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Background : According to the literature, patients requesting bariatric surgery have a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities compared to severely obese patients who do not seek the surgical procedure for their desired weight loss. This study was designed with the aim of analyzing the relationship between the components of psychological distress and the presence of functional and adaptive resources of resilience in a sample of patients candidates for bariatric surgery. Methods: All patients were enrolled from September 2019 to January 2020, carried out a clinical psychological assessment aimed at identifying any psychological contraindications to candidates to bariatric surgery. This study involves the administration of questionnaires for the evaluation of psychological functioning, emotional and behavioral self-regulation mechanisms, and resilience qualities. Results: Depressive symptoms resulted in 26% of the sample, and 23% had clinically significant symptoms of anxiety. Additionally, 46% of the subjects also demonstrated difficulty in self-regulation of emotional states, with impulsive traits in 10%. Binge eating disorder was identified in 38% of the subjects. The most important outcomes of this study are as follows: (1) Global component of resiliency was differentially distributed in extreme idoneity classes. (2) Clinical judgement of eligibility can be mimicked by a psychometric profiling of patients. Conclusions: We defined the parameters of resilience as a sort of psycho-marker that, for the same as discomfort indices, can orientate the clinicians to allow them to properly assess the patient's psychological suitability for the surgery. Level of evidence:Not gradable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of cancer is increasing globally, and a greater number of patients will receive treatments though central vascular access devices (CVADs). Only a few qualitative studies describe the experience of adult oncology patients living with CVADs, and no systematic review of literature has been published on this topic. We therefore aimed to systematically synthesize the evidence of the qualitative studies on the experience of adult oncology patients with CVADs to report the implications of living with this device, and to inform healthcare professionals (HCPs) about problematic aspects of care for this population.Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted on PUBMED, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE, and WEB OF SCIENCE, and was updated on May 25, 2021. Nine studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The evidence was synthesized using the meta-aggregation approach proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute.Results: Four themes emerged: During catheter implantation oncology patients typically experience reluctance, apprehension and acceptance; The nature of the information, knowledge transmission and HCPs' competence all influence the patient's confidence; How the presence of a catheter impacts the patient's daily life, their self-perception and their social behavior; The catheter is a symbol of disease, a friend that helps prevent problems, and its removal is perceived as physical and psychological liberation.Conclusion: This systematic review evidenced some problematic aspects related to patient information, education and device management, and gaps in nursing skills on handling the device. The results of this review should be used as a framework for improvement interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role played by family caregivers in delivering long-term care is crucial: they enhance the quality of care perceived by the patients and support the shift to out-of-hospital care. However, taking care of a relative entails a huge burden that usually begins with the patient's hospital discharge and may mean that caregivers become patients in need of care as well. Owing to socio-demographic trends, informal caregiving is the most important source of care in community settings; hence targeting the caregivers' burden properly is crucial. This study explores how action research (AR) can be used to develop new hospital practices to manage the burden borne by family caregivers when patients are discharged from hospital. The 7-month-long action research reported in this paper consisted of three stages (burden identification, burden sharing, and burden management) and it was conducted in a teaching hospital in Rome (Italy). Both quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (focus groups and simulation sessions) techniques were used to engage participants. The AR demonstrates that there is a feasible way in which hospital managers can address proactively the caregivers' needs in the hospital discharge process, to the advantage of the patients and the entire community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]