Tango-therapy vs physical exercise in older people with dementia; a randomized controlled trial

[EN] Background: Dementia is a growing health concern that affects millions of people worldwide. Gait and mobility disorders are often present and represent a major risk factor for falls. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of tango-therapy in gait speed, functional mobility, balance, falls, ability to perform activities of daily living and quality of life. Methods: A randomised controlled trial with 31 participants living in a specialised dementia unit, aged 65 to 93 years old, who were randomly assigned to tango group (IG) or physical exercise group (CG). The primary outcome was gait speed and Timed Up and Go test. The secondary outcomes include the Short Physical Performance Battery, the ability to perform activities of daily living (Katz Index) and quality of life (Quality of life in Alzheimer Disease). Measurements were performed at baseline, and after one and three months of training. Results: After 3 months, IG improved gait speed (p = 0.016), implying a statistically significant difference between groups in favour of IG (p = 0.003). CG significantly worsened the time to complete the TUG (p = 0.039). Both groups declined in their ability to perform activities of daily living, being statistically significant only in the CG (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Tango interventions showed efficacy in improving gait speed and in mitigating the decline in functional mobility and ADL skill capacities. Allowing older people with dementia access to non-pharmacological interventions may be a successful strategy to prevent functional decline.SISociété de Gérontologie de l’Est, ISATIS Association and the Conférence des Financeurs de Paris

A competency model for nurse executives

[EN] BackgroundNurses capable of adequately developing their competencies in the management field are essential for the sustainability of health-care organizations. Such competencies should be included in a model of specific competencies.AimThe aim of this research is to propose a competency model for nurse executives.MethodsThe Delphi method was applied to reach a consensus on the required competencies, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to determine the construct validity and reduce the data set's dimensionality. Consensus was defined based on at least 80% of the experts agreeing with the proposed competencies. For each competency, the development levels were beginner, advanced beginner, competent, highly competent and expert.ResultsFrom among the 51 competencies that were identified to define a model for nurse executives, decision-making, leadership and communication stood out. The PCA indicated the structural validity of the proposed model by saturation of the principal components (Cronbach's α > 0.631).ConclusionNurses wishing to develop their professional careers as nurse executives must first develop the competencies shown in the proposed model. Nurse executives should follow the educational programmes specified in this study, to adapt their knowledge to this role's requirements.S

Significant socio-emotional learning and improvement of empathy in physiotherapy students through service learning methodology: a mixed methods research

Background: research into service learning (SL) in education has increased since the 1990s. In higher education physiotherapy programmes, this technique is used to achieve real practical learning and to grasp how to recognize and manage emotions, to be concerned for others and to take decisions in clinical contexts. Objectives: to create a community experience through SL methodology for physiotherapy university students and to analyse their perceptions of the learning experience and changes in empathy. Design: a mixed research method, a quasi-experimental quantitative approach with pre- and post-measurements of a single group and a qualitative approach through reflective diaries subjected to a contents analysis. Participants: 29 students of the Faculty of Health Sciences (Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy) designed and put into practice a workshop for promoting physical activity in 277 children from the first and the sixth year of compulsory primary education. Methods: the project was divided into three phases: planning, performing and reflecting on the service. At the start, participants completed a questionnaire to determine their scale of empathy on the Interpersonal Reactive Index (IRI). One week after performing the service they handed over reflective diaries and completed a second IRI scale survey. An analysis was carried out of the contents of the reflective diaries. Results: twenty-nine students agreed to participate. These learners consolidated their skills in the subject, indicating their satisfaction with the significant learning they achieved. The IRI scale showed a significant improvement in the Personal Distress dimension (p = 0.002). Conclusions: active learning in the context of processes of a participatory and reflective type implies greater understanding of the phenomenon studied. It allows an enhance awareness of the importance of inclusivity and involvement of users in the context of clinical practice. It also provides socio-emotional learning, improving interpersonal abilities and the capacity to face up to stressful situations

Nurse managers’ competencies: A scoping review

.Aim : To describe and synthesize scientific literature on nurse managers’ competencies. Background : The key strategy for the success of health organisations currently re-sides in the capacity of the nurse manager to develop advanced competencies in management. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews that synthesize knowl-edge about nurse managers’ competencies. Evaluation : A scoping review was conducted using electronic databases including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Key issues : After the first analysis, 392 competencies were observed from 76 stud-ies. Finally, 53 competencies were grouped according to their characteristics. The two most- cited competencies were communication and finance. Conclusions : Knowing the competencies required by nurse managers can help or-ganisations create strategies to develop competent managers. In addition, from the results we can infer what might be the core competencies, since 22 main competen-cies from the total number were identified. Implications for Nursing Management : The competencies identified constitute the body of knowledge necessary for nurse managers. In addition, it is possible to gener-ate a pathway for learning and professional development for nurses before they work at the microlevel of management. The starting point for this pathway could be the 22 core competencies.S

