1,720,991 research outputs found
The use of wearable devices in preventing hospital readmission and in improving the quality of life of chronic patients in the homecare Setting: A Narrative Literature Review
No full textINTRODUZIONE: Secondo l’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità (OMS) le malattie croniche sono la causa principale di mortalità nel mondo, rappresentando il 60% di tutte le morti. Le strategie impiegate per affrontare le malattie croniche agiscono sui fattori di rischio mediante l’adozione di un sano stile di vita. Queste strategie potrebbero grandemente beneficiare dell’adozione di moderne tecnologie che permettono un monitoraggio minimamente invasivo dei dati clinici dei pazienti. Questa revisione esplora le evidenze ottenute mediante una revisione di letteratura allo scopo di chiarire se i dispositivi indossabili possono aiutare nel prevenire i ripetuti ricoveri e miglio- rare la qualità della vita dei pazienti cronici. METODO: Una ricerca della letteratura è stata effettuata nel gennaio del 2017 attraverso le seguenti banche dati elettroniche: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pub Med, EMBASE e MEDLINE. RISULTATI: 33 articoli sono stati inclusi DISCUSSIONE: Nonostante l’ampio numero di articoli sui dispositivi indossabili presenti in lette- ratura solo pochi cercano di far luce sui benefici clinici derivanti dall’adozione di questi apparecchi sui pazienti cronici dato che il maggior numero delle pubblicazioni è prettamente tecnico. Un più elevato livello di accettabilità ed usabilità sono raggiunti quando gli utilizzatori sono coin- volti nella fase di prova prima del rilascio del dispositivo e/o le funzioni e i termini di uso sono chiaramente descritti ai pazienti e a coloro che se ne prendono cura. Oltre all’efficace trattamento di quadri clinici altamente pericolosi per la vita, i dispositivi indossabili hanno anche dimostrato di essere più accurati nella stima del rischio di cadute nei pazienti cronici rispetto alle sole valuta- zioni cliniche contribuendo così a migliorare la sicurezza nel contesto domiciliare. Nonostante le loro funzioni, i dispositivi indossabili non sono ancora utilizzati da professionisti sanitari e pazienti su vasta scala. Ulteriori studi sono necessari per comprendere come queste preziose tecnologie possano essere integrate nel sistema sanitario e come i dati clinici possano essere validamente condivisi tra pazienti e professionisti sanitari.INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organisation chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Strategies employed to tackle chronic diseases aim to act on risk factors through adopting a healthy lifestyle. These strategies can be greatly implemented from the adoption of wearable devices, which allow a thorough and mini- mally invasive monitoring of patients' clinical data. This article aims to clarify whether wearable devices can help in preventing hospital readmission and improve quality of life in chronic patients. METHOD: A literature search of electronic databases was performed in January 2017. The following databases were searched: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pub Med, EMBASE and MEDLINE. RESULTS: 33 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the literature review. DISCUSSION: Various wearable devices are currently available to monitor and keep records of diffe- rent clinical information. Some of them are proved to prevent hospital re-admissions and to treat effectively life-threatening situations in certain categories of chronic patients. Higher level of acceptability and usability are achieved when users are involved in the testing stage prior to the release of the device and/or the features and terms of use are clearly described to patients and carers. Wearable devices are also proved to be more accurate than clinical assessment only in estimating the risk of falls in chronic patients, thus improving safety in the home care setting. Regardless of their features, wearable devices are yet to be used by both healthcare professionals and patients on a large scale
Measuring nursing care workload in non-intensive cardiac surgery: an observational study
No full text"BACKGROUND: An understanding of the time nurses spend assessing and meeting patients’ needs is key to improve nursing outcomes and support organizational well-being. . AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to determine whether the use of an assessment scale with some clinical parameters indicative of hemodynamic, neurological, respiratory and mobility functions could be able to estimate nursing care workload in non-intensive cardiac surgery patients.. METHODS: A correlational descriptive study was designed. Two types of inpatients were included in the study: those waiting for cardiac surgery and those who had already undergone cardiac surgery. Using specific indicators, patient’s clinical status was classified in 10 levels of complexity and nursing care interventions were divided into three categories: clinical activities, educational activities and organizational activities. For each of this categories the correlation coefficient between the nursing time and the level of patient’s complexity was measured.. RESULTS: Per hour of hospitalization, nurses spent an average of 11 minutes and 49 seconds providing care to each patient. A good correlation coefficient between the amount of the nursing time spent for clinical activities and the level of patient’s complexity was found. Educational activities were minimal compared with the clinical and organizational activities, but they were mostly conducted during the preoperative phase.. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment scale tested in this study, including some information about the patient's clinical status, allowed to estimate clinical nursing workload in non-intensive cardiac surgery patients. .
Comparison of Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Full text linkBACKGROUND/AIMS:
The increase in the survival rate of patients with chronic renal failure due to substitution treatment prompts an investigation of their quality of life (QoL), a key measure to evaluate the outcomes of chronic disease treatment. To determine whether hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis provide a better QoL, a systematic meta-analysis was performed.
METHODS:
We searched through the database Cinahl, Medline, PubMed, Scopus and Proquest, including articles published from 2011 until June 2016. We selected articles that compared, through KDQOL-SF 1.3 or 36 questionnaires, QoL among patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. The data was collected using Excel Office, and t-test has been performed on independent samples to identify significant differences.
