Can the Local Health Unit staff serve as role model for positive health behaviours? Results from an observational study in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyles as well as health behaviors and attitudes are a matter of personal health and a public health concern for healthcare providers. The aims of the study were to examine lifestyles and health behaviors - i.e., smoking habit, diet, predisposition to undergo for cancer screening tests among the staff of a Local Health Unit in Rome and the prevalence of some of the major preventable chronic degenerative pathologies associated to lifestyles. METHODS: The survey was carried out through the administration of a questionnaire. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed and binary logistic regression models were used to identify possible associations with an unhealthy lifestyles. Hosmer-Lemeshow test was performed. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: 355 employees entered the study (87,8%); 43.4% resulted in overweight/obesity and 36.6% is a current smoker. Those with a high degree of studies had an higher odds to be smokers (for low education OR=0.76; 95% CI:0,61-0.94) and healthcare workers were less likely to follow an unhealthy diet than administrative staff (OR=0.52; 95% CI: 0.29-0.91). CONCLUSION: Despite the Local Health Unit employees have, in the specific context of their workplace, an important role in promoting healthy lifestyles, in our survey they show unhealthy habits and lifestyles.

[Health education as prevention of alcoholism in young people]. / Educazione sanitaria come prevenzione dell'alcolismo nella popolazione giovanile.

The close correlation between road accidents and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as the lowering of the minimal age for alcohol drinking, prompted the Authors to examine the acute and chronic effects of alcohol on the human organism; therefore, they analyze the metabolic effects of alcohol and, after having described it's few beneficial effects, they furnish some suggestions to avoid above all "the havoc of Saturday evening", outlining in detail the causes and progressive states of alcoholic intoxication. The Authors, in agreement with the current views of prevention, professed by the scientific community, emphasize information and health education as the main tools that guarantee primary prevention in young people who, as it is well-known, belong to the most vulnerable segments of the population. To such purpose they created a poster, to which a CD will follow, that could be distributed and discussed in schools with the purpose to encourage social debate and constructive involvement of students, teachers and their parents.

[Safety and hygiene in activities of craftsmen: a survey in the province of Rome]. / Igiene e sicurezza nelle imprese artigiane. Indagine conoscitiva effettuata nella provincia di Roma.

The artisan firms, in the past, have paid a poor attention to hygiene's problem and to workers' safety. For this reason the Authors have promoted an investigation in 342 activities of Rome's district to verify the correct observance of some preventionistic indicators such as the evaluation of the risks, the electric plant, the use of ipd, the application of the system of signs, etc. The results of the research have proved a situation that is better in comparison with the past; the Authors analyze the causes and they auspicate that the evolutional process can guarantee the minimum safety's conditions to the all employees in the small firms.

[New employment opportunities: atypical jobs state of the art and general consideration on legislation]. / Nuove possibilità di lavoro: i lavori atipici stato dell'arte e considerazioni generali sulla normativa.

The Authors in this contribute, describe new job opportunities, that are to considered a need for those who are looking for a new employment. Otherwise this new kind of work, called atypical job, offers new possibility in lack of regular job. It also described the law juridical profiles of this new emerging atypical workers.

[Considerations about health risk management]. / Riflessioni sul risk management in sanità.

From the birth of doctrines of Risk Management to today a lot of time is passed. From the initial application in the field of the insurances and the management of the enterprises, theories inspired to the identification, evaluation and correction of connected risks to the activity and the industrial trial has been figurative to the health, field in which the application of these principles results to be how much never profit and productive of benefits above all for the patients that suffer consequences of errors but also for the physicians and the personnel that, perfectly inserted in an organization aware of the trials to put into effect, can bring their contribution to underline the weak points of the relief trial. The economic cost and consequences of errors can decrease if a new culture is established inspired to the learning and the communication of the adverse events, to minimize the possibility that they again occurs.

[Clinical investigation of hyaluronidase and nerve growth factor (NGF) at the ocular level: detailed review of the international literature]. / Sperimentazione clinica di ialuronidasi e del nerve growth factor (NGF) a livello oculare: revisione accurata della bibliografia internazionale.

In this paper the authors analyse the international bibliography about clinic tests on hyaluronic acid and Nerve Growth Factor at ocular level. This study was performed on request of a private oculistic clinic in the centre of Rome about the clinic test of the drugs mentioned above. Therefore, this paper is a joint work of Public Health physicians and oculists.

[Legislative Decree 25 of 2/2/2002: prevention of chemical agents risks]. / Il D.Lgs. 25 del 2/2/2002: protezione dai rischi da agenti chimici.

The Authors, with the present contribution, illustrate and comment the recent legislation aimed to protect workers from risks due to chemical agents and compare it with the previous legislation. A careful analysis makes it clear the urgent need to realize optimal safety standards for workers in the chemical industry, in order to protect them from avoidable risks.

[Preventive and therapeutic approach to tuberculosis in the general, and high-risk populations]. / Approccio preventivo e terapeutico della malattia tubercolare nella popolazione generale e nei soggetti a rischio.

Authors in the present contribute illustrate the tuberculosis disease in all aspects, the infection, the disease in active phase and in the resistant phase, the law, the prevention and the professional risk in exposed subject, and to consider the epidemiological aspect. Authors hope a coordinate approach between the different figure involved in the therapy and prevention of tuberculosis disease.

