"I found myself alone" - A phenomenological study of the home care workers' experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Home care workers (HCWs) are a highly heterogeneous population in Italy in terms of their professional qualifications. HCWs play an important role in helping patients affected by chronic diseases and their families. Although many investigators have studied the lived experiences of family caregivers, few have been conducted "to give a voice" to HCWs and even fewer have examined the experiences of HCWs during the present COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the lived experiences of HCWs during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. Cohen's phenomenological research approach was used to conduct this study. In our study, we enrolled and interviewed 19 HCWs who were female, and most were married, with an average age of 52 years. The participants were enrolled from September 2020 to November 2020, after the first COVID-19 wave in Italy. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (1) "I found myself alone"; (2) from invisibility to visibility; (3) a fear of getting sick and infecting others; and (4) "Health or work? That is the question." Understanding HCWs' lived experiences, especially those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is a first step in giving a voice to this important but vulnerable population in the healthcare workforce.

[Determinants of the aggressive behaviors in nursing staff: a multicentric study]. / Fattori predittivi delle aggressioni nel personale sanitario: uno studio multicentrico.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses are at greater risk of violence during their working hours. About 31% of all aggressions towards nurses occur in hospital or in care settings. The problem of aggressions on healthcare workers is difficult to classify, as the number of aggressions is often underestimated. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze physical, verbal and sexual aggressions on nursing staff and identify their predictors. METHODS: A cross sectional study was performed. A sample of convenience was recruited consisting of nurses practicing in the Italian territory. The research team recruited subjects from various hospital, outpatient or territorial settings. The criteria for participation in the study were: (1) being registered nurses; (2) not being in an idle state (e.g. retirement). Multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictive variables of physical, verbal and sexual aggression. RESULTS: The sample consisting of 518 nurses had an average age of 37.5 years.The sample consisted prevalently of female subjects, with medium-high educational attendance. About 90% of the sample claims to have suffered physical, verbal and / or sexual aggressions during their working hours. People with a lower educational level, belonging to the southern regions are more at risk of physical and verbal aggression, while the female gender is a predictor of sexual assaults. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight how physical, verbal and sexual violence in nursing staff are non-isolated but highly frequent issues, being part of the daily working life of many health professionals.

Nursing-Related Smartphone Activities in the Italian Nursing Population: A Descriptive Study.

In this study, we describe smartphone-related activities for nurses' work and nonwork purposes; analyzed the differences between smartphone use and nurses' age, gender, and working environment; and observed the influences that personal digital devices have on nurses' performance. We conducted a cross-sectional and correlational study. A convenience sample of nurses was recruited, composed of 256 nurses, mostly women (74.6%) younger than 30 years of age (59%). This study showed that the most frequent work-related smartphone activity was searching for work-related drug references. Smartphones also helped nurses reduce work-related stress and improve unit cohesion and teamwork. Younger nurses and male nurses were more likely than female nurses to use their digital devices during healthcare activities. In addition, 42% of nurses reported that they were distracted by the use of smartphones. If smartphones are used properly, they are certainly helpful tools for improving patient safety and enabling communication among healthcare staff. Otherwise, smartphones can constitute an important source of distraction and endanger patient safety.

Nurses' Experience of Body Nursing Care: A Qualitative Study.

As a practice, nursing centers on patients' bodies and how they live the experience of illness and disability through their bodies (embodiment). International nursing studies conducted on the topic of body care primarily include theoretical studies, whereas empirical studies remain sparse. The aim of this study was to describe nurses' perceptions of the role of their bodies and the bodies of patients during body care. This study used a descriptive phenomenological study based on Husserl's philosophical perspective. A purposive sample of 11 Italian registered nurses representing the highest level of nursing education, different clinical experience levels, and different clinical specialties were interviewed. Data were collected between July 2015 and September 2015. Open-ended interviews were analyzed using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method. Lincoln and Guba's strategies were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. In addition to the overarching theme, "Body care is the heart of nursing," 4 major themes with 13 subthemes emerged from the data. The 4 major themes were as follows: (1) "Body care encompasses the essence of person"; (2) "Body care touches the heart of person"; (3) "The body generates opposite strategies of care"; and (4) "In time, the body 'nourishes' the helping relationship." Nurses considered body and embodiment concepts central to nursing. Body care is treated as an experience with extraordinary emotional contents, allowing nurses to discover the essentials of human nature.

The effectiveness of a nursing discharge programme to improve medication adherence and patient satisfaction in the psychiatric intensive care unit.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To observe the extent to which a nursing discharge plan is effective in promoting therapeutic adherence and improving patient satisfaction with their treatment based on information interventions provided by nursing staff, direct hospital medication distribution and follow-up telephone calls. BACKGROUND: Patient adherence is a fundamental requirement for the treatment of chronic diseases. Among psychiatric patients, adherence to the prescribed course of treatment allows patients to keep the symptoms of their disease under control, allowing for improvements in the management of their condition, minimising the risks of relapse and reducing the number of hospitalisations. DESIGN: This study uses a prospective correlational design. METHODS: The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the Satisfaction with Information about Medicine Scale and the General Satisfaction Questionnaire were used. RESULTS: Of the 135 patients enrolled in the study, 57% of the sample was female, and, on average, patients were aged 33 years. About 72.9% were unmarried, and 88.1% were educated at less than high school level. This study showed that patients who received more information on their health status and on what would be done for them after their hospitalisation had a higher adherence to treatment. In addition, patients who were more satisfied with the nursing care provided had a higher rate of adherence to their treatment plan. CONCLUSIONS: The interpersonal and educational nursing intervention improves adherence to a treatment plan by allowing patients to express themselves not only as individuals who rely on health care but also as protagonists able to effectively manage their disease and to empower themselves by acquiring disease management skills. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A patient-nurse communication programme could help to analyse the individual patient circumstances that might become barriers to adherence and to apply nursing interventions that promote better patient adherence.

