Hospital volunteering experiences suggest that new policies are needed to promote their integration in daily care: Findings from a qualitative study

Objective: To explore Hospital Volunteers\u2019 (HVs) motivations and experiences, as well as the strategies they adopt to overcome challenging situations during volunteering and the needs they perceive. Methods: Eleven Italian HVs were purposively approached between January and July 2016, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the descriptive phenomenological approach. Results: Hospital volunteering emerged as a complex experience characterised by five themes: (a) becoming a volunteer; (b) developing skills; (c) experiencing conflicting emotions; (d) overcoming role difficulties by enacting different resources and strategies; and (e) addressing emerging needs. Conclusions: According to the findings, hospital policies aimed at promoting volunteer integration in daily care are needed and should be based on (a) a shared vision between the hospital and the volunteer associations regarding the HVs\u2019 role and skills; (b) the development of integrated models of care combining different workforces (i.e. professionals and volunteer staff); (c) appropriate training of HVs at baseline; (d) individualised continuous education pathways aimed at supporting HVs both emotionally and in the development of the required skills; and (e) tailored education that is directed to health-care staff aimed at helping them to value the service provided by HVs

[The quality of life as perceived by older people. Results of a phenomenological study]

Elderly Quality of life (QoL) is vulnerable because of the decline in physical and mental capacity, discharge from work, rupture of the family and isolation. Many QoL Scales are made for adults: there is little research investigating how older people perceive QOL

Knowledge and use of e-cigarettes among nursing students: results from a cross-sectional survey in north-eastern Italy

Data on electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among health professional students, who can play a central role in promoting healthy habits and smoking cessation, are sparse. Moreover, the association between e-cigarettes and smoking habits is still debated. The present study aimed to investigate the diffusion of e-cigarette use among nursing students in north-eastern Italy and explore its association with tobacco smoking

Visible and invisible caring in nursing from the perspectives of patients and nurses in the gerontological context

Scand J Caring Sci. 2013 Dec 4. doi: 10.1111/scs.12105. [Epub ahead of print] Visible and invisible caring in nursing from the perspectives of patients and nurses in the gerontological context. Canzan F1, Heilemann MV, Saiani L, Mortari L, Ambrosi E. Author information Abstract AIM: Just as in many countries all over the world, the number of older people in Italy has increased rapidly. Consequently, an increasing number of nurses are engaged in the care of older patients. However, due to a lack of understanding of how nurses and patients perceive caring, nursing care may be compromised. The aim of this study is to explore, describe and compare the perceptions of gerontological nurses and patients related to the dimensions of caring in nursing in an Italian hospital setting. METHODS: In this qualitative descriptive study, a variety of analytic techniques were used to analyse semi-structured interview data from a purposeful sample of 20 nurses and 20 patients from geriatric units in two different Italian hospitals. FINDINGS: Although both nurses and patients gave rich descriptions of caring experiences, patients described features of caring in nursing that were visible (including nurses' caring gestures, giving attention and being competent) while nurses predominantly emphasised aspects of caring that were relatively invisible (such as reflecting on the patient's past needs, evaluating the nursing care rendered, planning for more appropriate future nursing care, taking multiple complex contextual factors into account to protect the patient and being competent). CONCLUSION: Our data revealed more nuanced insight into the meaning of invisible and visible caring in nursing within the gerontological context than has been previously reported in the literature. This has implications for nursing education and practice because it may help nurses meet the actual needs of older patients in hospital settings

The emotional side of the e-learning among nursing students: The role of the affective correlates on e-learning satisfaction

