Waiting times for prostate cancer: a review

Prostate cancer is one of the most common diagnosed cancer in men and the waiting time has become an important issue not only for clinical reasons, but mostly for the psychological implications on patients. The aim of our study was to review and analyze the literature on waiting times for prostate cancer. In February-March 2019 we performed a search for original peer-reviewed papers in the electronic database PubMed (MEDLINE). The key search terms were “prostate cancer AND waiting list”, “prostate cancer AND waiting times”. We included in our narrative review articles in Italian, English or French, published in 2009-2019 containing original data about the waiting times for prostate cancer. The literature search yielded 680 publications. Finally, we identified 8 manuscripts eligible for the review. The articles were published between 2010 and 2019; the studies involved a minimum of 16 to a maximum of 95,438 participants. Studies have been conducted in 6 countries. The waiting times from cancer suspicion to histopathological diagnosis and to treatment had an important reduction in the last years, and this constant decrease could lead to an increase of patients' satisfaction

Accreditation and Quality in the Italian National Health Care System: a 10 years long review

  Background: Italian accreditation and OECI accreditation are recognized as tools to ensure an adequate level of quality in healthcare setting. The aim of our study was to review the scientific literature about these topics looking for original experiences of accreditation.  Methods: In March-April 2019 we conducted a search on original peer-reviewed papers in the electronic database PubMed (MEDLINE). The key search terms were “accreditation AND Italy”, “hospital accreditation AND Italy”. We looked for studies published between 2009 and 2019, reporting information about Accreditation experiences. 13.  Results: The literature search yielded 562 publications. Finally, we identified 16 manuscripts eligible for the review. The studies were published between 2010 and 2016; they were conducted from 2007 to 2015; they involved a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 183 centres located in different Italian regions and cities. They concerned different fields such as oncology, haematology, health physics, health direction, paediatrics, and surgery. Accreditation led to a general enhancement of quality, and offered suggestions for further improvement.  Conclusion: Each healthcare system should achieve the best possible levels of quality and safety.  Accreditation, combined with further strategies could ensure the highest level of quality

La sindrome “Hikikomori”: prevalenza nella popolazione generale e psichiatrica. Una systematic review con meta-analisi [The “hikikomori” syndrome: Prevalence in the general and the psychiatric population. A systematic review and meta-analysis]

“Hikikomori” Syndrome is a condition observed in Japanese adolescents in the last decade, characterized by complete and prolonged social withdrawal and repetitive activities, such as the use of the computer at home, associated with loss of interest in school or work. It is not clear to what extent this phenomenon exists in other cultural contexts. In the international literature, there is no systematic review with meta-analysis, which summarizes its prevalence.The present work describes the first systematic review with meta-analysis on the prevalence of the syndrome in the general and the psychiatric population.A systematic search was conducted by using the electronic databases PubMed and Scopus. Nine studies (n = 8598) were included, 7 out of which were conducted in Asian countries. In the general population studies, a significant mean effect size of 0.015 was observed (p <0.001), showing 1.5% prevalence.A significant mean effect size of 0.26 (p <0.05) was observed in the psychiatric population, showing 26% prevalence. In the studies where the mean age was lower (B =-0.06, p <0.001) or with higher percentage of males (B = 0.18, p <0.001), prevalence was significantly higher. Prevalence was comparable to that of the other severe psychiatric disorders, such as personality disorders. It is possible that gender differences, associated with social support and help-seeking behaviours, mediate the role of the male gender. Further studies are requested in Western countries, particularly in Italy

Designing an Indoor Real-Time Location System for Healthcare Facilities

This paper performs a feasibility analysis to find the best-fitting solu- tion in terms of quality/price ratio for designing and developing a Real-Time Location System for Indoor Positioning inside healthcare facilities. In particular, an overall comparison of all the available solutions is done, highlighting pros and cons of each technology (WiFi, RFID, WLAN, Ultra-Wide Band, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, magnetic fields, infrareds, ultrasounds, computer-vision and Pedestrian Data-Reckoning) for accuracy, price, coverage, infrastructure develop- ment and installation, and maintenance. A preliminary scope-review is also pro- duced, which summarizes the obtained outcomes in similar studies. In the results section the proposed system is illustrated via flowcharts and block diagrams, both for off-site and on-site scenarios

La perceived urban safety assessment scale: uno strumento per la misurazione multidimensionale dell’insicurezza

