580 publications found
Sort by
Schiavonia Hospital response to COVID-19 outbreak: a first single-center experience.

On 21 February 2020, Schiavonia Hospital (SH) detected the first 2 cases of COVID-19 in Veneto Region. As a result of the underlying concomitant spread of infection, SH had to rearrange the clinical services in terms of structural changes to the building, management of spaces, human resources and supplies, in order to continue providing optimal care to the patients and staff safety. The aim of this article is to describe how SH was able to adjust its services coping with the epidemiological stages of the pandemic. Three periods can be identified; in each one the most important organizational modifications are analyzed (hospital activities, logistical changes, communication, surveillance on HCW). The first period, after initial cases' identification, was characterized by the hospital isolation. In the second period the hospital reopened and it was divided into two completely separated areas, named COVID-19 and COVID-free, to prevent intra-hospital contamination. The last period was characterized by the re-organization of the facility as the largest COVID Hospital in Veneto, catching exclusively COVID-19 patients from the surrounding areas. SH changed its organization three times in less than two months. From the point of view of the Medical Direction of the Hospital the challenges had been many but it allowed to consolidate an organizational model which could answer to health needs during the emergency situation.

Relevant
Perception of climate change, loss of social capital and mental health in two groups of migrants from African countries

The negative effects of climate change affect community subsistence models, thus determining an increase in social conflicts, a loosening of social capital, an increase in the incidence of traumas and diseases, and a push for migration. This exploratory research compares the perception of climate change, as well as the reduction of social capital and mental health, in two groups of migrants arriving in Italy from African countries with high or extreme vulnerability to climate change. The perception of climate change and the degree of social capital were assessed with a semi-structured interview. The psychological condition was investigated through a clinical psychological interview and tests. The group of migrants coming from countries with extreme exposure to climate change perceive greater vulnerability of their country and reports a greater loss of social capital. The level of education does not seem to affect the ability to perceive climate change. In the entire sample, there is a strong correlation between the perception of change and the loss of social capital, and between the loss of social capital and emotional disorders. The study suggests that actions to preserve the social capital of a community strongly exposed to climate change can mitigate the impact of change on mental health.

Relevant
Reframing QoL assessment in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The paper reviews the international literature on quality of life (QoL) for persons with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in order to define the theoretical frame for optimal assessment. The application of the QoL approach to assessment procedures should be based on three main aspects: shared QoL, personal QoL and family QoL. The first aspect refers to characteristics of individual life that are shared with other people. The second aspect proceeds from the fact that each individual has a changing set of personal attributes that determine the subjective experience of life. In the third aspect the previous two are applied to the family that includes a person with NDD. Disability impacts the whole family and the determination of appropriate conceptualization of family outcomes requires an understanding of the impact of members with a disability on family QoL. At any level, it seems best to take a comprehensive approach to assessing QoL, integrating subjective and objective aspects, self-reports and hetero-evaluations. The QoL approach is above all a way to explore the rich intricacies of personal quality of life. Such assessment may be used effectively with people with NDD, independently from the severity of their functioning impairment. Individuals with profound ID may express their inner states through consistent behavioural repertoires, which can be discerned by persons closest to them and validated by more independent others. Attention must be paid in using non-generic instruments, such as those that measure health-related QoL. Although they do focus on the individual person, they still support a theoretical perspective of QoL that has not departed significantly from the traditional medical approach. Currently available generic tools, although they have some common conceptual and evaluation characteristics, still show considerable differences in the areas to be included in "shared QoL", the dimensions used to evaluate "Individual QoL", and the role attributed to indicators of QoL. QoL assessment should not represent a classification of individuals, services or systems, but it should help provide, within service systems and organizations, a value system that is consistent with those values held by people with NDD.

Relevant