Tag: Healthcare provider

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Perceptions of mental health services among informal caregivers in Sardinia, Italy, during the post-pandemic crisis of the national health system: a comparative study between 2024 and 2025

BackgroundItaly’s community-based mental health model, grounded in Law 180, has long been regarded as a global example of rights-oriented psychiatric reform. However, recent years have witnessed a crisis in the national health system, marked by chronic and progressively accumulating underfunding, workforce shortages, and organizational strain, rather than a single acute disruption. This s/tudy compares two samples of informal caregivers of individuals receiving mental health care in Sardinia (2024 vs. 2025) to explore differences in their perceptions of service quality, organizational well-being, and respect for human rights.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used to compare independent caregiver samples (2024: n = 100; 2025: n = 74). Participants completed the Well-Being at Work and Respect for Human Rights Questionnaire (WWRR), which assesses satisfaction with care, perceptions of organizational quality, and respect for users’ and staff’s rights. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and chi-square tests.ResultsCaregivers in 2025 reported significantly higher satisfaction than those in 2024 regarding the quality of services (p = 0.007), organizational aspects (p = 0.007), and respect for the human rights of both users (p < 0.001) and staff (p = 0.037). No differences emerged in perceived user satisfaction or resource adequacy, with both cohorts expressing persistent concern about staffing and infrastructure. The perceived need for additional nurses, doctors, and support staff increased in 2025, which may indicate growing awareness of workforce fragility.ConclusionsThese differences in satisfaction should be interpreted within a context of prolonged systemic strain, which may foster adaptive or resilience-based perceptions among informal caregivers. Despite ongoing structural difficulties, informal caregivers maintain high confidence in Italy’s community mental health services and perceive them as respectful of human rights. However, their increasing concern about resource shortages highlights the urgent need for investment to preserve the ethical and organizational strengths of the Italian model.
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STAT+: As Ebola outbreak in Central Africa grows, the U.S. turns itself into a fortress

When Craig Spencer contracted Ebola while working in Guinea during the West African outbreak in 2014, he was already back in the United States when he first developed symptoms. He credits the treatment he got at New York’s Bellevue Hospital for his survival.

If Spencer, an emergency medicine physician and an associate professor in Brown University’s School of Public Health, were to contract Ebola in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda — if he’d even had high-risk exposures to Ebola patients — he wouldn’t be allowed back into the U.S. for care or quarantine.

Administration officials confirmed Thursday that any Americans who contract Ebola will not be brought to the United States for treatment. Instead, they will be evacuated to as-yet-undetermined locations in Europe. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department are working to identify tertiary care facilities that could take Americans needing care. One such case has already occurred.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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Real-World Implementation of EndoConnect in Brazilian Primary Care: Formative Study of Usability, Engagement, and Equity in Digital Endometriosis Care

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition affecting approximately 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide and is associated with chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and reduced quality of life. In Brazil’s Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde [SUS]), diagnostic delays frequently range from 7 to 10 years and disproportionately affect socially vulnerable populations, including rural, low-income, Black, and Indigenous women. Digital health interventions have been proposed as scalable solutions; however, most available applications are developed in high-income settings and do not align with the structural and operational realities of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: This study aimed to evaluate feasibility, usability, acceptability, and user engagement associated with the real-world implementation of EndoConnect Alpha in primary health care settings, and to explore preliminary patterns of change in symptom burden, knowledge, and care navigation. Methods: A single-arm, prospective, formative implementation study was conducted in 10 primary health care units in Ceará, Brazil. A convenience sample of 60 participants, including women with suspected or confirmed endometriosis and primary care professionals, used the platform over an 8-week period under real-world conditions. Usability (assessed using the System Usability Scale), acceptability (assessed using the Technology Acceptance Model), engagement metrics, and exploratory outcomes were assessed. All analyses were exploratory, with no control group and no causal inference. Results: High usability and acceptability were observed, with strong user engagement, including a 79% completion rate of educational modules and consistent platform use. Observed decreases in pelvic pain and anxiety were identified, alongside increases in disease-related knowledge, self-reported therapy adherence, and reported gynecological referrals. A positive association between usability and acceptability was also observed. These findings should be interpreted as exploratory signals given the study design. Descriptive subgroup analyses suggested more pronounced trends among rural participants and those with a lower education level. Conclusions: The real-world implementation of EndoConnect Alpha demonstrated high feasibility, usability, and acceptability within a public primary care setting in a middle-income country. Observed trends suggest potential benefits, particularly among underserved populations; however, causal inference cannot be established. These findings support further controlled evaluation and highlight the relevance of equity-oriented digital health strategies tailored to LMIC contexts.
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