Learning Experiences of Future Healthcare Support Workers Enrolled in a Dual Mode Vocational Training Programme

With life expectancy increasing, there is a growing need to train healthcare support workers who provide care for dependent people in healthcare centres and at home. This qualitative study, based on Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy, aimed to understand the learning experiences of future healthcare support workers currently enrolled in an intermediate, dual modality vocational training programme with regard to caring for dependent people. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants, who were all students enrolled in an intermediate level vocational training programme in care for dependent people. Fourteen in-depth interviews and one focus group session were conducted with the students. Atlas.ti 8.0 software was used to analyse the participants' accounts. Results: The students highlighted the vocational nature of their studies and the need to feel competent and useful as a healthcare support worker for dependent people. Practice-based learning and the need for training in core competences are complementary and essential elements of the training process. Conclusions:The participants' previous experiences were key in determining their academic trajectory and reflect their motivation and interest to learn. However, they feel vulnerable, unprotected, and lack training in psychosocial skills. Educational institutions should focus training programmes on the practice and development of psychosocial skills that motivate students to acquire transversal competencesThis work was funded by Ayudas a la Transferencia de investigación de la Universidad de Almería UALtransfierE2022. Referencia TRFE-SI-2022/009

New Technologies to Improve Pain, Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents with Cancer: A Systematic Review

Pain, anxiety, or depression are very prevalent in children and adolescents with cancer, which is a great challenge for health professionals. Several studies pointing out the positive effect of technology on the management of symptoms have been published in recent years. Considering these studies is important in order to reduce the negative impact on the quality of life of this population. This study aimed to analyze the available evidence and to describe the benefits of the new technologies in the treatment of pain, anxiety, and depression in children and adolescents with cancer. A systematic search using six electronic databases was conducted to identify studies using technological interventions with a focus on pain, anxiety, and depression that were published from 2008 to 2018 including oncology patients from 0–18 years old. Out of the 1261 studies that were identified, five studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Robots were used in two studies, providing amusement and social interventions that showed significant improvements. Virtual reality, a mobile application, and a videogame were used in three studies and obtained beneficial results in pain and anxiety. The studies included in this review suggest that new technologies can be used as an innovative form of non-pharmacological intervention with therapeutic benefit

Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of loneliness amongst older adults: a qualitative study.

Background: Loneliness amongst older adults is linked to poor health outcomes and constitutes a public health issue worldwide. Healthcare professionals’ perceptions could influence the strategies they implement in order to prevent, detect and manage loneliness amongst older adults. The aim of this study was to describe and understand healthcare professionals’ perceptions of loneliness amongst older adults. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study. Twenty-six Spanish healthcare professionals with experience caring for older adults participated in the study. Data were collected between November 2019 and September 2020 using focus groups and in-depth interviews. Data were analysed following a content analysis method using ATLAS.ti software. Results: Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of loneliness amongst older adults is represented by three themes: (1) “when one’s personal life and social context lead to loneliness”; (2) “from abandonment to personal growth: the two faces of loneliness”; and (3) “loneliness as a health issue that needs to be addressed”. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals perceive loneliness as a multifactorial, subjective experience that can trigger different coping mechanisms and negatively affect older people’s health. Healthcare professionals consider that a greater involvement of the whole society is needed in order to fight loneliness amongst older adults as a public health issue

Sexuality in Women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Studies.

Abstract: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a nonarticular rheumatic syndrome which presents as chronic musculoskeletal pain, stiffness and body aches. FMS affects approximately 2.5% of the population, mostly women. FMS causes physical and psychological problems and reduces quality of life. The objective of this study is to identify qualitative evidence about experiences of women diagnosed with FMS about their sexuality. Methods: Metasynthesis of qualitative studies. The search included articles published between 2000 and June 2023 on the PubMed, WOS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and SCIELO databases. Results: 450 articles were found through the initial search, of which, only nine fulfilled the criteria and were included in the thematic synthesis. From this analysis, three main themes emerged: (1) “I want to, but I can’t”: FMS causes a shift in feminine sexuality. (2) Resetting sex life and intimacy. (3) Taking charge of a “new sexuality.” Conclusions: Women with FMS suffer from limitations of their sexuality that affect their partner. Pain, stiffness and a loss of desire make sexual encounters difficult. Becoming aware of this and striving not to lose their sexuality is key to coping with this problem. Women and their sexual partners can change roles and encourage communication, games, foreplay or touching. The use of lubricants, physical exercise and complementary therapies, along with social, professional and partner support, are key to coping with FMS

