Internal and emergency medicine
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The progressive desensitization of nurses in relation to fundamental needs (FNs) has been documented in anecdotical, scientific, and policy literature with nurses spending limited time at the bedside, thus affecting the quality of care and clinical outcomes. A potential reason that has been recognized is the limited nursing staff available in the units. However, other cultural, social, and psychological factors which have not been investigated to date may have a role in triggering the phenomenon. ⋯ Nurses are personally and professionally convinced about the relevance of the FNs. However, they distance themselves from the FNs due to: (a) factors mainly attributable to internal personal and professional forces, such as the emotional fatigue that daily work entails; and (b) external forces related to the work environment where nurses work. To prevent this detrimental process that may result in negative outcomes for patients and their relatives, several strategies at the individual, organizational, and educational levels should be implemented.
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Observational Study
Deviating vital signs in continuous monitoring prior to discharge and risk of readmission: an observational study.
Premature discharge may result in readmission while longer hospitalization may increase risk of complications such as immobilization and reduce hospital capacity. Continuous monitoring detects more deviating vital signs than intermittent measurements and may help identify patients at risk of deterioration after discharge. We aimed to investigate the association between deviating vital signs detected by continuous monitoring prior to discharge and risk of readmission within 30 days. ⋯ At least one sustained deviated vital sign was detected in 90% and 85% of readmitted patients and non-readmitted patients, respectively (p = 0.2). Deviating vital signs prior to hospital discharge were frequent but not associated with increased risk of readmission within 30 days. Further exploration of deviating vital signs using continuous monitoring is needed.
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Following the COVID-19 discovery in December 2019, different vaccines were authorized in 2021 in Italy and Lebanon, but side effects and the impact of sex and age remained partly explored. We designed a web-based "Google Form" questionnaire to record self-reported systemic and local side effects up to 7 days after 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccine in two distinct Italian and Lebanese cohorts. Twenty-one questions in Italian and Arabic languages explored the prevalence and severity of 13 symptoms. ⋯ The most common symptoms in both groups were injection site pain, weakness, and headache after the 1st and 2nd doses. The rate of post-vaccinal symptoms and the severity score were significantly higher in females than in males and progressively decreased with increasing age following both doses. We find that among two populations from the Mediterranean basin, the anti-COVID-19 vaccine generates mild age and sex-dependent adverse effects, with ethnic differences and prevalent symptoms rate and severity in females.