Stress and Occupational Coping among Brazilian Nurses in Critical Care Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of sociodemographic and working condition variables, as well as the coping strategies used by nurses, on their occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 104 nurses who worked in intensive and emergency care at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Data collection was performed in person and online using a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, the Nursing Stress Inventory, and the Occupational Coping Scale. RESULTS: The participants had a high level of stress (median = 132), especially in the 'interpersonal relations' domain (median = 63), and made little use of occupational coping strategies (median = 87). Income (p = 0.027), work shift (p = 0.028), being on leave from work (p = 0.020), number of hospitals with employment ties (p = 0.001), and relationship with management were independently associated with the levels of stress among the nurses. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the high levels of stress among nurses were influenced by financial and work-related factors as well as interpersonal relationships. No significant association was found between stress among the nurses and the use of occupational coping strategies.

Comparative study of oncology patients' quality of life.

BACKGROUND: A cancer diagnosis has a significant impact on a person's life, both physically and emotionally. However, the oncology patients' QoL (QoL) at different stages of the disease has been under investigated. AIM: To assess and compare the QoL in three groups of oncology patients. METHODS: A comparative study was carried out in an outpatient care service at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo. Data collection involved the use of the Palliative Performance Scale and the McGill QoL Questionnaire. RESULTS: Most participants were women, Catholic and living with a partner. The Palliative Performance Scale revealed a predominance of stable patients (score: ≥70 points). Overall, palliative care patients had lower QoL scores compared to the other groups (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: QoL was worse among palliative care patients. Advanced age, being in palliative care, and have a low-income were negatively associated with a patient's QoL.

Comparative Study of the Quality of Life and Coping Strategies in Oncology Patients.

BACKGROUND: Despite the current data on morbidity and mortality, a growing number of patients with a diagnosis of cancer survive due to an early diagnosis and advances in treatment modalities. This study aimed to compare the quality of life and coping strategies in three groups of patients with cancer and identify associated clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted with outpatients at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The 300 participants were assigned to three groups: patients in palliative care (Group A), patients in post-treatment follow-up with no evidence of disease (Group B), and patients undergoing treatment for cancer (Group C). Data collection involved the use of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. No generic quality-of-life assessment tool was utilized, as it would not be able to appropriately evaluate the impact of the disease on the specific group of patients receiving palliative care. RESULTS: Coping strategies were underused. Participants in the palliative care group had poorer quality of life, particularly in the psychological well-being and physical symptom domains. Age, currently undergoing treatment, and level of education were significantly associated with coping scores. Age, gender, income, and the absence of pharmacological pain control were independently associated with quality-of-life scores. Moreover, a positive association was found between coping and quality of life. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients in palliative care generally report a lower quality of life. However, male patients, those who did not rely on pharmacological pain control, and those with higher coping scores reported a better perception of their quality of life. This perception tended to decrease with age and income level. Patients currently undergoing treatment for the disease were more likely to use coping strategies. Patients with higher education and quality-of-life scores also had better coping scores. However, the use of coping strategies decreased with age.

Dificuldades enfrentadas pelos profissionais de saúde no atendimento de emergências em unidades básicas de saúde no Brasil / Difficulties faced by health professionals in emergency care in primary health care units in Brazil / Dificultades enfrentadas por los profesionales de salud en la atención de emergencias en unidades básicas de salud en Brasil

Objetivos: compreender as dificuldades enfrentadas pelos profissionais de saúde para o atendimento de casos de urgências/emergências em unidades básica de saúde e identificar as proposições de resolubilidade. Métodos: Pesquisa qualitativa, realizada com dez profissionais de saúde, em uma unidade básica de saúde do interior paulista. As entrevistas foram transcritas e analisadas utilizando-se a estratégia metodológica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Resultados: As dificuldades foram atreladas a fatores como despreparo da equipe, falta de infraestrutura, insumos e equipamentos, carência de profissional médico, pouca aproximação das unidades básicas de saúde com o setor de emergência hospitalar e escasso investimento do município para realização desses atendimentos. As proposições de melhorias destacaram a necessidade de capacitação dos profissionais de saúde, investimentos em recursos materiais e equipamentos, permanência de médico em período integral no serviço, implantação de protocolos de atendimento e empenho dos gestores. Conclusão: Os discursos evidenciaram que o serviço não tem condições de atender casos de urgência/emergência, em virtude do despreparo da equipe e da falta de recursos humanos e materiais. Além disso, não é prioridade do município oferecer condições mínimas para a realização deste atendimento nas unidades básicas de saúde, para que sejam integrantes da rede de atenção de Atenção às Urgências no Sistema Único de Saúde.