One of the issues highlighted by the scholars in criminological literature about “fear of crime” and “unsafety” is the lack of attention paid to the quality of the measures used. This work describes the process of validation of a scale measuring perceived urban safety. Starting from the main theoretical frameworks, validation was carried out in Italy across several stages, using exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modelling. Convergent validity was studied and reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s Alpha and a test-retest analysis. The final model is based on 3 dimensions and 27 items. Fit indexes are satisfactory (CMIN/DF=1,271; RMSEA=0,026) and also reliability present good values. The assessment tool named PUSAS (Perceived Urban Safety Assessment Scale) shows good psychometric qualities, although further research is needed in order to verify the invariance

La sindrome “Hikikomori”: prevalenza nella popolazione generale e psichiatrica. Una systematic review con meta-analisi

La Sindrome Hikikomori è una condizione, osservata nel corso dell’ultimo decennio in adolescenti giapponesi, caratterizzata da completo e prolungato ritiro sociale e permanenza in ambiente domestico in attività ripetitive quali l’utilizzo del PC, associato a perdita di interesse nei confronti di scuola o lavoro. Non è chiaro in che misura il fenomeno esista in altri contesti culturali. Nella letteratura internazionale è assente una revisione sistematica con meta-analisi, che ne sintetizzi la prevalenza. Il presente lavoro descrive il primo studio di systematic review con meta-analisi sulla prevalenza della Sindrome Hikikomori nella popolazione generale e quella psichiatrica. È stata condotta una ricerca sistematica con l’utilizzo dei database elettronici PubMed e Scopus. Sono stati inclusi 9 studi (n = 8598), 7 dei quali condotti in Paesi asiatici. Negli studi sulla popolazione generale è stato osservato un effect size medio significativo di 0.015 (p < 0.001), che indica una prevalenza di 1.5%. Nella popolazione psichiatrica è stato osservato un effect size medio significativo di 0.26 (p < 0.05), che indica una prevalenza di 26%. Negli studi in cui l’età media era più bassa (B= -0.06, p <0.001) o la percentuale di maschi più alta (B= 0.18, p <0.001), la prevalenza è stata significativamente maggiore. La prevalenza è risultata paragonabile a quella di altri disturbi psichiatrici gravi, come i disturbi di personalità. È possibile che differenze di genere, associate all’utilizzo del supporto sociale e dei comportamenti di richiesta di aiuto come strategia di coping, medino il ruolo del genere maschile. Si rendono necessari ulteriori studi sul fenomeno nei Paesi occidentali, in particolare in Italia

La perceived urban safety assessment scale: uno strumento per la misurazione multidimensionale dell’insicurezza [The perceived urban safety assessment scale: A tool for the multidimensional measurement of unsafety]

One of the issues highlighted by the scholars in criminological literature about “fear of crime” and “unsafety” is the lack of attention paid to the quality of the measures used.This work describes the process of validation of a scale measuring perceived urban safety. Starting from the main theoretical frameworks, validation was carried out in Italy across several stages, using exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modelling. Convergent validity was studied and reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s Alpha and a test-retest analysis. The final model is based on 3 dimensions and 27 items. Fit indexes are satisfactory (CMIN/DF=1,271; RMSEA=0,026) and also reliability present good values.The assessment tool named PUSAS (Perceived Urban Safety Assessment Scale) shows good psychometric qualities, although further research is needed in order to verify the invariance

Quality of life and objective functional impairment in lumbar spinal stenosis: a protocol for a systematic review and mata-analysis of moderators

Background Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common degenerative spine disease associated with a strong impairment in various quality of life areas, particularly the ability to perform work-related activity. Depression is a condition frequently associated. There is no comprehensive review on quality of life and objective functional impairment in LSS. This paper presents the protocol of the first systematic review and meta-analysis summarising evidence about quality of life and functional impairment in patients with LSS compared with healthy controls. Comorbid depressive disorders, age, gender, LSS duration, disability, pain severity and study methodological quality will be investigated as moderators. Methods The protocol is reported according to PRISMA-P guidelines. Studies will be included if they were conducted on patients aged 18 years old or older with primary LSS and if they reported data on differences in the levels of quality of life or objective functional impairment between patients with LSS and healthy controls. Independent reviewers will search published/unpublished studies through electronic databases and additional sources, will extract the data and assess the methodological quality. Random-effects meta-analysis will be carried out by calculating effect sizes as Cohen’s d indices. Heterogeneity will be examined by the I2 and the Q statistics. Moderators will be investigated through meta-regression. Conclusions A summary of the evidence on quality of life and functional impairment in LSS may suggest clinical and occupational health medicine strategies aimed to timely detect and prevent these outcomes. Higher percentages of patients with LSS with depression may be expected to be related to poorer quality of life. Depressive comorbidity might impact negatively on quality of life because it is associated with dysfunctional coping, disability and psychophysiological symptoms