Rabies infection: epidemiology and prophylaxis.

Authors of this paper underline the importance of worldwide epidemiological rabies infection and the prevention. Specifically, a program of health education first aid md's, family doctors, veteriners, animal's traders, and to students of ground schools (primary and secondary) in a large medical regional area of Rome was developed. This article is informative to whom can concern rabies infection risks in Italy in order to reduce the abuse of vaccination influencing on behaviors and on the relation humans-animals.

[Evidence-based medicine: accurate review of the international literature]. / L'evidence based medicine: revisione accurata della letteratura internazionale.

The Authors emphasize the continual scientific technological advances of medical science, the appearance of new nosological extents and the increased health request by people. Physicians are called to up-to-date all the time to keep a high-level of professional competence also after the end of the university studies. Every medical staff can use EBM, setting aside all personal specialization and also with the limitations estimated in our research.

[The flu syndrome: update and therapeutic and prophylactic approach]. / La sindrome influenzale: aggiornamento ed approccio terapeutico e profilattico.

Authors in the present work analyse the history of the flu from V century A.C. until our days. We can know the different flu epidemic the structure of the virus and to take note of the different preventing device; of these the core is the vaccine. Thanks the vaccine is possible to weaken the big epidemics. Authors attract the importance on the mass vaccine and conclude to mention the new antivirus drugs per os.

[Fact-finding investigation of the social health conditions of the elderly]. / Indagine conoscitiva sulle condizioni socio-sanitarie degli anziani.

PURPOSE: The intent of the present contribution is that to verify the social health conditions of the elderly present on national territory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Authors have thought up an anonymous questionnaire, made up of 63 questions, concerning the life-style, the social conditions and health of the elderly over 65 years old, and consequently by now on pension. Two thousand questionnaires have been distributed to medical officers, present in north as well as in the centre and in the south of the Country; of these we have then received 1386 questionnaires for statistical processing. RESULTS: The results have been about the same for both sexes as well as for geographical distribution. The greatest part of the elderly are self-sufficient from an economical point of view, in spite of a certain economical dissatisfaction present among the males in the north. The women appear to be more active, inclined to travel. The voluptuary habits, of which smoking and drinking are almost absent in all the national territory and in both sexes. As far as prevention in concerned, consequently submitting oneself to medical check-ups, is more accepted in the south by both males and females and in the north and centre only by women. CONCLUSIONS: Our fact-finding study has given good results, and a good conformity in the portion of people interviewed. There could be a greater impulse given to the prevention of pathologies, perhaps with the assistance of free prevention campaigns revolted toward the elderly, and still dedicating more time to our "grandparents" that must not be considered a burden, but rather as a resource.

[Evaluation and administration of home care towards a new management]. / La valutazione e la gestione dell'assistenza domiciliare verso un nuovo management.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present contribution is to always provide a more complete and flexible direction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With the purpose of evaluating the activity of the CAD in a typical area of about 100,000 inhabitants, 400 case history statistics were elaborated, a number corresponding to all the patients assumed by the CAD in thr Guidonia (RM) district. In these details, the distribution of pathology of the men and women assisted, were analysed as well as the specialist consultation requested by both males and females. They have, however, examined the analytic guide of the district's activity; the distribution of patients admitted to the hospital in the last two years before the CAD had taken charge, has been compared with those that occurred successively. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The prevalent pathology are those of neurological nature, followed by cardiovascular, oncological, diabetic and orthopedic pathology, the last of which is more frequent in women. They are all pathology that can be prevented and/or delayed with suitable programmes of prevention and rehabilitation. The specialists most requested are the heart specialist and neurologist. It emerges from the guide analysis, that while the CAD activity is growing, the programmed assistance with the doctor in charge doesn't keep the same pace. This contribution wants therefore to offer an idea for battering the CAD services in spite of the scarce human resources and economical assests.

[The "quality" system in health care]. / Il sistema "qualità" nell'assistenza sanitaria.

The evolution of the quality assistance care management, is contributing to create a new strategy toward the single operations responsibility. This program is based on efficiency improvements, based on a synthesis of scientific evidences translated with specifications and criteria, that represents the application of the progress of clinic methodology and of the scientific information in the clinics. The evaluation of new criteria, like the guidelines and evidence based medicine, are our goal of this work, because can be a continuous improvements of the healthy and care programs at all the levels of applications.

[Hospices from the DPCM 20/1/2000 perspective: requirements to ensure a better quality of "residual life"]. / Gli hospices nell'ottica del DPCM 20/1/2000: requisiti per garantire una migliore qualità "di vita residua".

INTRODUCTION: In this paper, the authors analyse the increasing number of oncological patients, above all the terminal ones. The aim of hospice is to guarantee a high quality residual life. Hospice must not be regarded as a place of sweet death; on the contrary it's a hospital where palliative cares take place. It is, then, an alternative to home in the most critical phases of illness. CONSIDERATIONS: Despite a lasting interest in the matter, a law setting up a standard has been lacked until DPCM of 20/1/2000 that established structural, technological and managerial requirements for the centres of palliative cares. New hospices must be built in sunny places, in close contact with nature and easily reachable both by private and public means of transport. The law provides for three areas: a residential area, an evaluation and therapy area and a general area of support.