Michela Piredda

Campus Bio-Medico University | unicampus · Integrated Research Center (CIR)

Eating disorders represent a complex and multifaceted public health challenge, highly prevalent among young people. Background and Objectives: To examine the prevalence of eating disorders in the Spanish young adult population aged 18–30 years, and their correlation with various eating habits and lifestyle factors. Materials and Methods: A descript...

Introduction/Aim: Vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune modulation, which may influence the development of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study aims to evaluate the impact of vitamin D levels and supplementation on the incidence of GvHD in HSCT patients. Methods: A nar...

Aim: This study examines the prevalence of eating disorders, particularly anorexia and bulimia nervosa, among middle-aged Spaniards, noting their rising incidence in men as well as women. It explores how these disorders relate to sociodemographic factors and lifestyle habits. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August 2020 to Novem...

Aim To develop and psychometrically test an instrument to assess nurses' evidence‐based knowledge and self‐efficacy regarding insertion and management of venous access devices (short peripheral catheter (SPC), long peripheral catheter/midline (LPC) and PICC) and the management of totally implantable central venous catheter (Port) in adult patients....

In the landscape of modern medicine, the ability to accurately diagnose various clinical conditions is paramount. As new diagnostic tools continue to emerge, their accuracy must be rigorously assessed before clinical implementation. This paper introduces a systematic review protocol tailored for diagnostic accuracy studies, drawing inspiration from...

Habits represent repeated patterns of behavior over time that exert a significant influence on individual health. While specific tools exist to measure individual habits, the number of instruments capable of simultaneously exploring multiple dimensions of health is limited. This research had two main objectives: 1) to examine the literature to find...

Background: Plant-based diets are becoming more and more widespread among the Spanish population, progressively replacing the Mediterranean dietary pattern. Different studies have shown the motivations for adherence to these diets, and others have highlighted some health advantages and disadvantages. Purpose of the study: Further studies are nee...

Background Nursing care dependency is a key, yet under‐studied, nursing phenomenon. Patients in intensive care units are highly dependent on nursing care. Patients find dependency challenging, experiencing feelings of powerlessness and shame. The nurse–patient care relationship can influence patients' perception of dependency. Understanding how nur...

Aims This study aims to (i) test the validity and reliability of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) for patients with heart failure (HF) and (ii) test the validity and reliability of the proxy version of the CDS assessing informal caregivers’ perception of the dependency level of individuals with HF. Methods and results Secondary data analysis was co...

Objective: To investigate basic, specific and self-care knowledge on nutrition in nursing students, through a literature review and by identifying studies that suggest teaching methodologies used to implement undergraduate nutrition teaching in nursing curricula Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Sco...

Background Palliative care is defined as active and global care that provides holistic care integrating the body, mind and spirit of the dying person. A person's health deteriorates at the end of life and nurses facilitate patients to manage their personal body care. Knowing and considering the impact of disease on individuals' lives, how they adap...

Background: Stroke is one of the main causes of death, especially when associated with malnutrition. Assessment of nutritional status in all stages of the disease is therefore mandatory to improve clinical outcomes. The aim of the study: To identify the most suitable nutritional screening tools in the acute and chronic phase of the disease. Materia...

In the dynamic landscape of contemporary healthcare, the imperative for advancing the frontiers of knowledge and improving patient outcomes necessitates a paradigm shift towards a multidisciplinary approach. This background great enhances a nurse's ability to interface with technology and create technical solutions such as robots, patient care devi...

A systematic review (SR) is a research method for synthesizing evidence on a specific topic. Among the various types of systematic reviews, there are SRs of guidelines (CPGs) and SRs of SRs. Traditionally, they are limited to just one type of secondary evidence. This paper introduces an innovative SR methodology that combines CPGs and SRs to improv...

360-degree video is a type of video defined as immersive. Unlike traditional video (2D video), the use of particular viewers (Head Mounted Display - HMD), allow to experience the feeling of being immersed in the scene. Therefore, 360-degree videos can offer a higher level of presence than traditional videos. This study aimed to evaluate the effecti...

Patients with cancer receiving infusional chemotherapy show negative symptoms such as worry about their survival, anxiety, anguish, depression, fear, magnified perception of the passage of time, and difficulty managing boredom. Patients also suffer various side effects produced by chemotherapy such as nausea, vomiting, pain, and fatigue, which, tog...

