Specific characteristics of shift-work nurses can directly affect sleep quality and burnout and indirectly job performance. This evidence offers healthcare administrators opportunities to intervene with measures to promote nurse's health, well-being and safety.

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ObjectiveThe purpose was to analyse the effectiveness of high-fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) based on life-threatening clinical condition scenarios on undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students’ learning outcomes.DesignA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and its reporting was checked against the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist.Data sourcesPubMed, Scopus, CINAHL with Full Text, Wiley Online Library and Web of Science were searched until July 2017. Author contact, reference and citation lists were checked to obtain additional references.Study selectionTo be included, available full-texts had to be published in English, French, Spanish or Italian and (a) involved undergraduate or postgraduate nursing students performing HFPS based on life-threatening clinical condition scenarios, (b) contained control groups not tested on the HFPS before the intervention, (c) contained data measuring learning outcomes such as performance, knowledge, self-confidence, self-efficacy or satisfaction measured just after the simulation session and (d) reported data for meta-analytic synthesis.Review methodThree independent raters screened the retrieved studies using a coding protocol to extract data in accordance with inclusion criteria.Synthesis methodFor each study, outcome data were synthesised using meta-analytic procedures based on random-effect model and computing effect sizes by Cohen’s d with a 95% CI.ResultsThirty-three studies were included. HFPS sessions showed significantly larger effects sizes for knowledge (d=0.49, 95% CI [0.17 to 0.81]) and performance (d=0.50, 95% CI [0.19 to 0.81]) when compared with any other teaching method. Significant heterogeneity among studies was detected.ConclusionsCompared with other teaching methods, HFPS revealed higher effects sizes on nursing students’ knowledge and performance. Further studies are required to explore its effectiveness in improving nursing students’ competence and patient outcomes.

Background Following the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education (DE) replaced traditional “face-to-face” teaching and has become the main method of teaching. The aim of this study was to 1) evaluate the impact of DE by teachers in our department during the second semester of the 2019–20 academic year following the March–May 2020 Italian national lockdown and 2) evaluate the relationship between DE and the emotional well-being of teachers during the period of home confinement. Methods Ninety-seven university teachers (51.5% women; most represented age group 60–69 years range, 40.2%) responded to an anonymous online cross-sectional survey between July 15 – September 30, 2020, on the advantages and disadvantages of DE, developed by one online teacher focus group. The emotional conditions were assessed by a short version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The internal consistency reliability survey and the 10-item BDI-II were measured by Cronbach’s alpha. A correlation analysis (r-Pearson) was conducted between the overall evaluation of the experience of DE and the variables included in the study. Results Teachers reported difficulties in technical aspects, and in psychological factors, as the discomfort of “speaking in the void” (64.7%). The absence of “face-to-face” eye contact with the students was complained by 81% of teachers. Significant impairments in sleep patterns and loss of energy were reported, with female teachers having greater difficulty concentrating than their male colleagues. A quarter of teachers showed depressive symptoms of varying severity. The most satisfied teachers were those most stimulated by DE (r = 0.752, p < 0.000), who showed a lower impact of depressive symptoms (r = − 0.289, p = 0.005). The teaching load in hours influenced the perception of disadvantages (r = 0.214, p = 0.035) and contributed to a lower appreciation of the challenges of DE. The more significant the manifestation of depressive symptoms during the lockdown was, the greater the subjective recovery of a good emotional condition once the domestic confinement was over (r = 0.344, p = 0.001), despite maintaining DE. Conclusions Our study highlights the impact of technical, didactic, and psychological difficulties of DE, reported by our teachers. The appreciation of their new learning promoted by DE seemed related to better emotional well-being of university teachers accepting this “challenge” in their important role in the high-education system, influencing good learning and promoting students’ professional success.

Acupuncture in association with enhanced self-care is an effective integrative intervention for managing hot flashes and improving quality of life in women with breast cancer.