Sleep Quality and Its Relationship to Anxiety and Hardiness in a Cohort of Frontline Italian Nurses during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the psychological and psychopathological status of the population and health care workers in terms of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The primary aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the impact of the pandemic on insomnia levels of a cohort of Italian nurses, particularly those involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. The secondary aim was to identify the interaction between insomnia and hardiness, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive-exploratory study was conducted using an online survey during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March to July 2020). The questionnaire consisted of multiple-choice, open-ended, closed, and semi-closed questions. The psychometric tools administered were the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). RESULTS: a cohort of 1167 nurses fully completed the questionnaire (86.2% of total respondents). The insomnia scale survey showed an increase in post-pandemic scores compared to those before the pandemic, implying that insomnia levels increased after the first pandemic wave. Insomnia scores were directly correlated with anxiety levels (r = 0.571; p ≤ 0.05) and inversely correlated with hardiness levels (r = -0.324; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed the following protective factors: not having worked in COVID-19 wards, high levels of hardiness (commitment), and the presence of high pre-pandemic insomnia disorder. The main risk factor for insomnia reported in the analysis was a high anxiety score. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Anxiety represented the main risk factor for insomnia severity in our sample, while hardiness was confirmed as a protective factor. Thus, it is necessary to design further studies to identify additional risk factors for poor sleep quality and to develop educational courses and strategies aimed at enhancing rest and sleep quality, especially for frontline nurses.

Exploring the terminological validity of 'chronic pain' nursing diagnosis: A retrospective descriptive study using nursing diaries.

AIM: The aim of this study is to generate empirical evidence, drawing from clinical records, with the goal of elevating the level of evidence supporting the nursing diagnosis (ND) of 'chronic pain'. BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a prevalent condition that affects all age groups. Patients often feel disbelieved about their pain perception, leading to adverse psychological effects, difficulty accessing healthcare and poor rehabilitation outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies guidelines were followed in this study. METHODS: Data were extracted from Electronic Health Records (EHR) of patients admitted to the University Hospital of Perugia, Italy, between March 2016 and December 2022. The study sample comprised individuals without a specific medical diagnosis or high-risk population. Out of 1,048,565 EHR, 43,341 clinical-nursing diaries with the keyword 'pain' were identified, from which 283 clinical-nursing notes were selected based on a keyword-based retrieval technique and diagnostic definition for further analysis. RESULTS: Our study findings support the diagnostic descriptors of the 'chronic pain' ND in clinical-nursing diaries. We observed the presence of 9 out of 11 defining characteristics, 7 out of 10 related factors, 4 out of 8 at-risk populations and 11 out of 17 associated conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The study validated diagnostic criteria for chronic pain and proposed 'haematological pathology' as a new associated condition. The findings were presented to the Diagnosis Development Committee of NANDA-International for further review. However, limitations of the study prompted the need for further analysis using natural language processing and artificial neural network techniques. As a result, a new research direction using artificial intelligence (AI) tools was initiated. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The study validates diagnostic descriptors for chronic pain and proposes future directions in semantic analysis and AI tools, aiming to enhance clinical practice and decision-making in nursing care. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Re-evaluation of the interprofessional collaboration scale validation between nurses towards other health care professionals occupied in Italian emergency medical services.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) between health professionals is fundamental for the provision of an efficient and effective medical care service. This is especially so in states of emergency, as highlighted by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study aimed to obtain further evidence regarding the validity and reliability of the Italian language IPC scale -an instrument for measuring interprofessional collaboration- in a setting that has yet to be investigated at an in-depth level: the emergency departments in Italian hospitals. METHODS: The survey tool was a structured questionnaire in the Italian language. It comprised the validated Italian version of the IPC scale plus a question concerning the frequency of collaborations between the nurses interviewed and other health professionals. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to rate the three factors ("communication", "accommodation" and "isolation") that compose the scale. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-six nurses working in an emergency department for at least one year completed the questionnaire, which assessed collaboration with other health professionals working in the same department. The model fit statistics are satisfactory for all the nurse-target group combinations analysed. Regarding the Cronbach's alpha statistic used to compute the reliability of the scale, acceptable values were obtained for all items, except for those related to the isolation factor for each case of interprofessional collaboration considered. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the validity of the IPC scale as an instrument for the assessment of interprofessional collaboration involving nurses and other workers occupied in the provision of healthcare in Italian emergency departments.

