Introduction: Lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic radically changed nursing education. Along with social isolation, the transition to distance education affected the well-being of students in several countries, particularly Portugal and Spain. Objectives: To identify which variables are predictors of psychological well-being for Portuguese and Spanish nursing students during mandatory lockdowns. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study involving a sample of 1075 students (944 women, mean age 22.46 + /−4.95 years). Data were collected from an online questionnaire which applied the following scales: Perceived Stress Scale (α = .820); Brief COPE-14 Subscales (α = .430 < 0.930); Well-being Manifestations Measure Scale (α = .940); Herth Hope Index (α = .850). A multiple regression model was created to predict the psychological well-being of nursing students. Results: The following predictor variables were identified in the model of the psychological well-being of students during the COVID-19 pandemic: perceived stress ( β = .405; p ≤ .001); hope ( β = .404; p ≤ .001); and the mechanisms of active coping ( β = .405; p ≤ .001), planning ( β = .097; p ≤ .001), and positive reinterpretation ( β = .053; p = .12). These five variables predicted 62.0% of the nursing students’ psychological well-being ( R² = .620; F = 350.82; p ≤ .001). Conclusion: Promoting students’ mental health is essential, especially in periods of great adversity, such as a pandemic. Our results lead the way for the design and validation of an intervention program that addresses the five variables identified as predictors of students’ psychological well-being.

Resumo Objetivo analisar as relações entre a esperança e o bem-estar psicológico de estudantes de enfermagem portugueses durante a crise pandêmica pela COVID-19. Método estudo descritivo-correlacional, com recurso a questionário online para coleta de dados. Participaram 705 estudantes de enfermagem com idade média de 21,74 anos (DP=4,44). Os instrumentos de coleta de dados utilizados foram a Escala de Esperança de Herth (HHI-PT) e a Escala de Medida de Manifestação de Bem-Estar Psicológico (EMMBEP). Foi utilizada a estatística descritiva e inferencial. Resultados na HHI-PT, o domínio afectivo-comportamental obteve a pontuação média mais alta, 3,30 (DP=0,45); no EMMBEP, foi o domínio sociabilidade, 3,64 (DP=0,77). Havia correlações moderadas a fortes (0,383 <r <0,917) entre o global e todos os domínios da esperança e bem-estar psicológico (≤0.001). Conclusão e implicações para a prática a esperança e o bem-estar psicológico dos estudantes de enfermagem durante a pandemia são variáveis correlacionados positivamente entre si. As medidas de promoção da saúde mental, a implementar pelas instituições de ensino, devem ter em consideração a associação entre essas duas variáveis.

Perceived competence is a subject’s perception of being able to interact effectively with the environment. Perceived Competence in the face of death in Nursing degree programs in which the presence of the subject of death and bereavement is key becomes more topical and relevant. The objective of this study is to determine whether this competence is improved through Nursing Studies. This study was designed as paired repeated intrasubject measures, initial measurement at the beginning of the first year and second measurement in the fourth year of the Nursing degree. One hundred and seventeen nursing students were assessed. Significant improvement is evidenced in three of the four dimensions of Perceived Competence in the face of death (Accompaniment and Communication: 25.70/29.34; Self-Confidence: 9.64/12.78; Management of Self-Fear: 13.18/14.66). These results show notable differences with their cross-sectional predecessors, suggesting the need for further studies in this field to consolidate a still developing body of knowledge.

Background/Objectives: Palliative sedation may relieve refractory suffering in patients with advanced cancer receiving end-of-life care at home. We aimed to describe patient characteristics, palliative sedation use, refractory symptoms, and sedation-related outcomes in a specialized hospital-at-home unit. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients with advanced cancer who died during 2022 while receiving care from the Instituto Valenciano de Oncología hospital-at-home unit, Spain. Admission required clinical and social assessment confirming the need for hospital-level home care, feasibility of care at home, and adequate caregiver support. Sociodemographic, clinical, and sedation-related data were obtained from medical records. Analyses were descriptive and exploratory; associations were unadjusted. Results: The cohort included 113 patients; 80 (70.8%) received palliative sedation. Median age was 76 years (IQR, 19), and 59 patients (52.2%) were men. An elastomeric infuser was used in 74 sedated patients (92.5%). Sedation duration had a median of 1 day (IQR, 2; range, 0–10). Symptom documentation was available for 56 sedated patients (70.0%); dyspnea was documented in 35 (62.5%), delirium in 19 (33.9%), and pain in 14 (25.0%). Symptoms could coexist. The median number of parenteral medications was 4 (IQR, 1). Conclusions: Palliative sedation was frequently used in this selected specialized home-care cohort and generally lasted a short period. The prevalence should not be generalized to other settings. Incomplete documentation and the retrospective, single-centre design limit interpretation. Prospective multi-centre studies are needed.

Hospital at Home (HaH) enables advanced cancer patients to receive end-of-life care in their preferred setting, yet evidence on home-based palliative sedation (PS) remains limited. This retrospective observational study included 113 patients who died in 2022 under the HaH Unit of the Instituto Valenciano de Oncología (Valencia, Spain). Sociodemographic, clinical, and PS-related variables were extracted from medical records. PS was required in 80 patients (70.8%). The median age was 76 years (IQR 19), 52.2% were male, and 77% lived in their own homes. Dyspnoea (43.7%) and delirium (23.7%) were the most frequent refractory symptoms leading to PS. Elastomeric infusers were used in 92.5% of cases. The median duration of PS was 1 day (IQR 2); 46.3% of patients died within 24 hours of initiation. A significant inverse correlation was found between the Barthel Index and PS duration (Spearman’s Rho = −0.226, p = 0.044), indicating shorter survival after sedation in patients with greater functional dependence. No significant associations were observed between PS requirement and multimorbidity, geriatric syndromes, polypharmacy, or prior opioid use. These findings support the feasibility of complex PS at home and highlight functional status as a potential determinant of PS duration, informing protocol optimization for home-based end-of-life care.