Health Literacy Gaps Across Language Groups: A Population-Based Assessment in Alto Adige/South Tyrol, Italy.

Health literacy is crucial for effectively navigating health systems and promoting equitable health outcomes. Multilingual and culturally dual regions present unique challenges for health communication; however, disparities in health literacy within such contexts remain insufficiently explored. This study constitutes the first population-based assessment of health literacy in Alto Adige/South Tyrol, a bilingual province in northern Italy, utilizing the validated HLS-EU-Q16 instrument.

Segmenting Preventive Health Behavior: Gender Disparities and Psychosocial Predictors in a Culturally Diverse Italian Region.

Grounded in health behavior theory, this study examined patterns of preventive health behavior in a culturally diverse, multilingual region of northern Italy using data from a representative population survey ( = 2090). Preventive behaviors were assessed using the 16-item Good Health Practices (GHP-16) scale. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified five behavioral profiles, ranging from 'Globally Low Engagers' to 'Comprehensive High Engagers'.

Correction: Wiedermann et al. Health Information Use and Trust: The Role of Health Literacy and Patient Activation in a Multilingual European Region. 2025, , 570.

In the original publication [...

Preventive Health Behavior and Readiness for Self-Management in a Multilingual Adult Population: A Representative Study from Northern Italy.

Preventive health behaviors are key to disease prevention and health system sustainability; however, population-level factors remain understudied in multilingual regions. South Tyrol, an autonomous multilingual province in Northern Italy, provides a unique setting to examine how sociodemographic and linguistic factors shape preventive behaviors. A stratified, population-representative survey of 2090 adults (aged ≥18 years) was conducted in South Tyrol in 2024.

Delirium in nursing homes and long-term care facilities: findings of a scoping review of detection tools.

Background: The detection of delirium among residents in nursing homes (NH) and long-term care (LTC) facilities remains challenging due to overlapping symptoms with dementia, limited staff training, and variability in assessment tools. This scoping review aimed to identify delirium detection tools and their properties as used for research purposes in these settings.

Methods: The methodology was guided by Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al.

Is Vaccine Uptake Related to Health Literacy? A Representative Survey in the Multilingual Region of South Tyrol, Italy.

Background/objectives: Vaccination rates in South Tyrol, Northern Italy, remain among the lowest in the country. This study investigated whether health literacy is associated with vaccine uptake in this multilingual region.

Methods: A representative cross-sectional survey ( = 2090) was conducted using the validated European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) to assess health literacy.

Health Information Mistrust Is Directly Associated with Poor Sleep Quality: Evidence from a Population-Based Study.

Background: Mistrust in professional health information may undermine population health by reducing engagement in preventive care and contributing to poorer health outcomes. Although sleep quality is a sensitive indicator of both psychosocial stress and health behavior, little is known about how mistrust influences sleep at the population level, and whether preventive health behavior mediates this relationship.

Methods: A weighted cross-sectional analysis of a representative adult sample ( = 2090) from South Tyrol, Italy was conducted.

Primary and Emergency Care Use: The Roles of Health Literacy, Patient Activation, and Sleep Quality in a Latent Profile Analysis.

Background/objectives: Healthcare utilization is a behavioral phenomenon influenced by psychosocial factors. This study took place in South Tyrol, a culturally diverse autonomous province in northern Italy, and aimed to identify latent profiles of primary healthcare users based on health literacy, patient activation, sleep quality, and service use, and to examine the sociodemographic and health-related predictors of profile membership.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a representative adult sample ( = 2090).

Real-World Implementation of PRISMA-7 and Clinical Frailty Scale for Frailty Identification and Integrated Care Activation: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Italian Primary Practice.

: Frailty screening is crucial for identifying vulnerable older adults who may benefit from interventions. However, the implementation of screening in primary care and integration into personalised care pathways remains limited. This study examined the feasibility of a two-step frailty screening approach combining PRISMA-7 and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS).

Sleep Problems and Sleep Quality in the General Adult Population Living in South Tyrol (Italy): A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

It remains unclear how sleep health has developed in the general population after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to (1) investigate the prevalence of sleep problems and poor sleep quality and (2) explore the associated sociodemographic and health-related factors in South Tyrol, Italy. A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted with a stratified probabilistic sample of 4000 adults aged ≥ 18 years.

[Multiprofessional perspectives on intersectoral collaboration for the prevention of postoperative delirium in older patients-A qualitative study].

Background: The prevention of postoperative delirium (POD) in older adults requires interprofessional collaboration among all healthcare professionals (HCP) involved in the continuum of care.

Objective: This study investigated the question of how HCPs experience the interprofessional prevention of POD in older adults within the continuum of care. Additionally, it examined the challenges and desired changes in the intersectoral communication and collaboration for prevention of POD.

Health Information Use and Trust: The Role of Health Literacy and Patient Activation in a Multilingual European Region.

The acquisition of reliable health information plays a pivotal role in shaping informed decision-making and health-related behaviours. This investigation examined the factors influencing health information use and trust in health information sources among the adult population in South Tyrol, Italy, employing a population-based cross-sectional survey ( = 2090). Descriptive analyses revealed sociodemographic disparities, with younger individuals and those with higher educational attainment demonstrating increased engagement with digital sources, while older adults and those with lower educational levels exhibited a greater reliance on traditional media and healthcare professionals.

Sex Bias in Frailty Screening: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of PRISMA-7 and the Clinical Frailty Scale in Primary Care.