Nursing students and COVID-19 vaccination. ESitA Study An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Vaccine hesitancy is an important problem in terms of health policy. This historical moment leads us to wonder if vaccine hesitancy is also present among nursing students who should be particularly sensitive to the subject Methods: Between February 10 to February 17 2021, 1080 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Perugia, were invited to reply to an online questionnaire sent to their university email accounts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A certain amount of vaccination hesitancy was detected among the students in our study. It can be assumed that the issues surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine, which occurred at the start of the vaccination campaign, may have led to an increase in people's hesitancy. Boosting vaccination campaigns, including appropriate use of social media, may lead to greater acceptance. Also, it would be useful to assess the cultural basis of the recent anti-Vax controversy, particularly for students of nursing or other health professions, who should be able to evaluate, source and recognize the most validated data.

Patients who leave the Emergency Department without being seen. Has COVID-19 affected this phenomenon?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients who present to an Emergency Department (ED) and leave without being seen by a physician represent a safety concern because they may become severely ill and experience adverse events as a result of lacking or delayed ED treatment. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the increasing number of patients accessing care through the ED in Italy and throughout the world has had implications for health policies. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study that included all ED visits from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2018 in the Perugia University Hospital has been carried out. RESULTS: During the 5 years investigated 26,344 out of 300,372 (8.77%) patients who attended the ED left the triage area before being seen with an average of 439 patients per month. The same phenomenon has been analysed from February to October 2020. During these 9 months there were a total of 1,824 out of 30,990 (5.88%) patients who left the ED without being seen with an average of 202 per month. The latter value is one third lower than the one related to the period investigated prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: Such investigation could help to differentiate actual essential demand from non-essential demand within the ED, which could inform quality-improvement policies. Several strategies could be implemented to lower the proportion of patients who leave the department without being seen. Reorganising the activities in the ED with different paths should be implemented with the aim of reducing waiting times and in turn patients' satisfaction.

Promoting and Risk Factors of Nurses' Hardiness Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from an Italian Cohort.

AIM: Few studies in the literature specifically address the hardiness of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the hardiness levels in an Italian cohort of nurses. The secondary aims were to assess the level of hardiness in nurses directly caring for patients with COVID-19 and to verify the presence of related risk and promoting factors. METHODS: A descriptive and explorative study was performed through an online survey from March to July 2020. The survey was composed of a multiple answer questionnaire with open, closed, and semi-closed-ended questions. Hardiness and anxiety were assessed using two psychometric instruments: the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). RESULTS: A total of 1250 nurses completed the questionnaire entirely (92.3% of respondents). The average length of service was 17.8 ± 11.5 years. A decrease in the hardiness was recorded after the first wave of COVID-19 if compared to the baseline (mean Δ DRS-15 total = 1.3 ± 5.0), whereas in the subsample of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, the total hardiness level decreased more consistently (mean Δ DRS Total = 1.9 + 5.3). Multivariate analysis showed that high levels of anxiety were risk factors for reducing hardiness. In contrast, anxiety, when associated with a greater length of service, was a promoting factor for the increase in hardiness. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between anxiety and years of length of service appears to be pivotal. Future research should focus on the role of anxiety to establish its actual role as a predictor of hardiness.

The prevention of pressure injuries in the positioning and mobilization of patients in the ICU: a good clinical practice document by the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this document is to support clinical decision-making concerning positioning and mobilization of the critically ill patient in the early identification and resolution of risk factors (primary prevention) and in the early recognition of those most at risk (secondary prevention). The addresses of this document are physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and other professionals involved in patient positioning in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A consensus pathway was followed using the Nominal Focus Group and the Delphi Technique, integrating a phase of focused group discussion online and with a pre-coded guide to an individual phase. A multidisciplinary advisory board composed by nine experts on the topic contributed to both the phases of the process, to reach a consensus on four clinical questions positioning and mobilization of the critically ill patient. RESULTS: The topics addressed by the clinical questions were the risks associated with obligatory positioning and therapeutic positions, the effective interventions in preventing pressure injuries, the appropriate instruments for screening for pressure injuries in the ICU, and the cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions relating to ICU positioning. A total of 27 statements addressing these clinical questions were produced by the panel. Among the statements, nine provided guidance on how to manage safely some specific patients' positions, including the prone position; five suggested specific screening tools and patients' factors to consider when assessing the individual risk of developing pressure injuries; five gave indications on mobilization and repositioning; and eight focused on the use of devices, such as positioners and preventive dressings. CONCLUSIONS: The statements may represent a practical guidance for a broad public of healthcare professionals involved in the management of critically ill patients.

Pressure Injuries Due to Personal Protective Equipment in COVID-19 Critical Care Units.