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Instruments and Mobility: A Systematic Review

[EN] Physical function is one of the most important constructs assessed in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and it could be very useful to assess movement ability from the perspective of the patient. The objective of this study was to compare the content of the domains related to mobility covered by the HRQOL questionnaires based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and to evaluate their quality according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidance. For this, a systematic review was carried out in the databases Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria were development and/or validation studies about generic HRQOL measures, and the instruments had to include items related to mobility and studies written in English or Spanish. The comparison of content was performed using the ICF coding system. A total of 3614 articles were found, 20 generic HRQOL instruments were identified and 120 (22.4%) mobility-related items were found. Walking was the most represented category. Low-quality evidence on some measurement properties of the generic HRQOL instruments was revealed. The CAT-Health is a useful questionnaire to be used in rehabilitation due to its psychometric properties and its content.S

Examining the Association between Evidence-Based Practice and Burnout among Spanish Physical Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to quantify the level of burnout and competence for evidence-based practice among Spanish physical therapists and to determine if there is a relationship between these and other socio-professional factors. A cross-sectional study with 472 Spanish Physiotherapists. An electronic survey was conducted that included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire and sociodemographic data. The three subscales of the Burnout correlated with attitude and total Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire. Attitude and practice for evidence-based practice, educational level and experience were the variables that showed the greatest influence on burnout. Burnout and the degree of evidence-based practice were identified as being discretely related. Specifically, it seems that the evidence-based practice could improve the lack of personal accomplishment, meaning that through interventions perceived as more effective and advantageous, a sense of mastery and self-efficacy is experienced

Musculoskeletal Pain and Teleworking in Times of the COVID-19: Analysis of the Impact on the Workers at Two Spanish Universities

[EN] The special situation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and the confinement imposed by the Government, has given rise to numerous changes in working habits. The workers at the universities have had to start a period of teleworking that could give rise to consequences for the musculoskeletal system. The objective of this article is to analyze the impact of the confinement on the musculoskeletal health of the staff of two Spanish universities. A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out on the workers. Data was taken in April–May 2020 and included: The Standardized Kuorinka Modified Nordic Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale and another one on sociodemographic data. This study comprised 472 people. The areas of pain noted during the confinement period concluded that it was less in all cases (p < 0.001). The frequency of physical activity carried out increased significantly during the period of confinement (p < 0.04), especially in women. The type of physical activity done was also seen to modify during this period (p < 0.001), with a preference for strength training and stretching exercises. In conclusion, the confinement gave rise to changes in the lifestyle and in the musculoskeletal pain of the workers at the universities. All of this must be taken into account by health institutions and those responsible for the Prevention of Occupational Risks at Spanish universities.S

The relationship between burnout and empathy in physiotherapists: a cross-sectional study

Background: There have been few studies carried out into empathy in physiotherapists. Burnout can debilitate the quality of care and the efficacy of treatment as the empathetic capacity of the professional diminishes. Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the association between the construct burnout, empathy and sociodemographic aspects in Spanish physiotherapists. Methods: A cross-sectional electronic survey including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (for burnout assessment), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (for empathy assessment) and sociodemographic data was answered by 461 Spanish physical therapists. A descriptive, bivariate and lineal regression analysis was performed. Results: There was an association between burnout and empathy. Specifically, higher levels of burnout are associated with lower levels of empathy, whilst years of work experience is associated with lower levels of burnout. Conclusions: The results of this study contribute to a greater understanding of the relationship between the level of burnout and the dimensions of empathy in physiotherapists. The influence of burnout, which causes difficulties in the mobilization of the professional towards the establishment of a quality therapeutic relationship, is highlighted

Examining the Association between Evidence-Based Practice and Burnout among Spanish Physical Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Study

[EN] The aim of this study was to quantify the level of burnout and competence for evidence-based practice among Spanish physical therapists and to determine if there is a relationship between these and other socio-professional factors. A cross-sectional study with 472 Spanish Physiotherapists. An electronic survey was conducted that included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire and sociodemographic data. The three subscales of the Burnout correlated with attitude and total Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire. Attitude and practice for evidence-based practice, educational level and experience were the variables that showed the greatest influence on burnout. Burnout and the degree of evidence-based practice were identified as being discretely related. Specifically, it seems that the evidence-based practice could improve the lack of personal accomplishment, meaning that through interventions perceived as more effective and advantageous, a sense of mastery and self-efficacy is experienced.S

Los fisioterapeutas que confían en la ciencia tienen menos riesgo de acabar quemados en su trabajo

Nuevos estudios indican que los fisioterapeutas que aplican tratamientos basados en evidencia tienen menos riesgos de acabar quemados en el trabajo al disminuir el factor de incertidumbre