Antonio Bonacaro | University of Parma (original) (raw)

Papers by Antonio Bonacaro

Healthcare, 2024

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) involves a coordinated set of actions aimed at promot... more Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) involves a coordinated set of actions aimed at promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics within healthcare settings. This systematic review of qualitative studies assessed nurses’ knowledge and perceptions of the barriers and facilitators that impact their involvement in AMS programs. Methods: This meta-synthesis followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. Relevant studies published between 2018 and 2023 were identified through searches on PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The studies were critically appraised using the CASP checklist, with 19 articles meeting the inclusion criteria from five continents. Results: Six recurring themes emerged from the analysis of nurses’ experiences and opinions regarding their roles in AMS programs. These themes included the organization of AMS programs, availability of resources, training and education, communication, and the evolving role of nurses in AMS. Conclusions: Nurses at every level of the profession might play a crucial role in antimicrobial stewardship. Although active involvement of nurses in antibiotic stewardship requires further exploration and research, this topic is being examined internationally. The literature on this subject primarily analyzes the phenomenon from a quantitative perspective rather than a qualitative one, and it is contextualized more within hospital settings rather than community settings.

Healthcare, 2024

Background/Objectives: Empathy and emotional regulation (susceptibility and resistance) play an i... more Background/Objectives: Empathy and emotional regulation (susceptibility and resistance)
play an important role in a nurse’s well-being and the provision of high-quality care. This phe-
nomenon has not yet been studied in the context of nurses working in neuroscience. This study
aimed to explore the perceptions related to empathy among nurses working in neuroscience contexts.
Methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted an online quantitative survey
with 211 nurses working in various neuroscience settings using the Balanced Emotional Empathy
Scale (BEES) and 15 online semistructured qualitative interviews to delve deeper into empathetic
experiences. The mean and measures of dispersion, such as standard deviation, were used to analyze
the quantitative data. Thematic analysis investigated qualitative data, and data triangulation was
performed. Results: The quantitative findings revealed no significant differences in empathy or
emotional regulation across the different neuroscience settings but highlighted an increase in suscep-
tibility related to young age (under 29) and years of service (first 5 years). The interviews brought
to light the challenges nurses face in highly emotional situations and the strategies they employ
to manage empathy and maintain professional detachment, such as self-care strategies, awareness
development, and team support. One hindering factor is managers. Conclusions: The findings of
this study underscore the essential role of empathetic capability in nursing care in neuroscience. The
experience of younger nurses and the first 5 years of employment are elements to be considered by
managers for burnout risk. Nurses demonstrate susceptibility and resistance and maintain a balance
in dealing with high-emotional-stress situations. The implications of these findings are significant
and should guide future research and practice in the field of neuroscience nursing.

Current Oncology, 2024

Background: Disease trajectories in leukemia are often unpredictable and recurrent, and patients’... more Background: Disease trajectories in leukemia are often unpredictable and recurrent, and
patients’ experiences can impact their quality of life. Studies in the literature often do not explore
gender-related illness experiences from an intersectional approach and throughout the illness trajec-
tory. This comprehensive study aims to explore the full spectrum of experiences lived by women
with leukemia throughout the disease trajectory, from diagnosis to treatments and post-stem cell
transplant follow-up. Method: A grounded theory approach was meticulously developed to analyze
semi-structured interviews with 13 women with leukemia in the post-transplant follow-up phase
at a hospital in Northern Italy. The data analysis was an iterative process, conducted concurrently
using a constant comparative method. Data collection concluded when data saturation was reached.
Results: The core category identified is women’s inner strength during the disease trajectory, which
was identified for its recurrence and cross-cutting nature, according to the women. This core category
interconnects with five main categories: 1. Facing the disease: Between resistance and surrender.
2. Living for today and moving forward. 3. Unexpected elements in relationships. 4. Changes
that shape women. 5. Demystifying the body and embracing ‘diminished beauty’. Conclusions:
An explanatory model of the disease trajectory of women with leukemia was defined as: ‘Women
with leukemia, between inner strength and fighting prejudice’. An in-depth analysis of the disease
experiences revealed aspects that are not easily understood through a purely biological perspective
of gender differences, often overlooking the psycho-social and relational peculiarities of women.

