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Objective. The progressive demographic increase of the ageing population, with a consequent increase in the average age, is generating important growth in the demand for healthcare services due to the revolving- door and over-crowding phenomena. The aim of this study is to identify the degree of the frailty of the elderly population and the need to activate periodical home assistance in order to counter the aforementioned phenomena. Methods. A pilot study for adaptation of the SvaMa scale. Results. The study recruited an overall sample of n = 80, aged between 65 and 100 years old. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis, and the Spearman rank correlation coefficient highlights a strong correlation between the different sections of this scale. The data were also analyzed using the Partitioning Around Medoids method, which found that the sample had a good cognitive state but presented functional and mobility issues.Conclusions. From the data that emerged, we can affirm that the modified S.Va.M.A. scale represents a suitable, fluid, simple instrument to be used whenever a multidimensional assessment of elderly people is necessary.

Cognitive impairment and dementia can negatively impact the nutritional capacities of older people. Malnutrition is common in hospitalized frail elderly people with cognitive impairment and negatively affects prognosis. Malnutrition worsens the quality of life and increases morbidity and mortality. This scoping review aimed to identify factors affecting the risk of malnutrition and preventive strategies in hospitalized patients with cognitive impairment, focusing on nursing interventions. The authors researched population, context, and concept in international databases of nursing interest. Full texts that met the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed. The extracted data were subject to thematic analysis. A five-stage approach, already reported in the scientific literature, was utilized in the following scoping review. Of 638 articles yielded, 9 were included. Two focus areas were identified as follows: (1) prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in older patients with cognitive decline; (2) nursing strategies used to enhance clinical outcomes. Nursing health interventions aim to recognize and reduce malnutrition risk, positively impacting this phenomenon. A multidisciplinary team is essential to meet the nutritional needs of these patients.

BACKGROUND Hospitalized children with complex treatment plans risk medication errors (ME) after discharge. Whereas ample information describes ME in children or in mixed populations including pediatric and adult populations discharged from hospital to community settings with acute or chronic diseases, ME are still a major concern in children and adolescents with chronic diseases discharged home. OBJECTIVE To promote home medication safety, we trained parents of children discharged with chronic diseases to record ME with a tailored cell-phone eHealth app. METHODS In a one-year prospective study, we used the app to monitor ME in patients with chronic diseases discharged home from a tertiary hospital in Rome, Italy. Univariate and multivariate analyses detected the ME incidence rate ratio (IRR). RESULTS Of the 310 parents enrolled, 194 used the app. The 41 ME involved all drug-management phases. The ME IRR was 0.46 errors per child. Children CONCLUSIONS The highest ME risk at home involves children with chronic diseases < 1-year. A significant ME IRR at home concerns children with heart diseases of any age. Parents find a tailored eHealth app for monitoring and reporting ME at home easy to use. At discharge, clinical teams need to identify age-related and disease-residual risks to target additional actions for monitoring ME thus increasing medication safety at home.

Medication errors are defined as “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.” Such errors account for 30 to 50 percent of all errors in health care. The literature is replete with systematic reviews of medication errors, with a considerable number of studies focusing on systems and strategies to prevent errors in intensive care units, where these errors occur more frequently; however, to date, there appears to be no study that encapsulates and analyzes the various strategies. The aim of this study is to identify the main strategies and interventions for preventing medication errors in intensive care units through an umbrella review. The search was conducted on the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus; it was completed in November 2020. Seven systematic reviews were included in this review, with a total of 47 studies selected. All reviews aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single intervention or a combination of interventions and strategies to prevent and reduce medication errors. Analysis of the results that emerged identified two macro-areas for the prevention of medication errors: systems and processes. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of adopting an integrated system of interventions in order to protect the system from harm and contain the negative consequences of errors.