RESULTS:
Only some of the seven articles found significant differences between the two treatments. One of the studies showed a better QoL for peritoneal dialysis patients, while, on the contrary, two other studies support that the best QoL is in patients receiving hemodialysis. Another article displayed significant difference only for satisfaction in relation to care, better in patients on peritoneal dialysis, and for physical health, better in hemodialysis.
CONCLUSIONS:
The analysis has not led to a unanimous conclusion. Quantitative analysis showed that the only statistically significant difference between the QoL of patients on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis regards the effect of kidney disease, which happens to be better in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis
Health Care Professionals Attitudes Towards Mental Illness: Observational Study Performed at a Public Health Facility in Northern Italy
No full textThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Defines stigma as the process of social oppression barring persons with mental illness from enjoying social interaction through discrimination, exclusion and denial of human and social rights. Modern stereotypes still portray the mentally ill as guilty, unpredictable and violent. Observational studies report how healthcare professionals, including nurses, are often part of the stigma. Such phenomenon belittles the needs of people seeking mental care. The aim of this study is to describe attitudes held by psychiatric nurses and mental care professionals from different care settings of an Italian Healthcare Facility, towards the mentally ill and to identify any associated factors. Mental health care professionals were recruited for this observational study from 10 Italian different psychiatric care units. The Italian version of the Community Attitudes Mentally Ill inventory (CAMI-I) was validated and used for this study. 120 completed questionnaires were deemed valid. Optimal internal consistency (α = 0.856) was measured by calculating Cronbach's Alpha for the CAMI-I. Demographic variables were correlated to items grouped into three factors of the CAMI-I (authoritarian attitudes, benevolence, social restrictiveness). Parametric test (ANOVA) highlight significant differences between CAMI-I results for different demographic variables. Significant data were obtained by comparing responses for each factor of the CAMI-i per professional profile. All healthcare professionals studied show sensitivity and positive attitude towards mental illness. Positive approaches to mental illness contribute towards easing therapeutic care and recovery in patient-centred care. CAMI-I will be a useful tool to identifying discriminatory approaches and sensitize health professionals in Italy
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Facing up to bias in healthcare: The influence of familiarity appearance on hiring decisions
Full text linkAssociations between facial appearance and hiring decisions are well-documented within job literature as a source of decision misjudgment with economic and human costs. Notwithstanding, this aspect is yet to be investigated in healthcare. We collected 90 pictures of new-graduates nurses faces to be judged on different facial appearance-based traits by an independent sample. Six months after graduation, the same new-graduates were interviewed about their job situation. Binomial logistic regression was conducted to examine whether facial appearance ratings would predict the probability to be hired as nurse. Results showed that applicants with a face conveying a feeling of familiarity were more likely to be hired. Considering that people might be inclined to these biases during societal crises and the exceptional need to quickly recruit health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic, our study recommends special attention to prevent the influence of facial appearance-based evaluations not reflecting real skills to limit potentially adverse consequences
Validation of the Italian version of Behavioral Pain Scale in sedated, intubated, and mechanically ventilated pediatric patients
No full textBackground and aim of the work: Pain assessment in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a demanding challenge. The Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) is considered the gold standard for pain assessment in deeply sedated, mechanically ventilated adult patients. The BPS has been validated in Italian, requires a short observation time and does not increase workloads. A first evaluation of BPS was made in PICU with good results regarding face validity and content validity. However further studies are requested given the small sample on which it was tested. The aim of this study was the validation of the BPS in sedated, intubated, and mechanically ventilated pediatric patients. Methods: A descriptive, comparative design was used. A convenience sample of 84 non-verbal, sedated and mechanically ventilated critical care pediatric patients was included. Patient pain was assessed concurrently with three observational scales (BPS, COMFORT-B, NRS) before, during and after routine procedures that are considered painful and non-painful. Results: Internal consistency was α =. 86. Correlations between BPS and the other instruments were high, demonstrating a good concurrent validity of the BPS. T test and assessment of ROC curves demonstrated also a good discriminant validity of the BPS. Conclusions: The BPS proved to be valid and reliable for the assessment of pain also in the use with pediatric patients. (www.actabiomedica.it)
The Effects of Essential Oil Massage on Patients Affected by Alzheimer's Disease: An Observational Study
No full textBackground: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most widespread form of dementia. The present study analyses the effects of aromatherapy using Melissa Officinalis essential oil, applied by massage to the hands and forearms of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. and to evaluate the effect on their perceived overall quality of life.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in two nursing homes in Italy in 2018. Data were collected through individual qualitative structured interviews based on the Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease (QoL-AD) questionnaire and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). The authors referred to STROBE guidelines for quality reporting of observational studies.
Results: Treatment with Melissa Officinalis showed positive effects on all patients after the 12th week of treatment. The results were most evident in patients in class 3 MMSE. However, class 4 MMSE patients also benefited from the treatment.
Conclusions: The aromatherapy treatment delivered in this observational study, using Melissa Officinalis essential oil applied to hands and forearms, showed an improvement in the quality of life of the patients living in two different nursing homes. Due to the small sample size in this study, it is suggested that more research be done on the effects and effectiveness of aromatherapy with Melissa Officinalis essential oil for Alzheimer's disease patients
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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