Healthcare, 2024

Background: In 2008, the European Association of Neuroscience Nursing (EANN) initiated the NeuroB... more Background: In 2008, the European Association of Neuroscience Nursing (EANN) initiated the NeuroBlend project, which aimed to delineate the roles and competencies of neuroscience nurses across Europe. This project resulted in the development of the European Competence Profile
(ECP), intended to standardize educational pathways and professional recognition for this specialized field. Aim: This study examines the relevance of neuroscience nursing practices to the competencies outlined in NeuroBlend™ across different Italian care settings, including multiple sclerosis, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric neurology, Alzheimer’s disease, and substance addiction. Methods: A phenomological approach was employed, utilizing focus groups to gather the perspectives of nurses on
the competencies defined by the NeuroBlend model. The focus groups were conducted from May 2022 to September 2022. The data collected from the focus groups were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Thirty nurses participated in the focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed the core
competencies, such as communication, empathy, flexibility, and reflective skills, as critical in all care settings. The main themes that emerged were relationships with patients and families, personalized care, and continuity of care. Conclusions: The competencies outlined in the NeuroBlend™ frame-
work are vital to the role of neuroscience nurses in the settings studied and remain highly relevant in the context of Italian healthcare

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2024

Background: Cardiac arrest is a critical condition affecting approximately 1 in every 1000 people... more Background: Cardiac arrest is a critical condition affecting approximately 1 in every 1000 people in Europe. Feedback devices have been developed to enhance the quality of chest compressions during CPR, but their clinical impact remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the effect of feedback devices on key clinical outcomes in adult patients experiencing both out-of-hospital (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). The primary objective is to assess their impact on the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC); secondary objectives include the evaluation of neurological status and survival to discharge. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, utilizing databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Studies published between 2000 and 2023 comparing CPR with and without the use of feedback devices were included. A fixed-effects network meta-analysis was performed for ROSC and survival, while a frequentist meta-analysis was conducted for neurological outcomes. Results: Twelve relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis results showed that the use of audiovisual feedback devices significantly increases the likelihood of ROSC (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13-1.41, p < 0.0001) and survival (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.27-1.81, p < 0.0001) compared to CPR without feedback. However, the effect of metronomes did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Feedback devices, particularly audiovisual ones, are associated with improved clinical outcomes in cardiac arrest patients. Their use should be encouraged in both training settings and real-life emergency scenarios to enhance survival rates and ROSC. However, further studies are needed to confirm longterm impacts and to explore the potential benefits of metronomes.

Frontiers in pain research, May 30, 2024

Editorial on the Research Topic Non-biomedical perspectives on pain and its prevention and manage... more Editorial on the Research Topic Non-biomedical perspectives on pain and its prevention and management TYPE

Resuscitation plus, Jun 1, 2024

This paper suggests the adoption of a newly developed clinical tool aiming to support healthcare ... more This paper suggests the adoption of a newly developed clinical tool aiming to support healthcare professionals during Advanced Life Support procedures

Heliyon, Apr 1, 2024

the implementation of interventions to help students, at a psychological, social, financial level... more the implementation of interventions to help students, at a psychological, social, financial level aiming at fostering the quality of students' educational life.

