How healthcare workers reacted to the different COVID-19 waves: An Italian survey.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on radiology departments all over the world, affecting both management and healthcare workers (HCWs). Therefore, it became challenging to guarantee high standards of diagnosis while keeping up with the workload. METHODS: The study was approved by the institutional review board. Its aim was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the radiology departments and HCWs through a survey. The questionnaire was available online from January to March 2022. Twelve areas of interest (sessions) were highlighted in the survey. RESULTS: The number of total responders was 1376 and 73.7% of participants worked in public healthcare facilities. Comparisons between participants working in public versus private healthcare facilities were carried out using chi-square tests and Fisher tests. Within public healthcare workers, 82% affirmed having operating instruction protocols regarding confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patient CT management (p< 0.001). Private healthcare facilities had fewer CT scanners available in general (p< 0.001); in fact, only 18% of them affirmed having two or more CT scanners, and did not have CT scanners dedicated to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients (p< 0.001). Finally, public facilities strongly reduced (by 88%) the number of examinations booked during the first wave, compared to private healthcare facilities (p< 0.001). CONCLUSION: This survey showed that public facilities appeared to be better prepared from an organizational point of view than private facilities. Rescheduling the examinations booked during the first COVID-19 wave was challenging and not always possible.

COVID-19 outbreak impact on health professionals: A survey on the Italian radiographer experience.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of the Phase 1 COVID-19 (C19) outbreak on Italian Radiographers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide. Many patients underwent radiological examinations, leading to a high risk of infection within the radiology department's staff. Italy was the first-hit European country to face the COVID-19 outbreak and the impact on radiographers was huge. An online survey was disseminated to investigate the involvement and working environment of Italian radiographers during the first outbreak of COVID-19. RESULTS: Of the 840 responders, 65% were men. The majority of the responding Health-care Workers (HCW) was represented by radiographers (96%), from high-prevalence regions (82%; p<.05). Forty-five percent were involved in the activation of the protocol for the management of COVID-19 positive patients, without exhaustive indication for Plain Radiography and Computed Tomography (CT). Only 17% of hospitals counted on available guidelines for serious infections (p<0.05). Diagnostic examinations were mainly performed by a single radiographer (62%). Many professionals (69%) confirmed wearing all indispensable PPE in case of COVID-19 positive patients. CONCLUSION: The primary objective of management strategies should be to redact standardized policies for the safeguarding of patient's health and operator's safety. All front-line workers, including radiographers working in diagnostic services, should be involved in the decision-making process to generate wellness and awareness.

Self-directed learning competence assessment within different healthcare professionals and amongst students in Italy.

In the last few years the significance of life-long learning skills has been greatly realised with regard to adult learning, which is based on self-motivation, engagement in learning and making full use of a person's resources. In this context, it is paramount that healthcare professionals take responsibility for their profession by being innovative, creative and flexible to change in order to facilitate the adaptation process and encourage responsiveness to change. The main principles can be summarized as lifelong learning, which are strictly linked to self-directed learning. The aims of this study were to describe (a) the self-directed learning competence of nurses (registered nurse, RN) and radiologist technicians (RT); (b) the self-directed learning competence of RN and RT students before their graduation. A comparative cross-sectional study approach was adopted; a consecutive sample of RNs and RTs attending continuing education seminars, workshops and other initiatives from 2009 to 2010 were considered for this study. Moreover, all nursing and radiology technicians students about to graduate in the same course and studying in the same region were included. The self-rating scale of self-directed learning (SRSSDL) was used to collect data for the purpose of the study. Eight hundred and forty-seven participants were involved (453 RNs, 141 RTs, 182 RN students and 68 RT students) who obtained an average SRSSDL score of 224.7 (±25.0). RNs and RTs got on average a medium-high score (229.1 ± 22.9 and 219.6 ± 29.2, respectively) and the majority of them (63.8-51.1%) reached a high level of self-directed learning. In order to promote tailored continuing education programs and interprofessional continuing education strategies, and identify the support to offer to healthcare workers according to their needs, educators should be aware of their self-directed learning skills. Therefore, individuals with high competence should adopt different strategies from those who have limited skills. Reflecting on self-directed learning competence of students before their graduation incorporates self-directed learning into the professional continuum and clarifies the University's contribution in developing this important skill.