Professional experiences of spanish advanced practice nurses: qualitative research.

BACKGROUND: Advanced practice nursing has emerged as a result of the evolution of healthcare systems, the changing needs of the population and the academic development of nursing, as well as sociodemographic and epidemiological changes. The aim of this study is to describe the professional experiences of Spanish advanced practice nurses in specific positions within the healthcare system in order to better understand the development and characteristics of this specialised nursing role. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. Fourteen advanced practice nurses from healthcare centres participated. Semi-structured interviews were carried out. Braun and Clarke's method for reflexive thematic analysis was followed. The Atlas. Ti version 22 program was used for technological support. The COREQ checklist was used to optimise the reporting of this qualitative study. RESULTS: From the analysis of the data collected, three themes and six subthemes were extracted: 1) Advanced practice nursing on the rise: (a) The driving forces in the development of advanced practice nursing, (b) Barriers to the development of advanced practice nursing; 2) Advanced practice nurses as a response to the population's needs: (a) The development of a new professional nursing role, (b) The patient at the centre of care in advanced practice nursing; 3) Training as the foundation for advanced practice nursing: (a) Expert nurses in a specific context, (b) Differences in the level of training depending on the context. CONCLUSION: Advanced practice nurses have faced countless barriers and difficulties that have impeded them from demonstrating their importance and effectiveness within the healthcare system. A stable regulatory framework for the functions of advanced practice nurses is required to promote care, training and research in the field of advanced practice nursing. Health institutions need to promote the role of advanced practice nurses, facilitate the employment of new professionals, and establish new areas of practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

Attitude towards health promotion in university students. Construction and validation of a scale.

OBJECTIVE: To construct and validate a questionnaire about the attitude of university students toward health promotion. METHOD: A cross-sectional study. A questionnaire of 14 questions was designed and administered to 1486 first-year undergraduates. The principal axes factoring method with oblique rotation was applied and a confirmatory factor analysis was carried out. Reliability was calculated through internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation for the global scale and its subscales. RESULTS: A 14-item scale was constructed, with two dimensions. Its Cronbach's alpha was 0.872, and 0.852, and 0.718 for its subscales. The adjustment values of the confirmatory factor analysis were adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The attitude towards health promotion scale has shown to have adequate psychometric properties. It is an instrument that will help to detect referents and health assets for future interventions.

Compassion in health professionals: Development and validation of the Capacity for Compassion Scale.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals witness pain and suffering when they care for sick people and their families. Compassion is a necessary quality in their work as it combines the will to help, alleviate suffering and promote the well-being of both the people they are attending and the professionals themselves. The aim of the study was to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Capacity for Compassion Scale (CCS). DESIGN: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale (reliability, temporal stability, content validity, criterion validity and construct validity). METHODS: The study was carried out in two phases: pilot study and final validation. The data were collected between April and May 2022. The sample was selected by convenience sampling and was made up of a total of 264 participants, 59 in the pilot phase and 205 in the final validation. RESULTS: The Capacity for Compassion Scale has been shown to have good psychometric properties in relation to reliability, temporal stability, and content, criterion, and construct validity. Factor analysis showed that there were four subdimensions of the scale: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion. The results also indicate that compassionate ability is significantly correlated with age and work experience. CONCLUSIONS: The Capacity for Compassion Scale shows adequate psychometric properties. This instrument measures the compassion capacity of health professionals, which is a valuable discovery for new lines of research in this field. IMPACT: Through this scale, low levels of capacity for compassion can be detected that negatively influence the quality of care provided by health professionals. The Capacity for Compassion Scale can therefore contribute to the identification of needs and promote training around compassion for health professionals. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. WHAT PROBLEM DID THE STUDY ADDRESS?: Compassion in health professionals has positive effects on improving the quality of care, the satisfaction of professionals and the work environment. There are compassion cultivation programmes whose validity has been proven for the development of the dimensions of compassion. There is no specific instrument that measures capacity for compassion in healthcare professionals. WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS?: A scale is designed to measure capacity for compassion in health professionals. This is the only such scale available up until now. The scale measures four dimensions of compassion: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion. WHERE AND ON WHOM WILL THE RESEARCH HAVE AN IMPACT?: The development of specific programmes that can increase the compassion of health professionals with all the benefits that this can bring to health care is encouraged. It will be possible to analyse the effects of training programmes on the cultivation of compassion.