Spanish version of the Self‐Care of Chronic Illness Inventory: A validation study amongst community‐dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity

Aim To psychometrically assess the Spanish version of the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory (SC-CII-Sp) in community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Design A methodological study. Method A total of 1260 older adults participated in the study between May 2020 and February 2022. The data were analysed using SPSS Statistics® 26 and AMOS® 24. The items' content validity index and the Fleiss' kappa were calculated to assess the SC-CII-Sp's content validity. Convergent validity was assessed by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient between the participants' scores on the SC-CII-Sp and their scores on the Spanish Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy scale (SCD-SE). Construct validity was tested by performing a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The SC-CII-Sp's reliability was tested by computing the Cronbach's alpha. Results The SC-CII-Sp showed good content and convergent validity. The CFA showed that the SC-CII-Sp has three sub-scales. The 8-item Self-Care Maintenance sub-scale has good internal consistency and is comprised of two dimensions: illness-related and health-promoting behaviour. The Self-Care Monitoring sub-scale had excellent internal consistency and its five loaded items belonged to a single dimension. The 6-item Self-Care Management sub-scale has adequate internal consistency and two dimensions: autonomous and consulting behaviour. Conclusion The Spanish version of SC-CII is a valid and reliable instrument to be used in the assessment of self-care behaviours amongst Spanish-speaking, community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Implications for the Profession Nurses need valid and reliable tools to assess self-care behaviours in Spanish-speaking community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. This study provides a 19-item tool that allows for the comprehensive evaluation of self-care behaviours in healthy and ill states. Impact Using the SC-CII-Sp in clinical or research settings could help nurses to examine the effects of different interventions on self-care behaviours amongst Spanish-speaking, community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity

Effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity: a scoping review.

Background: Chronic ultimorbidity is the most frequent and serious health problem in older adults. Home visiting programmes could be a strategy with potential benefits. However, there are no scoping reviews to date that examine the effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Objective: To examine the effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Methods: A scoping review was carried out following PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. The search was conducted in six databases (PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE) between October 2021 and April 2022. Results: Four RCTs with 560 patients were included. The visits were carried out by nurses, nursing students, volunteers, and other healthcare professionals. The interventions varied in the number of visits, frequency, duration of follow-up, and whether or not they were combined with other strategies such as telephone calls. Discrepancies were found in the effects of the interventions on quality of life, self-efficacy, self-rated health, and use and cost of health and social services. Conclusion: This review shows that home visiting programmes could have potential benefits for older adults with chronic multimorbidity. However, its results have been inconclusive. There is a need for high quality studies involving a larger number of patients, in which home visits are the main intervention

Design and psychometric analysis of the COVID-19 prevention, recognition and home-management self-efficacy scale

In order to control the spread of COVID-19, people must adopt preventive behaviours that can affect their day-to-day life. People’s self-efficacy to adopt preventive behaviours to avoid COVID-19 contagion and spread should be studied. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test the COVID-19 prevention, detection, and home-management self-efficacy scale (COVID-19-SES). We conducted an observational cross-sectional study. Six-hundred and seventy-eight people participated in the study. Data were collected between March and May 2020. The COVID-19-SES’ validity (content, criterion, and construct), reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability), and legibility were studied. The COVID-19-SES’ reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.906; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.754). The COVID-19-SES showed good content validity (scale’s content validity index = 0.92) and good criterion validity when the participants’ results on the COVID-19-SES were compared to their general self-efficacy (r = 0.38; p 0.001). Construct validity analysis revealed that the COVID-19-SES’ three-factor structure explained 52.12% of the variance found and it was congruent with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to prevent COVID-19 contagion and spread. Legibility analysis showed that the COVID-19-SES is easy to read and understand by laypeople. The COVID-19-SES is a psychometrically robust instrument that allows for a valid and reliable assessment of people’s self-efficacy in preventing, detecting symptoms, and home-managing COVID-19