PubMed, Dec 4, 2023

Background and aim of the work: Uncovering the barriers and facilitators of antibiotic prescribin... more Background and aim of the work: Uncovering the barriers and facilitators of antibiotic prescribing is crucial in order to develop effective strategies for promoting responsible and evidence-based antibiotic use, thereby combating antibiotic resistance and enhancing patient care. This qualitative study, informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) - specifically designed to understand and analyze the factors that influence human behavior, with a focus on identifying barriers and facilitators to behavior change, was aimed to explore the determinants (barriers and facilitators) of antibiotic prescribing behaviors from the perspective of doctors. Research design and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals, and data analysis followed a theory-driven approach guided by the TDF. Results: The analysis identified eight TDF domains influencing antibiotic prescribing, including memory, attention, and decision processes; knowledge; skills; belief about capabilities; goals; belief about consequences; emotions; and environmental context and resources. These domains were clustered into three overarching themes according to a bottom-up logic: the decision-making prescribing process itself, intrinsic factors related to the physician, and extrinsic factors influencing the decision. Conclusions: This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between these determinants in antibiotic prescribing. The evidence gained from the study valuable information for developing targeted interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices and combat antimicrobial resistance considering psychosocial and environmental variables impacting on antibiotic prescription decision making.

Malaysian Journal of Nursing

Background: In the wake of the pandemic, open data has made possible mapping, evaluating, and mon... more Background: In the wake of the pandemic, open data has made possible mapping, evaluating, and monitoring the COVID-19 rate of transmission at a local, national, and global level. Such a strategy follows WHO's efforts to provide updated and useful information in order to tackle public health issues and provide resources for research in the health sciences. Methods: A bibliometric analysis of the literature was conducted. Results: Published papers on open data impact on infection risk and rate dramatically increased in the observed period of time (2018-21). Furthermore, it becomes apparent that, while COVID-19-related literature led to such a "critical mass" of publications in 2018-21, papers about open data, antimicrobial resistance, and Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections are very few or absent. Conclusion: An open data strategy is beneficial in tracking, studying, and adopting measures not only for Covid-19 but also for providing nurses and allied healthcare professionals with rock-solid evidence upon which to develop health plans.

Frontiers in Pain Research

The combined use of social media, open data, and Artificial Intelligence has the potential to sup... more The combined use of social media, open data, and Artificial Intelligence has the potential to support practitioners and empower patients/citizens living with persistent pain, both as local and online communities. Given the wide availability of digital technology today, both practitioners and interested individuals can be connected with virtual communities and can support each other from the comfort of their homes. Digital means may represent new avenues for exploring the complexity of the pain experience. Online interactions of patients, data on effective treatments, and data collected by wearable devices may represent an incredible source of psychological, sociological, and physiological pain-related information. Digital means might provide several solutions that enhance inclusiveness and motivate patients to share personal experiences, limiting the sense of isolation in both rural and metropolitan areas. Building on the consensus of the usefulness of social media in enhancing the ...

Frontiers in Medicine

This discursive paper focuses on undergraduate medical education’s role in tackling gender bias i... more This discursive paper focuses on undergraduate medical education’s role in tackling gender bias in clinical practice, specifically preventing and managing from a non-biomedical perspective chronic pain in women. A preliminary web search of medical schools’ curricula was performed to identify programs content related to gender bias in pain management. The web search included 10 universities’ websites selected from the top 10 rankings QS Universities Rankings 2022 for medical schools. Additionally, a questionnaire was sent to all deans of the selected academic institutions to explore the curriculum content further. The web search, and the lack of response from the deans, highlighted that relevant curriculum components on gender bias and chronic pain needed to be implemented. Therefore, this paper introduces an innovative curriculum development approach designed by the multi-professional research team to be implemented in medical school programs. This novel educational strategy could a...

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, Apr 24, 2023

Background and aim: Determining the time that is required for weaning, as well as the factors tha... more Background and aim: Determining the time that is required for weaning, as well as the factors that influence it can be used for the appropriate planning of patient's medical and nursing care. The aim of this study is to estimate the optimal time an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient with tracheostomy needs to wean from mechanical ventilation. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 162 patients from two general hospitals in Athens, Greece. A specially designed recording form was created to conduct the study. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.25 for Windows was used to record and analyze the data. The level of statistical significance was set at α=5%. Results: Results were found after comparing and associating the demographic and clinical characteristics and medical history of patients with the duration of weaning, the length of post-tracheostomy ICU stay and the time from intubation to tracheostomy. Conclusions: According to the results of our study, there are various factors that affect success and duration of weaning. More specifically, there seems to be an association between duration of weaning and age, number of closure attempts, success of closure, time from intubation to tracheostomy, length of the patient's post-tracheostomy ICU stay and diagnosis upon admission. The shorter the duration of weaning, the greater the benefits for the patients themselves, such us avoiding respiratory damage, reduction of mortality and morbidity and preventing of length of patient's ICU stay.

