[Video calls between patients and relatives: a narrative review]. / Le videochiamate tra pazienti e familiari: una revisione narrativa.

. Video calls between patients and families: a narrative review. INTRODUCTION: Many services have introduced video calls between patients and family members during the pandemic. AIM: To synthesize the literature on the use of video calls between patients and family members when "in presence" visits are limited or banned. METHODS: A narrative review of the literature was conducted by searching PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases using the keywords video call, covid, relative and similar terms. Articles on video calls between family members and patients referring to the 2020-2022 pandemic period have been included. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were included: six descriptive qualitative, four case reports, three cross-sectional, three observational, a quasi-experimental and a commentary; most of them were from Italy and based in intensive care and long-term facilities. The most used term was video call. Studies investigated how to properly plan and conduct the video call, prepare the patient and his/her family, accounting for the technical aspects and devices. Video calls may generate positive effects on satisfaction, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and distress of patients and families; however, negative effects have been also documented. DISCUSSION: The use of video calls in acute care and end-of-life settings implies a different complexity from nursing homes or long-term care facilities. The video call must be planned and evaluated as all other nursing interventions; it cannot be spontaneous and without a preliminary assessment of the potential benefits and risks; health care professionals should be properly trained.

The lived experience of healthcare workers in quarantine: Findings of a systematic review, meta-synthesis and meta-summary.

AIMS: In pandemics, infection exposure and quarantine represent critical occupational risks for healthcare workers (HCWs). However, while the psychological consequences of HCWs' quarantine have been reviewed, other potential implications of quarantine on HCWs, such as those that are work-, professional-, social- and private-related, have not been summarised to date. Summarising quarantined HCWs' experiences in the current and past pandemics, as investigated with qualitative studies, might improve awareness of their needs, concerns, and the consequences of quarantine on their personal lives. Therefore, the lived experience of quarantined HCWs was reviewed and subjected to meta-synthesis and -summary. METHODS: A systematic review of qualitative studies followed by a meta-synthesis and -summary allowing an interpretative integration of the findings of qualitative studies, was performed. PubMed, CINHAL and Scopus databases were explored up to 31 January, 2021, without any limitation in time. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Methods and findings are reported according to the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research statement. RESULTS: A total of 635 records were retrieved and five studies were included. Overall, five themes summarised the lived experience of quarantined HCWs: 1) Being emotionally challenged; 2) Living the quarantine limitations; 3) Losing freedom; 4) Accepting the quarantine; and 5) Staying away from me. The most frequent categories across studies were 'Feeling stressed' and 'Being constrained' (both 100%). The least frequent were 'Feeling sad' (20%), 'Enjoying my family' (20%) and 'Being refused as a family member' (20%). CONCLUSIONS: The lived experience of HCWs is multidimensional, the implications of which also affect private spheres of life: the immediate family and wider relatives. Understanding and learning from HCWs' lived experiences might support policymakers, public health authorities and managers with the goal of maintaining the highest physical and mental health of staff during outbreaks. Timely services supporting HCWs, both during and after episode(s) of quarantine, are suggested to prevent additional burdens on frontline professionals.

Italian nurses' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic through social media: A longitudinal mixed methods study of Internet posts.

Objective: To examine the experience of Italian nurses posted on social media and discover changes, if any, over the waves. Methods: A mixed methods study reported according to the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study criteria. All narratives (texts, letters and interviews) posted by Italian nurses from February 2020 to May 2020 (first wave) and from October 2020 to May 2021 (second/third wave) on the five most famous Italian professional social media platforms. The data were analysed qualitatively (first wave) and then quantitatively (second/third wave). Results: A total of 380 narratives (202,626 words, 2510 quotes) were posted in the first wave, and 161 (68,388 words, 835 quotes) in the second/third wave. In the first wave, the following five themes emerged: (a) 'sharing what is happening within myself' (891; 35.5%); (b) 'experiencing unprecedented working conditions' (749; 29.8%); (c) 'failing to rehabilitate the image of nurses in society' (376; 15%); (d) 'experiencing a deep change' (253; 10.1%) and (e) 'do not abandon us' (241; 9.6%). The same themes and subthemes also emerged in the second/third wave with some significant differences, indicating changes in the lived experience of nurses. Moreover, in the second/third wave, a new theme emerged: 'experiencing the mixed emotions towards jabs'. Conclusions: By analysing their posts, Italian nurses continue to face challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, with changes in their lived experiences across the waves. Governments, nursing associations and health care organizations should consider these changes to design policies to prevent the further loss of nurses.