: Frailty screening is essential in primary care for the early identification of vulnerable older adults. PRISMA-7 is a widely used screening tool, but Item 2 ("Are you male?") introduces potential sex bias and overestimates frailty in men. PRISMA-6, a modified version that excludes Item 2, might provide a more equitable alternative.

Distinct Regional Pattern of Sedative Psychotropic Drug Use in South Tyrol: A Comparison with National Trends in Italy.

This study investigated regional variations in the use of sedative psychotropic medications, often prescribed for insomnia, by comparing Italy and the culturally distinct Autonomous Province of Bolzano, South Tyrol. Using daily defined dose (DDD) data per 1000 inhabitants per day, benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, sedative antidepressants, and melatonin consumption from 2019 to 2023 were examined. The findings indicate a notably lower utilization of benzodiazepines in South Tyrol compared to the national Italian average, alongside a significant increase in sedative antidepressant use, particularly mirtazapine.

Assessing delirium knowledge among health care professionals: findings from a scoping review.

Background: Delirium is highly prevalent among older adults in various healthcare settings. Healthcare professionals' knowledge is crucial for preventing, recognizing, and managing delirium and delirium-related adverse outcomes. Despite its importance, little is known about how delirium knowledge is assessed.

Comparing the PRISMA-7 and a Modified Version (PRISMA-6) for Frailty Screening: Addressing Sex Bias in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Frailty screening facilitates the identification of older adults at risk of adverse health outcomes. The Program of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy 7 (PRISMA-7) is a widely utilised frailty tool; however, concerns regarding its potential sex bias persist due to item 2, which assigns a frailty point for male sex. This study compared the PRISMA-7 with a modified version, the PRISMA-6 (excluding item 2), to assess their suitability for frailty screening in South Tyrol, Italy.

Examining South Tyrol's Experience: Digital Health Adoption and Workforce Issues in Implementing Italy's Primary Care Reform Under Ministerial Decree No. 77/2022.

Ministerial Decree (D.M.) 77/2022 aims to reform Italy's primary care system by establishing community health centres and integrating digital tools to address healthcare access disparities and workforce shortages.

Nursing home staff's experiences with the implementation of an automated blister packaging system for solid, orally ingestible drugs: a qualitative study in Northern Italy.

Objectives: To explore nursing home (NH) staff's experiences implementing an automated blister packaging system for solid, orally ingestible drugs.

Design: This was a descriptive qualitative study. Semistructured interviews were used for data collection, and qualitative content analysis was applied for data analysis.

Social, health and lifestyle-related determinants of older adults' preferences for place of death in South Tyrol, Italy - a cross-sectional survey study.

Background: As the global aging population expands, understanding older adults' preferences for place of death becomes pivotal in ensuring person-centered end-of-life care.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle-related factors on end-of-life care preferences of older adults in South Tyrol, Italy.

Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design, a population-based survey was conducted with a stratified probabilistic sample of adults aged ≥ 75 years in South Tyrol (Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen, Italy).

Characteristics and Activities of Nurses in Expanded Roles Employed in Swiss Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: As the number of nursing home residents with multiple healthcare needs grows, the demand for nursing expertise increases. The implementation of new care models involving nurses with expanded roles is crucial for ensuring quality care in nursing homes.

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics and activities of nurses employed in nursing homes in expanded roles and the factors associated with variation in the activities performed.

Community-Dwelling Older Adults' Readiness for Adopting Digital Health Technologies: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Background: Digital health technologies offer the potential to improve the daily lives of older adults, maintain their health efficiently, and allow aging in place. Despite increasing evidence of benefits and advantages, readiness for adopting digital interventions among older people remains underexplored.

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationships between sociodemographic-, health-, and lifestyle-related factors and technology use in everyday life and community-dwelling older adults' readiness to adopt telemedicine, smartphones with texting apps, wearables, and robotics.

[Prevention of Post-operative Delirium].

Postoperative delirium (POD) is an adverse but often preventable complication of surgery and surgery-related anaesthesia, and increasingly prevalent. This article provides an overview on non-pharmacological preventive measures, divided into individualized and non-individualized measures. Non-individualized measures, such as the most minimally invasive surgical procedure, avoidance of unnecessary fasting before surgery, and the most tolerable anaesthesia are used to minimize the risk of POD in all patients.

Nursing care left undone in psychiatric hospitals and its association with nurse staffing: A cross-sectional multi-centre study in Switzerland.

Introduction: Nursing care left undone occurs when nurses omit activities because of resource shortfalls. Higher levels of nursing care left undone are associated with worse nurse staffing and organizational factors. Plentiful evidence from acute, long-term and community care supports such associations; however, mental healthcare settings are under-studied.

Distinct smell and taste disorder phenotype of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae.

Purpose: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) commonly accompanies coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the kinetics of OD resolution following SARS-CoV-2 infection (wild-type and alpha variant) and its impact on quality of life, physical and mental health.

Methods: OD prevalence was assessed in an ambulatory COVID-19 survey (n = 906, ≥ 90 days follow-up) and an observational cohort of ambulatory and hospitalized individuals (n = 108, 360 days follow-up).

Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Interplay of Age, Gender, and Mental Health Outcomes in Two Consecutive Cross-Sectional Surveys in Northern Italy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the development of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health among adolescents in Northern Italy by comparing cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022, with a particular focus on the influence of age and gender. The sample included adolescents aged 11-19 years from public schools in South Tyrol.