Nursing Reports

Background: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in COVID-19 patients outside of intensive care unit (IC... more Background: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in COVID-19 patients outside of intensive care unit (ICU) settings was a feasible support during the pandemic outbreak. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an “on the job” NIV training program provided to 66 nurses working in 3 COVID-19 wards in an Italian university hospital. Methods: A quasi-experimental longitudinal before–after study was designed. The NIV Team education program, provided by expert ICU nurses, included: 3 h sessions of training on the job during work-shifts about the management of helmet-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) Venturi systems, and NIV with oronasal and full-face masks. An eleven-item “brief skills self-report tool” was administered before and after the program to explore the perception of NIV education program attendees about their level of skills. Results: In total, 59 nurses responded to the questionnaire. There was an improvement in the skill levels of the management of Helmet-C...

Health Promotion International

Summary Strategies to reduce the burden of persistent pain in society are rooted in a biomedical ... more Summary Strategies to reduce the burden of persistent pain in society are rooted in a biomedical paradigm. These strategies are located downstream, managing persistent pain once it has become a problem. Upstream activities that create social conditions to promote health and well-being are likely to help, yet health promotion discourse and research are lacking in pain literature. In this article, we argue that the subjective nature of pain has not sat comfortably with the objective nature of medical practice. We argue that the dominance of the biomedical paradigm, with a simplistic ‘bottom-up’ model of pain being an inevitable consequence of tissue damage, has been detrimental to the health and well-being of people living with persistent pain. Evidence from neuroscience suggests that bodily pain emerges as a perceptual inference based on a wide variety of contextual inputs to the brain. We argue that this supports community, societal and environmental solutions to facilitate whole-pe...

Children

Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder of the connective tissue with so... more Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder of the connective tissue with some typical vascular findings, skeletal manifestations, craniofacial features, and cutaneous findings with a wide phenotypic spectrum. Six different genes are involved in LDS and the diagnosis is based on the identification of a heterozygous pathogenic variant in TGFBR1, TGFBR2, SMAD3, TGFB2, TGFB3, or SMAD2 in children with suggestive findings. These genes distinguish LDS into six classes (LDS1–LDS6, respectively). Delay in diagnosis of Loeys–Dietz syndrome may be associated with an adverse prognosis due to a very high augmented risk of early complications such as aortic or vascular rupture. The present report describes a case of an early diagnosis of LDS in a neonate with cleft soft palate and aortic root dilatation.

Il TRIAGE è un procedimento decisionale volto a stabilire le priorità assistenziali secondo proto... more Il TRIAGE è un procedimento decisionale volto a stabilire le priorità assistenziali secondo protocolli condivisi fra personale medico ed infermieristico addestrato, basato sull'attribuzione di un codice di gravità. Altra finalità è contribuire all'efficienza complessiva del P.S. e facilitare l'analisi della qualità delle prestazioni. Dal Gennaio 2000 presso il Nostro Pronto Soccorso, ove vengono visitati oltre 50.000 pazienti l'anno, è stato attivato un servizio di TRIAGE DA BANCONE attivo tutti i giorni dalle ore 8 alle ore 21 (nelle ore notturne solo a domanda). Scopo del presente lavoro è la valutazione dell'attività di triage con la relativa verifica della qualità delle prestazioni ed il suo impatto sull'efficienza della intera Unità Operativa. PERCENTUALI DEI CODICI COLORE NEL 2001 E 2002 TEMPI DI ATTESA SUDDIVISI PER CODICE COLORE SOVRASTIMA SULL'APPROPRIATEZZA DEL CODICE COLORE Non c'è stata sottostima per i codici rossi, mentre per i codici gialli la sottostima si è attestata al di sotto del 3%.Una ulteriore valutazione della prestazione di TRIAGE è stata eseguita con l'analisi della corretta individuazione del sintomo/problema principale verificata con la congruità con la successiva diagnosi medica; la verifica ha dimostrato nel 2002 una congruità pari al 95%, con un range di variabilità dal 92 al 97%. In conclusione possiamo affermare che, nel corso del tempo, la prestazione del triager e’ migliorata in relazione all’appropriatezza nell’assegnazione dei codici e nel riconoscimento del sintomo principale; l’attivita’ di triage ha anche decisamente contribuito ad una migliore efficienza della unita’ operativa. Resta ancora da risolvere la problematica della sovrastima di alcuni codici e dei tempi di attesa oltre lo standard di riferimento.

