Search

Background: Parents play a crucial role in the care of infants during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Recent studies have reported a decrease in parental participation due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has led to restricted access policies in hospitals. The aim of this study was to describe the barriers to good parental participation during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit in the COVID-19 era. Methods: This was a quantitative, observational study. Results: A total of 270 parents participated in this study. Mothers' participation in care was higher than that of fathers (p = 0.017). Parents who lived at the birth of their first child reported a better level of participation in care compared to those who lived at the birth of their second-born (p = 0.005). Parents of extremely preterm neonates reported a lower interaction with their infants than parents of term newborns (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Some disadvantaged categories reported lower scores for cultural and linguistic minorities, parents of multiple children, and fathers. The COVID-19 pandemic has made several family-centred care activities impossible, with a higher impact on those who benefited most of these facilities. This study was prospectively approved by the IRB-CRRM of the University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara on 23 January 2024 (approval number CRRM: 2023_12_07_01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "systemwell-being" canmove forward a new vision, meaning the result coming from the addition of the well-being of persons belonging to different institutions and organizations, which are all parts of the "health care system." Beginning with this "new definition," with the aim of analyzing the multifaceted issues related to nurses' well-being, we could use the "classical nursing metaparadigm" composed of 4 concepts: "health,""nursing," "environment," and "person."We briefly describe this conceptualmap and provide some focused suggestions for further reflection on topics such as physical and psychological well-being, economic gain and career opportunities, work climate, burnout, low job satisfaction, moral distress, compassion fatigue, and a joyful work environment. This view may help organizations to focus on interventions to prevent or eliminate stress, whichmay be more proactive and effective than interventions to manage stress. Moreover, it offers a multidimensional map to analyze the different aspects influencing the well-being issue, keeping in mind that a concrete solution can be obtained only if all the components of health care systems and society do their part. Some solutions proposed by authors and organizations to increase nurses' well-being are mindfulness based, such asmeditation, yoga, acupuncture, gratitude, journaling, choirs, coaching, workload reduction, job crafting, and peer networks. Other reflections on work organization, expected professional behaviors, nurses' retention, and education should be added to the discussion on this multidimensional issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the pandemic outbreak, helmet continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was widely used as respiratory support for COVID‐19 patients, inside and outside of intensive care units. The available literature suggests specific interventions to improve the comfort of patients treated with helmet‐CPAP. Few reports are available on the experiences of patients undergoing this treatment. Aim: This qualitative study aimed to explore the views and recollections of COVID‐19 patients undergoing helmet‐CPAP. Study Design: We conducted semi‐structured interviews with thematic analysis. Participants were recruited from the follow‐up programme for COVID‐19 patients discharged from an Italian general intensive care unit. Participants were interviewed by telephone. Data analysis followed the principles of thematic synthesis approach. Findings: We conducted 29 phone calls in patients eligible for the study. Five participants declared that they did not remember the time spent in hospital on helmet‐CPAP. Twenty‐four patients were then included. Two themes and six subthemes were generated from their interview data: (1) The helmet‐CPAP as a life‐saving treatment (subthemes: recognition of the usefulness of treatment and resilience); (2) the negative feelings related to helmet‐CPAP application (subthemes: communication problems, entrapment, mental confusion, fear of dying). Each patient's experience was unique, but some discomfort elements such as noise, gas flow turbulence, choking sensation and thirst were found to be very common. Conclusions: The application of helmet‐CPAP treatment generated positive and negative memories and feelings in COVID‐19 patients during the pandemic. The patients' experience has provided an overview of the main factors of discomfort. This can be a starting point for taking corrective measures to promote greater helmet tolerance and subsequent treatment success. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study has provided an insight into the patient's recollections about helmet‐CPAP treatment during a worldwide pandemic. The findings suggested strict applications of interventions aimed to reduce some issues that participants reported, to improve their compliance to treatment. Results from this study could help nurses in understanding the needs of patients treated with helmet‐CPAP and may foster a care focused on patient‐centred outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence in healthcare is an urgent and increasing issue. Mental health settings are particularly affected, with severe negative impacts on staff, patients, and organizations. Security technologies could help maintain and improve safety in this field. However, knowledge of their utilization and effectiveness in mental health is lacking. A scoping review was conducted using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute to map research on the utilization and effects of security technologies in mental health, identify how research is currently performed, and highlight gaps in the existing knowledge. Literature search for peer‐reviewed publications was performed on PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus. Following the screening process and the eligibility criteria, 22 articles were included in this review. The publication range was 2002–2020, many studies were surveys, and European countries were the most investigated, especially the United Kingdom. Overall, the use of 10 different technologies was reported 46 times. The most represented category was alarms, followed by video cameras, other technologies (such as wearable sensors), and metal detectors. More than half of the included papers reported positive effects of these measures on safety. This review indicates that several security technologies are available in mental health settings, with encouraging positive safety outcomes for both patients and healthcare professionals, especially nurses. However, research on the topic is still emerging, with a limited number of sources and a few high‐quality designed studies. Therefore, future research should focus on producing evidence on the availability and effectiveness of these measures in mental health settings across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]