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Nursing home (NH) residents are vulnerable subjects and highly susceptible to adverse events. Knowledge of patient safety culture (PSC) is essential for an organization to ensure patient safety. However, research on PSC in NHs, and its variability among staff, is still scarce. This study aimed to explore whether and how PSC differed among NH staff (Managers, Nurses, Direct Care Staff, Support Staff, Administrative Staff and Other Providers) in the Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy. This study employed a cross-sectional design and collected data from 1145 NH providers using the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture (NHSPSC). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models, with each of the 12 NHSPSC domains as a response variable. The majority of the respondents (61.6%) were Direct Care Staff members. 'Feedback and Communication about Incidents' and 'Overall Perceptions of Resident Safety' were the domains with the highest proportions of positive answers (PPAs). For most staff categories, 'Staffing' was the domain with the lowest PPA. Support Staff showed significantly lower scores in the majority of domains (8/12). Shorter job tenure, fewer weekly working hours, working mostly during the day and working in highly specialized areas were associated with higher scores in several domains. Interventions to improve PSC must consider the differences between professional groups. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between job-related features and perceptions of patient safety among NH workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) in respiratory diseases has been generally investigated in clinical settings, focusing on a single disorder. In this study on a general population sample, we assessed the relationship between HRQL and several respiratory diseases studied simultaneously (COPD, current (CA) and past (PA) asthma, allergic (AR) and non-allergic (NAR) rhinitis and chronic bronchitis (CB).Methods: Controls (n = 328) and cases of NAR (n = 95), AR (n = 163), CB (n = 48), CA (n = 224), PA (n = 126) and COPD (n = 28) were recruited in the centre of Verona in the frame of the Italian multi-case control GEIRD (Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases) study; HRQL was measured through the SF-36 questionnaire. The relationships between HRQL (in terms of Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Scores (MCS)), respiratory diseases, and covariates were evaluated.Results: With respect to controls, the adjusted PCS median score was worse in subjects suffering from current asthma (- 1.7; 95%CI:-2.8;-0.6), CB (- 3.8; 95%CI:-5.7;-1.9), and COPD (- 5.6; 95%CI:-8.1;-3.1). MCS was worse in current asthmatics (- 2.2; 95%CI:-4.1;-0.3), CB (- 5.5; 95%CI:-8.7;-2.2), and COPD cases (- 4.6; 95%CI:-8.8;-0.5) as well.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study in the general population that analyzed HRQL performing a simultaneous comparison of HRLQ in several respiratory disorders. We found that subjects suffering from COPD, CA, and CB had the poorest HRQL. Clinicians should carefully consider the possible impact of respiratory disorders as CB and not only that of CA and COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse the associations between chronic respiratory diseases and intakes of total flavonoids and their major subclasses (flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavones, polymers and proanthocyanidins)., Design: Multi-case-control study., Setting: The analysis was conducted in the frame of the Genes Environment Interaction in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) study. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition FFQ was used to ascertain dietary intake. Multinomial regression models adjusting for age, sex, centre, BMI, smoking habit, alcohol intake, education, total energy intake, vitamin C intake and total fruit intake were used to examine the associations between dietary exposures and the relative risk ratio (RRR) of being a case., Participants: Individuals (n 990) hierarchically defined as follows: cases with asthma (current, n 159; past, n 78), chronic bronchitis (n 47), rhinitis (allergic rhinitis, n 167; non-allergic rhinitis, n 142) and controls (n 97)., Results: An increase of 1 sd in flavanones was associated with a reduced risk of non-allergic rhinitis (adjusted RRR = 0·68, 95 % CI 0·47, 0·97); a similar result was found comparing the highest v. lowest quartile of flavanones intake (adjusted RRR = 0·24, 95 % CI 0·10, 0·59)., Conclusions: Flavonoids contained in fruits and vegetables, especially flavanones, might reduce the risk of non-allergic rhinitis. No associations were found between other flavonoids and the considered outcomes.

Background: Fat intake has been associated with respiratory diseases, with conflicting results., Objective: We studied the association between asthma and rhinitis with dietary fats, and their food sources in an Italian population., Methods: Clinical and nutritional information was collected for 871 subjects (aged 20-84) from the population-based multi-case-control study Genes Environment Interaction in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD): 145 with current asthma (CA), 77 with past asthma (PA), 305 with rhinitis and 344 controls. Food intake was collected using the EPIC (European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) Food Frequency Questionnaire. The associations between fats and respiratory diseases were estimated by multinomial models. Fats and their dietary sources were analysed both as continuous variables and as quartiles., Results: Monounsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid were associated with a reduced risk of CA in both continuous (RRR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.48; 0.96; RRR = 0.69; 95%CI: 0.49; 0.97, per 10 g, respectively) and per-quartile analyses (p for trend = 0.028 and 0.024, respectively). Olive oil was associated with a decreased risk of CA (RRR = 0.80; 95%CI: 0.65; 0.98 per 10 g). An increased risk of rhinitis was associated with moderate total fat and SFA intake., Conclusions: High dietary intakes of oleic acid and of olive oil are associated with a lower risk of asthma but not of rhinitis., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)