Inflammatory bowel disease nursing in Italy: The experience of the Academic Hospital of Udine

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are a group of conditions characterized by a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. IBDs can lead to extraintestinal manifestations that concern articulations, skin, liver, kidneys and eyes. Given the complexity of the diseases, patient affected by IBD are monitored by a multi-disciplinary team whose IBD nurse becomes one of the main figure. In 2018, the University of Udine fostered the post-graduate IBD nurse education programme called "IBD nurse case manager", with the aims to a) promote high standards of clinical practice and research initiatives;and b) educate active members of the multi-disciplinary professional network both at national and international level. Method(s): A retrospective observational study has been conducted in 2022. All patients who attended the IBD clinic for administration of biological therapy, gastroenterological visits, training for subcutaneous therapy administration, follow-up for clinical studies (also via calls and/or emails) were included. Descriptive statistic has been used to describe the activity of the IBD clinic from 2018 to 2021 Results: From the 1st of January 2018 to the 31st of December 2021, a total of 1,114 patients (47% females;average age of 45 years) were admitted to the IBD clinic. Outpatient visits were 701 in 2018 and 679 in 2019, while 639 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 708 in 2021;from 2020 to 2021 there was an increase of 11% of activities. The number of drug administrations increased by 35% from 2018 (n=353) to 2019 (n=475);also, these endovenous therapies were not modified in 2020 (n=487, +3%) and in 2021 (n=476, -3%). The number of education sessions for subcutaneous therapy decreased by 15% from 2018 (n=30) to 2019 (n=26);then, the number increased by 34% from 2019 to 2020 (n=35) and by 135% from 2020 to 2021 (n=83). Follow-up appointments for clinical studies decreased by 60% from 2018 (n=26) to 2019 (n=11), then, the number increased by 100% from 2019 to 2020 (n=22) and decreased by 20% during 2021 (n=17). In 2020, virtual visits were implemented, with an increase of 458% of phone calls in 2021 (n=1,329) compared to 2020 (n=290). Conclusion(s): Data show that qualified nurses may improve IBD pathways and increase the IBD clinic activities with high quality standards of care. In addition, motivation, satisfaction and willingness to continue education training were perceived among nurses. The collaboration between the University of Udine and the Hospital of Udine showed encouraging results that can be replicated in similar contexts.

Remote monitoring and virtual follow-up ventilation clinics in the age of Covid-19

Background: To review the efficacy of long-term non-invasive ventilation (LTV) with virtual follow-up, using assistive technologies and remote monitoring. Objective(s): Compliance greater than 4 hours, correction of hypercapnia and improvements in sleep and quality of life (QoL) were the objectives in improving patient outcome. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective cohort study including patients established on LTV over an 18 month period from the start of the pandemic. Initiation of LTV was established as an inpatient (n= 17;35%), outpatient (n= 28;57%) or from the patient's home (n= 4;8%) and follow-up was by telephone, video consultation or from the patient's own home. LTV was considered successful if compliance achieved was > 4 hours using remote monitoring, corrected hypercapnia (tCO2 < 6.5Kpa) and patient-reported improvements in sleep and QoL. Result(s): Forty-nine patients were included. LTV was initiated for: neuromuscular disease (n=19;39%), obesity hypoventilation or overlap (n=12;24%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=11;22%) and chest wall deformity (n=6;14%). Compliance > 4 hours was achieved in 69% with effective correction of hypercapnia (tCO2 < 6.5Kpa) in 67% and reported improved sleep and QoL at 63%. Overall success in all 3 objectives was 61%. Patient preference for future follow-up was 45% requesting face-to-face consultations and 33% to continue remotely. A proportion of the most vulnerable (14%) would prefer to be seen at home. Conclusion(s): Successful LTV can be achieved with remote compliance data and transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring to support virtual clinics. Patient preference for face-to-face consultations remains important in overall satisfaction.

University students' profiles of burnout symptoms amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and their relation to concurrent study behavior and experiences.

Burnout symptoms are prevalent among university students. This study examined students' understudied profiles of burnout symptoms and their relation to procrastination, dropout intentions, and study- and life satisfaction. We used cross-sectional data from two online-studies conducted in Germany in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic (N study1 = 597, N study2 = 857). Latent profile analyses indicated three profiles in both studies: (1) well-functioning, (2) moderately exhausted-inefficacious, and (3) burned-out. Most students belonged to Profiles 1 and 2 with low to moderate burnout symptoms. Students in Profile 3 reported the highest symptoms, most procrastination, strongest dropout intentions, and lowest study- and life satisfaction. The distinct profiles broaden knowledge about intra-individual differences in students' burnout experiences and underpin the need for tailored interventions.

Study satisfaction among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal development and personal-contextual predictors.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenges the well-being and academic success of many students. Yet, little is known about students' study satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, a multilayered construct which accounts for students' subjective cognitive well-being and academic success. Besides, previous studies on study satisfaction are mostly cross-sectional and hardly consider the distinct subdimensions of this construct. Therefore, our main goal in this study was to shed light on the understudied development of the subdimensions of study satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction with study content, conditions of studying, and coping with study-related stress) in two semesters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we examined how particular personal (i.e., gender, age, GPA, intrinsic motivation, motivational cost, and academic procrastination) and contextual (i.e., loneliness) factors are related to these subdimensions. We conducted two panel studies with convenience and purposeful samples of university students in Germany (N study1 = 837; N study2 = 719). Participants responded online to questions on each of the subdimensions of study satisfaction at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester but responded to measures of personal and contextual factors only at the beginning of each semester. In both studies, manifest growth curve models indicated a decrease in all subdimensions of study satisfaction as the semester progressed. Generally, gender (male) and intrinsic motivation were positive predictors but age (younger students), motivational cost, and loneliness were negative predictors of different subdimensions of study satisfaction - particularly satisfaction with study content. Overall, motivational costs and loneliness were the most consistent predictors of all subdimensions of study satisfaction across both studies. Our findings provide support for the understanding that study satisfaction could diminish in the face of challenging situations such as in this pandemic. The present study also highlights certain personal and contextual factors that relate to study satisfaction and calls for intensive research into the multidimensional construct of study satisfaction.

Psychological Distress, Anxiety, and Academic Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Study Satisfaction Among Peruvian University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The objective of this research study was to determine if psychological distress, anxiety, and academic self-efficacy predict satisfaction with studies in Peruvian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional and predictive design was used, in which 582 Peruvian university students participated, 243 men and 339 women, between the ages of 16 and 41. Student's t-statistics were used to analyze the differences in scores of psychological distress, anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and satisfaction with studies based on the sex of the participants, Pearson's R was used for the analysis of correlations between variables, and multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate the predictive model. In the analyses, the significance level was set at 0.05. The results show that men have higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and academic self-efficacy than women do (p < 0.01); high levels of psychological distress correlate with high levels of anxiety (r = 0.580, p < 0.01) and low levels of satisfaction with studies (r = -0.178, p < 0.01) and academic self-efficacy (r = -0.348, p < 0.01); high levels of anxiety correlate with low levels of satisfaction with studies (r = -0.122, p < 0.01) and academic self-efficacy (r = -0.192, p < 0.01); and high levels of academic self-efficacy correlate with high levels of satisfaction with studies (r = 0.429, p < 0.01). Academic self-efficacy was also found to predict satisfaction with studies (ß = 0.429, p < 0.01). This concludes that, although there are significant correlations between psychological distress, anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and satisfaction with studies, academic self-efficacy is the variable that most predicts satisfaction with studies in Peruvian university students.