https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/319 2026-04-04T19:27:04Z 2026-04-04T19:27:04Z Gomes, Lisa Cassar, Maria Bugeja, Roderick Oliveira, Inês Cainé, João Romão Veiga, Maria Augusta Pereira, Rui Chircop, Daren https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143496 2026-02-06T08:33:33Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Virtual escapes : a pedagogical strategy for developing emotional competence in nursing students Authors: Gomes, Lisa; Cassar, Maria; Bugeja, Roderick; Oliveira, Inês; Cainé, João; Romão Veiga, Maria Augusta; Pereira, Rui; Chircop, Daren Abstract: Emotional competence, the ability to manage interpersonal relationships through understanding one’s and others’ emotions, encompasses two dimensions: cognitive and behavioral. In nursing practice, the combination of these dimensions allows for better performance in highly complex clinical situations. Nursing education does not always emphasize these competences. This pilot study explored the potential of an escape room, a Serious Games (SGs) prototype with virtual reality (VR), as a pedagogical strategy for eliciting emotions in a safe learning environment. Participants’ immersion in the game provided an opportunity to identify, manage, and process emotions. Data were gathered by a questionnaire and by observation of performance. The findings revealed that participants felt various emotions (n=51) while playing the game. The least frequent reported emotions were hope, shame, and contempt. Admiration, pride, satisfaction, and fear were the most frequently reported emotions. These findings suggest that using a SGs prototype with VR as a pedagogical tool holds significant potential in emotion elicitation in a safe learning environment, implying its value as a construct of emotional competence. Further research to verify educational value is recommended.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Cassar, Maria https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143485 2026-02-06T07:03:14Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The political imperative of nurse education Authors: Cassar, Maria Abstract: Health and social care systems are inherently political (Jardin, 2001). From the allocation of limited resources to the directions related to patients' access to care and professional scope of practice of the workforce, the health environment is shaped not by clinical facts alone, but by political decisions. Yet, for too long, nursing education has perpetuated the practice of equipping graduates with clinical skills while leaving them politically limited, often mute. This omission is no longer tenable. For nursing to meet the demands of 21st-century healthcare, nurse education must critically integrate the politics of nursing into educational programmes. Determining the optimal level of delivery and identifying the appropriate experts to lead this integration are two challenges which require attention.; Sistemi zdravstvenega in socialnega varstva so inherentno politične narave (Jardin, 2001). Zdravstvenega okolja namreč ne oblikujejo le klinični podatki, temveč tudi politične odločitve, ki vključujejo razporejanje sredstev, oblikovanje smernic v zvezi z dostopom pacientov do oskrbe ter obseg profesionalne prakse zaposlenih. Izobraževanje v zdravstveni negi je predolgo poudarjalo pridobivanje kliničnih znanj diplomantov na račun razvoja njihovih političnih kompetenc. To je privedlo do politične nemoči stroke, kar ni več vzdržno. Če želi zdravstvena nega izpolniti zahteve zdravstvenega varstva 21. stoletja, mora na področju izobraževanja medicinskih sester kritično razmisliti o vključitvi politike zdravstvene nege v izobraževalne programe. Pri tem posebno pozornost zahtevata dva izziva: določitev optimalne ravni vključevanja političnih vsebin v izobraževalni proces ter iskanje ustreznih strokovnjakov za koordinacijo te integracije.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Grech, Adrienne Naamanka, Kati Mattsson, Janet Pakpour, Amir Kivelä, Suvi Cassar, Maria Manninen, Katri Circenis, Kristaps Melbārde-Kelmere, Agita Korsström, Nina Marqués-Sule, Elena Cortés-Amador, Sara Hernández-Guillén, David Poikkeus, Tarja Björling, Gunilla https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/143483 2026-02-06T06:50:38Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Psychometric properties of the ethical safety questionnaire in acute healthcare environments - a cross-sectional study Authors: Grech, Adrienne; Naamanka, Kati; Mattsson, Janet; Pakpour, Amir; Kivelä, Suvi; Cassar, Maria; Manninen, Katri; Circenis, Kristaps; Melbārde-Kelmere, Agita; Korsström, Nina; Marqués-Sule, Elena; Cortés-Amador, Sara; Hernández-Guillén, David; Poikkeus, Tarja; Björling, Gunilla Abstract: Background: Ethical safety supports the development of ethical competencies and sound decision-making, central to good healthcare practice. The Ethical Safety Questionnaire (ESQ) evaluates ethical safety in healthcare environments, based on three subscales; Ethical Autonomy, Ethical Respect, and Ethical Trust. The objective of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the ESQ in acute healthcare environments.; Methods: The domain development of the ESQ was carried out in Finland in 2019. The ESQ was translated into English, Latvian and Swedish. To determine the validity of the ESQ, a cross-sectional design was used. Data was collected from nurses and physiotherapists (n = 275) in Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Malta, using purposive sampling. The validation (in all languages) consisted of an exploratory factor analysis, Rasch analysis and network analysis. This assessed the ESQ for internal consistency and construct validity. Ethical approval was granted from all participating countries in accordance with national law and the Declaration of Helsinki.; Results: The internal consistency for the three subscales of the ESQ, Ethical Autonomy, Ethical Respect, and Ethical Trust, was satisfactory, with Cronbach’s α coefficients (> 0.7) and McDonald’s omega coefficients (> 0.7). All corrected itemtotal correlations among the items of the ESQ were high, exceeding 0.6. Thus, the ESQ exhibits acceptable levels of internal consistency and construct validity.; Conclusions: The results suggest that the ESQ is a reliable tool for evaluating ethical safety in healthcare environments. However, the two general items in the ESQ can be omitted without loss of scale validity.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Russo, Cristina Walicka, Magdalena Cohen, Gal Bellanca, Carlo Maria Geraci, Giulio Caponnetto, Pasquale Noviello, Dario Elvio Chianetta, Roberta George, Jacob Sammut, Roberta Franek, Eward Polosa, Riccardo https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142362 2025-12-19T13:11:04Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Addressing the dual challenge : managing smoking cessation in patients with diabetes Authors: Russo, Cristina; Walicka, Magdalena; Cohen, Gal; Bellanca, Carlo Maria; Geraci, Giulio; Caponnetto, Pasquale; Noviello, Dario Elvio; Chianetta, Roberta; George, Jacob; Sammut, Roberta; Franek, Eward; Polosa, Riccardo Abstract: Smoking increases complications and mortality in people with diabetes. Quitting delivers major benefits, but physiological (weight gain, insulin sensitivity shifts) and psychological barriers make cessation harder in this group. Our review article examined strategies tailored to people with diabetes. All smokers with diabetes should receive clear, personalized advice to quit, embedded in routine care. Among the available medications, varenicline has the strongest evidence in this population. Nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion may help but have limited diabetes-specific data, so they should be used with caution. Tobacco harm reduction (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products) may facilitate switching away from combustible cigarettes and reduce exposure, although the long-term safety and efficacy in diabetes remain uncertain. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists can aid weight and glycemic control and may indirectly support cessation. Digital tools (apps, wearables, and remote monitoring) offer real-time support and adherence tracking, although diabetes-specific effectiveness is still being established. Smoking cessation in people with diabetes requires urgent attention. Evidence-based interventions should be integrated into routine care, with particular attention given to early monitoring of glucose, body weight, and blood pressure after quitting, plus structured follow-up. More research should develop and test tailored, long-term strategies for this high-risk group, including pragmatic trials integrating harm reduction and digital support.

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