an experiment was conducted using NASA-TLX questionnaire. The experiment featured two scenarios involving the same operation but varying robot motion parameters. Recognizing that individual differences contribute to success of collaboration, the experiment considered worker utilization in relation to robot motion parameters. To ensure the credibility of the experimental results, the robot motion parameters were adjusted to each individual in order to achieve the same conditions and utilization at all participants. Results revealed that worker utilization, in conjunction with robot motion parameters significantly influenced worker workload. The results highlight the need for personalized guidelines in collaborative workplaces that emphasize individual differences in abilities, skills and personalities to increase overall well-being and robot and worker productivity.
Keywords: human-robot collaboration, industry 5.0, collaborative workplace, NASA-TLX, safety awareness, worker well-being, worker workload
Published in DKUM: 10.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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7. Safety culture at primary healthcare level : a cross-sectional study among employees with a leadership roleZalika Klemenc-Ketiš, Tonka Poplas-Susič, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: An effective leadership is critical to the development of a safety culture within an organization. With this study, the authors wanted to assess the self-perceived level of safety culture among the employees with a leadership function in the Ljubljana Community Health Centre.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in the largest community health centre in Slovenia. We sent an invitation to all employees with a leadership role (N=211). The Slovenian version of the SAQ – Short Form as a measurement of a safety culture was used. The data on demographic characteristics (gender, age, role, work experience, working hours, and location of work) were also collected. An electronic survey was used.
Results: The final sample consisted of 154 (69.7%) participants, out of which 136 (88.3%) were women. The mean age and standard deviation of the sample was 46.2±10.5 years. The average scores for the safety culture domains on a scale from 1 to 5 were 4.1±0.6 for Teamwork Climate, Safety Climate, and Working Conditions and Satisfaction, 3.7±0.5 for Perception of Management, 3.6±0.4 for Communication, and 3.5±0.6 for Stress Recognition.
Conclusion: The safety culture among leaders in primary healthcare organizations in Slovenia is perceived as positive. There is also a strong organizational culture. Certain improvements are needed, especially in the field of communication and stress recognition with regards to safety culture.
Keywords: safety culture, primary healthcare, organizational culture
Published in DKUM: 24.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 4
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8. Use of the methodology of network thinking for a fatigue criteria investigation based on the example of mining companiesMarcin Butlewski, Grzegorz Dahlke, Milena Drzewiecka-Dahlke, Krzysztof Hankiewicz, Adam Górny, Brigita Gajšek, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: In the paper the factors of workers fatigue were tested by applying network thinking methodology supported by statistical analysis to determine the nature of individual factors for the fatigue management system development. Analysis of the distribution of factors along the intensity map allowed their classification into individual interaction categories, describing directions for miner fatigue management. Active factors were discovered which are: Elevated temperature, Noise and vibration, Oxygen-poor air and mining gases, High humidity, Poor work organization. Critical factors for fatigue management were: Poor technical condition of equipment and Long and time-consuming approach to headings.
Keywords: fatigue factors, fatigue management, mine, miners, network thinking, safety
Published in DKUM: 15.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
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9. Optimization of embedded retaining walls under the effects of groundwater seepage using a reliability-based and partial factor design approachRok Varga, Bojan Žlender, Primož Jelušič, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: In this paper, a comparative analysis of the effects of groundwater, seepage and hydraulic heave on the optimal design of embedded retaining walls is carried out. The optimization model for an optimal retaining wall (ORW) minimizes the total length of the retaining wall considering design constraints. The model is extended to include the probability of failure as an additional constraint. This overcomes the limitations of the partial safety factor approach, which does not fully account for uncertainties in the soil. In contrast, the reliability-based design (RBD) approach integrates these uncertainties and enables an assessment of the impact of seepage and hydraulic heave on the reliability of the structure. A real-coded genetic algorithm was used to determine optimal designs for both optimization methods. The results of the case study show that the addition of seepage (groundwater flow) to the hydrostatic conditions has a modest effect on the embedment depth. The design based on partial safety factors, which takes seepage into account, leads to a slight increase in the embedment depth of 0.94% compared to a retaining wall design that only takes the hydrostatic conditions of the groundwater into account. When designing on the basis of probability failure, the percentage increase in embedment depth due to seepage is between 2.19% and 6.41%, depending on the target probability of failure. Furthermore, the hydraulic heave failure mechanism did not increase the required embedment depth of the retaining wall, which means that the failure mechanism of rotation near the base was decisive for the design.
Keywords: embedded retaining wall, reliability-based design, partial safety factor design, optimization, genetic algorithm
Published in DKUM: 10.12.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 11
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10. The safety culture of the Ljubljana community health centre's employeesŠpela Tevžič, Tonka Poplas-Susič, Zalika Klemenc-Ketiš, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Introduction: Patient safety is one of the key aspects of healthcare quality and a serious global public health concern. Patient safety culture is a part of the patient safety concept. In Slovenia, primary care is easily accessible, and for medical care, it serves as a gatekeeper to hospital care. For several years, the quality and safety at the primary healthcare level have been the focus of several studies. The present study aimed to assess patient safety culture among all employees of the Community Health Centre Ljubljana.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2017 using the Slovene version of “Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture” from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Mean percent positive scores on all items in each composite were calculated according to a user guide.
Results: The final sample contained 1021 participants (67.8% response rate), of which 909 (89.0%) were women. The mean age of the sample was 43.0±11.0 years. The dimensions most highly rated by the respondents were: teamwork and patient care tracking/follow-up. The lowest scores came from leadership support for patients’ safety and work pressure and pace.
Conclusion: Patient safety culture in the Community Health Centre Ljubljana is high, but there are certain areas of patient safety that need to be evaluated further and improved. Our study revealed differences between professions, indicating that a customized approach per profession group might contribute to the successful implementation of safety strategies. Patient safety culture should be studied at national levels.
Keywords: patient safety, safety culture, family medicine, primary healthcare, Slovenia
Published in DKUM: 18.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 5
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