Head Nurse Leadership: Facilitators and Barriers to Adherence to Infection Prevention and Control Programs—A Qualitative Study Protocol

Background: The effective management of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) relies on the implementation of good practice across the entire multidisciplinary team. The organizational context and the role of head nurses influence the team's performance and behavior. Understanding how decision-making processes influence healthcare professionals' behavior in the management of HAIs could help identify alternative interventions for reducing the risk of infection in healthcare organizations. This study aims to explore how the behaviors promoted and actions implemented by the head nurse can influence healthcare professionals' adherence to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programs. Methods: A multi-center qualitative study will be conducted using a Grounded Theory approach. Observations will be conducted, followed by individual interviews and/or focus groups. A constructive and representative sample of healthcare professionals who care directly for patients will be enrolled in the study. The COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) checklist will be followed to ensure the quality of this study protocol. A multistep inductive process will be used to analyze the data. Conclusions: The study results will provide an understanding of how nurses perceive the influence of leadership and how they modify their behaviors and activities toward patients according to IPC programs. The study will identify barriers and facilitators to IPC compliance and suggest strategies to minimize negative patient outcomes, such as the development of an HAI

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

The effect of early oral postoperative feeding on the recovery of intestinal motility after gastrointestinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background and aimsPostoperative ileus is a frequent condition, leading to complications and a longer hospital stay. Few studies have demonstrated the benefit of early oral feeding in preventing ileus after gastrointestinal surgery. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of early versus delayed oral feeding on the recovery of intestinal motility, length of hospital stay, and complications.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials, searching PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the ClincalTrials.gov until 31 December 2022. We evaluated the first passage of the stool, the first flatus, complications, length of postoperative stay, and vomiting. We assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool (version 2) for randomized trials and the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology.ResultsWe included 34 studies with a median sample size of 102 participants. With a moderate certainty of the evidence, the early oral feeding may reduce the time taken for the first passage of the stool (MD −0.99 days; CI 95% −1.25, −0.72), the first flatus (MD −0.70 days; CI 95% -0.87, −0.53), and the risk of complications (RR 0.69; CI 95% 0.59–0.80), while with a low certainty of evidence, it may reduce the length of stay (MD −1.31 days; CI 95% −1.59, −1.03). However, early feeding likely does not affect the risk of vomiting (RR 0.90; CI 95% 0.68, 1.18).ConclusionThis review suggests that early oral feeding after gastrointestinal surgery may lead to a faster intestinal recovery, shorter postoperative stays, and fewer complications. However, careful interpretation is needed due to high heterogeneity and the moderate-to-low quality of evidence. Future studies should focus on the type and starting time of early oral feeding

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