Digital Technologies and the Role of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review Exploring Nurses' Skills in the Digital Era and in the Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The nursing role significantly changed following reforms in the nurse training process. Nowadays, nurses are increasingly trained to promote and improve the quality of clinical practice and to provide support in the assistance of patients and communities. Opportunities and threats are emerging as a consequence of the introduction of new disruptive technologies in public health, which requires the health care staff to develop new digital skills. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to review and define the role of nurses and the skills they are asked to master in terms of new methodological approaches and digital knowledge in a continuously evolving health care scenario that relies increasingly more on technology and digital solutions. METHODS: This scoping review was conducted using a thematic summary of previous studies. Authors collected publications through a cross-database search (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar) related to new telemedicine approaches impacting the nurses' role, considering the time span of 2011-2021 and therefore including experiences and publications related to the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The assessment was completed between April and July 2021. After a cross-database search, authors reviewed a selection of 60 studies. The results obtained were organized into 5 emerging macro areas: (1) leadership (nurses are expected to show leadership capabilities when introducing new technologies in health care practices, considering their pivotal role in coordinating various professional figures and the patient), (2) soft skills (new communication skills, adaptiveness, and problem solving are needed to adapt the interaction to the level of digital skills and digital knowledge of the patient), (3) training (specific subjects need to be added to nursing training to boost the adoption of new communication and technological skills, enabling health care professionals to largely and effectively use new digital tools), (4) remote management of COVID-19 or chronic patients during the pandemic (a role that has proved to be fundamental is the community and family nurse and health care systems are adopting novel assistance models to support patients at home and to enable decentralization of services from hospitals to the territory), and (5) management of interpersonal relationships with patients through telemedicine (a person-centered approach with an open and sensitive attitude seems to be even more important in the framework of telemedicine where a face-to-face session is not possible and therefore nonverbal indicators are more problematic to be noticed). CONCLUSIONS: Further advancing nurses' readiness in adopting telemedicine requires an integrated approach, including combination of technical knowledge, management abilities, soft skills, and communication skills. This scoping review provides a wide-ranging and general-albeit valuable-starting point to identify these core competences and better understand their implications in terms of present and future health care professionals' roles.

Implications of quarantine among healthcare professionals: findings from a scoping review.

Although quarantine has been largely used in the recent period of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there has to date been no summary of the available literature regarding its implications among health care workers (HCWs). A scoping review was performed, following The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Review and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. The CINAHL, PubMed, and SCOPUS databases were queried up to 31 January 2021. Nine studies ranging from low to high methodological quality, were included. These were conducted in diverse countries, predominantly regarding the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and using cross-sectional designs. Quarantine was found to have multifaceted negative consequences that affected HCWs psychologically, professionally, personally, socially and economically. These findings could be useful as a framework for researchers while designing future study protocols, and for policy-makers or managers while establishing multidimensional effective strategies increasing HCWs' resilience and wellness.

Italian Nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis of internet posts.

AIM: To investigate the experience of Italian nurses during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak by analysing professional social media posts. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has overwhelmed health care institutions; as a consequence, nurses' lives and psycho-physical health have been affected. INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic forced nurses to work in physically and psychologically stressful conditions impacting on their life. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study. All narratives (texts and videos) posted by nurses from the 23rd of February 2020 to the 3rd of May (from the start of the outbreak to the end of the first lockdown) were analysed and published on the five most popular Italian professional social media platforms. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative research guidelines were followed. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from the 380 narratives explored: 'Sharing what is happening within myself'; 'Experiencing unprecedented working conditions'; 'Experiencing a deep change'; 'Failing to rehabilitate the image of nurses in society'; and 'Do not abandon us'. Even though nurses appreciated the recognition of their communities, they still felt devalued and not recognized as professionals. DISCUSSION: Several psychological, physical, social and professional implications emerged from nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being highly praised, nurses perceived they had failed in rehabilitating the image of nurses in society. CONCLUSION: The experience of working during the COVID-19 pandemic represented a traumatic event for nurses but it offered them personal and professional growth opportunities. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE, NURSING POLICY AND HEALTH POLICY: Supporting nurses' mental health is highly recommended, together with a cultural investment on nurses' role recognition, and a zero-tolerance policy towards violence and aggression towards nurses.

What knowledge is available on massive open online courses in nursing and academic healthcare sciences education? A rapid review.

BACKGROUND: With the recent challenges due to the Coronavirus 2019 outbreak, distance learning has been largely introduced in healthcare sciences curricula, and universities have been called upon to share learning opportunities with each other to ensure continuity of education and delivery of new graduates to the health system. However, decisions about its introduction should be supported by up-to-date evidence capable of providing an overview of available knowledge. OBJECTIVES: To map the (a) state of research on massive open online courses in undergraduate and postgraduate health sciences education, (b) evaluation methods and tools used to measure learning outcomes, and (c) factors increasing their effectiveness as documented to date. DESIGN: A rapid review following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. METHODS: PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane, Scopus, PsycInfo and Medline (via Ovid) were searched. Primary studies reporting one or more massive open online course (1) devoted to undergraduate and/or postgraduate students in nursing and healthcare sciences (2), written in English (3) with abstract available (4) and published up to February 18th, 2020 were all included. After having assessed the need for a review and the topic itself (a), the literature search was performed (b), studies were screened and selected (c), data was extracted (d), and the findings were summarised (e). RESULTS: Thirty-six studies emerged with mainly an explorative/descriptive or case study design. The courses have been developed mainly by universities alone or in collaboration with institutions mainly in US, Sweden and the UK. Their delivery has been performed at multi-national levels, mainly in English, and with a number of participants ranging from 45 to >23,000. The duration spanned from two weeks to six months on clinical topics (e.g., emergency medicine) to methods (e.g., statistics). The target audience has been mainly mixed, including students, healthcare professionals, and lay citizens. Evaluation methods and tools have been described in 28 studies, and multiple-choice questions were most frequently adopted. Factors affecting the effectiveness of massive open online courses have been identified analysing the courses themselves and the participants. CONCLUSION: Massive open online courses have recently started to be studied in healthcare sciences: these can be useful to educate students, mainly as elective courses, and to educate a massive audience, thus embodying the third mission of the university. The complexity of factors increasing effectiveness suggests the need for a multidisciplinary approach both in their design and implementation.