Digital Health Service for Identification of Frailty Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The SUNFRAIL+ Study Protocol.

This article reports the study protocol of a nationwide multicentric study in seven Italian regions aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a digitally supported approach for the early screening of frailty risk factors in community-dwelling older adults. SUNFRAIL+ is a prospective observational cohort study aimed at carrying out a multidimensional assessment of community-dwelling older adults through an IT platform, which allows to connect the items of the SUNFRAIL frailty assessment tool with a cascading multidimensional in-depth assessment of the bio-psycho-social domains of frailty. Seven centers in seven Italian regions will administer the SUNFRAIL questionnaire to 100 older adults. According to the answers provided by older adults, they will be subjected to one or more validated in-depth scale tests in order to perform further diagnostic or dimensional evaluations. The study aims to contribute to the implementation and validation of a multiprofessional and multistakeholder service model for the screening of frailty in community-dwelling older adult population.

[Assessment of competence: literature review and project research]. / La valutazione delle competenze: dall'analisi della letteratura alla proposta di un progetto di ricerca.

The authors propose a research project aimed at developing a system for evaluating and codifying nursing competencies. The purpose of the project is to improve the outcome of care and the way nurses perceive their profession, by introducing a new concept of professional roles that allows innovation, creativity, methodological flexibility and functionality in group working. Although reference models for evaluating nursing competencies have been devised, in Italy they but have not yet been become operative and nurses are evaluated by the single health authorities.

[A system for evaluating nursing competencies: definition of operative instruments]. / Un sistema per valutare le competenze nell'infermieristica: la definizione degli strumenti operativi.

Assessment of competencies is an essential element of staff management. Many approaches have been suggested at international level but their application is not always straightforward due to cultural interference. The system for monitoring nursing competencies merges the concepts of Advanced Practice Nursing and the Learning Organization model. This study addresses the introduction of a system of for assessing nursing competencies by modules for evaluation and self-assessment as well as outcome indicators The first phase of the study has made it possible to define the areas , variables and contexts to be evaluated together with the relevant indicators and methodology, as established in 2009.