Objectives: This study aims to assess the effects of immersive Virtual Reality in people with cancer undergoing antiblastic therapy, on anxiety, fatigue and pain. Data sources: This is a randomized controlled three-arm trial. Seventy-four cancer patients were recruited from a regional hospital in Italy, and randomly allocated into three groups:...

Background/scope Stroke is one of the main causes of death, especially when associated with dysphagia. Hence, the assessment of nutritional status and aspiration risk is important to improve clinical outcomes. The aim of this systematic review is to identify which are the most suitable dysphagia screening tools in chronic post-stroke patients. Met...

The use of motivational interviewing is relatively new in multiple chronic conditions (MCCs). A scoping review was conducted according to JBI methodology to identify, map and synthesize existing evidence on the use of motivational interviewing to support self-care behavior changes in older patients with MCCs and to support their informal caregivers...

Purpose: This Systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of Virtual Reality on anxiety, fatigue and pain in patients with cancer during chemotherapy and provide evidence for decision-making in clinical practice. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cumul...

Aim: To investigate the simultaneous effects of work-related stress and job satisfaction on cardiovascular nurses' quality of work life. Background: Prior research has investigated nurses' work-related stress, job satisfaction, and quality of work life as separate aspects and not in specific nursing settings, such as cardiovascular wards. Cardio...

Objective: To investigate basic, specific and self-care knowledge on nutrition in nursing students, through a literature review and by identifying studies that suggest teaching methodologies used to implement undergraduate nutrition teaching in nursing curricula. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL,...

This meta-analysis of RCTs aimed to determine whether replacing face-to-face hospital care with telemedicine deteriorates psychosocial outcomes of adult cancer patients, in terms of quality of life (QoL), anxiety, distress, and depression. RCTs on interventions aimed at improving patient psychosocial outcomes were excluded. MEDLINE, EmBASE, and Psy...

A study found that specialized nurse-led care of patients with chronic wounds quadrupled the probability of healing and reduced the number of treatment weeks and hospital readmissions.

The management of chronic diseases requires personalized healthcare that allows older adults to manage their diseases at home. This systematic review aimed to describe the smart home technologies used in the management of chronic diseases in older people. A systematic literature review was conducted on four databases and was reported following the...

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of specialized nurse-led care of patients with chronic wounds, provided both during hospitalization and postdischarge, on wound healing and readmission rates. Methods: An unblinded randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants were patients with chronic wounds, randomly assigned to either the ex...

The incidence rate of prostate cancer (PCa) in many Western countries is high, contributing greatly to the cancer disease bur-den. In most cases, patients progress to metastatic disease defined as castration-resistant prostate cancer after androgen deprivation (mCRPC) following primary treatment where the majority of patients receive first-line new...

Nursing simulation is a teaching method that supports and integrates student learning, along with clinical training and formal teaching without overlapping or replacing them. Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most recent technologies applied to nursing simulation. The added value of VR consists precisely in the immersion and in the sense of presen...

Oral mucositis is one of the worst effects of the conditioning regimens given to patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It is characterized by dry mouth, erythema, mucosal soreness, ulcers, and pain, and it may impact patient outcomes. Bovine colostrum and Aloe vera contain a wide variety of biologically active compounds that...

Background Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating effects of toxicity due to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) conditioning regimens. The aim of this secondary analysis of the data of a phase II study designed to assess the efficacy of a novel oral care protocol containing bovine colostrum and aloe vera to prevent oral muc...

Purpose: To develop an Italian tool that measures the therapy adherence of women with breast cancer undergoing treatment with oral endocrine therapy. Methods: A two-phase study was conducted, which followed the guidelines of the European Statistical System for the development and validation of a questionnaire. In the first phase, the questionnai...

Since the pandemic began nurses were at the forefront of the crisis, assisting countless COVID-19 patients, facing unpreparedness, social and family isolation, and lack of protective equipment. Of all health professionals, nurses were those most frequently infected. Research on healthcare professionals' experience of the pandemic and how it may hav...

The COVID-19 emergency has led many health facilities to reorganize themselves in a very short time to meet the urgent needs for intensive, semi-intensive or ordinary care of SARS-CoV-2 patients. In this pandemic, characterized by speed of transmission and severity of respiratory symptoms, care has been affected by the increase in volume and clinic...

Aims and objectives: To assess the level of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related knowledge within patient and informal caregiver dyads, and to identify factors influencing the knowledge level considering the interdependence within the dyads. Background: Patients with COPD and their informal caregivers present poor disease knowled...

