Gambling and internet addiction: a pilot study among a Population of Italian Healthcare : Gambling and Internet Addition in a Healthcare Group.

AIM: Measuring the phenomenon of gambling and Internet addiction, with analysis of attitudes and psychophysical consequences among nurses working in different care settings. METHODS: An observational, cross sectional, multicenter study was conducted from April to September 2020. Participants' socio-demographic information, the "Internet Addiction Test" (IAT) scale, and the "South Oaks Gambling Screen" (SOGS) were collected in order to assess the overuse of and whether an individual has a problematic relationship with gambling, respectively. RESULTS: 502 nurses were enrolled in the study. Significant correlations were found (p < .001) between the IAT score and gender, number of years of work experience, job role, educational qualification; and between the SOGS and gender, number of years of work experience, job role and regions of Italy. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted an emerging social problem, and the results may be just the tip of the iceberg. Given the lack of knowledge of these phenomena and a high percentage of people who suffer from them but are afraid to admit it and get help, this study could also be useful in expanding knowledge and allow more professionals to get help and learn about possible treatments and cures for the resolution of these addictions.

Work environment and related burnout levels: survey among healthcare workers in two hospitals of Southern Italy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Safety in hospitals is a structural variable on which depends not only on health, but also on physical safety of patients and employees, whom are increasingly exposed to risks as a result of which they may suffer from occupational diseases and/or develop important psycho-physical consequences. The study aimed to evaluate the association between work environment and perceived burnout levels in two hospitals of Southern Italy. METHOD: From March to August 2019 an observational study was carried out through a survey consisting of four sections: sociodemographic data; the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) questionnaire; the perception of the environment and possible causes of stress; the burnout levels perceived through the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). A convenience sample of 169 healthcare workers participated in the study. All nurses (including nursing coordinators), clinicians, support staff of the "Vito Fazzi" Hospital of Lecce (Le) and "San Giuseppe da Copertino" Hospital of Copertino (Le) with at least one year of work experience and who signed the informed consent were recruited. RESULTS: The healthcare workers involved in the survey declared limits in handling and usability of the equipment, both for the patient n=77 (45.6%) and for the healthcare worker n=75 (44.4%), a lack of visual privacy n=89 (52.6%) and acoustic n=128 (75.7%).  The analysis also shows higher scores on the 'depersonalization' scale among the health care workers of San Giuseppe da Copertino" Hospital (LE) (M= 9.36; DS= 9.439) and higher levels on the 'emotional exhaustion' scale in the surgical areas (M= 22.0; DS= 11.86) and in the female gender (M= 23.10; DS=. 12.01).  Conclusions. The study reveals a poor condition of environmental comfort and safety, which generate high levels of stress and burnout in healthcare workers. Such a study can encourage further multicenter studies.

The psychological impact of the Coronavirus emergency on physicians and nurses: an Italian observational study.

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus has put a strain on the response capacity of health systems and there are various psychological effects on health workers. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the psychological impact of the coronavirus emergency on physicians and nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A study was conducted on a sample of nurses and physicians (n=770), who were asked to fill in a questionnaire investigating physical and psychological problems. It also included the IES (Impact Event Scale), STAI (State Trait Anxiety Inventory) scale and BDI (Beck Depression Inventory). RESULTS: 87.7% of the sample was represented by nurses (n=675), 12.3% (n=95) by physicians. 52.3% (n=403) of the participants believed that they had not received good training on the correct use of Personal Protective Equipment. 18.2% (n=140) declared that they had experienced a moment in which they had had to choose among the patients whom to treat for an essential therapy. Among the psychological symptoms, stress (76.2%; n=587), anxiety (59.4%; n=457) and depression (11.8%) prevailed and only 3.9% of the healthcare personnel sought help from a psychologist. The total score of the IES-R scale was 3.47. A significant association emerged between exposure and the risk of contagion (p-value = 0.003), stress was more present among nurses than among physicians (77.5% vs. 67.4%; p = 0.003). Among physical symptoms, headache (52.2%; n=402) and pressure injuries (24.8% n= 191) prevailed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study show that mental health monitoring of health workers, who are at risk of developing major psychological disorders, is a priority.