Emotions are a core component of the learning process, which impact not only academic performance, but also the way we perceive our training, including the full remote training. The present study aims to investigate the mediating role played by positive and negative emotions in the relationship between the cognitive and the social presence of the e-learning environment and satisfaction with e-learning. Based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and on a cross-sectional study, our theoretical model was assessed (by using structural equation modelling) in a sample of 353 undergraduate nursing students at an Italian university. The results showed that the students’ e-learning experience is related to both positive and negative emotions in different ways, which in turn impacts the satisfaction with e-learning. Thus, findings highlight the interplay between e-learning perceptions, affective correlates and satisfaction with remote training. Theoretical and practical implications related to the development of educational interventions are further discussed

Il caring nella pratica: una teoria descrittiva

Per parlare del nursing come caring e, nello specifico, per sostenere la tesi secondo la quale un buon nursing \ue8 tutt\u2019uno con il caring, \ue8 necessario sviluppare un processo argomentativo capace di mostrare come il caring sia un\u2019attivit\ue0 complessa, multidimensionale che richiede \u201cpensiero, sentimento e azione competente\u201d. Il caring esprime azioni eticamente significative con le quali gli infermieri si occupano e si preoccupano dei pazienti. Se la scienza del nursing \ue8 la scienza del caring, diventa questione rilevante e significativa per la ricerca approfondire il tema della cura per cogliere l\u2019essenza di una buona pratica di cura infermieristica. Questo testo si propone un percorso sia di ricerca teoretica sia empirica sul caring infermieristico. La domanda di ricerca che ha guidato tutto il processo d\u2019indagine qui documentato \ue8: in che cosa consiste un buon caring infermieristico? Il gruppo di ricerca \ue8 costituito da due ricercatrici accademiche e sei infermiere interessate ad apprendere il lavoro di ricerca nella pratica. La scelta di un gruppo misto \ue8 motivata dal fatto che indagare sulla cultura dei pratici senza la loro mediazione non avvicina all\u2019essenza. La ricerca di matrice fenomenologica ha chiesto ai pratici di dar voce al loro pensiero sull\u2019attivit\ue0 di caring, di interpellare la loro esperienza attraverso la narrazione; sulle loro parole piene di realt\ue0 i ricercatori hanno ricostruito il significato e una concettualizzazione del caring infermieristico

Nursing students' interprofessional educational experiences in the clinical context: findings from an Italian cross-sectional study

To explore nursing students' interprofessional educational (IPE) experiences during their most recent clinical rotation and to explore the factors supporting IPE experiences

Nursing students' involvement in shift-to-shift handovers: Findings from a national study

Background Effective performance of clinical handovers should be one of the priorities of nursing education to promote efficient communication skills and ensure patient safety. However, to date, no studies have explored to what extent nursing students are involved in handovers. Objective To explore nursing students' handover involvement during their clinical rotations and associated factors. Method This was a secondary analysis of a large national cross-sectional study that involved 9607 undergraduate nursing students in 27 universities across 95 three-year Italian baccalaureate nursing programs. The involvement in the clinical handovers was the end point (from 0, never, to 3, always). A path analysis was performed to identify variables directly and indirectly affecting students' handover involvement. Results Handover involvement was reported as \u2018only a little\u2019, \u2018to some extent\u2019, and \u2018always\u2019 by 1739 (18.1%), 2939 (30.6%), and 4180 (43.5%) students, respectively; only 749 (7.8%) of students reported never being involved. At the path analysis explaining the 19.1% of variance of nursing students' involvement, some variables emerged that directly increased the likelihood of being involved in handovers. These were being female (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.115, p\u202f<\u202f0.001); having children (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.107, p\u202f=\u202f0.011); being a 3rd-year student (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.142, p\u202f<\u202f0.001) and being a 2nd-year student as compared to a 1st-year student (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.050, p\u202f=\u202f0.036); and having a longer clinical rotation (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.015, p\u202f<\u202f0.001) in units with high \u2018quality of the learning environment\u2019 (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f0.279, p\u202f<\u202f0.001). Moreover, students who were supervised by the nurse teacher (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f 120.279, p\u202f<\u202f0.001), or by a nurse on a daily basis (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f 120.253, p\u202f=\u202f0.004), or by the staff (\u3b2\u202f=\u202f 120.190, p\u202f<\u202f0.001) reported being less involved in handovers as compared to those students supervised by a clinical nurse. Variables with indirect effects also emerged (model of student's supervision adopted at the unit level, and number of previous clinical rotations attended by students). Moreover, handover involvement explained 11.5% of students self-reported degree of competences learned during the clinical experience. Conclusions Limiting students' opportunity to be involved in handover can prevent the development of communication skills and the professional socialization processes. Strategies at different levels are needed to promote handover among undergraduate nursing students

