Leadership in Public Health: an Italian learning experience

Abstract Background The “Public Health Leadership” Working Group of Italian Society of Public Health (S.It.I.) organized a two-days Workshop in Verona in January 2020. Leadership is linked to capacity of inspiring people to craft and achieve vision and goals, to provide mentoring, coaching and recognition and to encouragement empowerment, allowing other leaders to emerge and high quality of care. As in others country, in Italy investing in new generations is fundamental and far-sighted to create Leadership culture in tomorrow's professionals. Objectives The Workshop aim was to immerse Public Health residents into Health Leadership. Two types of practical/interactive experiences (Design thin…

Tobacco use among medical students in Europe: results of a multicentre study using the Global Health Professions Student Survey

Objective: To examine smoking prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among university students attending European medical schools using the Global Health Professional Students Survey approach. Methods: A cross-country, cross-sectional study was performed among 12 medical schools in four countries in Europe (Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain). The survey was performed during the second semester of the third year of study from March to May 2009. Results: In total, 2249 subjects entered the study (overall response rate 92%). The overall prevalence of smoking among medical students was 29.3% (95% confidence interval 28.1-34.7), with percentages ranging from 28% in Ge…

Health Tecnology Assessment: bisogni formativi teorici e pratici nelle Scuole di Specializzazione in Igiene e Medicina Preventiva

Objective: The aim of our study was to perform a survey of Italian graduate students (medical doctors) attending Public Health Schools, in order to assess the importance and training needs concerning Health Technology Assessment (HTA) during their public health postgraduate education. Methods: In July 2010, we sent by e-mail a questionnaire to all graduate medical students attending Public Health Schools from four Italian Regions (representing Northern, Center and Southern Italy). The questionnaire included two sections: 1) knowledge on HTA; 2) assessment of the importance of HTA training during academic public health education. Main results: Eighty-two Public Health graduate students from …

Pregnancy and internet: sociodemographic and geographic differences in e-health practice. Results from an Italian multicenter study

Since the new millennium, the number of e-health users has significantly increased. Among these, a particular category of people who are interested by this phenomenon is the one of pregnant women. The aim of the present study is to assess the sociodemographic and geographic differences existing in a sample of Italian pregnant women who search for information on the web.Multicenter cross-sectional survey.The present study has been conducted from November 2011 to September 2012, in seven Italian cities, located in the North, in the Centre and in the South of Italy. Data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire, administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments by trained medica…

Stress in Medical Students: PRIMES, an Italian, Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Medical students (MSs) are healthcare workers and must also cope with education-related stressors. This study aims to assess factors associated with perceived stress in Italian MSs. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 Italian medical schools (MSCs) in November 2018. A questionnaire assessed socio-demographic characteristics, habits, opinions about MSC, and concerns about the future. Stress was assessed with the PSS-10. Descriptive and univariable tests were performed. A linear model was fitted to find associations of the PSS-10 score with characteristics. There were 2513 collected questionnaires. Median PSS-10 score was 18 (IQR 11). Median age was 22 (IQR 4) and 61% of the sample wa…

Integrazione fra prevenzione primaria e secondaria del tumore della cervice uterina: le prospettive dei medici e delle madri delle vaccinande nei risultati di uno studio multicentrico italiano

A multicenter study on the appropriateness of hospitalization in obstetric wards: application of Obstetric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (Obstetric AEP)

The cross-sectional study has been based on the implementation of the Obstetric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (OAEP) in seven hospitals to determine inappropriate hospital admissions and days of stay. The outcomes were: inappropriateness of admission and "percentage of inappropriateness" for one hospitalization. A total number of 2196 clinical records were reviewed. The mean percentage of inappropriateness for hospitalization was 22%. The percentage of inappropriateness for the first 10 d of hospitalization peaked in correspondence of the fourth (42%). The logistic regression model on inappropriated admission reported that emergency admission was a protective factor (OR = 0.4) and to …

Knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics in the paediatric age group: a multicenter survey in Italy

Background : The misuse of antibiotics is one of the leading causes of antibiotic resistance. Paediatric patients are highly involved in this issue, as they are those who receive the largest amount of prescriptions of these drugs. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the general knowledge regarding the use of antibiotics, as well as the attitudes related to the administration of these drugs to children, amongst parents of children in the paediatric age-group. Methods : In 2014, a multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted amongst parents of children aged 0–14. A questionnaire made up of 33 items was administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments. Multivariable logistic r…

Which are the communication styles of anti-tobacco spots that most impress adolescents?

Abstract Objectives To evaluate emotions and opinions of Italian adolescents aged 13-18 years old about different anti-tobacco spots delivered by the mass media campaigns over the world. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted. Italian students from different regions were enrolled. A video that collected 7 anti-tobacco spots from all over the world. The spots describe the tobacco dependence, the health damages and the tobacco components using different communication styles (funny, scientific, dramatic, comedians, shocking, and sad). Information on age, gender, smoking status of family and peers were gathered. Descriptive and univariate analysis of emotional and cognitive r…

Tobacco use prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among medical students: results of a pilot study of Global Health Professions Students Survey (GHPSS) in Italy

Aim The aims of this study were to examine tobacco use prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among students attending Italian medical schools using the Global Health Professions Student Survey approach and to identify possible factors associated with smoking status. Subjects and Methods A multicentre cross-sectional pilot study was carried out in five Italian Schools of Medicine from March to April 2009. Questionnaires were administered in anonymous, voluntary and self-administered form to third year students attending medical schools. The outcome measure was “being a current smoker”. A logistic regression was used to evaluate possible factors associated with s…

Prevalence of depressive symptoms among Italian medical students: The multicentre cross-sectional "PRIMES" study.

Background Four percent of the world’s population suffers from depression, which is a major public health issue. Medical students are at risk, as their depressive symptoms (DS) prevalence is reported to be approximately 27% worldwide. Since few data on Italian medical students exist, this study aimed to estimate their DS prevalence and assess risk and protective factors. Methods The PRIMES was a multicentre cross-sectional study performed in 12 Italian medical schools. Questionnaires were self-reported and included 30 sociodemographic items and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The primary outcome was the presence of DS (BDI-II score≥14). The main analyses were chi-squared tests an…