Which socio-demographic characteristics impact on the fatigue conditions in nurses: an Italian investigatory study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Fatigue describes a wholeness feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. To assess which sampling nurses relating characteristics could influence the fatigue condition among nurses. METHODS: From May 2020 to September 2021 a cross sectional, multicenter study was conducted among Italian nursing professional orders. An on-line ad hoc questionnaire was spread including sampling characteristics both on socio-demographic and nursing-relating work characteristics. RESULTS: Significant associations were reported between item no.1 and gender (p<0.001) and BMI conditions (p=0.013), as most of the female participants (47%) affirmed to often feel themselves tired when they wake up, despite most of participants were at normal weight (32%). Item no.2 was significantly associated with gender (p=0.009), job role (p=0.039) and shift (p=0.030), as most of females never (31%) or often (31%) were not concentrated in their working tasks and, most of them were registered nurses (never: 41% and often: 35%), despite they were employed also during the night shift (never: 28%; often: 22%). Most of females (p=<0.001) were never slow in their reactions (42%), and they were young nurses (p=0.023). 44% of females declared to make an effort to express clearly themselves (p=0.031). Females reported significant high frequencies (p=0.016) in constant excitant substance assumption, such as caffeine (30%) and high significant percentage of females (p=0.047; 41%) reported the need to sleep during the day. CONCLUSIONS: The fatigue will have a strong impact on the quality of life of nursing professionals, compromising their functional abilities, social relationships and their work and family roles.

Transcultural Nursing in Italy: An Explorative Study.

The health profile of foreigners in Italy is affected by multiple factors and events, including environmental, microbiological, cultural, and behavioral. To explore nurses' basic cross-cultural knowledge, and their perceptions of problems that arise in encounters with clients from outside the country, and to suggest solution strategies, we enrolled 327 nurses in an observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study. The findings suggested a need to improve sociocultural skills related to working in a multiethnic society, as early as the first level courses and possibly continue with appropriate master's degrees and research projects.

Anxiety, Depression, Body Mass Index, Physical Activity in Nomophobic Italian Nurses: A Chronic Latent Inflammation?

AIM: To investigate which risk factors are strictly connected to nomophobia in Italian nurses, according to socio-demographic characteristics, Body Mass Index scores, physical activity habits, anxiety, and depression. METHODS: An "ad hoc" online questionnaire has been created and then administered to Italian nurses. Data include sex, age, years of work experience, shift work per day, nursing educational level, Body Mass Index, physical activity, anxiety, depression, and nomophobia conditions. Univariate logistic regression has been performed to explore what potential factors may contribute to the nomophobia condition. RESULTS: A total of 430 nurses agree to participate. No respondents record severe nomophobia levels, as 308 (71.6%) register mild and 58 (13.5%) register moderate levels and 64 (14.9%) report no abnormal condition. Females seem to be more exposed than males to nomophobia (p < 0.001); nurses aged from 31 to 40 years and also with less than 10 years of work experience are more affected comparnig to the other sub groups (p < 0.001). Nurses who practice low physical activity report significant high levels in nomophobia (p < 0.001) and nurses reporting high anxiety levels also suffer from nomophobia (p < 0.001). The trend is inverse by considering depression condition since most of the nurses suffering from mild or moderate nomophobia levels report the absence of depression condition (p < 0.001). No statistical differences have been reported between nomophobia levels and shift work (p = 0.269), nursing educational level (p = 0.242), and BMI levels (p = 0.183). Anxiety and physical activity report strong relationships with nomophobia condition (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nomophobia may affect all individuals, especially young individuals. Although further studies on nurses will be implemented, including the workplace and training environments of nurses by allowing a clearer picture of the levels of "nomophobia" in general, as nomophobic behavior may have negative repercussions both in social and professional spheres.

How knowledge time influenced anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life levels in patients suffering from Crohn disease: a cross-sectional multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The diagnosis of Crohn Disease (CD) represents a turning point in the life of patients, which inevitably marks them. The present study represents a direct "feed-back" from patients suffering from Crohn disease, in order to reveal how the diagnosis of CD changed lifestyles and psychological conditions in their patients. METHODS: An observational, cross sectional, online, snowball sampling study was conducted through participants suffered from CD and belonged to social networks and Facebook groups. For each participant, sampling characteristics, a series of lifestyle habits Before to After the diagnosis of CD and anxiety, depression, and stress conditions were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 785 participants agreed to participate. As Participants underwent significant challenges in their lifestyles after the CD diagnosis (p<0.001), specifically their reduced their smoking habits, alcohol and drugs intakes and also their diets both in high sugar and fatty compositions. Anxiety and stress levels were not statistical different among participants according to years of the knowledge of their CDs. Meanwhile, as regards depression condition, significantly higher levels were recorded among participants who knew their CD until 5 and 25 years, respectively (p=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: From the study emerges several aspects of quality of life compromised, a fact supported by the analysis of psychophysical sequelae, which allowed to lay the groundwork for further studies, studying the comorbidity of this disease with other factors. Future randomized controlled trials should deepen the correlation between eating disorders and CD, a link little explored in the literature.