Background and aim of the work: Place of death and disenrollment from specialized palliative care services (SPCSs) are two aspects that determine service utilization. These aspects should be determined by patient needs and preferences, but they are often associated to patient sociodemographic or contextual characteristics. The aim of this study wa...

Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are among the main causes of injury and pain in healthcare professionals. Previous reviews provided a fragmented view of the interventions available for WMSDs. This review aims to provide a comprehensive description of interventions for preventing and reducing work-related musculoskeleta...

Background: Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating effects of toxicity due to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) conditioning regimens. The aim of this secondary analysis of the data of a phase II study designed to assess the efficacy of a novel oral care protocol containing bovine colostrum and aloe vera to prevent oral mu...

PurposeRecent research shows that major levels of psychological distress correlate with higher pain and reduced function in patients with shoulder and rotator cuff pathology. A systematic review updating a review published in 2016 was conducted to determine the degree of consistency and the strength of association between psychosocial factors and p...

Background Healthcare contexts are witnessing a growing use of applications to support clinical processes and to communicate between peers and with patients. An increasing number of hospital professionals use instant-messaging applications such as WhatsApp in their daily work. Previous research has mainly focused on the advantages and risks of What...

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most common cause of disability worldwide, affecting about 12% to 30% of the adult population. Psychological factors play an important role in the experience of pain, and may be predictive of pain persistence, disability, and long-term sick leave. The aim of this meta-analysis was to identify and to describe the...

Purpose Inpatients with cancer are likely to experience care dependency and would benefit from nurses' evaluation of such dependency. The Care Dependency Scale (CDS) is a 15-item instrument widely used to assess patients’ dependency in different populations and settings. This study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the proxy Italian vers...

Background The number of patients using palliative care services, particularly residential hospices, is increasing. Policymakers are urging these services to reflect on the most effective organizational strategies for meeting patients’ complex care needs. Aim To analyse the predictive power of staffing, structure and process indicators towards opt...

Psychosocial morbidity can have negative consequences for cancer patients, including maladaptive coping, poor treatment adherence, and lower quality of life. Evidence shows that psychosocial interventions can positively impact quality of life, as well as symptoms and side effects; however, they are not always offered to patients who might benefit f...

Objective The original Pediatric Quality of Life–Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL-MFS) developed in 2002 in the English language is a frequently used tool in paediatric oncology. It has been translated into several languages, and the aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Italian version of this scale in paediatric p...

Aim To identify, analyze and synthesize qualitative studies on caregivers’ experiences of contributions to the self-care of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Background COPD patients perform daily self-care behaviours to manage the disease. With aging and disease progression, patients need to rely on the contributions of...

Colostrum is the first secretion of mammalian glands during the early period after birth giving. Its components are biologically active and have beneficial effects on new-born growth and well-being. Bovine colostrum has the highest concentration of these substances and its supplementation or application may provide health benefits. This systematic...

Background International literature reports that nursing students feel unprepared when facing patients and families within dying care. They consider their curricula inadequate in teaching end-of-life care and promoting the attitudes required to care for dying patients. Findings of recent studies exploring nursing students’ attitudes towards care of...

Background Patient-reported data—satisfaction, preferences, outcomes and experience—are increasingly studied to provide excellent patient-centred care. In particular, healthcare professionals need to understand whether and how patient experience data can more pertinently inform the design of service delivery from a patient-centred perspective when...

Our aim is to culturally adapt the first section of the Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire (PCCQ) for use among older Italian patients with chronic diseases and to test its psychometric properties. The PCCQ was translated, adapted to the Italian context, and completed by 236 older inpatients with chronic diseases at the point of discharge thr...

Objective This multicentre study aimed to develop a measure of the perception of care dependence in patients diagnosed with cancer and to test its psychometric properties. Methods The questionnaire was developed based on findings emerged from a meta‐synthesis and from qualitative studies conducted in three hospitals in Italy. The draft questionnai...

Background and Objectives Ageism toward older adults, prevalent in contemporary societies, seems to be internalized during childhood and consolidated during adolescence. Although several instruments have been developed to measure adolescents’ ageism, they present a number of limitations. The study aimed at developing a new instrument, the Adolescen...

Aim: To explore the experiences of being discharged from hospital of older patients with chronic diseases at time of discharge. Design: Multi-centre descriptive qualitative study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with older patients with chronic diseases discharged from two Italian university hospitals, between March 2017 and...

