The Impact of the Seasonal and Geographical Distribution of Tuberculosis in Sicily: A 6-Year Retrospective Study (2018-2023).

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major public health issue, with high mortality rates reported worldwide. It is worth noting that most of the hospitalizations for tuberculosis in the Sicilian region involve Italian-born individuals, underscoring the need to address this problem. Recent research on the geographic area and seasonality of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, may aid in developing effective preventive measures. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the season and geographical area on tuberculosis disease prevalence in the Sicilian region. Methods: A retrospective study from January 2018 to May 2023 was conducted on patients with tuberculosis in the Sicilian region by analyzing computerized records on the Infectious Diseases Information System, currently named the Italian National Notification System (NSIS), of the Epidemiology Unit at Policlinico Paolo Giaccone University Hospital of Palermo and the Regional Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis Surveillance and Control. Results: Eastern and Western Sicily were the geographical Sicilian areas with the highest frequency of patients with tuberculosis (52.2% and 42.6%, respectively). In comparison, Central Sicily had a significantly lower frequency of patients with tuberculosis (5.2%). Regarding the season, autumn was the season with the highest number of notification cases (28.9%), while spring was the season with the lowest frequency of patients with tuberculosis (19.7%). In autumn, we found significantly fewer patients with tuberculosis from Eastern Sicily (39.3%) and Central Sicily (1.5%), while Western Sicily had more patients with tuberculosis (59.3%). In spring, we found significantly more patients with tuberculosis from Eastern Sicily (64.1%), while Western and Central Sicily had significantly fewer patients with tuberculosis (23.9% and 12%, respectively). The presence of patients with tuberculosis did not significantly differ between geographical regions in summer and winter. Conclusions: Geographical area and seasonality significantly impact the distribution of tuberculosis cases in Sicily. These factors may be linked to different climatic conditions across the various geographical areas considered. Our findings suggest that climate can play a critical role in the spread of airborne infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.

Predictive factors of sleep quality and burnout in nurses working in transplant units during the COVID-19 lockdown - A cross-sectional study.

Background: There is minimal information regarding sleep disturbance and burnout during COVID-19 in nurses working within haematology-oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) settings.Aim: To identify socio-demographic and professional factors that predicted burnout and sleep disturbance during COVID-19 in nurses working in HSCT settings.Design/Methods: Data were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive statistics and linear regression examined relationships.Results: 308 responses were received. Nurses working in outpatient settings had greater emotional exhaustion (Rpartial = -0.12, n = 308, p = 0.03). Negative predictors for quality of sleep were transplant programme setting (Rpartial = -0.19, n = 308, p < 0.01) and years working in HSCT (Rpartial = -0.17, n = 308, p < 0.01). Other relationships were found on univariate analysis.Conclusion: Institutions must offer programmes for nurses to develop sleep strategies, self-care, and work-related stress management.

Workload, Job Satisfaction and Quality of Nursing Care in Italy: A Systematic Review of Native Language Articles.

Nursing research is rapidly increasing, yet contributions from numerous countries that may interest the international nursing community are impeded because many research articles are published in authors' native language and not in English. The objectives of this work were to systematically review papers published in Italian related to job satisfaction and the quality of nursing care, and to discuss their findings in light of the international literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was used. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Indice della Letteretura Italiana di Scienze Infermieristiche (ILISI) databases were consulted for eligible studies published from January 2015 to November 2022. Two hundred sixteen papers were identified, 11 of which were selected for review: 8 on job satisfaction, two on workload issues, and 1 on quality of nursing care. The quality of included studies was assessed through the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool (EPHPP). The results of our review were in line with those of international literature, and they can help to fill the knowledge gap on the quality of nursing performance in Italian care settings. In addition, the proposed method can provide further elements of discussion among literature providers and reviewers.

Evaluation of soft skills among Italian Healthcare Rehabilitators: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare rehabilitator skills can be grouped into hard and soft skills. Hard skills are specific and teachable, which can be defined and measured, while soft skills are less tangible and more difficult to quantify. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of knowledge of soft skills among Italian healthcare rehabilitators, and how they were acquired. DESIGN AND METHODS: Two hundred healthcare rehabilitators, who worked in Southern Italy were enrolled from September 1st to October 31st 2017, and interviewed with Computer-Assisted-Web-Interview (CAWI) software, to assess their level of soft skills. RESULTS: Healthcare rehabilitators showed significant satisfaction with university education (59.5%), particularly for theoretical training (64%), while significant dissatisfaction was found for technical-practical training (63.5%), training in patients' family management (66.5%) and stages participation to improve soft skills (59%). Dissatisfied rehabilitators were found for university education of soft skills (59%), particularly for interpersonal relationships with patients family (66.5%) and technical-practical train in(63.5%). Women considered the training courses about soft skills acquisition more useful than men (43.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare rehabilitator training is lacking in the teaching of both technical-practical and soft skills. It is striking that in a healthcare profession like that of the rehabilitator, where practical and empathic skills are fundamental in the relationship with the patients, such skills are not treated in analogously with theoretical training.

Exclusion Criteria Used in Early Behavioral Intervention Studies for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This literature review evaluated early behavioral intervention studies of Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) based on their participant exclusion criteria. The studies included were found through searching PsycINFO and PubMed databases, and discussed behavioral interventions for children up to 5 years of age with ASD and utilized a group research design. Studies reviewed were categorized into three groups: Restrictive exclusion criteria, loosely defined exclusion criteria, and exclusion criteria not defined. Results indicated that studies that used restrictive exclusion criteria demonstrated greater differences in terms of outcomes between experimental and control groups in comparison to studies that used loosely defined exclusion criteria and/or did not define any exclusion criteria. We discussed implications for the generalizability of the studies' outcomes in relationship to exclusion criteria.