CONVEGNO CNAI 2017 Professioni Infermieristiche Atti Convegno CNAI 2017-L'infermiere e la gestion... more CONVEGNO CNAI 2017 Professioni Infermieristiche Atti Convegno CNAI 2017-L'infermiere e la gestione dei problemi delle persone con malattie croniche INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Strategies employed to tackle chronic diseases aim to act on risk factors through adopting a healthy diet, increasing physical activity and avoiding exposure to tobacco and other toxic substances. These strategies can be greatly implemented from the adoption of modern technologies, which allow a thorough and minimally invasive monitoring of patients' clinical data. Wearable electronics are defined as "devices that can be worn or mated with human skin to continuously and closely monitor an individual's activities, without interrupting or limiting the user's motions". This presentation explores the evidence obtained through a literature review, which aims to clarify whether wearable devices can help in preventing hospital readmission in chronic patients, to illustrate the types of wearable devices currently available for this purpose and whether they can contribute in improving chronic patient safety in the home care setting. METHOD: A literature search of electronic databases in the healthcare field was performed in January 2017. The following databases were searched: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pub Med, EMBASE and MEDLINE. In addition, an electronic and hand search of the reference lists of all the selected publications was performed to include more suitable publications. The following keywords were used: wearable devices OR wearable technology, chronic conditions OR chronic diseases, hospital admission OR hospital admission prevention OR hospital readmission OR hospital readmission prevention, elderly, safety, barriers OR obstacles OR changes. RESULTS: 35 qualitative and quantitative articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the literature review. Quality assessment and data extraction were carried out and themes relating to the questions posed were abstracted for synthesis. DISCUSSION: Despite the large number of articles on wearable devices only few of them try to shed light on the clinical benefits of the adoption of these devices by chronic patients, since most of the papers are purely technical. Various wearable devices are currently available to monitor and keep records of different clinical information with the aim of helping users to improve their quality of life. Some of them are proved to prevent hospital re-admissions and to treat effectively life-threatening situations in certain categories of chronic patients. Higher level of acceptability and usability are achieved when users are involved in the testing stage prior to the release of the device and/or the features and terms of use are clearly described to patients and carers. In addition to the effective treatment of life-threatening conditions, wearable devices are also proved to be more accurate than clinical assessment in estimating the risk of falls in chronic patients, thus improving safety in the home care setting. Regardless of their features, wearable devices are yet to be used by both healthcare professionals and patients on a large scale. More studies need to be undertaken to understand how these useful technologies can be integrated into the healthcare system and how clinical data can be flawlessly shared among patients and healthcare professionals.

