The unmet needs of women with breast cancer: a qualitative research.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Breast cancer (CM) is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in Italy and the most common malignancy in women (25%) with 53,000 new cases. This disease affects all age groups (1 in 40 women <49 years, 1 in 20 between 50 and 69 years, 1 in 25 between 70 and 84 years). The percentage of patients diagnosed with cancer within 5 years of diagnosis is higher than for other cancers, and this conviction rate in these cancer patients has increased, leading to an ever-improving level of attention. The research aims to understand the main needs of women with breast cancer, compare them with those reported in the literature and in particular to identify which of these are still unsatisfied. Method The study is based on the use of the narrative interview conducted by the Case Manager, in the Breast Unit of Melegnano (Milan), selected with a sampling of convenience.The participants who joined the research project were 12 women with breast cancer, aged between 40 and 60, who are in the active treatment phase of the disease. RESULTS: As highlighted by literature, various unmet needs have emerged, afferent to well-defined areas: emotional health, continuity of care, information, adverse effects, educational strategies, economics, information and social support. The study showed that, the needs that are most unsatisfied relate to the information area and the psychological area. CONCLUSION: The interviews conducted underlined the importance of the role of the Case Care Manager as a facilitator of the disease path that patients are experiencing both in terms of the clinical and psychological aspects but also as a support in managing daily life. future research should investigate the role of the Case Vare manager in meeting these needs.

Job satisfaction, work engagement and stress/burnout of elderly care staff: a qualitative research.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Faced with the widespread use of services and facilities for the care and assistance of the elderly, the aim of this study was to explore the factors that can affect job satisfaction, work engagement and stress / burnout of the professionals who work there. METHOD: 32 semi-structured interviews were administered to a not probabilistic sample of the different professional roles (coordinators, nurses, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists, community animators) of a Human Services Company in Reggio Emilia (Italy). This includes day-care and residential care facilities for the elderly. RESULTS: The thematic content analysis showed that inter-professional collaboration and positive relationships with superiors, colleagues and elderly people favour the job satisfaction, while workload, high responsibilities, reduction of rest periods and contributory inequity create dissatisfaction. The work engagement is favoured by professional autonomy, a sense of belonging, professional growth, specific training, while it is disadvantaged by scarce career opportunities, job insecurity and low recognition of one's contribution. Finally, inadequate pay, work load, high turnover and strong emotional experiences related to elderly people increase work-related stress/burnout, while working autonomy, psychological support and good relationships with the elderly reduce it. Some specificities were found according to the different professional roles and the type of services offered. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest organizational improvement strategies that take these factors into account. Among the improvement proposals we highlight, for example, the promotion of training events, a greater involvement of personnel in corporate decisions and an adequate psychological support for professionals.

The use of blended learning to improve health professionals' communication skills: a literature review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: In recent years, health professionals' education has moved towards the increasing use of blended learning. One of the most widespread blended formulas is the mix of face-to-face and online learning, which combines the advantages of distance learning, both in training provision and in training fruition, with the maintenance of socialization goals and application to practice activities. This literature review aims to find out whether blended-learning is employed for improving health professionals' communication skills and which are its outcomes. METHODS: Literature review of publications released from January 2000 to January 2019 was conducted across the academic databases Cinahl (EBSCO), Cochrane and Pubmed using relevant keywords. RESULTS: Research has shown that blended learning is used in the education of different health professionals (students, nurses, physicians, etc.) at various stages of the educational path. The enhancement of communication skills appears to be a secondary learning objective in many studies, but it is shown to be nevertheless central to the proper acquisition and application of more clinical skills addressed by the blended courses. The blended modules here examined achieved their goals. However, the evaluation of the learning outcomes is still based on self-assessment, and thus needs to be implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Blended learning providers would need to pay more attention in the design and implementation phases of blended modules, assessing participants' needs and offering more tailored and targeted programs, and should provide a more rigorous evaluation of learning outcomes.

Size and spatial distribution of stray dog population in the University of São Paulo campus, Brazil.

A longitudinal study was carried out to describe the size and spatial distribution of the stray dog population in the University of São Paulo campus, Brazil from November 2010 to November 2011. The campus is located within the urban area of São Paulo, the largest city of Brazil, with a population over 11 million. The 4.2 km(2) that comprise the university grounds are walled, with 10 access gates, allowing stray dogs to move in and out freely. Over 100,000 people and 50,000 vehicles circulate in the campus daily. Five observations were made during the study period, using a mark-resight method. The same route was performed in all observations, being traveled twice on each observation day. Observed animals were photographed and the sight coordinates were obtained using a GPS device. The estimated size of the stray dog population varied from 32 (CI 95% 23-56) to 56 (CI 95% 45-77) individuals. Differences between in- and outward dog movements influenced dog population estimates. Overlapping home ranges of docile dogs were observed in areas where most people circulate. An elusive group was observed close to a protected rain forest area and the estimated home range for this group did not overlap with the home ranges for other dogs within the campus. A kernel density map showed that higher densities of stray dog sighting is associated with large organic matter generators, such as university restaurants. We conclude that the preferred source of food of the stray dogs on the University of São Paulo campus was leftover food deliberately offered by restaurant users. The population was stable during the study period and the constant source of food was the main reason to retain this population within the campus.