The use of an automatic defibrillator by non-sanitary personnel in sport areas: an Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: In industrialized countries, sudden cardiac death is a serious public health problem that accounts for about 15% to 20% of all deaths, with an incidence of 0.5 to 3 deaths per 100,000 athletes. In recent years, although both first aid prevention programs and the availability of External Automatic Defibrillator (AED) in public places have increased, few data are available with respect to real knowledge about the use of such devices. The aim of this study is to detect the level of knowledge and skills in the use of automatic external defibrillators among sports and management staff in sports facilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted in 16 sports facilities in the Province of Lecce, Italy, and targeted to all the athletic and managerial staff of these sports facilities. Information was obtained through a validated questionnaire consisting of 27 items. RESULTS: 339 participants of which 59.3% male (n=201) (average=33.6; SD=13.1). 51.6% (n=175) were informed about the presence of the defibrillator, only 38.1% (n=129) declared to know where it was placed and 43.7% (n=96) considered it to be quite or very accessible. The majority of them (78.8%; n=267) were never involved in a training course and declared limited knowledge about the use of this device. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents stated that they have poor knowledge and skills in the use of the defibrillator, its operation and maintenance, which could reduce the positive outcomes of early treatment. Further studies should be conducted, although it may be appropriate to implement specific training courses for personnel working in sports centres.

Eating disorders and related stigma: analysis among a population of Italian nursing students.

According to the World Health Organization, eating disorders are a constantly growing public health problem in industrialized countries with an important stigmatizing impact. The study investigates stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes towards Anorexia nervosa (AN) and Bulimia nervosa (BN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2018 to November 2019, an online survey was conducted for students of the Degree Courses in Nursing of 2 Italian university centres, using the Italian version of the SAB-BN-ITA, adapted for AN. RESULTS: The sample consists of 517 nursing students, aged between 20 and 23. Male subjects presented higher scores, relative to stigma, both for BN (F =17.5, p <0.001) and for AN (F = 1 9.64, p <0.001). For the sample the main trigger factor of BN is the influence of the media (56.67), the lack of social support (53.19) and parental care (51.84). The association between the stigmatizing views was explored through Spearman's correlation and a linear regression model between the two overall scores (coeff. 0.73; p <0.001: r-squared 0.52). The 'self-regulation' is the stigmatizing opinions for AN (Coeff. 0.0768; p <0.001; r-squared 0.039) and BN (Coeff 0.0684; p <0.001; r-squared 0.030), and the 'social support' is stigmatizing opinions for AN (coeff. -0.0713; p = 0.004; r-squared 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that the male gender has a higher level of stigma than the female one. Moreover, a large number of students consider media influence to be the main causative factor in the onset of ADs, in addition to the lack of social support.

Hydatid cyst of the liver: spontaneous rupture with peritoneal and thoracic involvement. Report of a case.

Hydatidosis due to Echinococcus granulosus is an endemic parasitic disease in Mediterranean countries. The most frequent anatomical locations are the liver and lung and the most significant complication of liver hydatidosis is rupture into the biliary tract. Spontaneous rupture into the free peritoneal cavity associated with thoracic involvement is an unusual complication accompanied by a high mortality rate. An isolated abdominal approach is necessary when peritoneal cavity drainage is required and may be sufficient in cases of contamination of the pleural cavity by scolices without suppurative involvement. An unusual case of spontaneous rupture of a hydatid cyst of the liver into the free peritoneal cavity associated with diaphragmatic and pleural involvement is reported. This complication requires immediate surgical treatment consisting in a combined thoracic and abdominal approach. The isolated abdominal approach not requiring thoracotomy may be satisfactory if there is no intrathoracic damage due to the chronic presence of scolices. Intrabdominal and intrathoracic cyst rupture still remains a serious complication because of the complexity of the lesions which are often difficult to treat in a one-stage operation. The mortality remains high in various series.