[Smartphone use in nursing population: a narrative review]. / L'uso degli smartphone nel personale infermieristico: una revisione narrativa della letteratura.

INTRODUCTION: In healthcare, smartphone is becoming an important tool among nursing population. With the smartphones, it was possible to implement new care models. However, if used incorrectly, it could be the cause of nurses' distraction and nosocomial infection. AIM: To analyze the various apps used by the nursing population and describe the smartphones' positive and negative aspects on health care by review the literature. METHOD: PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS e Web of Knowledge, Google Schoolar, databases were used to perform this study. The following keywords were used: ((nurse* NOT (student* OR physician*)) AND (smartphone* OR phone* OR mobile* OR cellphone) AND (app OR use* OR benefit OR distraction OR stress OR abuse OR work-related). RESULTS: A total of 34 articles were included in the review. Medical calculation, heart measurement and chronic patient-nurse communication apps were described. While smartphones may cause distraction, nosocomial infection or interference with other medical devices, on the other hand they could improve the well-being, job satisfaction, productivity and decrease stress in nurse population. CONCLUSIONS: There are potential benefits of the smartphone use, but the smartphone misuse could have negative consequences on the quality care and patient' safety due to nurses' distraction and interruptions. For this reason, nurses should be careful when they use their smartphone for no work-related activities.

The Lived Experience of Caregivers in the Older Stroke Survivors' Care Pathway during the Transitional Home Program-A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: stroke is a major cause of disability and death, globally. Many stroke survivors live with disabilities, requiring significant caregiving support. Caregivers often feel unprepared and burdened, experiencing isolation and health declines. Their well-being and involvement in discharge planning impact post-discharge care quality. PURPOSE: to investigate the experiences of caregivers of older stroke survivors regarding their expectations in the care pathway during the transitional home program, as this phenomenon is currently understudied in the present context. METHODS: by employing a qualitative design, this study utilized a phenomenological approach developed by Cohen. Eighteen caregivers of stroke survivors participated. FINDINGS: four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) the sense of loss experienced by stroke survivors and perceived by caregivers; (2) the importance of social support in the recovery and well-being of both stroke survivors and caregivers; (3) the increased workload of caregivers; and (4) the lack of awareness of the needs during the transition, leading to resignation when facing complications. CONCLUSION: the findings highlight the significant impact of stroke on caregivers, affecting both the individual characteristics and social relationships of stroke survivors and their caregivers. There is a need for a nuanced understanding of caregivers' roles and responsibilities.

Stakeholders' perspective about their engagement in developing a competency-based nursing baccalaureate curriculum: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stakeholder engagement is the basis of an emerging and innovative educational model called competency-based education. However, although several studies have analysed the stakeholders' perspective in nursing, few studies have analysed the stakeholders' perspective in competence-based curriculum design. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyse the opinions and perspectives of stakeholders about the development of a competency-based baccalaureate nursing curriculum with stakeholder engagement. METHODS: A phenomenological study was conducted. This method combines descriptive features (Husserlian) and interpretive phenomenology (Gadamerian). The interviews were ended when data saturation was achieved, specifically the redundancy of themes. RESULTS: The content analysis identified three main categories: (1) a "bridge" that merges education and the work context, (2) stakeholder engagement - a contentious issue; and (3) stakeholder engagement - structuring a methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Through the stakeholder engagement, university could have a constant interaction between the didactics and professional practice and could improve professional identity and job satisfaction among nurses.

Tuning Nursing Educational in an Italian academic context.

BACKGROUND: The European Union Bologna Process has laid the foundation for a common European competence-based educational framework. In many countries, nursing education is in transition from vocational to higher education, with many diverse systems. The competence-based approach provided by the project Tuning Educational Structures offers a common and coherent framework able to facilitate the implementation of the principles underpinning the Bologna Process reform. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to ascertain the relevance that Italian nursing university lecturers attributed to the 40 competences of the Italian version of the nursing Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. These competences were developed through adoption of the Tuning Methodology in the nursing context. SETTING: The study was conducted in the 4 universities of one region of Italy which offer nursing Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 164 Italian university nursing lecturers. METHODS: Using a four point scale, a cross sectional survey was conducted from March 2011 to April 2012. Participants evaluated each competence according to its relevance for Bachelor's or Master's Education. Frequency analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The significance for each competence of Tuning was rated very high by Italian lecturers and appeared to overlap partially with the original European study. In Italy, the most relevant competences for Bachelor's Degree were the skills associated with the use of appropriate interventions, activities and skills in nursing and the skills associated with nursing practice and clinical decision-making. For Master's Degree, leadership, management and team competences were the most important. CONCLUSIONS: The Tuning Nursing Project was accepted by the Italian lecturers. The competence-based approach was considered by Italian lectures as a support enabling to reflect on the current Italian nursing education cycles of study and to ensure shared visions and common approaches between Italian and European lecturers.