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Aim: This study aimed to identify which strategies are being adopted to deal with family restrictions in health units and assess nurses’ perceptions of including families in nursing care during the current pandemic. Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health organisations limited access for visitors. Introduction: Family centred care needs to be guaranteed, and alternatives for face-toface interaction should be fostered. Therefore, there is an urgent need to rethink the family in nursing care during a pandemic. Methods: We conducted a descriptive exploratory mixed-method study in Portugal using an electronic questionnaire. The study included 192 nurses recruited using a nonprobabilistic convenience sample. The study was reported using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Results: A total of 41.1% of participants (n = 79) reported that visits to their services were not authorised, and 66.7%(n=128) reported resorting to video calls because of the restrictions imposed. Regarding attitude assessment, the average score of the scale was 77.9 (SD = 10.0), ranging between 26 and 98.When analysing the different dimensions of the ‘Families’ Importance in Nursing Care - Nurses Attitudes’ scale, family data stand out as a burden. Conclusion: Although a large percentage of participants had a positive attitude towards families and tried to find strategies to maintain family centred care, many nurses still considered the family as a burden. The current COVID-19 pandemic may have aggravated this perception. Implications for nursing practice, nursing policy and health policy: The continued implementation of family centred nursing practice is essential for child-well-being, including during the current pandemic. Therefore, having intervention policies with alternative forms of care is highly recommended. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global threat and crisis situation, and its wide-reaching impact has also affected marital satisfaction. Dysfunction of the marital system puts the survival of the family unit at risk. This research aimed to determine the level of marital satisfaction of Portuguese families during the social lockdown and the association between the variables under study. A descriptive, exploratory study was conducted. During the social lockdown, 276 people of Portuguese nationality and residing in Portugal were recruited using nonprobabilistic convenience sampling. Marital satisfaction in the pandemic phase showed low values that may be associated with the social, economic, and political context experienced by the pandemic situation. Future research must be carried out in order to identify, prevent, and intervene in situations of violence. In addition, future research should explore not only marital satisfaction during the current pandemic but a more systemic assessment of marital relations during crises, expanding the impact of marital satisfaction in family functioning. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The nature, diversity, and hazardousness of hospital waste (HW) require specific management procedures. Specific interventions on HW are imperative for modern societies, imposed by public and environmental health policies. The health institutions strategic management plan integrates HW management policies considering a social technic perspective process in their institutional strategic management plan, taking into account a sociotechnical perspective, based on related good practices. Sorting is one of the most critical phases for effective management in reducing risks of generated hospital waste, more specifically at the generation site. Health professionals play an important role in this process since they participate in sorting in different contexts of clinical practice. This research aimed to identify the periodicity of contact of different health professionals such as nurses, doctors and medical assistants (MA) with HW, and their knowledge regarding the practices of sorting and storing of HW. An observational, descriptive, and correlational cross-sectional study was developed. Data were gathered through a questionnaire applied to a sample of 1800 health professionals recruited from a Hospital Center in Porto ( Portugal). Results showed that from the 79% of health professionals who were in contact with HW, 68.7% had adequate knowledge about sorting practices. Health professionals presented more doubts in sorting and storing wastes from Groups III (Biological Hazard HW) and IV (HW of obligatory incineration).

The nature, diversity, and hazardousness of hospital waste (HW) require specific management procedures. Specific interventions on HW are imperative for modern societies, imposed by public and environmental health policies. The health institutions strategic management plan integrates HW management policies considering a social technic perspective process in their institutional strategic management plan, taking into account a sociotechnical perspective, based on related good practices. Sorting is one of the most critical phases for effective management in reducing risks of generated hospital waste, more specifically at the generation site. Health professionals play an important role in this process since they participate in sorting in different contexts of clinical practice. This research aimed to identify the periodicity of contact of different health professionals such as nurses, doctors and medical assistants (MA) with HW, and their knowledge regarding the practices of sorting and storing of HW. An observational, descriptive, and correlational cross-sectional study was developed. Data were gathered through a questionnaire applied to a sample of 1800 health professionals recruited from a Hospital Center in Porto ( Portugal). Results showed that from the 79% of health professionals who were in contact with HW, 68.7% had adequate knowledge about sorting practices. Health professionals presented more doubts in sorting and storing wastes from Groups III (Biological Hazard HW) and IV (HW of obligatory incineration).

Background & Aim: This Covid-19 pandemic represents a threat and a crisis for families' well-being. According to the Olson Circumplex Model, this study aimed to assess the family functioning through the components of cohesion and adaptability of Portuguese families during this pandemic. Methods & Materials: This is a descriptive, exploratory, and correlational study. A nonprobabilistic and convenience sample consisted of 376 people. Sociodemographic data, the family's characterization, the type of housing, the Vital Duvall cycle phase was collected from the participants, and FACES II was used to assess family cohesion and adaptability. The reliability of this instrument is high. The instruments for data collection were organized and sent through Google® forms, including the Informed Consent Form. The data were analyzed by SPSS-26 software using non-parametric tests were used for inferential analysis. Results: The results showed that 14,6% have a disengaged family cohesion; 7,4% have a very rigid dimension in family adaptability, and about the type of family, 6,1% have an unbalanced dimension. Conclusion: Although on average, the participants have a connected family cohesion and family flexible adaptability, many participants have extreme values, under which it will be necessary to intervene. It is a priority for family nursing to understand the experience of families living in this current social, economic, and health context.

The importance of waste management in hospitals is indisputable in preserving the environment and protecting public health, but management models are rarely discussed. This study presents the legal and conceptual frameworks of good waste management practices applicable to hospitals and associated indicators. As a case study, the overall performance of Hospital Centre of São João, in Porto, was analysed based on published reports. Data on the production of waste in their different typologies were collected from 2010 to 2016, enabling a correlation of the waste production with the kg/bed/day indicator. The aim of this study was to gather data and discuss trends in a real scenario of evolution over a six-year period in order to contribute to a future research proposal on indicators that can be used as reference for benchmarking the construction of methodological guides for hospital waste management.