Nursing students' interprofessional educational experiences in the clinical context: findings from an Italian cross-sectional study

To explore nursing students' interprofessional educational (IPE) experiences during their most recent clinical rotation and to explore the factors supporting IPE experiences

L'arte di insegnare. Per una qualit\ue0 della didattica universitaria

La didattica universitaria \ue8, al momento attuale, investita da una forte attenzione, soprattutto in merito ai sistemi di valutazione che sono stati messi in atto per cercare di garantire la qualit\ue0 dei processi, dei servizi e dei prodotti offerti dagli atenei italiani e di tutto il mondo. Il docente riveste un ruolo chiave nel processo di apprendimento e nell\u2019offrire una didattica di qualit\ue0, per questo, nel mondo accademico \ue8 in atto un dibattito per cercare di definire che qualit\ue0 deve possedere e quali strategie dovrebbe mettere per essere definito efficace. In questa ricerca condotta secondo l\u2019approccio metodologico Grounded Theory si propone lo sviluppo di un percorso che ha coinvolto dieci docenti dell\u2019Ateneo di Verona provenienti da ambiti culturali diversi, apprezzati dagli studenti e dai colleghi. I docenti sono stati osservati durante alcune lezioni e in seguito intervistati per descrivere le azioni didattiche che mettono in atto e comprendere i pensieri che le accompagnano. I dati derivati dalle osservazioni hanno portato a descrivere azioni didattiche trasversali utilizzate, quindi, dalla maggioranza dei docenti, ed altre azioni che sembrano essere pi\uf9 caratterizzare determinati ambiti culturali. I pensieri descritti dai docenti nelle interviste concorrono ad attivare un percorso di una didattica di qualit\ue0 che riesce ad andare oltre la trasmissione di contenuti perseguendo outcome di apprendimento riferiti sia alla disciplina ma anche allo sviluppo della personalit\ue0 dello studente. Il docente nel compiere il proprio ruolo e garantire una didattica efficace mette in campo diverse capacit\ue0 personali e professionali, che spaziano dal conoscere la propria disciplina e le proprie responsabilit\ue0 al cercare di costruire una relazione con gli studenti sintonizzandosi su di loro e cercando di mantenere uno sguardo vigile sulle generazioni che cambiano.At the present time university teaching is exposed to a close attention, especially because it represents a key dimension in the evaluation system put in place for ensuring quality of procedures, services and teaching by the worldwide universities. The faculty plays an essential role in the learning process. A current debate is focused on define what qualities the teacher should have for being effective, and what kind of teaching actions are more related to achieve learning outcomes. This research guided by Grounded Theory approach, involved 10 faculties working at Verona University and teaching different disciplines. They were selected from colleague and students\u2019 point of view as teacher very effective during lectures. Faculties has been observed during some lectures and later they were interviewed for understand thoughts that found their teaching choice. Data derived from observation leaded the description of teaching actions put in place from all the teachers in all disciplines and other that seems to be more close to some specific areas. Thoughts narrated by faculties describe a learning process able to go beyond contents transmission, seeking learning outcomes refers to disciplines and to student personality. Faculties during their work use a different personal and professional ability as like as having a deepen knowledge on their discipline and on their responsibly as a teacher, creating a good relationship with students and capturing how the students\u2019 generations are changing and being able to follow this change