Validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Oral Assessment Guide

Mucositis is a frequent side-effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Assessment of oral cavity is important to detect alterations in the mouth and plan appropriate interventions. A reliable tool can help to have a better assessment of mucositis and a major knowledge about this phenomenon. Since no valid and reliable tool for the assessment of mucositis is still available in Italy, the aim of this study was to establish the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Oral Assessment Guide (OAG). A panel of health care experts established the content validity of the tool both for the items and the descriptors. To establish the reliability of the tool, a sample of 14 inpatients with haematological diseases were recruited. Couples of dental hygienists separately performed 60 pairs of assessments (for a total of 120 assessments) on the sample. The Italian version of OAG was found to have an acceptable Content Validity Index (CVI) for items and related descriptors ranging between 0.67 and 1. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.84, agreement of assessment ranged between 0.87 and 0.65 with Cohen’s Kappa coefficient ranging from good to very good. This study showed that the Italian version of the OAG has good psychometric properties of validity and reliability to assess mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy. This tool will have a great importance to carry out future research in Italy aimed to improve the patient's outcomes particularly in terms of functional ability and quality of life

Nursing student attitudes towards older people: validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Kogan Attitudes towards Older People scale

Aim. This paper reports a study testing the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Kogan Attitude towards Older People scale. Background. Nursing students’ attitudes towards older people can affect their preference for working with them. One of the most common instruments used to assess these attitudes is the Kogan Attitude towards Older People scale. Previous validation studies performed on college students internationally have demonstrated good reliability and validity. The psychometric properties of the Italian version have not yet been tested. Design. A cross-sectional, descriptive study. Method. The study was conducted from March–June 2010 with a convenience sample of nursing students attending two Italian universities. Reliability was evaluated using internal consistency and item-to-total correlation. Content and construct validity were evaluated using a content validity index and principal factor analysis. Results. A total of 1637 nursing students participated in the study. Two factors were extracted from the factor analysis: prejudice describing a negative disposition and appreciation indicating a favourable feeling and opinion towards older people. Conclusion. The Kogan Attitude towards Older People scale applied to Italian nursing students exhibited good internal consistency. The two-dimensional construct of the scale was congruent with some, but not all, results of previous studies due to methodological differences among the studies. Based on the study findings, the scale can be recommended for future research studies in Italy including use as pre/post-test measurement associated with nursing education programmes

Communication with the public in the health-care system: a descriptive study of the use of social media in Local Health Authorities and public hospitals in Italy

Introduction. In 2010 the Italian Ministry of Health set out recommendations for the use of social technology and Web 2.0, inviting organisations within the Italian national health service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, SSN) to equip themselves with instruments. Objectives. 1. to ascertain how many local health authorities (Aziende Sanitarie Locali, ASL) and public hospitals have a presence on the most widely used social media websites in Italy: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; 2. to find out how well the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages of ASLs and public hospitals are known among the general population; 3. to find out how ASLs and public hospitals engage with the general public on social media sites. Materials and methods. The websites of all ASLs and public hospitals across the country were visited to look for the icons of the social media sites under examination. The data considered were publicly available upon access. Results. A total of 245 websites were analysed. 7.34% ASLs and hospitals had social media accounts. 8 organisations had an account on all three of the social media sites considered in the study. Conclusions. The results show a low presence of ASLs and hospitals on social media. Other studies are needed in this field

Development and Validation of a Computerized Assessment Form to Support Nursing Diagnosis

PURPOSE: Describe the development and validation of the Nursing Assessment Form (NAF), within a clinical nursing information system, to support nurses in the identification of nursing diagnoses. METHODS: Content validity and consensus on NAF contents were established using a panel of experts in nursing diagnosis and Delphi rounds. FINDINGS: Expert consensus was achieved to validate an instrument to support nurses in the process of nursing diagnoses identification. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the NAF can help nurses in diagnostic reasoning, facilitating the identification of the more suitable nursing diagnoses, and provide a basis for the best nursing interventions and outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The use of computerized decision support can improve the implementation of standardized terminology and the accuracy of nursing diagnosis

Continuity of Care During End of Life: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to clarify the concept of continuity of care during the end of life with a focus on the patient’s perspective. METHODS: Rodgers’ method of evolutionary concept analysis was used. The analysis was based on literature published in English in the databases Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, and PsycINFO. FINDINGS: Analysis revealed that the continuity at life’s end is a dynamic process that depends on the interaction among patients, families, and providers, and is strictly interwoven with the patient’s time perception. CONCLUSION: This analysis showed the complexities surrounding the patient’s experience of continuity at life’s end. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING: Nurses can benefit from a deeper understanding of the patient’s experience, both theoretically and in practice

Transitions between care settings after enrolment in a palliative care service in Italy: a retrospective analysis

This study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data that aimed to map patients' care transitions following admission to a specialist palliative care service in Italy called Antea Centre. Patients' data was extracted from the Antea local database from 2007 to 2011. External transitions were defined as a change in the setting of care, with the patient no longer being cared for by Antea staff. Internal transitions were defined as a change in the setting of care, with the care still being provided by Antea staff. A total of 1123 patients out of 5313 admitted to the palliative service (21%) experienced transitions. Patients who experienced no transitions after their admission to the palliative care service were more likely to have a Karnofsky Performance Scale Index <30, to have been referred by a hospital physician, to have a shorter survival time, and to have home as their place of death (P<0.001). Although the patients with no transitions had worse clinical conditions, organisations should pay attention to reducing the possible negative effects of transitions, such as discontinuity of care and poor coordination

Chronic non-cancer pain in primary care: an Italian cross-sectional study

Chronic non-cancer pain is a complex health condition that affects more than a quarter of the Italian population who mainly refers to general practitioners and primary care for their treatment. There are little information on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and types of treatments for these patients who suffer from chronic pain. The aim of the study was to provide epidemiological and clinical information about patients with chronic non-cancer pain who refers to GPs for their treatment. An observational, multicentre, cross-sectional study was carried out using retrospectively reviewed clinical records from 29 GPs. Some pharmacoeconomic aspects were also investigated. A total of 1,007 patients who had chronic pain were selected for the study. Chronic pain was more common in women than in men (ratio 2.7 : 1) (P = 0.002). With regard to incomes, the women earned less than the men (P = 0.017). The chronic pain was musculoskeletal (73.4%), mixed (21.4%), neuropathic (4.9%) and visceral (0.3%). More women than men had pain in two or more sites, and 33.5% of the patients reported more than one diagnosis that related to chronic pain. The general practitioners had prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for 71.8% of the cases, opioids for 16.9%, adjuvants for 9.0% and acetaminophen for 2.4%, and about pharmacoeconomic aspects, the total cost for the sample was €111,331.42. Primary care is the essential frontline for patients who suffer from non-cancer pain. An interdisciplinary assessment and approach should start in primary care delivery to maximize the clinical outcomes