The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the work of many medical professionals, including the group of nurses. This study aimed at assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on job satisfaction of nursing staff in five European countries. The study was conducted using the Job Satisfaction Scale (SSP) and original questions on the job satisfaction. The cross-sectional online study was conducted with a sample of 1,012 professionally active nurses working in Poland, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Sweden, who assessed their job satisfaction before (retrospectively) and during the pandemic. The results showed a significant decrease in job satisfaction due to the need to perform it during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In 8 out of 10 examined parameters of job satisfaction, a statistically significant decrease in job satisfaction was observed at the level of p < 0.05. Among the examined factors influencing job satisfaction, the highest decrease was recorded based on the assessment of working conditions (1,480). A high level of satisfaction with the work of nurses has a significant impact on providing better patient care as well as reducing the risk of professional burnout of nurses.

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Bacteria inhabiting chronic wounds form a biofilm that prolongs and slows down the healing process. Increasingly common antibiotic resistance requires clinicians to search for effective and alternative treatment methods. Defensins are the most common antimicrobial peptides capable of eradicating pathogens. Their discovery in maggot secretions allowed for a broader understanding of the healing mechanisms, and approving the use of Lucilia sericata fly larvae in the treatment of infected wounds resulted in an effective and safe procedure. The aim of the study was to present the possibility of biofilm elimination in a chronic wound by means of medical maggots (Lucilia sericata) with the example of three selected clinical cases. The observation included three women who met the inclusion criterion of having venous insufficiency ulcers with inhibited regeneration processes. Medical maggots were applied in a biobag for three days, and observation was conducted for 21 consecutive days. In 2 cases, a significant elimination of necrotic tissue from the wound bed with local granulation tissue was observed 72 h after application of a larvae colony on the wounds. In 1 case, the application of the larvae accelerated the repair process by reducing the wound area by approximately 40% at the time of observation. The formation of biofilm in a chronic wound is one of the main causes of disturbances in its effective healing. Combining procedures (scraping, antiseptic compresses, MDT, NPWT) related to wound debridement increases the effectiveness of biofilm elimination. The use of medical maggots is a safe and effective method of choice, and it enhances the processes of debridement. However, confirmed indisputable data on their effectiveness and frequency of use in the process of stimulating healing processes are still not available in the literature.