Triage is the process of deciding which patients should be treated first based on how sick or ser... more Triage is the process of deciding which patients should be treated first based on how sick or seriously injured they are. Specifically developed to meet the needs of the military medicine it has become a daily management tool within civilian emergency departments and it can be adapted to work in a variety of settings. Overcrowded emergency departments which result in the consequent lengthening of patients waiting times constitute a serious problem widespread all over the industrialized countries. Vital signs represent sensitive data often taken by the triage nurse with the perceived aim of making the triage process more accurate, objective, and able to reflect the urgency of the patient’s presentation. Very often patients categorized in a lower triage acuity level are requested to wait for a considerable amount of time before they are admitted in the emergency department. During this timeframe the triage nurse should constantly monitor these patients and make sure that they are not deteriorating. If this is the case, the nurse must allow the patient to enter the emergency department by changing the triage acuity level. Methodology Web-based literature review. Conclusion Vital signs measurement has always been believed to be an essential component of patient triage in the emergency department. The essential task of taking of vital signs in order to determine triage acuity is still a matter of debate. In fact, the impact of vital signs measurement has been explored by different studies highlighting that it is still controversial whether or not all patients arriving at triage need a complete set of measurements, especially in case of pediatric patients. Therefore, clinical experience and common sense represent key elements in decision making when it comes to speeding up the triage process and making it more efficient when triaging a new patient.

Healthcare, 2024

Current Oncology, 2024

Healthcare, 2024

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2024

Frontiers in pain research, May 30, 2024

Resuscitation plus, Jun 1, 2024

Heliyon, Apr 1, 2024

PubMed, Dec 4, 2023

Malaysian Journal of Nursing

Frontiers in Pain Research

Frontiers in Medicine

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, Apr 24, 2023

Nursing Reports

Health Promotion International

Children

Implementing E-Health in BSc in Nursing programs

BACKGROUND ChatGPT, is novel language model developed by OpenAI that has the potential to play a ... more BACKGROUND ChatGPT, is novel language model developed by OpenAI that has the potential to play a role in healthcare provision (Biswas, 2023). By generating a human-like text based on large amounts of data, ChatGPT has the potential to support patients, communities, and healthcare practitioners in making informed and evidence-based decisions about their health (Burger, 2020). Furthermore, this innovative language model has been recently identified as a potential threat to the educational system as it allows students to produce essays and presentations rapidly and effortlessly (Cotton et al., 2023). Similarly, educators may avail this promising system to organise ideas and produce teaching materials.AIM. This study aims at exploring nursing practitioners’, educators’, and students’ views on how ChatGPT would potentially impact on the world of healthcare and education in the foreseeable future and the possible repercussions this may cause in the nurse-patient relationship. Method An observational study was conducted on a convenient sample of 177 nursing practitioners, educators, and students voluntarily recruited in a Northern Italy University. A 45 items online questionnaire based among others on multiple choice and Likert-type questions was administered in April 2023. CONCLUSIONS AI is an emerging concept that has been gaining importance in recent years among the nursing community. In fact, almost half of the sample stated of being familiar with it and with its implication in clinical practice. Furthermore, 27% of the respondents believe AI has the potential to improve the quality of nursing care even though only 7% of them uses it frequently. Interestingly, 53% of the participants think AI has the potential to ameliorate both clinical outcomes and job satisfaction. A significant part of our sample (65%) believes AI might limit the interaction between the nursing team and patients thus dehumanising nursing care. Conversely, 64% of our sample considers AI has a great opportunity to enhance patient monitoring and consequently provide safe care. Lack of financial resources and internal resistance within the profession do pose a threat to AI implementation for well the 64% of the respondents. Generally, AI is considered as a precious opportunity in nursing education for the vast majority of our sample. In fact, 64% of the participants would be willing to introduce AI in clinical placement even though they do not have any previous experience in this regard. In this area, AI could support clinical reasoning process 58% of respondents say. Although, this seems to contradict the idea that AI would negatively impact the possibility of acquiring relevant clinical information by limiting social interaction. AI is a relatively new technology that elicits a great interest among students, educators and practitioners while creating a strong educational need. It is no surprise that 85% of the sample perceives AI as an essential area to focus on in a life-long learning perspective. Further studies are recommended in order to explore more in details the nursing community needs and reshape the future of nursing care and education in a more technologically advanced manner.

