Ana Frias

Prof. Dr. Ana Frias

Universidade de Évora
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

12Years (2015-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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4 February 2021 in Healthcare
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Journal Article
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DMDaniela Mecugni
Daniela Mecugni
CGCinzia Gradellini
Cinzia Gradellini
CCCarmo Caldeira
Carmo Caldeira
VAVicki Aaberg
Vicki Aaberg
Hélia DiasHélia Dias
Hélia Dias
Margarida Sim-SimMargarida Sim-Sim
Margarida Sim-Sim
Sexuality is an important issue in the university careers of nursing students to ensure that they provide comprehensive care. It is necessary according to the recommendation of the World Health Organization. However, research reveals deficiencies and the need for further development. The aim of the study is to describe the perspective of teachers and students on the content of sexuality in nursing education. The project aims to analyze the attitudes and beliefs of the students about the sexuality of their patients. Furthermore, the experience and sexual lives of the future nurses, as well the teaching of sexuality content in the curriculum, will be analyzed. As for the educators, their level of knowledge about sexuality and vision of sexuality education in undergraduate nursing education will be analyzed. This study is an exploratory and descriptive study with a quantitative-qualitative approach in a multi-center context. The sample is composed of students and professors of nursing courses from five universities (Portugal, Spain, Italy and United States). Questionnaires and semistructured interviews will be used for data collection. The results of the study will allow the inclusion of sexual competence in the curriculum from the beginning in higher education. This article describes the research protocol.

8 March 2021 in Healthcare
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Journal Article
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Ana FriasAna Frias
Ana Frias
IFIrene Soto Fernández
Irene Soto Fernández
Luis SousaLuis Sousa
Luis Sousa
Sagrario Gomez-CantarinoSagrario Gomez-Cantarino
Sagrario Gomez-Cantarino
MBMaria Luz Ferreira Barros
Maria Luz Ferreira Barros
Margarida Sim-SimMargarida Sim-Sim
Margarida Sim-Sim
Patient sexuality is a fundamental subject in nursing student’s education. However, beliefs about patient sexuality can influence the care offered. The aim of this psychometric study was to describe the validation process and the psychometrics properties of the Sexuality Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (SABS) for Spanish nursing students. The convenience sample was 283 nursing students from a state university in Spain. Participants ranged from 18 to 30 years (M = 19.66; SD = 1.85). Data collection happened in 2019–2020. The translation, back translation and adaptation to Spanish was discussed and refined, ensuring the semantic, idiomatic and conceptual meaning of the items. The psychometric properties were assessed through analysis of validity and reliability. The Cronbach’s alpha for the final version of 12 items was 0.65. Although it has low reliability, the Spanish version of the SABS seems to be a valid and useful tool to measure nursing students’ beliefs about patient sexuality. In addition, it can be a resource for the assessment of the ability of Spanish nursing faculty in engaging topics involving the student’s vision of patient sexuality.

22 September 2025 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
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LSLuis Enrique Sánchez-Diestro
Luis Enrique Sánchez-Diestro
RMRaquel Macias-Montero
Raquel Macias-Montero
AGAna Isabel Ramalho Galhanas
Ana Isabel Ramalho Galhanas
Ana FriasAna Frias
Ana Frias
SPSandra Paniagua
Sandra Paniagua
JMJORGE GUERRERO MARTIN
JORGE GUERRERO MARTIN
Background/Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has high prevalence and mortality, with a high frequency of malnutrition during chemotherapy (60–70%). Malnutrition reduces treatment tolerance, quality of life, and survival. The Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is effective in detecting it, but its use is not systematic. This study aims to analyze the prevalence and degrees of malnutrition in CRC patients undergoing active chemotherapy, using the PG-SGA, and to propose its systematic implementation in oncology care protocols. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study in patients with stage III–IV CRC receiving FOLFOX, XELOX, or irinotecan regimens. Nutritional status was assessed with PG-SGA and body composition by bioimpedance. Results: The study includes 91 patients. A total of 45.05% of patients required intensive nutritional intervention, 39.56% needed dietary and pharmacological measures, 10.99% required health education, and only 4.4% did not require intervention. FOLFOX was significantly associated with taste alterations (p < 0.001), nausea (p = 0.020), unpleasant odors, and eating problems; XELOX with diarrhea (p = 0.009) and xerostomia (p = 0.038). Irinotecan was related to poorer functional capacity (p = 0.042). Oxaliplatin was linked to loss of appetite (p = 0.034) and unpleasant odors (p = 0.035). Older age correlated with a greater need for intensive interventions. Conclusions: The study shows a high nutritional risk in oncology patients, particularly in those with colorectal cancer undergoing FOLFOX treatment, associated with symptoms that impair intake and functional capacity. The systematic implementation of nutritional screening from the onset of treatment, using tools such as the PG-SGA and GLIM criteria, is essential for early detection and individualized management, improving therapy tolerance, clinical outcomes, and quality of life.

