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Patients with cancer receiving infusional chemotherapy show negative symptoms such as worry about their survival, anxiety, anguish, depression, fear, magnified perception of the passage of time, and difficulty managing boredom. Patients also suffer various side effects produced by chemotherapy such as nausea, vomiting, pain, and fatigue, which, together with psychological distress, drastically reduce their quality of life and adherence to therapy with a corresponding reduction in the probability of the individual's survival. Virtual Reality is one of the most innovative and promising digital health interventions, capable of quickly and effectively producing a positive influence on the psychosomatic axis, improving patients' quality of life during chemotherapy. Virtual Reality, through its 3-dimensional multisensory technology, isolates sensory channels from the negative external environment and enables an experience of being physically and psychologically present within virtual scenarios, in which patients can perceive sensations, emotions, cognitions, and interactions as if they really were in different surroundings. This article systematically expounds the scientific conditions necessary for effective, appropriate, and safe implementation of Virtual Reality interventions in holistic nursing practice, describing the underpinning conceptual framework, the types, technological characteristics, methods of use, duration, type of virtual content, and implementation procedure of Virtual Reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a practice, nursing centers on patients' bodies and how they live the experience of illness and disability through their bodies (embodiment). International nursing studies conducted on the topic of body care primarily include theoretical studies, whereas empirical studies remain sparse. The aim of this study was to describe nurses' perceptions of the role of their bodies and the bodies of patients during body care. This study used a descriptive phenomenological study based on Husserl's philosophical perspective. A purposive sample of 11 Italian registered nurses representing the highest level of nursing education, different clinical experience levels, and different clinical specialties were interviewed. Data were collected between July 2015 and September 2015. Open-ended interviews were analyzed using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method. Lincoln and Guba's strategies were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. In addition to the overarching theme, "Body care is the heart of nursing," 4 major themes with 13 subthemes emerged from the data. The 4 major themes were as follows: (1) "Body care encompasses the essence of person"; (2) "Body care touches the heart of person"; (3) "The body generates opposite strategies of care"; and (4) "In time, the body 'nourishes' the helping relationship." Nurses considered body and embodiment concepts central to nursing. Body care is treated as an experience with extraordinary emotional contents, allowing nurses to discover the essentials of human nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, more than 19 million people require palliative care because of an advanced stage of disease. Undergraduate nursing education should include palliative care as the European consensus suggests. In 2004, the European Society of Palliative Care issued a guide for the development of palliative nurse education in Europe. This study aims to describe the extension and characteristics of palliative care education within all of the nursing degree curricula in Italy, as well as to what extent their topics match the European Society of Palliative Care guide. A descriptive study was conducted through the universities web pages. For each degree, the curricula of the academic years from 2010 to 2014 were analyzed. Sixty percent of the curricula had formal education in palliative care, heterogeneously distributed in different courses and provided few compulsory and mandatory teaching hours. Data on clinical training suggested that education was essentially theoretical, with poor theory and practice integration. The increasing need for palliative care in different settings corresponds to increasing attention to nursing education in palliative care from the undergraduate level. The inclusion of palliative care teaching in universities at all levels of education and research development represent the future challenges for this discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caring for dying patients requires special attention when teenagers are present in the family. The aim of this study was to understand palliative care professionals' experiences of providing supportive care for teenaged children of patients in palliative care. From April 2014 to November 2015, 7 focus groups were conducted with 62 health professionals working in different Italian hospices. The study design is the descriptive phenomenological approach using the method presented by Giorgi. Eight themes were identified: during adolescence, the reality of the loss is unthinkable; the loss generates negative emotions; the loss can free up resources; a loss takes time to process; the loss is a catalyst for change; the authentic relationship is central to the loss; being present in the loss; and dealing with the loss requires competent help. This study suggests the importance of establishing open and honest communication with the adolescents as soon as possible and involving them in assisting the parent who is dying to enable the adolescents to have more positive reactions to death and to better elaborate the loss. The health professionals can develop competencies that enable them to identify the needs and resources required for specific and personalized interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scales through factor analysis with 659 medical and surgical inpatients. One factor was found for the Scale Satisfaction and 4 factors for the Scale Experiences: Carelessness, Emotional support, Relationship/information, and Caring times. This validation makes available to nurses and managers a multidimensional tool able to discriminate between different care experiences and to identify areas for care improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In industrialized countries, the progressive chronicization of acute diseases is producing a wide range of chronically ill patients having a lethal prognosis at a relatively young age. Based on the above, it is not inconceivable that a teenager will have to face the death of a parent. The aims of this study were to describe the reactions, experiences, and needs of adolescents who lose a parent as a result of a chronic illness and to identify the factors that have proven to be useful in helping them deal with grief. A systematic search of the literature was performed in the CINAHL and PubMed databases. The analysis of 14 publications included has led to the identification of 4 key factors on mourning in adolescents: response to parent loss, the teenagers' life after the death of their parent and of their needs, coping strategies and the factors influencing the grieving process, and relations with context. Knowledge of the various aspects that need to be faced in supporting adolescents who lose a parent is a challenge for health professionals, parents, teachers, and those who want to initiate concrete actions to improve their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]