Learning Experiences of Future Healthcare Support Workers Enrolled in a Dual Mode Vocational Training Programme.

BACKGROUND: With life expectancy increasing, there is a growing need to train healthcare support workers who provide care for dependent people in healthcare centres and at home. This qualitative study, based on Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy, aimed to understand the learning experiences of future healthcare support workers currently enrolled in an intermediate, dual modality vocational training programme with regard to caring for dependent people. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants, who were all students enrolled in an intermediate level vocational training programme in care for dependent people. Fourteen in-depth interviews and one focus group session were conducted with the students. Atlas.ti 8.0 software was used to analyse the participants' accounts. RESULTS: The students highlighted the vocational nature of their studies and the need to feel competent and useful as a healthcare support worker for dependent people. Practice-based learning and the need for training in core competences are complementary and essential elements of the training process. CONCLUSIONS: The participants' previous experiences were key in determining their academic trajectory and reflect their motivation and interest to learn. However, they feel vulnerable, unprotected, and lack training in psychosocial skills. Educational institutions should focus training programmes on the practice and development of psychosocial skills that motivate students to acquire transversal competences.

The paradoxical position of nurses regarding euthanasia and its legalisation: A descriptive quantitative study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To learn about the attitudes of nurses working in the Andalusian Public Health System regarding euthanasia and its legalisation. BACKGROUND: Euthanasia often finds itself in the crosshairs of ethical and political debate on an international scale. Currently, the Spanish Organic Law 3/2021 of 24 March, 2021, recognises euthanasia as a fundamental right in Spain. It is of particular interest to know about the views, attitudes and stances that Andalusian nurses have of euthanasia as they are key players within the framework of euthanasia and administration of life-ending drugs. They play a central role in guiding patients through the euthanasia application process. DESIGN: Observational descriptive study. METHODS: A study of Andalusian Public Health System nurses was carried out using non-probability convenience sampling. 518 nurses with an average age of 44.75 years answered in a questionnaire that was distributed on an online platform. Socio-demographic and occupational variables were assessed, together with the Death Anxiety Scale and the Euthanasia Attitude Scale. A bivariate analysis and a multivariate linear regression model were performed. The STROBE checklist was used. RESULTS: The mean score obtained on the Euthanasia Attitude Scale was 75.95 (SD = 16.53). The mean score obtained on the Death Anxiety Scale was 7.56 (SD = 3.05). The variables age and work experience were negatively correlated with the total scores of the Euthanasia Attitude Scale and the categories 'Ethical considerations', 'Practical considerations' and 'Treasuring life'. On the other hand, there was a significant positive correlation between age and work experience and 'Spiritual beliefs' category. CONCLUSIONS: The current situation shows a worrying paradox. There is a stark difference between positive professional attitudes towards euthanasia and the desire to participate in its application. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is vital that educational and healthcare institutions make the necessary efforts to ensure that nurses develop sound moral judgement, displaying the moral conscience and ethical commitment required of this established profession. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Nursing students' perceptions of spiritual needs at the end of life. A qualitative study.

Spirituality is defined as the meaning of life, being the very essence of life made up of all of the aspects inherent to it. During end-of-life processes, this need is shown to be particularly altered in patients and yet it is an aspect that the health professionals accompanying patients in this situation report being least equipped to address, alongside therapies that could help to meet these needs, such as art therapy. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted, adheres to the guidelines of COREQ (41). The study population were final year students undertaking a nursing degree at the University of Huelva, Spain. The sample was selected via intentional sampling using snowball recruitment from the study population. Stratification according to gender was performed due to the feminised nature of the population. Sample size was determined progressively during the research, with recruitment ceasing at 13 informants once information saturation was achieved. Inclusion criteria required that participants were to be final year students enrolled on a nursing degree who had provided consent to participate voluntarily in the research. The analysis Realized was interpretive phenomenological (IPA) as described by Smith (43-45). The present study revealed that students perceive their training on spiritual care to be deficient. Despite them reporting that they possess the skills and tools to provide end-of-life care, this is not enough to provide effective accompaniment, given that this moment brings them into touch with their own insecurities. Students verbalized the need to learn strategies to address this shortcoming regarding final accompaniment, for instance, through art, with creativity being one of the skills with the potential to uncover the meaning of life.

Effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving grief and depression in caregivers of people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Caregivers of people suffering from dementia may go through a grieving process prior to the death of the cared-for person, which is related to mental health and physical problems. Interventions aimed at improving grief and depression are being used in response to these difficulties. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the grief process in home-based caregivers of people with dementia with the aim of reducing grief and depression. A systematic review, including a meta-analysis, was designed. Following the PRISMA guideline, original articles were searched in the databases: Medline, WOS, Scopus and PsycINFO, up to September 2022. Articles that evaluated interventions aimed at improving the grief process in caregivers of people with dementia, whose care recipients were alive at the beginning of the study at minimum and living at home were selected. Grief and depression were considered outcome variables. A meta-analysis was carried out with a fixed effects model for these variables and for the domains of the Caregiver Grief Scale (CGS). Eight articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of the interventions aimed at improving the grief process showed an improvement in grief and depression. The 'emotional pain' and 'absolute loss' domains of the CGS stood out with an improvement in these variables. Interventions aimed at improving the grief process are relatively effective in reducing grief and depression. Interventions that are even more effective and more robust studies are needed.

Attitudes of nursing students towards the legalization of euthanasia, end-of-life planning and the spiritual dimension: A quantitative study.

BACKGROUND: The Law on Euthanasia was approved in Spain and implemented in the health system. Nursing students must position themselves with respect to euthanasia in their work in the near future. OBJECTIVES: To know the attitudes of nursing students towards the legalization of euthanasia, its relationship with end-of-life planning, and the spiritual dimension. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Study carried out with students of the Nursing Degree at the Universities of Huelva and Almería in Spain from April to July 2021. METHODS: Attitudes towards the final phase of life, Anxiety towards death, and Attitudes towards Euthanasia questionnaires were administered. Descriptive, inferential and logistic regression statistics were calculated to determine the relationship between attitudes towards euthanasia and sociodemographic variables, end-of-life planning, and the spiritual dimension. RESULTS: 285 Nursing students with an average age of 23.58 years (SD = 8.19) participated. The scores on the attitude towards euthanasia were higher than the mean. While 70.5 % of the students were aware about advanced planning, only 2.5 % of them had made advanced plans. In religious practice and the spiritual dimension, the average score was high as they considered these elements to be of great support at the end of life. In terms of anxiety about death, the average score was significantly higher in women. Age, spiritual accompaniment and help, and the frequency with which spiritual beliefs are practiced are predictive factors for the attitude towards euthanasia. CONCLUSIONS: Students have a positive vision of euthanasia while admitting anxiety about death. They emphasize advance planning and greater religious practice as supports for euthanasia. The need for curricular training related to moral deliberation and values that support euthanasia is clear.

Nursing Students' Perception about Gender Inequalities Presented on Social Networks: A Qualitative Study.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequalities in nurses have been exacerbated through the images shown on social networks. This study aimed to explore and describe nursing students' experiences and perceptions about gender inequalities in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive qualitative study was carried out in two universities in 264 undergraduate nursing students. The photovoice method was used to guide the study. Results: Two main categories and four subcategories were described from the data: "gender-related stereotypes", with "male leadership in a female profession" and "sexualization of female nurses" and "women's vulnerability in the pandemic" with "the gender gap in the face of increased risk of contagion " and "women's emotional fragility". Over the years, care has been considered a female task, and nursing continues to be thought of in this way. The nurse has been discriminated against, poorly considered as a professional, and, as a woman, subjected to gender roles.