Objective: understand the difficulties health professionals face in urgency/emergency care at primary health care units and identify the propositions of problem-solving ability. Methods: Qualitative research, conducted with ten health professionals at a primary health care unit in the interior of São Paulo. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the methodological strategy of the collective subject discourse. Results: The difficulties were linked to factors such as unpreparedness of the team, lack of infrastructure, supplies and equipment, lack of medical professional, little cooperation between the primary health care units and the hospital emergency sector and scarce investment of the municipality to carry out these services. The proposals for improvements highlighted the need for training of health professionals, investments in material resources and equipment, full-time presence of physician at the service, implementation of care protocols and commitment of managers. Conclusion: The discourse showed that the service is not able to attend urgency/emergency cases, due to the unpreparedness of the team and the lack of human and material resources. In addition, the municipality does not prioritize the supply of minimum conditions for this care in primary health care units to make them part of the emergency care network in the Unified Health System.

Objetivo: comprender las dificultades enfrentadas por los profesionales de salud para la atención de casos de Urgencias/Emergencias en unidades básicas de salud e identificar las proposiciones de resolubilidad. Métodos: Investigación cualitativa, desarrollada con diez profesionales de salud, en una unidad básica de salud del interior paulista. Las entrevistas fueron transcritas y analizadas utilizando la estrategia metodológica del Discurso del Sujeto Colectivo. Resultados: Las dificultades fueron ligadas a factores como la falta de preparación del equipo, falta de infraestructura, insumos y equipamientos, carencia de profesional médico, poca aproximación de las unidades básicas de salud con el sector de emergencia hospitalaria y escasa inversión del municipio para realizar esas atenciones. Las propuestas de mejorías destacaron la necesidad de capacitación de los profesionales de salud, inversiones en recursos materiales y equipamientos, permanencia de médico a tiempo completo en el servicio, implantación de protocolos de atención y empeño de los gestores. Conclusión: Los discursos evidenciaron que el servicio no tiene condiciones de atender casos de urgencia/emergencia, en virtud de la falta de preparación del equipo y de la falta de recursos humanos y materiales. Además, no es prioridad del municipio ofrecer condiciones mínimas para la realización de esta atención en las unidades básicas de salud, para que sean integrantes de la red de atención de atención a las urgencias en el Sistema Único de Salud.

Impact of Care Interventions on the Survival of Patients with Cardiac Chest Pain.

BACKGROUND: Chest pain is considered the second most frequent complaint among patients seeking emergency services. However, there is limited information in the literature about how the care provided to patients with chest pain, when being attended to in the emergency room, influences their clinical outcomes. AIMS: To assess the relationship between care interventions performed on patients with cardiac chest pain and their immediate and late clinical outcomes and to identify which care interventions were essential to survival. METHODS: In this retrospective study. We analyzed 153 medical records of patients presenting with chest pain at an emergency service center, São Paulo, Brazil. Participants were divided into two groups: (G1) remained hospitalized for a maximum of 24 h and (G2) remained hospitalized for between 25 h and 30 days. RESULTS: Most of the participants were male 99 (64.7%), with a mean age of 63.2 years. The interventions central venous catheter, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, pulse oximetry, and monitoring peripheral perfusion were commonly associated with survival at 24 h and 30 days. Advanced cardiovascular life support and basic support life (p = 0.0145; OR = 8053; 95% CI = 1385-46,833), blood transfusion (p < 0.0077; OR = 34,367; 95% CI = 6489-182,106), central venous catheter (p < 0.0001; OR = 7.69: 95% CI 1853-31,905), and monitoring peripheral perfusion (p < 0.0001; OR = 6835; 95% CI 1349-34,634) were independently associated with survival at 30 days by Cox Regression. CONCLUSIONS: Even though there have been many technological advances over the past decades, this study demonstrated that immediate and long-term survival depended on interventions received in an emergency room for many patients.

