The purpose of this study was to show the different components of spirituality in the last few weeks of life for advanced cancer patients admitted to hospice and to evaluate quality of life (QoL), pain, anxiety, depression and psychological adjustment to cancer. One hundred and fifteen patients were interviewed with a series of rating scales: the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Spiritual Well-Being Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale for pain, the Brief Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale - General Measure. Workers and single patients with higher education level showed a worse QoL. Moreover, anxiety and pain were negatively associated with QoL, while spirituality and 'Instrumental Support' coping style were positively associated with QoL. In the Italian sample, it was observed that when patients are close to death, faith is a more important component of spirituality than meaning/peace. This study confirms that QoL could be related to physical and psychological symptoms, and this reiterates the importance of faith in end-of-life care.

Background: Extensive research indicated that nursing students at the end of their curricula feel unprepared to care for the dying. Therefore, studies on nursing students' attitudes to caring for dying patients play a key role in nursing education, and the FATCOD-B scale is the only tool that specifically evaluates them. Methods:A cross-sectional study design was used. During 2013, the FATCOD-B scale was administered to a sample of 82 nursing students. Descriptive statistics, the Student's t-test, Cronbach's alpha and principal components analysis were used in data analyses. Results:Italian nursing students' scores on the FATCOD-B scale seemed to be lower than literature evidence on sums of ratings; however, mean ratings revealed similar levels of attitudes to the dying. Gender and personal experience with dying persons were not predictors of FATCOD-B scores. Internal consistency of the FATCOD-B scale was not satisfactory. Principal component analysis found a four-factor questionable solution for the FATCOD-B scale. Conclusions:Findings from the present study suggest a need for end-of-life care nursing education in Italy. The preliminary results concerning the psychometrics of the scale suggest that the Italian version of the FATCOD-B could be in need of revision. The implications for practice are discussed.

Medical educators agree that empathy is essential for physicians’ professionalism and most studies on the patient-physician relationship demonstrate that this attitude has a key role in improving clinical outcomes. Literature findings show conflicting views in defining and measuring empathy. Nevertheless, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) is a psychometric tool now widely used. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine psychometrics and confirm factor structure of the Italian version of the JSE in Italian medical students (JSE S-Version). During 2012, 257 second-year Italian medical students completed the JSE S-Version. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor structure. The Italian JSE S-Version showed an acceptable internal consistency (r = 0.76) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.72). Confirmatory factor analysis found that the factor structure proposed by the developers of the tool provides an acceptable data fit. In this sample, female medical students showed a higher mean empathy score than did males. The present study provides evidence confirming the structural validity and reliability for the Italian JSE S-Version. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore cross-cultural differences and their implications.

Our results suggest that the FATCOD-B measures a two-dimensional construct and that only its first dimension is a robust measurement tool for use in medical education to evaluate undergraduates' attitudes about caring for the dying.

Background: Family caregivers of COVID-19 inpatients are exposed to multiple sources of distress. These include not only losing friends, colleagues and members of the family, but also the fear of possible losses in sociality, finances and, impoverished communication with sick family members and health care providers. Objective: This study describes the psychological experience of COVID-19 inpatient family caregivers to highlight the main sources of distress, issues, concerns and unmet needs. Methods: Two focus groups were independently organized with COVID-19 inpatient family caregivers and health care personnel of COVID-19 wards in order to highlight family caregivers’ practical and psychological burden and related needs. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: Family caregivers mentioned they needed more information about the patient’s condition with more attention being paid to their own emotional state. Feelings of impotence, concerns about how to deal with patient’s discharge, significant psychological distress, and anxiety were frequently reported by study participants. Conclusion: Study findings suggest the need to strengthen the assistance of COVID-19 patient family caregivers. In the pandemic scenario, family caregivers might represent a crucial resource, which can guarantee rapid discharges, support home health care and thus relieve pressure on hospital systems.