Ethical conflicts among physicians and nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The healthcare system and professionals working in the sector have experienced a high caseload during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This has increased the potential for morally harmful events that violate professionals' moral codes and values. The aim of this study was to understand and explore experiences of new moral challenges emerging among physicians and nurses caring for individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used in this qualitative study based on Gadamer's phenomenology. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. Thirteen medicine and nursing graduates were interviewed in depth. The participants all worked on the frontline at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered in two basic healthcare districts in Spain, encompassing both primary care and hospital care. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Betrayal of moral and ethical values as a key source of suffering; (2) Ethical and moral sense of failure accompanying loss of meaning; (3) Lack of confidence in performance; (4) Self-demand and self-punishment as personal condemnation among healthcare workers. CONCLUSIONS: Health institutions must implement interventions for health professionals to help mitigate the consequences of experiencing complex ethical scenarios during the pandemic. In addition, they should promote training in moral and ethical deliberation and prepare them to make decisions of great ethical significance.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Production on Compassion Fatigue.

BACKGROUND: Compassion fatigue is a common phenomenon among healthcare professionals and includes several concepts that share a direct relationship with quality of life, with consequences on both physical and emotional well-being but also at the economic and organizational levels. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the profile of scientific publications on compassion fatigue, dissecting trends, and highlighting research opportunities. METHOD: Bibliometric analysis based on Donthu's guidelines, data collection from Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), and analytic techniques (performance analysis and science mapping) with VOSviewer® and CiteSpace®. RESULTS: We obtained 1364 articles and found that the concept emerged in 1995 and is frequently associated with areas of general health. Through analysis, we identified the following research frontiers: "vicarious traumatization", "working", "survivor", "mental health", and "impact". CONCLUSION: There has been a growing interest in this subject among researchers, with an increase in scientific production related to areas of health such as nursing, providing a solid starting point for further investigation. Registration number from the Open Science Framework: osf.io/b3du8.

Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Eater Questionnaire in University Students.

Emotional Eating (EE) patterns have been shown to play a relevant role in the development of overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in university students from Huelva. The EEQ was administered to 1282 students (age 22.00 (±5.10), BMI 23.59 (±6.74)), belonging to the University of Huelva. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out. The internal structure of the questionnaire, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity were analyzed. Principal component analysis of the questionnaire showed two dimensions, explaining 56% of the variance. Internal consistency showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.859 globally, and of 0.841-0.855 if the items were removed. The corrected item-total correlation yielded values of 0.444-0.687. The test-retest stability was ICC = 0.924 (p < 0.001). The data showed significant correlations between EEQ and the rest of the variables, and a Spearman's Coefficient ranging from -0.367 to 0.400. The fit indexes were good for the confirmatory factor analysis. The results obtained with this structure found an adequate reliability and validity of the questionnaire in comparison with previous studies.

Burnout in Specialized Care Nurses during the First COVID-19 Outbreak in Spain.

Background: One of the most outstanding consequences of the pandemic is the impact it had on the mental health of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in specialised services. Aim: The aim was to analyse the burnout levels of nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in specialised care and their relationship with variables of the socio-occupational context. Method: This was a quantitative, descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study, which included a sample of 355 nursing professionals. The instrument used was a questionnaire (Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS)). Results: A mean score of 27.44 (SD = 12.01) was obtained in the subscale "Emotional exhaustion"; in "Depersonalisation", the mean score was 7.26 (SD = 6.00); and, finally, in "Personal fulfilment", the mean score was 38.27 (SD = 7.04). Statistically significant differences were found in the subscale "Emotional exhaustion", which is higher in women than in men. The subscale "Personal Accomplishment" was higher in the age group 51-65 years. Regarding the "Depersonalisation" subscale, statistically significant differences were found with respect to the years of experience in the current service, which is higher in the group aged 39 years or more. Conclusion: Intervention programmes are required in healthcare systems to improve the emotional well-being of nursing professionals.

Experiences of suffering among nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A descriptive qualitative study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Healthcare professionals have played a fundamental role in managing and controlling the COVID-19 health crisis. They are exposed to high levels of suffering, trauma, uncertainty, and powerlessness in the workplace. The objective of this study was to explore and understand experiences of suffering among primary care and hospital care nurses during the COVID-19 health crisis. DESIGN: This is a descriptive qualitative study. Between March and April 2021, 19 in-depth interviews were carried out with nurses at health and social care facilities and hospitals in southern Spain. ATLAS.ti 9.0 software was used for discourse analysis. RESULTS: Nurses reported that they had experienced suffering during their work in the pandemic. The main causes suggested were direct contact with patients' suffering and organisational difficulties. The repercussions are in emotional dimension and physical deterioration and social isolation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Given the circumstances, programmes to promote healthy, compassion-based behaviours and changes to the way in which professionals' suffering is handled must be implemented by healthcare facility managers. Nursing leaders should consider the management of suffering as a matter of the first order, both from the ethical point of view and the business profitability and make compassionate leadership.