Problem To preserve vessel health quality, nurses should proactively assess patients’ veins and analyse factors related to anatomical characteristics and the intravenous therapy plan. Although many advantages of proactive approach are acknowledged, no tool is available to evaluate variables related to peripheral vein quality and identify those pati...

Purpose To investigate the degree of concordance on fatigue assessment between children and adolescents with cancer and their parents, and its changes over time. Method Multicentre longitudinal study. Results Data from 134 dyads were analysed. The mean age of patients was 11.7 years; caregivers had a mean age of 44.1 years. Almost 90% of patients...

Background Understanding students’ experiences with regard to older adults is important for educators in developing specific educational strategies to encourage future healthcare professionals to consider the geriatric field as a career choice. Objectives The study explored Italian university healthcare students’ experiences with older people and...

Background/aim: In oncological settings, high-quality decision-making takes place when an adaptive pattern of cognitive and behavioural processes occurs, potentially limiting post-decisional regret and leading to an increment of adherence to the final decision. An example of a choice that requires a patient's involvement in the decision-making dur...

Purpose Patients with advanced cancer are likely to face increasing levels of care dependence. Adult patients who become care dependent on others can experience this condition as one of suffering and humiliation. The nurse-patient relationship plays a key role in the experience of dependence. Understanding patients’ and nurses’ perceptions of care...

Background Patients in palliative care are the population cohort that most frequently develop pressure injuries, severely impacting their quality of life. Data from prospective studies on the prevalence and incidence of pressure injuries in hospices are lacking. Aim To describe the point prevalence and cumulative incidence of pressure injuries in...

In oncology, adherence to oral antineoplastic medication is a key element of treatment, on which the success of any therapeutic intervention depends. Given their widespread use in clinical practice, it is important to identify tools that can facilitate the monitoring and self-management of the patient at home, to avoid the consequences of employing...

Objective Fatigue is one of the most debilitating and prevalent symptoms in pediatric cancer patients and it is important to know if nurses are able to recognize and manage it. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of and attitudes towards fatigue of nurses working in Italian centers of pediatric onco-hematology. Methods Cross-sec...

Background: Advanced cancer patients often die in hospital after receiving needless, aggressive treatment. Although palliative care improves symptom management, barriers to accessing palliative care services affect its utilisation, and such disparities challenge the equitable provision of palliative care. This study aimed to identify which factors...

Background: Nutrition is a basic patients' need and an important component of nursing. End-of-life cancer patients can experience difficulties in eating and drinking, sometimes requiring artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH). Nurses' knowledge and attitudes greatly influence nursing care. Nurses may lack knowledge of ANH. To date, no study has...

This review aimed to summarize existing nursing literature to provide an overview of the extent, range, and nature of nurses' involvement in artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) at the end of life and to map the key concepts underpinning nurses' involvement in ANH. A scoping review was designed following the methodological framework guidelines...

Objectives: The Care Dependency Scale is a theory-based, comprehensive tool widely used in low-intensity care settings to evaluate patients' dependency. This study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Care Dependency Scale in intensive care units. Research methodology/design: A multicentre cross-sectional validation study was conduct...

Objectives: Decision-making on artificial nutrition and hydration for patients terminally ill with cancer can be influenced by nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. A comprehensive 57-item questionnaire including six sections on the knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions in providing artificial nutrition and hydration t...

Background Patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are often hospitalised in protective isolation in order to reduce the risk of dangerous infection. However, they could experience isolation-related suffering, problems in relationships with others, and difficulties in relating to themselves. Oncology nurses might play an...

Background: In healthcare systems, human resources play a strategic role that has a significant impact on the whole caring process. When the wellbeing of professionals is low their performance decreases, counterproductive work behaviours may became more likely, and as a result the quality of care is compromised. Studies have shown that leadership...

Background: Worldwide, nursing students have reported a preference for working in intensive care, paediatrics, and operating theatres after graduation, disregarding psychiatry and geriatrics. Many factors can influence student choices. Educators need to know students' preferences and influencing factors in order to plan appropriate interventions t...

Background and purpose Stakeholder engagement is the basis of an emerging and innovative educational model called competency-based education. However, although several studies have analysed the stakeholders' perspective in nursing, few studies have analysed the stakeholders' perspective in competence-based curriculum design. Thus, the aim of this s...

Vaccine hesitancy represents an increasingly important global health issue. Nurses, together with other healthcare professionals, can play a key role in increasing vaccination uptake. The aim of this article is to analyze the main elements of positive communication styles used in vaccination campaigns and initiatives. The most important components...