Understanding violence against women irregular migrants who arrive in Spain in small boats

African irregular migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in small boats hoping to reach Europe. Women irregular migrants (WIMs) are an especially vulnerable group that suffer from violence and sexual aggression, but little is known about their actual experiences. The objective of our study is to describe and understand the violence against WIMs who arrive in Spain in small boats. A qualitative study based on Gadamer’s phenomenology was used. The data collection included twenty-six in-depth interviews with WIMs. Three main themes arose: “Poverty and discrimination push WIMs into migrating”; “WIMs as a paradigm of extreme vulnerability”, and “WIMs in small boats should raise the alarm”. WIMs who arrive to Europe in small boats have a history of violence, rape, prostitution, forced pregnancy, and human trafficking. Emergency care must include gynecological examinations and must make detecting sexual violence and human trafficking of WIMs part of their care protocols

The effect of the discrepancy between pre- and post-operative staging on decision-making and quality of life in men undergoing a radical prostatectomy

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer and the second leading cause of oncological mortality in men. Its prognosis is estimated by normograms based on statistical methods. However, it is still a challenge to accurately determine the pathological stage from clinical data. Our aim is to describe and analyze the relationship between sociodemographic, quality-of-life and clinical variables in patients undergoing a radical prostatectomy. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out and included 51 patients undergoing a radical prostatectomy in a general hospital in southeastern Spain. The normality of all variables was studied. A descriptive and association/correlation analysis of the most relevant variables of the study was carried out. In addition, a multivariate analysis was performed to study the intergroup differences between variables with significant correlation. Age was related to a higher occurrence of erectile dysfunction (f = 10.594, p = 0.09) and to a lower percentage of consultations for this reason (x2 = 6.996, p = 0.012). Overweight/obese patients had a more aggressive result on the Gleason score (w = 151.5, p = 0.019). Differences were found between ultrasound and surgical specimen prostate volume (f = 10.324, p = 0.004). There were differences between the Gleason score result obtained from the biopsy and the surgical specimen (f = 23.330, p = 0.00001). Our results suggest that older age could be related to increased erectile dysfunction, that obesity could be related to more aggressive prostate cancer, and that there can be differences in the Gleason score between the biopsy and the final specimen. These findings suggest that the Gleason score results should be interpreted cautiously

Effectiveness of a Haemorrhage-Control Task Simulator for Training Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental before-after Study

Aim. To assess the efficacy of a low-cost haemorrhage-control task simulator integrated in a high-fidelity simulation scenario to facilitate knowledge and practical skills acquisition, as well as self-efficacy in haemorrhage control among nursing students. Design. A quasiexperimental before-after design was conducted at the University of Almeria. Methods. A one-group preintervention, immediate postintervention, and a third assessment at three months were performed, with the Stop the Bleed Education Assessment Tool used to evaluate knowledge of haemorrhage control, as well as a 5-point Likert scale used to evaluate perceived self-efficacy. The success of controlling exsanguinating bleeding was determined by quantifying the millilitres lost during the intervention and calculating the time required to control the haemorrhaging. The data were reported using the TREND guidelines. Results. One hundred and three final-year nursing students participated in this study. Significant improvements () were observed in pre- and posttest total scores on knowledge of bleeding control, self-efficacy, as well as time is taken and volume loss to control the haemorrhage. Similar results were observed between preassessment and three months postassessment with significant improvements () in all measures. Conclusions. The use of a haemorrhage-control task simulator within a high-fidelity simulation scenario resulted in noteworthy improvements in nursing students’ practical skills, knowledge retention, and self-efficacy. After three months, performance decreased but remained greater than pretraining levels. Thus, broadening the use of this task-training simulator would be of great value to further develop a first responder training approach with healthcare professionals and other laypersons, allowing for greater knowledge distribution and reaching a larger audience. Implications for Nursing Management. The findings underscore the potential efficacy of this simulator as a valuable resource for nursing educators and supervisors to train nursing students and professionals in terms of practical skills, knowledge retention, and self-efficacy in haemorrhage control, fostering a train-the-trainer cascade approach to reach a wider audience and enhance bleeding control proficiency among professionals