Analysis of workload generated in the two years following first consultation by each new cancer patient: studying the past to plan the future of cancer care.

Introduction: Prevalence of cancer patients is dramatically increasing. We aimed at quantifying the oncology workload generated by each new cancer patient in the two years following first consultation.

Methods: In this record-based retrospective study, we retrieved data of all newly diagnosed patients treated at the Oncology Department of Udine Academic Hospital between 01.

Past COVID-19 and immunosuppressive regimens affect the long-term response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in liver transplant recipients.

Background & Aims: The long-term immunogenicity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in liver transplant (LT) recipients is unknown. We aimed to assess the long-term antibody response of the Pfizer-BioNTech® BNT162b2 vaccine in LT recipients compared to controls.

Methods: LT recipients underwent anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-receptor-binding domain protein IgG (anti-RBD) and anti-nucleocapsid protein IgG antibody (anti-N) measurements at the first and 1, 4 and 6 months after the second vaccination dose.

Prevalence of urinary colonization by extended spectrum-beta-lactamase Enterobacteriaceae among catheterised inpatients in Italian long term care facilities.

Background: Long Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) play a key role in guaranteeing care to patients in developed countries. Many patients, mostly elderly, access LTCFs at some time in their lives, and their healthcare pathways often require them to move back and forth between hospital and outpatient settings. These patterns bring about new challenges regarding infection control, especially healthcare associated infections.

[Hospital clinical records accuracy in traceability of healthcare associated infections].

We conducted a retrospective analysis on health care records in order to validate its accuracy in the reporting of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) for the purpose of supporting epidemiological surveillance and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes studies. The health care records have been selected on the basis of the database of alert microorganisms in a teaching Hospital of North-Eastern of Italy, for the years 2005-2006-2007 in three wards (Hematology, ICU and Surgical ward). In 80/107 (74.

Closing wards during summer time and its effects on patients' outcomes.

Closure of wards (units) during the summer is a management practice introduced in some Italian hospitals to deal with the national nursing shortage and seasonal staffing patterns. The authors discuss a cross-sectional comparative study that they conducted to assess the effects of this management practice on patient outcomes.

Effectiveness of music therapy for anxiety reduction in women with breast cancer in chemotherapy treatment.

In the last decade, the public use of complementary and alternative therapies for the solution of various health problems has increased dramatically. Listening to music can be considered a support to the traditional medical practice for the reduction of anxiety and stress related to chemotherapy.

Incontinence pad use in patients admitted to medical wards: an Italian multicenter prospective cohort study.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the incidence of incontinence pad use among patients admitted to medical wards, the reasons why nurses decide to use an incontinence pad, the extent to which the use of pads is avoidable, and the outcome of inappropriate pad use after discharge from the hospital.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted; patients admitted to medical wards were observed during hospitalization and a 7-day follow-up period after discharge.

Subjects And Setting: The study was conducted in 2 acute-care units in Northern Italy.

The impact of tutorial strategies on student nurses' accuracy in diagnostic reasoning in different educational settings: a double pragmatic trial in Italy.

Background: Italian Nursing Faculties use a range of tutorial strategies (laboratory sessions, intensive clinical tutoring, weekly tutoring) aimed to enhance nursing students' diagnostic reasoning: these strategies have different impacts on promoting student critical thinking. By using critical thinking methods, students develop abilities to check, monitor and constantly evaluate the accuracy of the diagnostic reasoning process. However, there is little evidence to show how effective tutorial strategies are on the accuracy of diagnostic reasoning.

[Nurses staffing in surgical and orthpedical wards in a sample of Italian hospitals. Preliminary results of a descriptive study].

Aim: To compare the standards of nursing personnel involved in direct care in surgical and orthopedical wards, with those of the studies of Aiken et al.

Methods: A convenience snow ball sampling technique allowed to include 65 centres. Data were collected in an index day, in the middle of the week, in hospitals with a surgical and ortopedical ward on the following variables: number of nurses, number of nurses aids, average time of nursing care per patient over the 24 hours.

Surveillance of hospital-acquired infections: a model for settings with resource constraints.

Background: Surveillance activities have been considered of paramount importance for effective infection control programs in health care organizations.

Objectives: Our objective was to design a capture system able to assure surveillance of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in acute hospitals with few resources devoted to infection control.

Methods: We performed 4 biweekly repeated prevalence studies to identify major HAI (urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, lower respiratory tract infection, bloodstream infections) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria in 3 large hospitals in northeastern Italy (6 internal medicine departments, 5 general surgery departments, 3 intensive care units, and 1 bone marrow transplant unit).

Incidence of hospital-acquired infections in Italian long-term-care facilities: a prospective six-month surveillance.

This study presents results from a six-month prospective surveillance of hospital-acquired infections in four Italian long-term-care facilities (LTCFs). Eight hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled and 21 503 person-days were observed. Two hundred and fifty-four hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) occurred in 188 patients.

[Management of the patient's pain in a highly specialized health center].

The management of pain sensations is useful to enhance technical quality within hospitals: this study provides an overview of pain management in a highly specialized health center. In 69.6% of cases the patients answers matched with those of health staff: the most interesting factor is the health staff's willingness to attend training courses aimed at treating the patients pain.