Search

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the industrialized world and a large part of stroke survivors is of working age. A very important goal for these people is to return to work after stroke as it facilitates independent living and guarantees a high level of self-esteem and life satisfaction. Aim: To find the main factors that facilitate and hinder the return to work (RTW) in people who suffered from stroke through an overview of systematic reviews. Methods: A systematic search using keywords and medical subject heading terms was conducted in January 2022, three electronic databases were searched: Medline (PubMed), Scopus and ISI Web. The articles that address the question of returning to work or maintaining employment of people of working age after stroke were included in the systematic review, as well as studies describing factors that facilitate and/or hinder RTW after stroke. Only systematic reviews written in English language were included in this overview. Results: The search revealed 180 records after removing duplicates, but only a total of 24 systematic reviews were included in the overview. This research shows that in people who have suffered from a stroke, individual abilities, socioeconomic factors, healthcare factors, and disabilities resulting from the stroke itself are the most critical factors influencing the RTW. Conclusion: Future research should focus on cognitive disabilities, as main RTW hindering factor, and vocational rehabilitation, as the more suitable factor for improving the RTW in stroke survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: At the end of 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It subsequently spread throughout China and elsewhere, becoming a global health emergency. In February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to investigate the degree of knowledge of young Italians about COVID-19 and their current attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 and to determine if there were prejudices emerging toward Chinese. Methods: An online survey was conducted on February 3, 4, 5, 2020, with the collaboration of Italian website " Skuola.net ". Young people had the opportunity to participate by answering an ad hoc questionnaire created to investigate knowledge and attitudes about the new coronavirus, using a link published on the homepage. Results: A total of 5234 responses were received, of which 3262 were females and 1972 were males. Most of the participants showed generally moderate knowledge about COVID-19. Male students, middle school students, and those who do not attend school, should increase awareness of the disease; less than half of responders say that their attitudes toward the Chinese population has worsened in the last period. Conclusions: Global awareness of this emerging infection should be increased, due to its virulence, the significant risk of mortality, and the ability of the virus to spread very quickly within the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]