Developing a subset of ICNP nursing diagnoses for medical and surgical hospital settings, informed by an Italian nursing conceptual model: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) is designed to facilitate the expression of nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes. The development of the ICNP subsets may support nurses by providing appropriate terms for documenting nursing care. This project aimed to develop a subset of ICNP nursing diagnoses oriented by an Italian Nursing Conceptual Model (MPI) to describe nursing clinical data in medical and surgical acute hospital wards. STUDY DESIGN: A subset of ICNP nursing diagnoses was developed based on a literature review and on an expert consensus. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Northern Italian hospitals to empirically test the subset in target settings. METHODS: In accordance with the guidelines adopted by the International Council of Nursing, the study followed the process for developing an ICNP subset. Twelve expert nurses from clinical settings and nursing education in surgical and medical care participated in a Delphi method to further validate the subset. A cross-mapping process has been implemented and the prevalence of diagnoses was described. Data were collected from healthcare documentation of admitted patients, including, retrospectively, nursing clinical data from the patients' admission date to the time of data collection. RESULTS: Documentation from 476 admitted patients was analysed: 228 were from surgical and 248 from medical wards. 24,142 nursing diagnoses were detected consulting retrospectively each documentation. A total number of 21,401 nursing diagnoses (88%) were fully mapped by the ICNP subset. CONCLUSION: Results showed a high capability of ICNP terminology to describe nursing care in acute medical and surgical areas in Italian hospitals. The identified subset of ICNP diagnoses could be a valuable way to support a computerized documentation system for hospitals using MPI and ICNP. Results could be used to start revising nursing education programs in order to introduce this nursing standardized terminology combining it with the nursing conceptual model in use.

Infectious complications in colorectal surgery.

Postoperative infectious complications still represent a relevant problem in colorectal surgery. They always results in suffering for the patients and often prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, they result in additional expenses to cover the cost of antibiotics, blood derivates, total parenteral nutrition, nursing and additional surgical procedures. Prevention and control of hospital infections start with surveillance, which is an important means to constantly evaluate the local bacterial epidemiology. An infection surveillance program finalized to minimize the incidence of postoperative infections through the respect of available techniques leads to a better quality of work in each surgical unit, to a decrease in postoperative hospital stay and to cost reduction.

Antibiotic prophylaxis and preoperative colorectal cleansing: are they useful?

The utility of antibiotic prophylaxis for colorectal surgery has been assessed and largely confirmed worldwide. There is homogeneous consensus that the antibiotic chosen for prophylaxis must cover both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, that the toxicity should be minimal and it should be cost effective. Recent studies have questioned the role of preoperative bowel cleansing, which is considered by many surgeons as a widely established practice prior to elective colorectal procedures. New clinical trials are needed to resolve these key questions such as the efficacy of bowel preparation and how to obtain effective timing of antimicrobial prophylaxis.

[Erectile dysfunction: a missed opportunity?]. / Disfunzione erettile: un'occasione mancata?

The increasing of andrological valuation for erectile dysfunction (ED), happened in the last ten years, and induced chemical industries and sanitary system to supply correct answers from cultural, diagnostic and therapeutic views. All these events allowed the people to approach easily to uro-andrological valuations. This situation is perhaps a unique way to involve a great number of men in a wide uro-andrological screeening, that is useful, with a total patient and couple involvement, not only for a ED causes research, but also for incidental pathology screening (neoplastic or dismethabolic). Even if more expensive than a simplified diagnostic ED protocol (95% of the patients accept it, if there is a good counseling), this way of diagnostic valuation permit to hit the targets and to add permanently andrology to scientific specialty, as the science that studies the sexuality behaviour of the man and all its pathology.