29 March 2022 in Education Sciences
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Journal Article
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Margarida Sim-SimMargarida Sim-Sim
Margarida Sim-Sim
Maria Otília ZangãoMaria Otília Zangão
Maria Otília Zangão
MBMaria Luz Ferreira Barros
Maria Luz Ferreira Barros
Ana FriasAna Frias
Ana Frias
Hélia DiasHélia Dias
Hélia Dias
VAVicki Aaberg
Vicki Aaberg
The objective of this study was to analyse nursing students’ motivation to choose the midwifery career. This is a cross-sectional study with a qualitatively driven mixed-methods approach. The settings are three higher education institutions located in Portugal. The study was conducted between September 2019 and November 2021, with the participation of 74 midwifery master’s students, through convenience sampling. The data were collected through the LimeSurvey software and were subsequently analysed in the SPSS and IRaMuTeQ software programs. The emerging thematic areas were as follows: (1) building a professional identity and (2) knowledge construction. From these two thematic areas, six classes emerged that revealed commitment to the profession. It is in Class 6 that the ancestral essence of the profession lies, revealing the meanings of competence and care perpetuation linked to gender. Midwifery is a first-line profession, and the career choice reflects a commitment to support the mother/newborn dyad in view of the inevitability of human care for the preservation of the species. Midwives with a Socratic inspiration are the model for the profession. Given the development of professional identity, it can be interesting to have an educational curriculum where human values are reinforced. A woman-centred birth environment and birth territory are elementary for midwifery education.

9 August 2023 in Healthcare
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Journal Article
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VAVicki Aaberg
Vicki Aaberg
MMMaria Eva Moncunill Martinez
Maria Eva Moncunill Martinez
Ana FriasAna Frias
Ana Frias
TCTeresa Carreira
Teresa Carreira
Raquel Fernández-CézarRaquel Fernández-Cézar
Raquel Fernández-Cézar
Sagrario Gomez-CantarinoSagrario Gomez-Cantarino
Sagrario Gomez-Cantarino
Nurse educators are tasked with the education of students to become providers of holistic care, and part of that care includes sexuality. Students carry attitudes and beliefs that influence their behavior; therefore, students who carry negative attitudes about sexual healthcare are less likely to provide that care. This is an international, multicenter study of nursing students’ attitudes and beliefs about the provision of sexual healthcare. The Sexuality Attitudes and Beliefs Survey, which measures attitudes toward the provision of sexual healthcare and has a range of scores from 12 to 72, was given to 129 students across Spain, Portugal, Italy and the United States and revealed negative attitudes about sexuality, with a mean SABS score of 39.95. Higher scores on the SABS reveal more negative attitudes and reduced likelihood of provision of sexual healthcare. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing queer and heterosexual students (41.69 vs. 38.06), and students in their final year of school held more negative attitudes toward the provision of sexual healthcare (41.4 vs. 39.5 and 39.2). This study shows that nurse educators continue to need to focus on the attitudes student nurses carry about sexuality. There is a critical shortage of education strategies to meet the needs of student nurses so that they will be comfortable and confident in providing sexual healthcare.

14 March 2024 in Education Sciences
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Journal Article
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IFIrene Soto Fernández
Irene Soto Fernández
JPJorge Pérez Pérez
Jorge Pérez Pérez
Sagrario Gomez-CantarinoSagrario Gomez-Cantarino
Sagrario Gomez-Cantarino
MFMaria de Fátima Graça Frade
Maria de Fátima Graça Frade
Ana FriasAna Frias
Ana Frias
Raquel Fernández-CézarRaquel Fernández-Cézar
Raquel Fernández-Cézar
Higher education is key to developing a competent and engaged society. Therefore, holistic learning is a fundamental element. This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of a questionnaire for extracurricular teaching actions in higher education. The questionnaire was delivered online to nursing and teaching students participating in the extracurricular action organized by the universities participating in the EdSeX Project, in all cases worded in English. Reliability was measured through internal consistency provided by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, yielding a value of 0.638 for the 19 items. The internal consistency for each latent variable measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.816 for F1 (N = 6) and 0.625 for F2 (N = 3). This means that in the applicable satisfaction questionnaire, the professor interactions and the quality of the organization of the teaching activity of the topic are the most influential elements in the training action. The questionnaire proved to have a good validity and is therefore a reliable instrument to measure the level of higher education students’ satisfaction with learning.