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Objective: The study compare two tests for evaluating the driving abilities of patients undergoing opioid therapy for chronic pain: the Vienna Test System (VTS), a software developed for this purpose, and a new free APP for smartphones (SafeDrive) measuring visual and auditory reaction times., Methods: One hundred and five patients undergoing long term opioid therapy for chronic pain were enrolled. The driving abilities of study patients were evaluated using two tests, namely the Vienna test System (VTS) and the SafeDrive APP. The concordance between the two tests was evaluated through Cohen's test. In addition we evaluated the correlation between the results of both VTS and SafeDrive tests and prescribed Morphine Equivalent Doses (MEDs), sex, age and the specific drugs taken, by multivariate linear regression analysis., Results: A statistically significant concordance (Cohen's K coefficient=0.476) was found between the SafeDrive APP and the VTS; multivariate linear regression analysis found no significant influences of dosage and type of opioid prescribed on test performances, but significant influences of sex and age., Conclusions: The Authors found a significant correlation between VTS with SafeDrive test results. The SafeDrive APP is cheaper, easier to use and faster than VTS, and is portable and "usable on the road". Complex behavioral tasks such as driving may be severely impaired by psychoactive drugs, and consequently SafeDrive could be considered a useful portable screening tool to identify drivers with drug associated psychomotor impairment.

The American College of Sports Medicine states that 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity improves quality of life, also in patients treated for cancer. Physical activity before, during, and after oncological treatments increases rates of survival, interval free from sickness, and side effects of treatment. The importance of physical exercise is often underestimated in Oncology, above all because of the need for an individualized approach and for a lack of recommendations that are valid for everyone. The literature now states that rehabilitation and exercise are as important as medical care. The National Cancer Institute in Aviano (Italy) has started a rehabilitation program for patients treated for breast cancer, followed by an assisted path to encourage physical activity. Thanks to various co-production processes, this program allows women to benefit from a personalised plan and it will be possible to assist patients and encourage physical activity through use of a mobile app. A synergy between the health and fitness worlds has been created, through co-production, accustoming patients to exercise during and following treatments.

General practitioners often request specialist consultations to manage their patients affected by chronic pain, but in Italy wait times for the consultations are usually very long. For this reason, The Friuli Venezia Giulia region is the first Italian region to start using priority criteria for access to consultation with a pain specialist (brief within 10 days, delayed within 30 days, scheduled within 180 days).

Objectives: Objectives. To explore the perceived self-competence level of palliative care nurses in the province of Belluno (Italy), compared to Core Curriculum in Palliative Care Nursing (CCICP) competencies and to identify own strengths and weaknesses., Methods: The authors performed a descriptive study using an anonymous questionnaire. The study population included 25 Palliative Care and Hospice nurses and ward managers of a local health unit in the city of Belluno and one in Feltre (Italy), of whom 24 agreed to participate in the study and compiled the questionnaire correctly. Participants were asked to evaluate their own competencies as compared to those defined by the CCICP, by assigning to themselves a score from 0 (no competence) to 10 (total competence). Three competency levels were identified: score 0-5 "low" level, score 6-7 "medium" level, score 8-10 "high" level., Results: Overall, 33,33% reports feeling highly competent, 62,5% feels average, 4,17% considers insufficiently competent. Nurses feel most competent in "Appropriate use of interventions, activities and nursing skills, aimed to provide optimal care in Palliative Care" while they feel least competent in "leadership competencies and management of group dynamics in Palliative Care". More specifically, the "ability to personalize assistance to improve the quality of life of the assisted person and his family, relieving physical, psychosocial and spiritual suffering in the team and in all the services of the Network" is the area in which they feel especially confident; on the contrary, the "ability to promote fundraising activities to finance Palliative Care and recruit volunteer resources" is reported to be the most critical., Conclusions: Results show that nurses have a medium to high level of self-perceived skills. The study has laid down the foundations for a wider staff evaluation process which would be useful in improving nursing satisfaction and, indirectly, the quality of the service.