Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Background Caregivers of patients load different kinds of burdens, including emotional distress. Aims of this study were to evaluate both burden and empathy of caregivers who assist patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Methods We selected a sample of 60 caregivers (34 women and 26 men), who assisted patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated in our local Community Mental Health Center for a 1-year minimum period. We administered two scales to our sample, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), and collected data of caregivers and their assisted patients in a 3-month period. Data were statistically analyzed. Results We reported a mean ZBI score of 49.68 (±15.03 SD) and a mean BEES score of 14.35 (±9.05 SD), indicating the perception of moderate-severe burden and low level of empathy, respectively. The analysis of internal consistency confirmed the good reliability of both ZBI (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90) and BEES (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.77). The correlation between the two scales was not statistically significant at Spearman test. At our multiple linear regression, many variables of both caregiver and patient showed a significant correlation with the ZBI score. In particular, not living with the assisted patient and female gender of caregiver potentially decreased the burden, whereas clinical severity of assisted patient and two caregiver conditions, middle school education and spouse relationship with patient, could worsen the burden. We highlighted two positive statistically significant correlations between the total score of BEES and caregiver characteristics: being spouse and not living with assisted patient. Conclusions Our study highlights that the caregiver burden of patients with severe psychiatric disorders is high and is associated with low emotional empathy experienced by caregivers, probably due to a defensive psychological mechanism. The conditions of spouse and cohabitation can concomitantly increase both empathy and burden in caregivers.

Background: interprofessional simulation appears to be effective training for nursing students, yet many questions remain about its feasibility, acceptability and efficacy in improving students’ collaborative attitudes. Study design and participants: the aim of this quasi-experimental study, with a mixed-methods approach, was to evaluate changes in interprofessional collaborative attitudes after a training session based on an interprofessional high-fidelity patient simulation (IHFPS). The sample was composed of students attending the 2nd and 3rd year of the Nursing Degree Program and residents of the Anaesthesia Residency Program at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 2019. Methods: nursing students and residents were grouped into small interprofessional teams and participated in an IHFPS focused on acute care. To measure interprofessional collaboration attitude, the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) were administered to nursing students. They completed a post-test to investigate their satisfaction with IHFPS and they replied to open-ended statements. Results and conclusions: 204 nursing students completed both the pre- and post-test surveys. Our results suggested that an IHFPS, with small teams of nursing students and residents, improved interprofessional collaborative attitudes of nursing students. We reported a statistically significant improvement in three factors of JSAPNC and in the RIPLS, which showed the positive effects of this experience on many collaborative skills. The students expressed high satisfaction with the training conducted in a realistic and safe setting, which improved their awareness of working in an effective multidisciplinary team.