8th International Nurse Education Conference , 2022

Background and aim: Caring for people with HIV/AIDS is a challenging issue for nursing students, ... more Background and aim: Caring for people with HIV/AIDS is a challenging issue for nursing students, involving sometimes misconceptions due to di"erent cultural, political and religious views. !e aim of this project was to investigate nursing students’ attitudes on caring for people with HIV/AIDS. Methods: A convenient sam- ple of undergraduate nursing students enrolled in four European universities was recruited. Data were collected by administering the AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS). Statistical analysis included the ANOVA test, the t–test for independent variables, and the Kruskal-Wallis test with a confidence level P <0.05. Results: !e sample consisted of 594 students of which 162 (27.3%) were English, 246 (41.4%) Italian and 186 (31.3%) Greek. Study findings demonstrated that students’ attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients were relatively positive, although the majority of them indicated fear of contracting HIV through clinical practice. Nursing students’ positive feelings for HIV/ AIDS patients were also correlated with the strong willingness to take care of them. Conclusions: Despite being ex- posed to di"erent teaching and learning experiences, a significant part of the participants believe that HIV/AIDS make nursing a high-risk profession. Furthermore, students’ misconceptions are not limited to clinical practice areas as they expressed concerns in sending their children in a class along with a child a"ected by AIDS and/or in dining in a restaurant where a chef a"ected by AIDS works. Students are in general well-disposed towards this patients’ population but there is still stigma associated with this condition. A new teaching and learning approach may help redefining students’ attitudes and in limiting the negative impact of misconceptions on the quality of nursing care. Further investigation in this area would help in shading light on the reasons why students are still biased in approaching AIDS/HIV patients. !e use of a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews and/or focus group would be recommended.

The purpose of this presentation is to present some thought-provoking reflections resulted from ... more The purpose of this presentation is to present some thought-provoking reflections resulted from the multidisciplinary work conducted by academics based at the University of Suffolk and Leeds Beckett University (Johnson et al., 2022). In particular, It focuses on:
outlining the current biomedical approaches. in relation to the burden of chronic pain in society,
suggesting alternative perspectives to current pain management strategies,
exploring how non-medical perspectives may offer opportunities for improvement.

PAIN IN EUROPE XI ABSTRACT BOOK, 2019

Background and aims: In older adults, chronic pain remains a major unmet clinical need. There is ... more Background and aims: In older adults, chronic pain remains a major unmet clinical need. There is a strong reliance on pharmacological treatment which is based on evidence from younger adults. This study will review the current evidence from older adults and will be used to update clinical guidelines for pain management for older people in the United Kingdom.
Methods: A structured search of multiple databases was conducted to identify articles (2009-2018) which focused on pharmacological pain management in older adults (>65 years). Articles were reviewed and graded according to quality of evidence. Additional systematic reviews were identified through manual searches to provide baseline state of evidence in younger adults.
Results: The review initially identified 168 articles. Most studies were of limited quality or expert opinion and
very few focussed specifically on older adults. 42 studies were identified and reviewed in depth; these included randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and cohort studies. As with evidence from younger adults there was a tendency toward poor efficacy of most medicines for chronic pain. Many of these medicines were associated with adverse events which would be contraindicated in older adults due to unacceptable risks. The quality of evidence from this review and results for specific medications will be presented.
Conclusions: This review demonstrates that there is a paucity of evidence for the pharmacological management of chronic pain in older adults and stresses the need for large-sized properly conducted studies in older people to deal with this common problem.

