Purpose Nurses have an increased risk for acquiring COVID‐19 infection. This study assessed levels of risk for exposure to COVID‐19 among nurses, and determined those at the greatest risk. Design A cross‐sectional design was used to assess risk for exposure to COVID‐19 in nurses from five randomly selected governmental hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. Participants completed an online survey (including the World Health Organization survey) to assess their risk for exposure to COVID‐19. Descriptive statistics were used to describe classes of risk for exposure, and logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with greater risk. Findings Of the 552 participants, 284 nurses (51.4%) were classified at high risk for COVID‐19 exposure as they did not report adherence to infection control and prevention (ICP) guidelines at all times during healthcare interactions and when performing aerosol procedures, or had accidental exposure to biological fluid and respiratory secretions. Compared with adherence to wearing medical masks, gloves, and hand hygiene practices, adherence to wearing face shields or goggles and disposable gowns and decontaminating high‐touch surfaces was less frequent. Shifting to work in critical care units, not having adequate critical care experience, and reporting a need for training in ICP practices were factors that contributed to high‐risk exposure (p values for Ex (Bs) = 2.60, 2.16, 1.75, ≤ 0.05, consecutively). Conclusions A considerable number of nurses were classified at high risk for COVID‐19 exposure. Critical care work experience and adequate evidence‐based training in ICP practices related to COVID‐19 must be considered to mitigate the risk for exposure to COVID‐19 in nurses. Clinical Relevance This study provided a strong message regarding protecting nurses at high risk for exposure to COVID‐19. Clinical leaders must stay vigilant to ensure nurses’ adherence to ICP practices in the context of COVID‐19, and to proactively address any related deficits.

To assess the extent of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and severity, factors motivating work continuation, and factors influencing PTSD development among frontline nurses caring for patients with COVID-19. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has an emotional toll on nurses. Exposure to traumatic events associated with the pandemic places frontline nurses at risk for developing PTSD. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Frontline nurses (n = 370) who cared for COVID-19 patients in three governmental hospitals in the United Arab Emirates were recruited from November 2020 to January 2021. The self-reported Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) was used to assess PTSD. The motivational factors for work continuation explored were: work-related factors (e.g., availability of personal protective equipment and management recognition), family support, and obligation to care. We used correlation and multiple regression analyses to investigate factors that influenced PDS score, including sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, exercising status, and general health status), work factors (e.g., hospital type [COVID vs non-COVID], prior work experience, and encountering deaths), and factors motivating work continuation. The reporting of this study was consistent with STROBE guidelines. Results: In total, 36.2% participants had a probable PTSD diagnosis (PDS score ≥28) with most reporting unwanted memories. Family support (95.9%) and management recognition (90.8%) were the most frequently reported motivating factors. Factors significantly associated with higher PDS score were smoking, lack of management recognition, not exercising, and encountering COVID-19 deaths; the correlation and regression coefficients (b) were significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions and implications for nursing/health policy: Policy makers must expand healthcare policies to address frontline nurses' mental health as a priority during the pandemic. Nurse leaders must be involved in health policy development to protect nurses in anticipation of and during global health emergencies.

Summary The COVID‐19 pandemic had a major impact on people of all ages. Adolescents' exposure to online learning is linked to excessive screen time on digital devices, which leads to poor sleep quality. This study aimed to investigate the association between screen time on different electronic devices and sleep quality among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates. This study was based on a self‐reported questionnaire, which was administered online to school‐aged adolescents (aged 12–19 years). The multicomponent questionnaire collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and screen time (minutes) on TV, TV‐connected devices, laptops, smartphones, and tablets on weekdays, weeknight, and weekends using the Screen Time Questionnaire (STQ). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors correlated with poor sleep quality. A total of 1720 adolescents were recruited from private and public schools (mean age 14.6 ± 1.97 years). The mean PSQI score was 8.09 ± 3.37, and 74.3% of participants reported poor sleep (cutoff score >5). Mean scores were highest for the sleep latency (1.85 ± 0.97) and sleep disturbance (1.56 ± 0.62) domains. The highest STQ score was observed for smartphones, with a median screen time of 420 min on weekdays and 300 min on weekends. Screen time related to smartphones on weekends ( p = 0.003) and increased screen time in bed ( p < 0.001) were significantly associated with poor sleep. Our results confirmed the correlation between sleep and screen time in adolescents. The results may inform educational polices that target screen time and sleep among adolescents during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Objective The present study aimed to analyze the salivary levels of macrophage-activating factor (MAF), macrophage-chemotactic factor (MCF), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in healthy and gingivitis patients, and to correlate between the concentrations of these chemo attractants with the intensity of gingival inflammation clinically. Methods Sixty saliva specimens were collected from periodontally healthy (n = 30), and gingivitis patients (n = 30). Bleeding on probing (BOP), Visible Plaque Index (VPI), and Simplified Modified Gingival Index (SMGI) were recorded through clinical examination. Salivary MAF, MCF, and MIF concentrations were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 28). Total mean score for each biomarker was determined, and descriptive bivariate statistics were conducted to characterize the levels of biomarkers among the study groups. The difference in the biomarker levels among the study groups were analyzed by independent sample t test and one-way ANOVA. The diagnostic ability of the biomarkers was further tested by ROC curve analysis. Results Salivary levels of MAF was not significantly different between periodontally healthy individuals and gingivitis patients. The difference in MCF and MIF levels between patients with gingivitis and those with healthy periodontium was statistically significant (p 0.05 and p 0.001, respectively). When examined across the various stages of disease progression, MIF showed statistically significant difference among the three biomarkers (p 0.05). ROC curve analysis further revealed that area under the curve (AUC) for MIF has a better diagnostic capacity than MCF (AUC 0.981 vs. 0.673). Conclusions Our results suggest that MIF could be considered as a potential salivary biomarker for gingivitis.

Aim: This study aimed to clarify if sense of coherence (SOC) could be used as an element of primary-focused health services in schools. Background:The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is striving to develop a high-quality, primary-focused health care system. School health care services are well established in the UAE but have not yet been fully used to play a key role in this development.Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey study to explore adolescents' SOC and their behavioural, psychosocial and clinical outcomes.Results: A total of 408 adolescents participated in this study. Compared with others, adolescents with higher SOC had better adherence to treatment, fewer visits to the school nurse, better self-efficacy, fewer hyperactivity problems, fewer emotional problems, more prosocial behaviours and fewer conduct problems. Conclusion: Implementing interventions that improve SOC may support improvedwell-being among adolescents. The findings also support the use of SOC and salutogenesis as a framework to reinforce primary health care services for this population.Implications for Nursing Management: Health service managers can utilize SOC as a framework to focus service on illness prevention and health promotion, they should collaborate with education authorities to include more health-related topics as part of school curricula to promote students' SOC and, finally, they should assess and build awareness of SOC and associated tools among school nurses and primary health care providers.