BACKGROUND: Caring for patients with COVID-19 requires wearing a full set of personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid contamination. Personal discomfort has been associated with use of PPE, and anecdotal reports describe pressure injuries related to wearing PPE. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the occurrence of device-related pressure injuries due to wearing PPE among Italian nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in critical care settings. METHODS: This descriptive study used an online survey investigating both the demographic characteristics of respondents and complications related to wearing PPE, including the development of pressure injuries. RESULTS: A total of 266 nurses throughout Italy completed the survey; 32% of respondents were men. Nurses' median age was 36 years (range 22-59 years), and the median time spent working in their current clinical setting (an intensive care or high-dependency unit) was 3 years (range 0-32 years). Personal protective equipment was worn for a median duration of 5 hours (range 2-12 hours). While wearing PPE, 92.8% of nurses experienced pain and 77.1% developed device-related pressure injuries, mainly on the nose, ears, and forehead. Pain was more frequent among nurses with such injuries. Transparent dressings, emollient cream, and no dressing were associated with development of device-related pressure injury. CONCLUSIONS: Pressure injuries related to PPE represent an important adverse effect for nurses caring for patients with COVID-19. This topic deserves study to determine adequate solutions for preventing and treating such injuries and their potential influence on nurses' work tolerance.

The Order of Draw during Blood Collection: A Systematic Literature Review.

Blood collection is one of the most common nursing procedures and is not devoid of complications. The order of draw during blood collection is a controversial theme. We aimed to define the efficacy of the order of draw during blood collection to guarantee an exact biochemical result. We carried out a systematic literature review on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, Joanna Briggs Institute, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Articles written in English and published from 2000 to 2020 were considered suitable. The analysis of the 11 articles included highlighted different opinions; however, the most recent evidence declares that the cross-contamination caused by the incorrect order of draw is a trait only in the open system of drawing. The most recent evidence affirms the negligible effect of the order of draw during blood collection when using the closed blood collection system, while it is recommended when using the open collection system.

Insertion of four different types of supraglottic airway devices by emergency nurses. A mannequin-based simulation study.

BACKGROUND: During medical emergencies, one of the main steps to improve patient outcomes is to achieve airway management. Orotracheal intubation is highly effective for advanced airway management, but it requires experienced health professionals. The use of a supraglottic airway device (SAD) is an acceptable alternative. AIM: To assess which of the four considered SADs takes the shortest time and the lowest number of attempts to be correctly placed. The secondary aim was to evaluate the influence of some characteristics of the study population on time taken and number of attempts required. METHODS: A crossover trial was conducted at the Advanced Medical Simulation Center of the University of Perugia (Italy) between June and September 2017. Eighty-three nurses were enrolled in the study. Each participant was asked to place four different SADs in a manikin: Laryngeal Tube Suction-D (LTS-D), i-gel™, Ambu® Laryngeal Mask AuraGain™ and LMA® Protector™ Cuff Pilot™. RESULTS: The median insertion time for the different devices was: 8.0 seconds (s) for LTS-D, 6.0 s for i-gel, 5.4 s for AuraGain, 5.8 s for LMA Protector (p<0.05); the median number of insertion attempts was: 2 for LTS-D, 1 for i-gel, AuraGain and LMA Protector (p<0.05). There was no significant relationship between insertion time and attempts required and the participants' working experience, training, or knowledge of the devices. CONCLUSION: With the exception of LTS-D, which had the worst performance, there was a high degree of homogeneity between the studied SADs in terms of time and attempts required to achieve correct placement.

How to communicate with families living in complete isolation.

IMPORTANCE: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a complete physical isolation has been worldwide introduced. The impossibility of visiting their loved ones during the hospital stay causes additional distress for families: in addition to the worries about clinical recovery, they may feel exclusion and powerlessness, anxiety, depression, mistrust in the care team and post-traumatic stress disorder. The impossibility of conducting the daily meetings with families poses a challenge for healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to delineate and share consensus statements in order to enable healthcare team to provide by telephone or video calls an optimal level of communication with patient's relatives under circumstances of complete isolation. EVIDENCE REVIEW: PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts and Reviews of Effectiveness and the AHCPR Clinical Guidelines and Evidence Reports were explored from 1999 to 2019. Exclusion criteria were: poor or absent relevance regarding the aim of the consensus statements, studies prior to 1999, non-English language. Since the present pandemic context is completely new, unexpected and unexplored, there are not randomised controlled trials regarding clinical communication in a setting of complete isolation. Thus, a multiprofessional taskforce of physicians, nurses, psychologists and legal experts, together with some family members and former intensive care unit patients was established by four Italian national scientific societies. Using an e-Delphi methodology, general and specific questions were posed, relevant topics were argumented, until arriving to delineate position statements and practical checklist, which were set and evaluated through an evidence-based consensus procedure. FINDINGS: Ten statements and two practical checklists for phone or video calls were drafted and evaluated; they are related to who, when, why and how family members must be given clinical information under circumstances of complete isolation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The statements and the checklists offer a structured methodology in order to ensure a good-quality communication between healthcare team and family members even in isolation, confirming that time dedicated to communication has to be intended as a time of care.

