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Background and Purpose: Perceptions toward nursing diagnosis (ND) may represent core drivers of its adoption within clinical practice. Few studies have investigated perceptions toward ND within nursing academic contexts. The study was conducted to validate the Italian version of the Minnesota Nurses' Perceptions of Nursing Diagnoses (MNPND) scale on a sample of Italian nursing students and explore the psychometric structure of perceptions in a sample drawn from this population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with an online self-administered questionnaire was used. The study used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: A three-factorstructure was obtained from parallel analysis and EFA. This was confirmed using CFA; fit statistics: MLRχ² (132) = 230.150, p <. 001; CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.05 [90% CI = 0.041–0.064]; SRMR = 0.056). Conclusions: The MNPND scale is a useful instrument to measure nursing students' perceptions of ND [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To describe a research protocol designed to formulate a conceptual framework of informal caregiver resilience in palliative care. Background Resilience is the ability to adapt or to improve one's own conditions following experiences of adversity. The end-of-life care provided by informal caregivers is a form of adversity because it entails objective difficulties, emotional involvement and deep levels of introspection that have been stimulated by the death event. Resilience has not yet been addressed in association with end-of-life care. Design This is a multicentre cross-sectional study. Methods We will administer a questionnaire to a sample of informal end-of-life caregivers to collect data about the main psychological, behavioural and healthcare factors that impact resilience. Data analysis will include descriptive and correlational statistical techniques, multiple linear regressions and structural equation modelling. Data will be collected in multiple palliative care centres and statistical analysis will be carried out using software: SPSS version 19.0 and MPlus version 7.3. The study is supported by a grant from the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship in Italy (Research Grant number 2.13.10) that was awarded in March 2013. Discussion The study seeks to identify the predictive, mediating and moderating roles of select variables: caregivers' self-efficacy, burdens of caregiving, depression and resilience. The results of this analysis will impact the theoretical study of resilience in palliative care and will have practical implications for interventions aimed at supporting caregivers through healthcare teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are contagious in couples. The purpose of this study was to analyze the manner in which adults with chronic heart failure (HF) and their informal caregivers influence each other’s self-care behavior and quality of life (QOL). A sample of 138 HF patients and spouses was enrolled from ambulatory centers across Italy. The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used to analyze dyadic data obtained with the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI), the Caregivers Contribution to the SCHFI, and the Short Form 12. Both actor and partner effects were found. Higher self-care was related to lower physical QOL in patients and caregivers. Higher self-care maintenance in patients was associated with better mental QOL in caregivers. In caregivers, confidence in the ability to support patients in self-care was associated with improved caregivers’ mental QOL, but worsened physical QOL in patients. Interventions that build the caregivers’ confidence are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim To test the situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care with structural equation modelling. Background Several authors have proposed theories on heart failure self-care, but only the situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care by Riegel and Dickson is focused on the process that patients use to perform self-care. This theory has never been tested with structural equation modelling. Design A secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study. Methods Patients with heart failure were recruited in 21 cardiovascular centres across Italy during 2011. Data were collected with a sociodemographic questionnaire, chart abstraction for clinical data and the Self- Care of Heart Failure Index v.6·2. Results A sample of 417 participants was enrolled in the study (59% males, mean age 72 years). The following propositions were tested and supported: Symptom monitoring correlates with treatment adherence; symptom monitoring and treatment adherence have a direct, positive relationship with symptom recognition and evaluation that in turn have a direct, positive relationship with treatment implementation; treatment implementation has a direct, positive relationship with treatment evaluation. In addition, the following three relationships were found: Symptom monitoring has a direct, positive relationship with treatment implementation; symptom recognition and evaluation have direct, positive relationships with treatment evaluation and symptom monitoring correlates with treatment evaluation. [Correction added on 9th April 2013, after first online publication: '...symptom monitoring correlates with treatment implementation.' has been corrected to read '...symptom monitoring correlates with treatment evaluation.'] Conclusion The data support the situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care with the addition of three new relationships that emerged from the analysis. Results of this study lend further support to the use of the situation-specific theory of heart failure self-care in research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]