Spiritual/religious coping strategies and religiosity of patients living with cancer in palliative care.

BACKGROUND: The palliative care provided to cancer patients should also contemplate the psychological and spiritual dimensions of care. AIMS: This study aimed to compare religiosity and spiritual/religious coping (SRC) of cancer patients in palliative care with a group of healthy volunteers and determine whether sociodemographic characteristics affected this association. METHODS: This was a case-control study conducted with 86 patients living with cancer from an outpatient palliative care clinic of the São Paulo State University (UNESP) medical school, Botucatu, Brazil and 86 healthy volunteers. The brief Spiritual/Religious Coping Scale (SRCOPE) and the Duke University Religion (DUREL) Index were used as a brief measure of 'religiosity'. RESULTS: All 172 participants reported to be religious and, overall, made very little use of SRC strategies. DUREL scores were negatively associated with religious practice (P<0.01) and positive SRC (P<0.01). Age was associated with non-organisational religious activities and intrinsic religiosity (P<0.01); and income was associated with intrinsic religiosity (P<0.04). Positive SRC was negatively associated with the palliative group (P=0.03) and DUREL index (P<0.01). Negative SRC was positively associated with the palliative group (P=0.04) and negatively associated with education level (P=0.03) and practice of religion (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: All participants reported to be religious; however, their use of SRC strategies was very low. Positive religious coping was the most prevalent score. Negative religious coping was more common in the palliative care group compared to healthy volunteers. There is an association between religious coping and religiosity in palliative cancer care patients.

Psychometric Properties of the Brazilian Version of the Quality of Dying and Death for Adult Family Members of ICU Patients.

Death is a complex, subjective phenomenon that requires an understanding of experiences to be qualified to provide care during the end-of-life process. This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version (Brazil) of the Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) scale on family members of patients who died in adult intensive care units. A methodological study was conducted with 326 family members of patients that died in three ICUs of public hospitals in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. For this study, the QODD 3.2a (25 items and six domains) was administered during the period from December 2020 to March 2022. The analysis was performed using the classic theory of the tests and the goodness of fit of the model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. We have used Spearman's correlation coefficients between the scores of the overall scale and domains. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for the evaluation of internal consistency and temporal stability, respectively. The Horn's parallel analysis indicated two factors that were not confirmed in the exploratory factor analysis. A single factor retained 18 of the initial 25 items and the analysis of the goodness of fit to the unidimensional model resulted in the following: CFI = 0.7545, TLI = 0.690, chi-squared = 767.33, df = 135, RMSEA = 0.121 with 90%CI, and p = 5.04409. The inter-item correlations indicated a predominance of weak correlations among the items of the instrument. The items with the largest number of moderate correlations were questions 13b, 9b, and 10b and a strong correlation was found between questions 15b and 16b. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.8 and the ICC was 0.9. The Quality of Dying and Death-Version 3.2a (intensive therapy) in Brazilian Portuguese has a unidimensional structure and acceptable reliability. However, it did not obtain a good fit to the proposed factorial model.

Burnout and quality of life in nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between burnout and quality of life among nursing staff at intensive care units during the new coronavirus pandemic and identify the influence of sociodemographic variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 109 nursing staff members at intensive care units of a public hospital in Brazil. Data collection involved the administration of a sociodemographic questionnaire as well as the WHOQOL-Bref and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. RESULTS: The participants presented a high state of burnout and a low score in the physical domain of the quality-of-life instrument. Men (p = 0.037), income (p = 0.011) and burnout (p < 0.001) independently influenced quality-of-life (p < 0.01). Age, being a nursing technician and working at two hospitals exerted an influence on burnout status (p < 0.05). A negative association was found between quality of life and burnout (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that burnout due to occupational circumstances affected negatively the quality of life perceptions of nursing staff working at intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scale of Adherence to Good Hospital Practices for COVID-19: Psychometric Properties.

