A renewed recognition of the stressful nature of oncology nursing should give rise to programs that address the psychological well-being of oncology nurses. Oncology nursing leadership, recognizing the potential for stress and burnout inherent in this profession, should research and develop programs to enhance staff coping skills and mutual support.

Basic beliefs about health in north central Italy derive from an approach to the personal management of the body that is not just reactive but also proactive. This article examines a complex field of health factors in relation to historical processes and a system of medical pluralism. Rapid demographic and social changes over the past century have brought an accommodation of ancient medical beliefs to more recent germ-oriented principles. An enduring belief in the permeability of the body leads to an emphasis on moderation in personal conduct to prevent debilitation, whether by atmospheric insults, microbial infection, or modern-day miasmas such as pollution or additives in food. The idea of health itself is analyzed to show how biomedicine varies across societies and how historical processes have shaped contemporary cultural patterns and led to generational continuities and differences in beliefs and behaviors. This information may also improve interactions between patients and health care providers.

Despite a cultural and biomedical consensus about the health benefits of physical activity, most adults do not exercise regularly and their activity tends to decline further in older age. This study reports on a group of older-age Italian bicyclists who maintain extraordinary activity levels. It explores the physical and mental health effects of intensive exercise in older people, the meanings and motivations associated with it, and the cultural and social features that support and promote bicycling in Italy. The findings suggest some public health implications for the prevention of chronic diseases caused by inactivity and excessive body weight.

In our hospital, when demand for medical beds overwhelms capacity, patients are often ‘out-lied’ into other specialties beds to free up capacity. An observational study compared outcomes of patients admitted into an elderly care ward and outlier beds in our hospital over 14 days. Six weeks after completion of the initial study, inpatient geriatric services were expanded, and some medical outlier beds were incorporated into a new ward—the study was repeated on this new ward. 38, 26, and 35 patients with a mean age of 79, 85 and 80 years were admitted to the medical ward, outlier beds, and new medical ward respectively. Mean number of medications, comorbidities, female-to-male ratio, destination of discharge, and mortality was similar in all three cohorts. Mean length of stay was 23 days, 42 days, and 24 days. Three month re-admission rates were 25%, 50%, and 13%, respectively on the established medical ward, outlier beds, and new medical ward. The length of stay and re-admission rates for elderly patients in outlier beds were higher than patients on the medical ward, despite similar demographics and destination of discharge. Our data suggests that outlying elderly patients is hugely inefficient.

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