Pediatric onco-hematological home care during COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of the work is to describe the protocol adopted by the Home Care Service in pediatric onco-hematological patients of a large cancer institute in Italy during COVID-19 pandemic and to present preliminary data. Based on our experience, we have developed strategies to ensure continuity of care, non-abandonment, and protection of patients and operators in a period of emergency like this. In this context, the "COVID at home" protocol plays a central role. It aims to be able to safely manage COVID-19 positive onco-hematological patients, allowing nursing and medical care in the home setting, identifying patients at risk for COVID-19 infection, and rationalizing improper accesses to the hospital.

Nursing students and sport: health promotion, team building and professional skills education.

BACKGROUND: Nursing profession requires a complex set of capacities, such as team building, reaching a common goal, understanding of different roles, good communication, and positive conflict resolution. Teaching this kind of competencies during the university course is challenging. Team sports require quite similar abilities to those of a nursing tam. Introducing team sport into academic course could contribute to teach and to train these key competencies to nursing students. AIM: To improve important personal skills for nursing profession through team sport. METHODS: Students were invited to participate in team sport activities. To promote autonomy and initiative students were asked to create two teams (soccer and volleyball), to organize groups, to assign roles, and to choose the uniform. The two teams participated to a city university sports championship. Nursing school supported students in all the activities. At the end of the sport season, an anonymous questionnaire was administered to students. RESULTS: 24/107 nursing students (22.4%) participated, 13/24 males (54%) and 11/24 females (46%), (mean age 22.42 years, SD 2.28). 15/24 students (62.5%) attended all the training sessions. Students satisfaction was generally very positive in terms of physical wellness (87.5%), team building (95.8%), sharing and working for common goals (100%), and positive conflict resolution (100%), both when witnessed and experienced. All students would repeat and recommend the experience. CONCLUSIONS: Results were generally positive, but further research is necessary to evaluate potential positive effects in terms of nursing activities. NURSING IMPLICATIONS: Nursing course is very challenging, and promoting team-sport activities among students could have positive impact on professional skills education.

Nursing Professional Identity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Becoming a good nurse is a mandatory goal for each nurse and a daily challenge. Nurses have the responsibility to maintain the highest level of professional integrity and quality not only to protect patients and their families but also to positively influence nursing students. In fact, students learn how to become good nurses if they really experience that from all nurses they meet during their training. It could be useful to take a "general picture" of nurses who work every day into our hospitals. AIM: To evaluate the level of nursing professional identity. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. An anonymous structured questionnaire was administered to nurses in a hospital Rome. RESULTS: 334 nurses participated and they were mainly female (80%); mean age: 37.11ys (SD 8.49); 15.87% had health professionals in family, and nursing profession was the first choice for the 72.16%; 93.71% had family support. In nursing profession, empathy and both human and technical requirements were important for more than 94.91%. 84.73% would repeat the nursing choice, and 79.64% would recommend that. Only 64.97% was satisfied about their profession. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing profession is a controversial profession, with motived and passionate professionals but still unsatisfied. Professional identity is a delicate and complex topic, and an essential part that consistently influences the personal attitude to reach the best nursing practice. NURSING IMPLICATIONS: Professional identity is one of the first aspects to take into account to better understand in which way nurses could influence colleagues, patients and their families, and finally nursing students during their daily practice.

[Nurses with pediatricians in pediatric outpatient clinics:a survey on family pediatricians' opinions]. / L'infermiere insieme al pediatra nell'ambulatorio pediatrico: indagine pilota sull'opinione dei pediatri di libera scelta.

. Nurses with pediatricians in pediatric outpatient clinics: a survey on family pediatricians' opinions. INTRODUCTION: Pediatric nurses next to family pediatricians could contribute to several activities, included limiting inappropriate access to the emergency room. AIM: To describe the perceived benefit of the activities that could be performed by pediatric nurses in the pediatrician's clinic according to the opinion of family pediatricians. METHODS: Pilot on-line survey with family pediatricians, using list of activities grouped in four areas: "Care of pediatric patients with illnesses and disabilities", "Health education", "Prevention of diseases" and "Coordination and organizational activities". For each activity a judgement of benefit (1= not useful at all; 6= very useful) was reported. RESULTS: Overall, 178 family pediatricians participated in the survey; 55% of them were female, mean age was 55 years. They rated as very useful both the presence of a pediatric nurse in their clinic (mean 5.37+1.06) and would recommend it to a colleague (5.36+1.05). Health education was perceived as the most important area of activity (4.88+0.97). The more they considered useful the pediatric nurse in their clinic, the higher they rated relevant the activities of the pediatric nurse (r=0.60-0.70). Older and more experienced pediatricians found less useful educational (r=-0.19 p<0.05; r=-0.23 p<0.01) and prevention (r=-0.18 p<0.05; r=-0.24 p<0.01) activities compared to younger and less experienced pediatricians. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians consider very helpful a pediatric nurse in their clinic, for clinical, educational and organizational activities.