To avoid hospital transmission, all COVID-19 prevention measures should be followed. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel scale developed to assess adherence to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting. A methodological cross-sectional study was conducted at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with 307 healthcare providers. Data were collected using a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic/occupational data and the Adherence to Standard Precautions for COVID-19 scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the intraclass correlation coefficients were used to measure internal consistency and temporal stability (test-retest analysis), respectively. Concurrent validity was evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficients between the scores of the overall scale and its domains. Factorial structure was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit of the model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the scale and its domains were higher than 0.7, except the psychosocial domain (0.61). All intraclass correlation coefficients were higher than 0.7. Strong correlations were found between the total score and the personal (0.84) and organizational (0.90) domains of the scale and a good correlation was found with the psychosocial domain (0.66). The fit of the multidimensional model was satisfactory for all parameters and the three-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed by the fit of the factor loadings. The novel scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing adherence to good hospital practices for COVID-19.

Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8) for the Brazilian Portuguese language.

BACKGROUND: Assessment tools are commonly used in different fields of health to assist in the diagnosis, the evaluation of the response to treatment, the measurement of quality of life and the establishment of the prognosis. OBJECTIVES: Translate, culturally adapt and perform the psychometric validation of the Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8) for use in the Brazilian population. METHODS: Cross-cultural adaptation followed a combination of guidelines and for psychometric evaluation a sample of 300 patients was recruited. All recommended measurement properties by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments were evaluated, including analysis by an expert committee and analysis by the target public. The Skindex-16 was used for the evaluation of convergent validity and Cronbach's alpha was used for the determination of the internal consistency of the translated version of the SSS-8. RESULTS: The final version received approval from five experts and the agreement index was 100% for all items. During the pretest, the scale was administered to 300 patients with psoriasis and none of the items needed to be altered. A moderate correlation was found between the Skindex-16 and SSS-8-BRA. In the analysis of internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha for the SSS-8-BRA was 0.81. CONCLUSION: The SSS-8 is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of somatic symptoms in the Brazilian population.

Creation and content validity of a scale for assessing adherence to good practices for COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: to create a scale for assessing the adherence of healthcare providers to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting and determine its content and face validity. METHODS: A methodological study was developed in three sequential phases: creation of items and domains based on a literature review and administration of the questionnaire to 16 nursing professionals; assessment of content and face validity by experts; and semantic analysis. RESULTS: The 51-item scale was submitted to the evaluation of seven experts. Items with a content validity index ≥ 0.83 were maintained. During the semantic analysis performed by the administration of the scale to 37 healthcare providers, no suggestions for changes were made and the comprehension rate was 87%. CONCLUSIONS: the 47-item instrument with three dimensions (personal, organizational, and psychosocial) achieved satisfactory content and face validity, meeting the parameters established in the literature.

Necessidades, ansiedade e depressão em familiares de pacientes em unidade de terapia intensiva: Revisão integrativa / Necesidades, ansiedad y depresión en familias de pacientes de la unidad de cuidados intensivos: Revisión / Needs, anxiety and depression in families of patients in the intensive care unit: Integrative review

Objetivo. Identificar a associação entre as necessidades, ansiedade e depressão em familiares de pacientes internados em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Método. Revisão integrativa da literatura, utilizando bases de dados, LILACS, MedLine, BDENF, PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL e Web of Science, no período de 2007 a 2019, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol. Resultado. A amostra final foi composta por 15 artigos. Desses, a maioria oriundos de pesquisas quantitativas 60% (9) e os demais 40% (6) de pesquisas qualitativas. Ansiedade e depressão foram abordadas em 66,7% (10) dos artigos, enquanto as necessidades em 33,3% (5) deles. Conclusão. Foi possível identificar a falta de comunição sobre o estado do familiar internado em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva gerada nos familiares sintomas de medo, angustia, ansiedade e consequentemente depressão. Portanto, é imperativo o norteamento de ações e intervenções acolhedoras, proporcionando melhor atenção ao familiar e contribuindo com a saúde desses familiares.(AU)

