[During the assessment of blood donor candidates the physician considers two factors; first, whether the loss of 450 ml blood would be of any risk for them (e.g., because of hypotension) and second, whether they have any illness, current (seasonal allergy, antibiotic use, etc.) or chronic conditions (oncological or autoimmune disease, drug use, etc.) that may confer risk to the recipient. For the safety of blood preparations it is essential that the donors are dependable individuals who lead a lifestyle of low risk of getting infected (by HIV, hepatitis, etc.). Hungarian practice concerning donor qualification are generally stricter (e.g., because of the differences in the health care system, in the health culture) than the directive of the European Union. This implies that a number of donor candidates are temporarily or permanently disqualified. Following medical interventions (e.g., surgery, transfusion), environmental effects (e.g., radiation exposure) and recovery from diseases, however, the donor may again give blood after a certain period of time. Certain chronic diseases, if properly managed and if the patient is in perfect general condition, do not constitute a cause for exclusion either. General practicioners can greatly contribute to safe national blood supply by identifying and advising potential blood donors.]

[Aim of the research: To assess the blood donation-related knowledge of paramedical professionals working in the fields of nursing and care-giving, emergency care, surgical care and obstetric care in Hungary. Sample and method: The anonymous, self-completion questionnaire used in the survey was based on the „Eurobarometer 41.0 (1995): Europeans and Blood” survey, which the authors supplemented with their own questions. The authors conducted a web-based survey. The survey took place between 15 July and 15 September 2012, among paramedical professionals in four different professional groups, using a convenience sampling method. The authors analysed the collected data with IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software and the Kingsoft Office Spreadsheet (2012) program, using a descriptive statistical method and chi square test. Results: The survey took place with the participation of 312 paramedical professionals. Based on the results of the survey it was established that all the professional groups displayed gaps in their knowledge regarding blood donation. 86.19% of respondents have a correct understanding of blood donation. No significant differences can be observed between the levels of knowledge in the individual professional groups. Conclusions: The results display some significant and some non-significant correlations, as well as stochastic relationships relating to the distribution within the submanifolds. In the interest of eliminating the gaps in knowledge that were revealed in respect of the individual issues, the authors highlight the need for further training of paramedical professionals regarding blood donation.]

[Aim of the study: The research aims to map the opinions of nurses working on transplantation wards about the preparedness of laic people in relation to the theme of organ donation. In addition, we wanted to examine whether nurses give preference to religious beliefs and ethical principles against legal regulation. We also wondered whether nurses working on transplantation wards would offer their own organs. Materials and methods: The descriptive study was conducted among transplant nurses in Budapest, Szeged and Pécs, using a self-constructed questionnaire. Our results were obtained using a Pearson’s Chi-square test (all statistically significant levels were set at P<0.05), as well as using the one sample t-test. Results: The total sample size was 37. According to nurses, the laic population does not have the sufficient knowledge about the current legal rules. Nurses are positively committed to offering their own organs for a possible donation. In relation to organ donation, nurses prefer the religious and ethical principles against legal rules. Conclusions: The laic population is not fully aware of organ donation, which puts the success of organ donation at risk. It would worth to involve transplant nurses into the education of the laic population to improve the general acceptance of organ donation who work in transplantation fields and who do donor care, so laics would be more accepting and less conflict would occur, supposedly more organ transplants would occur.]

[This paper presents the situation and perceptions of nurses regarding sexuality related to disabled patient care in hospital. The nurses have difficulty dealing with issues of sexuality, and the reasons for this were complex and interrelated. Patient care is influenced by nurses’ perceptions of sexuality. Nurses basically could discuss of sexuality with their patients however, the sexuality is a fundamental part of being human. A person’s sexuality or sexual health can be temporarily or permanently altered by illness or treatment. Nurses are well suited to deal with patients’ needs regarding sexuality, because nurses are in constant contact with patients and because of the intimate nature of care that nurses could provide the sexual care, information’s and education on this field. Professional boundaries are the spaces between the nurse’s “power” and the patient’s vulnerability. The power of the nurse comes from the nurse’s professional position and access to sensitive personal information. Nurses should make every effort to respect the power imbalance and ensure a patient- centered relationship.]