PAIN IN EUROPE XI ABSTRACT BOOK, 2019

Background and aims: Chronic pain management remains a major unmet clinical need in older adults,... more Background and aims: Chronic pain management remains a major unmet clinical need in older adults, with most evidence based on studies from younger adults. The aim of this study was to analyse published studies on the pharmacological management of chronic pain in older adults, to inform updated clinical guidelines.
Methods: A detailed analysis and interpretation was undertaken from the results of a structured literature review which focused on the pharmacological management of chronic pain in older adults (>65 years). Studies conducted on older adults were compared with those from younger adults to derive appropriate medicine specific guidelines. Results: The literature review revealed that there were very few quality studies conducted on older adults over the study period (2009-2018). Overall, studies showed that there was limited efficacy for most medicines in chronic pain and that evidence for guidelines must be extrapolated from studies on younger adults. Regular paracetamol is still recommended despite limited efficacy in chronic pain and possible increased risk of side-effects. Systemic non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided due to cardiovascular and bleeding risks, although topical formulations can offer similar efficacy with fewer side-effects. Opioids have limited benefit for chronic pain and may be associated with unacceptable side-effects in older adults. Anticonvulsants gabapentin and pregabalin remain first choice treatments for neuropathic pain but their use requires caution.
Conclusions: The paucity of primary evidence to inform the pharmacological management of chronic pain in older adults highlights the importance of a multifaceted approach to chronic pain in older people.

INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) chronic diseases are the leading c... more INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 60% of all deaths. Strategies employed to tackle chronic diseases aim to act on risk factors through adopting a healthy diet, increasing physical activity and avoiding exposure to tobacco and other toxic substances. These strategies can be greatly implemented from the adoption of modern technologies, which allow a thorough and minimally invasive monitoring of patients' clinical data. Wearable electronics are defined as " devices that can be worn or mated with human skin to continuously and closely monitor an individual's activities, without interrupting or limiting the user's motions ". This presentation explores the evidence obtained through a literature review, which aims to clarify whether wearable devices can help in preventing hospital readmission in chronic patients, to illustrate the types of wearable devices currently available for this purpose and whether they can contribute in improving chronic patient safety in the home care setting. METHOD: A literature search of electronic databases in the healthcare field was performed in January 2017. The following databases were searched: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pub Med, EMBASE and MEDLINE. In addition, an electronic and hand search of the reference lists of all the selected publications was performed to include more suitable publications. The following keywords were used: wearable devices OR wearable technology, chronic conditions OR chronic diseases, hospital admission OR hospital admission prevention OR hospital readmission OR hospital readmission prevention, elderly, safety, barriers OR obstacles OR changes. RESULTS: 35 qualitative and quantitative articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the literature review. Quality assessment and data extraction were carried out and themes relating to the questions posed were abstracted for synthesis. DISCUSSION: Despite the large number of articles on wearable devices only few of them try to shed light on the clinical benefits of the adoption of these devices by chronic patients, since most of the papers are purely technical. Various wearable devices are currently available to monitor and keep records of different clinical information with the aim of helping users to improve their quality of life. Some of them are proved to prevent hospital re-admissions and to treat effectively life-threatening situations in certain categories of chronic patients. Higher level of acceptability and usability are achieved when users are involved in the testing stage prior to the release of the device and/or the features and terms of use are clearly described to patients and carers. In addition to the effective treatment of life-threatening conditions, wearable devices are also proved to be more accurate than clinical assessment in estimating the risk of falls in chronic patients, thus improving safety in the home care setting. Regardless of their features, wearable devices are yet to be used by both healthcare professionals and patients on a large scale. More studies need to be undertaken to understand how these useful technologies can be integrated into the healthcare system and how clinical data can be flawlessly shared among patients and healthcare professionals.

This poster briefly explores the evidence obtained through a literature review, which aims to cla... more This poster briefly explores the evidence obtained through a literature review, which aims to clarify whether wearable devices can help in preventing hospital readmission in chronic patients, to illustrate the types of wearable devices currently available for this purpose and whether they can contribute in improving chronic patient safety in the home care setting.

To briefly discuss the results of our literature review aiming to clarify whether wearable device... more To briefly discuss the results of our literature review aiming to clarify whether wearable devices can help in preventing hospital readmission in chronic patients, to illustrate the types of wearable devices currently available for this purpose and whether they can contribute to improve chronic patient safety in the home care setting