Objective. To identify the association between needs, anxiety and depression in family members of patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit. Method. Integrative literature review, using databases LILACS, MedLine, BDENF, PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL and Web of Science, from 2007 to 2019, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Result. The final sample consisted of 15 articles. Of these, the majority came from quantitative research, 60% (9) and the remaining 40% (6) from qualitative research. Anxiety and depression were addressed in 66.7% (10) of the articles, while needs were addressed in 33.3% (5) of them. Conclusion. It was possible to identify the lack of communication about the state of the family member hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit generated in the family members with symptoms of fear, anguish, anxiety and consequently depression. Therefore, it is imperative to guide welcoming actions and interventions, providing better care for the family member and contributing to the health of these family members.(AU)

Objetivo. Identificar la asociación entre necesidades, ansiedad y depresión en familiares de pacientes internados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Método. Revisión integrativa de la literatura, utilizando las bases de datos LILACS, MedLine, BDENF, PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL y Web of Science, de 2007 a 2019, en portugués, inglés y español. Resultado. La muestra final estuvo compuesta por 15 artículos. De estos, la mayoría provino de investigación cuantitativa, el 60% (9) y el 40% restante (6) de investigación cualitativa. La ansiedad y la depresión fueron abordadas en el 66,7% (10) de los artículos, mientras que las necesidades fueron abordadas en el 33,3% (5) de ellos. Conclusión. Se pudo identificar la falta de comunicación sobre el estado del familiar internado en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos generada en los familiares con síntomas de miedo, angustia, ansiedad y consecuentemente depresión. Por lo tanto, es imperativo orientar acciones e intervenciones de acogida, brindando una mejor atención al familiar y contribuyendo a la salud de estos familiares.(AU)

Comparison of generic and specific instruments to assess the quality of life in patients with melasma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the psychometric performance of a generic and specific instruments in assessing melasma-related quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 patients with melasma attending an outpatient dermatology clinic of a public hospital in São Paulo state, Brazil. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing sociodemographic and clinical data as well as the generic WHOQOL-BREF, and the dermatological-specific Skindex-16 and HRQ-Melasma. RESULTS: The overall internal consistency of the domains of the three instruments was ≥ 0.7. A strong positive correlation was identified between the Skindex-16 and HRQ-Melasma domains (0.68-0.78). Item-response theory showed that most Skindex-16 and HRQ-Melasma domains were more informative than WHOQOL-BREF. CONCLUSION: The three instruments for assessing QOL tested presented good psychometric performance, with satisfactory internal consistency values. Only the two dermatological instruments, however, demonstrated a strong correlation between the domains that assess social, emotional, and functional aspects of QOL, indicating that both were able to identify impairments in other QOL dimensions in addition to the physical domain.

Creation and content validity of a scale for assessing adherence to good practices for COVID-19 / Construcción y validación de contenido de escala para evaluar adherencia a buenas prácticas para COVID-19 / Construção e validação de conteúdo de escala para avaliar a adesão às boas práticas para COVID-19

ABSTRACT Objective: to create a scale for assessing the adherence of healthcare providers to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting and determine its content and face validity. Methods: A methodological study was developed in three sequential phases: creation of items and domains based on a literature review and administration of the questionnaire to 16 nursing professionals; assessment of content and face validity by experts; and semantic analysis. Results: The 51-item scale was submitted to the evaluation of seven experts. Items with a content validity index ≥ 0.83 were maintained. During the semantic analysis performed by the administration of the scale to 37 healthcare providers, no suggestions for changes were made and the comprehension rate was 87%. Conclusions: the 47-item instrument with three dimensions (personal, organizational, and psychosocial) achieved satisfactory content and face validity, meeting the parameters established in the literature.