Involving Persons With Lived Experience to Improve Vocational Students' Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Mental Disorders: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are estimated to affect one in six individuals in the European Union. Fifty percent of mental disorders start in adolescence, around the age of 14. The stigma associated with having a mental health problem is one of the main barriers to seeking help for psychiatric and psychological disorders among adolescents and young adults. Interventions to reduce social stigma could contribute to increased help-seeking behavior in this population. AIMS: To assess the effectiveness of a direct contact intervention in the classroom by persons with lived experience to reduce vocational students' stigmatizing attitudes. METHOD: One person with lived experience and one first-degree relative implemented a classroom intervention lasting 90 min. Its effectiveness was measured using a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and within-subject control. RESULTS: A total of 128 students from three different Vocational and Technical Schools from Spain participated in the study. After the intervention, statistically significant differences were observed in the scores of 11 of the 13 dimensions measured with the Spanish Mental Illness Stigma Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27-E) and the Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI) questionnaires. No differences associated with gender or familiarity with the mental disorder were observed. CONCLUSION: Vocational students' negative attitudes and emotions can be improved through a direct contact intervention in the classroom involving people who have experienced a mental disorder themselves. The age range for optimal results with this type of intervention appears to be 18 to 20 years.

Unbearable Suffering: A Concept Analysis.

To understand and analyze the concept of "unbearable suffering" using a concept analysis method and to propose a new nursing diagnosis, the Walker and Avant method of concept analysis was used. Following the concept analysis method in 8 steps, a literature search was carried out in the MEDLINE, Dialnet, WOS, and PsycINFO databases between 2016 and 2020. Articles of theoretical or empirical nature, written in English, with the abstract available were included. As a result, 11 articles (4 theoretical and 7 empirical) were included. In addition, 2 cases were developed. The proposed new diagnosis, "unbearable suffering," refers to the situation of an individual who, because of a variety of factors, regardless of the cause, feels that he/she is unable to bear the suffering he/she is experiencing. The diagnosis is proposed for inclusion in "Domain 9: Coping/Stress Tolerance" and "Class 2: Coping Responses" of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association taxonomy. Recognition of a nursing diagnosis for unbearable suffering could be key in identifying this type of suffering and facilitating interventions to reduce or mitigate it. Nurses play a fundamental role in situations of high levels of end-of-life suffering.

Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Health Related to Expressed Compassion Fatigue: A Study in Health Sector at Regional Level.

Background: The work of health professionals often involves physical as well as psychological strain. They constantly deal with traumatic situations of pain and suffering, which destabilize the sense of well-being. Compassion fatigue is a feeling that appears in these cases and is related to other variables such as burnout or emotional drain. Aims: The principal aim of this project was to deepen the analysis of compassion fatigue and how it could be explained through the relationship with other constructs such as emotional intelligence and perceived health. Methods: This work followed the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. In this study 1,521 nurses (M age = 47.32; SD = 8.44) participated. The responses reported by the nurses were analyzed by classifying them as high or low compassion fatigue and the differences of both groups were analyzed for the variables of emotional intelligence, perceived health and quality of professional life. Results: It was obtained significant differences for all factors except for emotional intelligence factor. A linear regression analysis showed both emotional intelligence and perceived health helped to explain (12%) compassion fatigue. Conclusion: This study provides light on comprehending the conception of compassion fatigue. It highlights the importance of intervention programs that improve the quality of professional life.