Which socio-demographic patterns influence nursing managers' empowerment perceptions among nurses? An investigatory study.

AIM OF THE WORK: Nurses were the most numerous healthcare workers employed in the current Italian healthcare systems. By considering them the driving force of the healthcare systems, the present study aimed to investigate which socio-demographic characteristics in nurses could influence empowerment promoted by their managers, by understanding what socio-demographic characteristics influenced the nursing manager empowerment and could help nursing managers to perform their empowerment approaches by highlighting strengths or weaknesses. METHODS: An on-line, observational, multicenter, cross- sectional study was conducted by recruiting a total of 126 nurses. RESULTS: Negative and significant correlations and associations were recorded between all the Empowering Leadership Questionnaire sub dimensions and age (p<.05). Data reported linear and significant associations between all the five sub dimensions of the ELQ and age (p<.05), as younger nurses more perceived their nursing managers' empowerment presence than their older colleagues, too. CONCLUSIONS: Empowerment is a very complex topic in the nursing practice in which managers should be aware of the role of empowerment in promoting work engagement and effectiveness and differential effects on new graduates and more experienced nurses.

Transcultural health: attitudes, perceptions, knowledge of Italian nurses. An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The Italian health profile of foreigners depends from several factors and events, such as: environmental, microbiological, cultural and / or behavioral. Healthcare professionals might to have greater and better basic and post-basic training in approaching foreign users. Listening and empathy, with complementary training can help to reduce distances and better understand the patient's socio-cultural background. The aim of the study is to explore the basic intercultural knowledge of the Italian nurses, the perception of the problems encountered during the interaction with foreign users and any solution strategies. METHODS: From December 2020 to March 2021 a national observational study was conducted by involving 327 nurses. RESULTS: 85.5% among participants were females and most of them aged between 20 and 30 years (20.20%) and were employed in medical wards (22.60%). Among the hindering barriers explored, linguistic ones are highlighted (41.30%), specifically for the description of hospital rules (34.90%) and of social and health regulations (34.90%). CONCLUSIONS: From the present findings, it emerges that the cultural competence of nurses could be developed by offering a multicultural education through basic and post-basic courses. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Healthcare workers perceptions in the difficult moment of the end of life and coping strategies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Italian pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: In a society that tries so hard to forget and make people forget that death exists, death has never been so close to man in his daily life as during this pandemic. Health care professionals have therefore all too often had to  deal with the death of the people they care for and with related issues such as, for example, the dignity of death, the humanization of death and care for the dying. The aim of the study is to highlight the perceptions of physicians, nurses and health and social workers in the difficult moment of the end of life, also analyzing which coping strategies were implemented by them. METHODS: All Italian healthcare workers were enrolled in this survey. The questionnaire was administered in an online version. Physicians, nurses and support staff (social and health workers) were contacted through social networks. RESULTS: A total of 512 healthcare workers were enrolled in this survey. No statistical significant differences were recorded among the COPE-NVI- 25 sub dimensions according to sex, profession and to different wards. Additionally, by considering the COPE-NVI-25 sub dimensions according to years of work experience, a statistical significant difference was reported in the Transcendent Orientation sub dimension (p=.047), as healthcare workers with 11-20 years of work experience recorded higher levels than the other two groups. By considering differences in the COPE-NVI-25 sub dimensions according to religion, significant differences were recorded in the transcendent orientation (p=.032), in the positive attitude (p=.030), in the social support (p=.035). CONCLUSIONS: From the evidence in the literature, the quality of end-of-life care performance has a positive correlation with awareness of a good death and attitudes towards end-of-life care.

The use of an automatic defibrillator by non-sanitary personnel in sport areas: an Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: In industrialized countries, sudden cardiac death is a serious public health problem that accounts for about 15% to 20% of all deaths, with an incidence of 0.5 to 3 deaths per 100,000 athletes. In recent years, although both first aid prevention programs and the availability of External Automatic Defibrillator (AED) in public places have increased, few data are available with respect to real knowledge about the use of such devices. The aim of this study is to detect the level of knowledge and skills in the use of automatic external defibrillators among sports and management staff in sports facilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicentre study conducted in 16 sports facilities in the Province of Lecce, Italy, and targeted to all the athletic and managerial staff of these sports facilities. Information was obtained through a validated questionnaire consisting of 27 items. RESULTS: 339 participants of which 59.3% male (n=201) (average=33.6; SD=13.1). 51.6% (n=175) were informed about the presence of the defibrillator, only 38.1% (n=129) declared to know where it was placed and 43.7% (n=96) considered it to be quite or very accessible. The majority of them (78.8%; n=267) were never involved in a training course and declared limited knowledge about the use of this device. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents stated that they have poor knowledge and skills in the use of the defibrillator, its operation and maintenance, which could reduce the positive outcomes of early treatment. Further studies should be conducted, although it may be appropriate to implement specific training courses for personnel working in sports centres.