RESUMEN Objetivo: construir y validar una escala para evaluar la adherencia de los profesionales de la salud a las buenas prácticas para el COVID-19 en el hospital y determinar su contenido y validez aparente. Métodos: estudio metodológico, desarrollado en tres fases secuenciales: creación de ítems y dominios a partir de revisión bibliográfica y aplicación de cuestionario a 16 profesionales de enfermería; evaluación de contenido y validez aparente por especialistas; y análisis semántico. Resultados: la escala de 51 ítems fue sometida a evaluación por siete expertos. Se mantuvieron los ítems con índice de validez de contenido ≥ 0,83. Durante el análisis semántico realizado por la administración de la escala a 37 proveedores de salud, no se hicieron sugerencias de cambios y la tasa de comprensión fue del 87%. Conclusiones: el instrumento con 47 ítems y tres dimensiones (personal, organizacional y psicosocial) alcanzó la validez de contenido y apariencia con un estándar satisfactorio, además de alcanzar los parámetros recomendados por la literatura.

RESUMO Objetivo: Construir e validar conteúdo e face de escala para avaliar a adesão dos profissionais de saúde às boas práticas para COVID-19, no âmbito hospitalar. Métodos: Estudo metodológico, desenvolvido em três fases sequenciais: construção dos itens e dimensões a partir de revisão de literatura e aplicação de questionário a 16 profissionais de enfermagem; validação de conteúdo e de face por especialistas e análise semântica. Resultados: A escala com 51 itens foi submetida à avaliação de sete especialistas e foram mantidos os itens que apresentaram o índice de validade de conteúdo ≥0,83. Na análise semântica, realizada mediante aplicação da escala a 35 profissionais de saúde, não houve sugestão de modificação e o percentual de compreensão foi de 0,87%. Conclusões: O instrumento com 47 itens e três dimensões (pessoal, organizacional e psicossocial), alcançou a validade de conteúdo e de face com padrão satisfatório, além de atingir os parâmetros preconizados pela literatura.

Psychometric characteristics of DLQI-BRA and Skindex-16 to measure the impact of dermatological diseases on quality of life in Brazilian patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the psychometric performance of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-BRA) and Skindex-16 to assess quality of life (QoL) in Brazilian patients with dermatological diseases. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a dermatology outpatient clinic of the São Paulo State University, with 188 patients with dermatological diseases. QoL was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-BRA) and Skindex-16. Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass Correlation for Perfect Concordance (ICC) were used to analyse the reliability and temporal stability, respectively. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between the total Skindex-16 score and DLQI-BRA (0.75). Both instruments showed a significant (p< 0.01) reduction in their scores at the second assessment, demonstrating that they were sensitive in detecting changes in responsiveness in cases where there was a clinical change. Cronbach alpha coefficients for the instruments showed satisfactory performance (>0,7), but Skindex-16 displayed the highest Cronbach alpha (0.94; CI = 0.93-0.95). CONCLUSION: Both instruments tested showed a good psychometric performance assessing QoL in patients with skin dermatoses. The instruments displayed reliability and temporal stability as well as responsiveness.

Psychometric analysis of the comfort scale for family members of people in critical health condition.

OBJECTIVES: to assess the reliability and validity of the 46 items version of the comfort scale for family members of people in critical condition. METHODS: a methodological study, carried out with 278 family members of critically ill patients, admitted to adult and pediatric intensive care units, in a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The analyzes were based on the Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. RESULTS: Horn's parallel analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis did not identify the scale's unidimensionality nor the tridimensionality. The maximum factor loads were positive. The scale proved to be reliable (α=0.93 and Ω=0.63), most item-total correlations were greater than 0.28 and the discrimination coefficients were greater than one. CONCLUSIONS: the scale showed satisfactory reliability and relative construct validity. However, the recommended tridimensional structure for the scale has not been confirmed.

Validation of the Skindex-17 quality of life assessment instrument for a Brazilian population