Workplace violence in emergency departments: The health professionals and security personnel alliance.

Violence in the health sector is a widespread worldwide phenomenon. Emergency nurses and emergency physicians are among the most exposed. In violent incidents, security personnel also play an important role. Wand and colleagues on Emergency Medicine Australasia have tried to give voice to the opinions and experiences of security personnel in responding to aggression and behavioural problems. Sharing some data from our 2016 Italian National Survey on Violence towards Emergency Nurses, further elements are provided on this issue. The different perspectives of healthcare professionals and security personnel can converge in an alliance to counteract violence in the ED.

The Medical Emergency Team in Italy: an overview of in-hospital emergencies response.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Medical Emergency Team (MET), implemented in many hospitals worldwide, aims to improve the safety of in-hospital patients whose condition is deteriorating. This study describes MET presence and organization in the Italian National Healthcare System Hospitals. METHODS: A national survey with an online questionnaire was performed. The questionnaire, created ad hoc, was sent by e-mail to the nursing coordinators and MET referents of the Hospitals affiliated to the Italian National Healthcare System with an Anesthesia and Intensive Care service. RESULTS: One hundred-ninety-seven hospitals were interviewed (36.2% of the whole national network). A dedicated MET, composed at least by an intensivist and a nurse, was present only in 118 cases (59.9%). The team was composed by a non-dedicated staff (67.8% of doctors, 69.5% of nurses) and a minimum shared standard of education for the nurse component was absent. One third of the estimated hospitals did not use a warning score for emergency call activation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This survey showed a heterogenous and often lacking organization of in-hospital emergency management in Italy. MET system needs to be implemented in terms of presence in the Italian hospitals, and standardized for personnel structure and training, and equipment availability. A broader study is necessary to compare our data with those of other European Countries to better identify the specific areas which need to be improved more promptly.

Improving communication toward ICU families to facilitate understanding and reduce stress. Protocol for a multicenter randomized and controlled Italian study.

OBJECTIVE: Families of ICU patients have a pressing need for information: they find themselves suddenly in a complex technical environment often because of a life-threatening illness of a loved one. Some evidence suggests that specific communication tools (like websites or brochures) could improve the experience of ICU families. DESIGN: Randomized, multicenter, stepped wedge trial for large-scale assessment of the effectiveness of a multitasking intervention to improve communication with families of critically ill patients. MAIN OUTCOME: correct understanding of the prognosis. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: correct understanding of medical treatments, prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the first ICU week. Prevalence of PTSD 6 months from ICU discharge. Empathy and burnout among ICU staff. Prevalence of refusals for tissues/organ donation, and medical claims. SUBJECTS: 2100 ICU relatives of critically ill patients. INTERVENTIONS: The intervention employs specific tools especially designed to raise the correctness of information and to improve the quality of communication: a website presenting the ICU world and justifying the relatives' emotions, with a webpage specifically dedicated to each participating ICU; a standard brochure; eight posters for the families' waiting room and a signboard for the ICU door. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The study plans to assess these materials in up to 300 Italian ICUs that will participate, according to a five waves program, each one with randomized starting order. This way the effect of the intervention will be evaluated simultaneously. CONCLUSION: This is an educational study, aiming to spread good medical practices, while also verifying their real effectiveness in a large number of ICUs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03438175.

Pain assessment in the Emergency Department. Correlation between pain rated by the patient and by the nurse. An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Pain is always present in the Emergency Department (ED), but is often underestimated. The primary purpose of this study is to analyze the degree to which the intensity of pain is underestimated or overestimated in the perception of the nurse and the patient in the ED. The secondary objective of this research is to study possible factors that lead to these discrepancies in assessment. METHODS: The observational study was carried out in two Hospitals in Central Italy. The sample population was based on 130 patients and 26 nurses. A questionnaire was given to the patients who provided personal data followed by information regarding their pain, including an assessment of the intensity of pain on a scale from 0 to 10. A similar questionnaire was given to the nurses. RESULTS: The average score based on the numeric rating scale (NRS) to assess the intensity of pain perceived by the patients is 6.16, while the numerical average estimated by the nurses based on their assessment is 5. Using the t test we found that the average between nurse and patient assessments was very significant. The analysis of the nurses' characteristics and professional experiences, age, years of employment and years of service in the ED are all significant variables affecting the discrepancy between the nurses' and patients' assessments of pain. As previous studies have shown, nurses tend to underestimate the degree of pain. In fact, in only 55.5% of the cases was there a correspondence in the evaluations of the intensity of pain done by nurses and patients, and in no case did the nurses' evaluation exceed that of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the persistent difficulty in pain management, while attempting contemporaneously to communicate the importance of the assessment, since adequate understanding of pain renders it possible to recognize and treat it.