Aim To explore nursing management issues within COVID‐19 narratives of Italian front‐line nurses. Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has dramatically affected health systems and professionals worldwide. Italian nurses have key messages for nursing leaders following their acute experiences in the pandemic. Method A descriptive qualitative study with thematic analysis. Results Twenty‐three testimonies from clinical nurses were analysed. Six macrothemes were identified as follows: organisational and logistic change; leadership models adopted to manage the emergency; changes in nursing approaches; personal protective equipment issues; physical and psychological impact on nurses; and team value/spirit. Conclusions Our testimonies highlighted the huge impact of COVID‐19 on the Italian nursing workforce, especially in terms of the high risks associated with caring for COVID‐19 patients, exacerbated by the shortage of appropriate personal protective equipment. Nurses had to care for their colleagues and live separately from their families to avoid infecting them, revealing nurses' resilience and the important role of effective and sensitive management. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers must be prepared for the impact of pandemics on staff and need to ensure availability and replacement of quality personal protective equipment, rehearse strategies for communicating with patients while wearing personal protective equipment and establish protocols for communicating with relatives.

Aim To expand knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses' intention to leave their job and consequently to turnover. Background Nurse turnover is costly and negatively influences quality of care. Understanding the association between intention to leave and modifiable features of hospital organisation may inform strategies to reduce turnover. Methods A cross‐sectional survey of 3,667 medical and surgical nurses was conducted in Italy. Measures included intention to leave; work environment; burnout; job satisfaction; and missed care using the RN4CAST instruments. Descriptive, logistic regression analysis was used. Results Due to job dissatisfaction, 35.5% of the nurses intended to leave their current job, and of these, 33.1%, the nursing profession. Push factors included the following: understaffing, emotional exhaustion, poor patient safety, performing non‐nursing care and being male. Pull factors included the following: positive perception of quality and safety of care, and performing core nursing activities. Conclusion The present study expands knowledge about the predictive factors of nurses' intention to leave their job and consequently to turnover, which is one of today's major issues contributing to the shortage of nurses. Implications for Nursing Management Nurses' intention to leave their job is the consequence of a poor work environment, characterized by factors such as understaffing and performance of non‐nursing activities.

ObjectivesNotwithstanding decades of efforts to increase the uptake of seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination among European healthcare workers (HCWs), the immunisation rates are still unsatisfactory. In order to understand the reasons for the low adherence to flu vaccination, a study was carried out among HCWs of two healthcare organisations in Liguria, a region in northwest Italy.MethodsA cross-sectional study based on anonymous self-administered web questionnaires was carried out between October 2013 and February 2014. Through univariate and multivariate regression analysis, the study investigated the association between demographic and professional characteristics, knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of the study participants and (i) the seasonal flu vaccination uptake in the 2013/2014 season and (ii) the self-reported number of flu vaccination uptakes in the six consecutive seasons from 2008/2009 to 2013/2014.ResultsA total of 830 HCWs completed the survey. Factors statistically associated with flu vaccination uptake in the 2013/2014 season were: being a medical doctor and agreeing with the statements ‘flu vaccine is safe’, ‘HCWs have a higher risk of getting flu’ and ‘HCWs should receive flu vaccination every year’. A barrier to vaccination was the belief that pharmaceutical companies influence decisions about vaccination strategies.DiscussionAll the above-mentioned factors, except the last one, were (significantly) associated with the number of flu vaccination uptakes self-reported by the respondents between season 2008/2009 and season 2013/2014. Other significantly associated factors appeared to be level of education, being affected by at least one chronic disease, and agreeing with mandatory flu vaccination in healthcare settings.ConclusionsThis survey allows us to better understand the determinants of adherence to vaccination as a fundamental preventive strategy against flu among Italian HCWs. These findings should be used to improve and customise any future promotion campaigns to overcome identified barriers to immunisation.

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Dysphagia, dysgeusia, oral mucositis and xerostomia negatively affected the patients' quality of life throughout the period of treatment. The patients' nutritional symptom experiences do not occur in isolation. Therefore, acknowledging the patients' eating difficulties and challenges can guarantee appropriate management and support to best manage symptoms in a timely manner.