Abstract Background: Health-related quality of life assesses how diseases affect the daily life of people; there are several generic instruments for this assessment in dermatology. Skindex was created in 1996; it is a multidimensional instrument, aiming to encompass some psychological and social aspects not yet addressed by other questionnaires. Among its versions (Skindex-29, 16, and 17), Skindex-17 had not been validated in Brazil. Objectives: To validate Skindex-17 for use in Brazilians with dermatological diseases. Methods: This was a methodological, cross-sectional, and prospective study of 217 patients attended at the Dermatology Service Outpatient Clinic, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Botucatu, SP, Brazil), from December 2017 to September 2019. The following were evaluated: content validity, filling time, internal consistency, dimensional structure, concurrent validity (DLQI), temporal stability, and responsiveness. Results: The sample consisted of 71% women, mean age (SD) of 45 (16) years; phototypes II−IV accounted for 95% of the cases. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.82 and 0.93 for the symptoms and psychosocial conditions, respectively. A high correlation was observed with the DLQI score: symptoms (rho = 0.69) and psychosocial conditions (rho = 0.75). The instrument's two-dimensional structure was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. Temporal stability (ICC > 0.9) and score responsiveness (p ≤ 0.02) were verified. The instrument was shown to be feasible in clinical practice due to the content validation performed by professionals and patients, as well as the low time spent completing it (< 5 min). Study limitations: Single-center study, with patients exclusively from the public healthcare system. Conclusions: Skindex-17 was shown to be a valid and consistent instrument for assessing quality of life among patients with dermatological diseases, in Brazil. Its two-dimensional structure was confirmed.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in patients with psoriasis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in patients with psoriasis. BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious, autoimmune inflammatory skin disease associated with psychological comorbidities. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study conducted between March 2017-December 2018 in a dermatology infirmary and outpatient clinic of a public hospital in the inner State of São Paulo (Brazil). METHODS: We used questionnaires with sociodemographic data and clinical history, the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), DLQI-BRA (Dermatology Life Quality Index) and PASI (Psoriasis Area Severity Index). The correlations between variables were explored using multivariate techniques. STROBE checklist was applied as the reporting guideline for this study (File S1). RESULTS: A total of 281 participants were included, of which the majority were female 146 (52%), with a mean age of 52.1 years (SD: 13.8), elementary school 154 (55%), married/cohabiting 209 (74%) and with low income 201 (72%). The median (p25-p75) time with the disease was 14 years (7-23). Regarding the quality of life, 31% of respondents reported being little affected by the disease. The prevalence of depression was 19% and that of anxiety was 36%. The multivariate analysis showed that the variables that influenced the anxiety and depression scores were as follows: DLQI-BRA, income, female sex, illness length and age. For the multiple correspondence analysis, the highest levels of anxiety and depression referred to women, middle age, lower income and low PASI. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was low. Female sex, income, age, illness length and quality of life were associated with anxiety and depression scores in patients with psoriasis. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Due to the scarcity of studies in the field of nursing with psoriasis patients, we believe these findings contribute to the reorganisation of the care provided, allowing nurses to timely identify mood disorders such as anxiety and depression and adopt the necessary measures to a service and/or specialised referral.

Validation of the Skindex-17 quality of life assessment instrument for a Brazilian population.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life assesses how diseases affect the daily life of people; there are several generic instruments for this assessment in dermatology. Skindex was created in 1996; it is a multidimensional instrument, aiming to encompass some psychological and social aspects not yet addressed by other questionnaires. Among its versions (Skindex-29, 16, and 17), Skindex-17 had not been validated in Brazil. OBJECTIVES: To validate Skindex-17 for use in Brazilians with dermatological diseases. METHODS: This was a methodological, cross-sectional, and prospective study of 217 patients attended at the Dermatology Service Outpatient Clinic, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Botucatu, SP, Brazil), from December 2017 to September 2019. The following were evaluated: content validity, filling time, internal consistency, dimensional structure, concurrent validity (DLQI), temporal stability, and responsiveness. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 71% women, mean age (SD) of 45 (16) years; phototypes II-IV accounted for 95% of the cases. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.82 and 0.93 for the symptoms and psychosocial conditions, respectively. A high correlation was observed with the DLQI score: symptoms (rho = 0.69) and psychosocial conditions (rho = 0.75). The instrument's two-dimensional structure was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. Temporal stability (ICC > 0.9) and score responsiveness (p ≤ 0.02) were verified. The instrument was shown to be feasible in clinical practice due to the content validation performed by professionals and patients, as well as the low time spent completing it (< 5 min). STUDY LIMITATIONS: Single-center study, with patients exclusively from the public healthcare system. CONCLUSIONS: Skindex-17 was shown to be a valid and consistent instrument for assessing quality of life among patients with dermatological diseases, in Brazil. Its two-dimensional structure was confirmed.