Perceived health, perceived social support and professional quality of life in hospital emergency nurses.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department nurses are continually exposed to distressing experiences that can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassionate satisfaction, thus could affect the professional quality of life. The aim of this study was to analyse professional quality of life in hospital emergency department nurses based on perceived health, social support and a series of socio-demographic and sociooccupational variables. METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional study involved nursing professionals working at hospital emergency departments in Andalusia, Spain. Professional quality of life, perceived health, socio-demographic and occupational variables, and perceived social support were measured. A descriptive and multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 253 nursing professionals participated, of which 62.5% had high levels of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction (45.1%). Burnout levels were medium (58.5%). Perceived health significantly influenced on compassion fatigue and burnout. Perceived social support was found to be significantly related to all three dimensions of professional quality of life, but it had the greatest influence on the occurrence of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency department nurses in public hospitals are emotionally drained. Healthcare systems must develop intervention strategies to increase the quality of life of nursing professionals, which would lead to improved patient care. The promotion of compassion is a key element.

[Living and health conditions of the immigrant population of the settlements of Huelva.] / Condiciones de vida y salud de la población inmigrante de los asentamientos de Huelva.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the agricultural labor supply in the province of Huelva, the immigrant population has been growing, establishing a situation of irregularity that favors precarious work and hinders access to decent housing. Therefore, our objective was to identify the socio-sanitary needs of the immigrant population facing the living conditions with which they live in the irregular settlements of the province of Huelva. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive study of mixed method on an estimated population of 2500 residents in 23 settlements. A quantitative study of socio-sanitary variables was carried out using a survey and observation guide, and a water, air and soil quality study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 inhabitants of the settlements until the saturation of the speeches. RESULTS: The settlements were located far away from the towns. Surrounded by garbage, without running water, electricity, sewer, toilets or showers. Its residents were stocked up on purchased food and water from fields, wells and public fountains, which they stored in jugs of plant protection products. They were mostly in an irregular situation. 49% had a health card and 48% ever went to a health center, declared mostly a good perception of health. They stood out as expressed needs: access to water (main demand), protection from the risk of fire, improvement of the irregular situation and the working conditions, and the need to help and to protect their family of origin. CONCLUSIONS: These living conditions belong to an underdeveloped environment within an advanced society, with access to water being the main problem. Legal irregularity is key for them, preventing them regularized employment contracts and the perception of being able to access to a better future. Their self-perception of health is good and they do not make a greater use of health services, despite the conditions in which they live.

OBJETIVO: Debido a la oferta laboral agrícola de la provincia de Huelva, la población inmigrante ha ido creciendo, estableciéndose una situación de irregularidad que favorece las labores precarias y dificulta el acceso a una vivienda digna. Por ello, nuestro objetivo fue identificar las necesidades socio-sanitarias de la población inmigrante ante las condiciones de vida con las que habitan en los asentamientos irregulares de la provincia de Huelva. METODOS: Estudio descriptivo transversal de método mixto sobre una población estimada de 2.500 residentes en 23 asentamientos. Se realizó estudio cuantitativo de variables socio-sanitarias mediante encuesta y guía de observación y estudio calidad de agua, aire y suelo. Se realizaron entrevistas semi-estructuradas a 13 habitantes de asentamientos hasta la saturación de los discursos. RESULTADOS: Los asentamientos se localizaban alejados de los municipios. Rodeados de basura, sin agua corriente, electricidad, alcantarillado, inodoros ni duchas. Sus residentes se abastecían de alimentos comprados y agua procedente de campos, pozos y fuentes públicas, que almacenaban en garrafas de productos fitosanitarios. Mayoritariamente estaban en situación irregular. Un 49% tenían tarjeta sanitaria y un 48% acudieron alguna vez a un centro sanitario, manifestando mayoritariamente una buena percepción de salud. Destacaron como necesidades expresadas: el acceso al agua (demanda principal), protección ante el riesgo de incendio, mejora de la situación de irregularidad y las condiciones de trabajo, y la necesidad ayudar y proteger a su familia de origen. CONCLUSIONES: Estas condiciones de vida pertenecen a un entorno sub-desarrollado dentro de una sociedad avanzada, siendo el acceso al agua, el problema principal. La irregularidad legal es clave para ellos, impidiéndoles contratos de trabajo regularizados y la percepción de poder acceder a un futuro mejor. Su autopercepción de salud es buena y no hacen un mayor uso de los servicios sanitarios, a pesar de las condiciones en las que habitan.