Mincarone P, Bodini A, Tumolo MR, Sabina S, Colella R, Mannini L, Sabato E, Leo CG. Association Between Physical Activity and the Risk of Burnout in Health Care Workers: Systematic Review. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024;10:e49772 - doi: 10.2196/49772

ABSTRACT:

Background: Burnout is a multidimensional psychological syndrome that arises from chronic workplace stress. Health care workers (HCWs), who operate in physically and emotionally exhausting work contexts, constitute a vulnerable group. This, coupled with its subsequent impact on patients and public economic resources, makes burnout a significant public health concern. Various self-care practices have been suggested to have a positive effect on burnout among HCWs. Of these, physical activity stands out for its ability to combine psychological, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms. In fact, it promotes psychological detachment from work and increases self-efficacy by inhibiting neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, increasing endorphin levels, enhancing mitochondrial function, and attenuating the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress.

Objective: Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the evidence on the association between physical activity and burnout among HCWs.

Methods: We considered HCWs, physical activity, and burnout, framing them as population, exposure, and outcome, respectively. We searched APA PsycArticles, MEDLINE, and Scopus until July 2022. We extracted relevant data on study design, methods to measure exposure and outcome, and statistical approaches.

Results: Our analysis encompassed 21 independent studies. Although 10% (2/21) of the studies explicitly focused on physical activity, the remaining investigations were exploratory in nature and examined various predictors, including physical activity. The most commonly used questionnaire was the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Owing to the heterogeneity in definitions and cutoffs used, the reported prevalence of burnout varied widely, ranging from 7% to 83%. Heterogeneity was also observed in the measurement tools used to assess physical activity, with objective measures rarely used. In total, 14% (3/21) of the studies used structured questionnaires to assess different types of exercise, whereas most studies (18/21, 86%) only recorded the attainment of a benchmark or reported the frequency, intensity, or duration of exercise. The reported prevalence of physically active HCWs ranged from 44% to 87%. The analyses, through a variety of inferential approaches, indicated that physical activity is often associated with a reduced risk of burnout, particularly in the domains of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Furthermore, we compiled and classified a list of factors associated with burnout.

Conclusion: Our comprehensive overview of studies investigating the association between physical activity and burnout in HCWs revealed significant heterogeneity in definitions, measurements, and analyses adopted in the literature. To address this issue, it is crucial to adopt a clear definition of physical activity and make thoughtful choices regarding measurement tools and methodologies for data analysis. Our considerations regarding the measurement of burnout and the comprehensive list of associated factors have the potential to improve future studies aimed at informing decision-makers, thus laying the foundation for more effective management measures to address burnout.

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P. Šolić et al., "Circuit Design, Realization, and Test of a Bluetooth Low Energy Wireless Sensor With On-Board Computation for Remote Healthcare Monitoring," in IEEE Journal of Radio Frequency Identification, doi: 10.1109/JRFID.2024.3363074

ABSTRACT:

The Internet of Things (IoT) framework has transformed sensor data utilization, ushering in a new era of sensors integrated into various aspects of modern environment. A pressing concern in the realm of wearable technology is efficient power management, encompassing low power consumption and reducing battery recharging times. This study introduces an electronic device equipped with a Bluetooth 5.1 Low Energy (BLE) module, capable of detecting, collecting, aggregating and transmitting the Root Sum of Squares Method (RSS) of acceleration readings at consistent time intervals. This multi-frequency wireless controller functions at both sub-1 and 2.4 GHz bandwidths, endorsing the Bluetooth® 5.1 low energy standard and diverse wireless modalities via a Dynamic MultiProtocol Manager (DMM) interface. For demonstration purposes, the BMI160 is has been programmed to internally manage acceleration analyses across three axes, reducing data transmission, and minimizing connection times. This device, integrated with other physiological parameter monitoring systems of an individual/patient, can help correlate any variation in these parameters with the amount of motion. The integration of additional sensors can refine the precision of physiological metric evaluation, broadening the potential applications of such systems in sectors like healthcare and well-being.

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R. Colella, S. Sabina, P. Mincarone and L. Catarinucci, "Semi-Passive RFID Electronic Devices With On-Chip Sensor Fusion Capabilities for Motion Capture and Biomechanical Analysis," in IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 11672-11681, 1 June1, 2023, doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2023.3267540

ABSTRACT:

This article presents the development and testing of a novel electronic device for wireless motion capture (W-MoCap), a technology that allows the reconstruction of movements of objects and body parts with many potential applications in various contexts. The device integrates UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with sensors for low-power backscattering communication. It consists of a battery-assisted passive (BAP) UHF RFID chip, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an ultralow power microcontroller, and a custom-designed edge-fed body-tolerant antenna operating at 866 MHz. The proper matching between the RFID chip and antenna is ensured through a well-designed L-match unbalanced network, and the separation of RF and dc signals is achieved with a meandered microstrip quarter-wavelength transformer, choke inductor, and decoupling capacitor. The designed and realized RFID W-MoCap sensor tag has been thoroughly evaluated in terms of current consumption, front-end sensitivity, and sensing accuracy. Finally, five prototypes have been applied to specific segments of a human subject and successfully tested in a practical scenario for real-time reconstruction of human movements.

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Tumolo MR, Grassi T, Leo CG, Mincarone P, Bagordo F, Bodini A, Scoditti E, Panico A, Donno A De, Matteis E De, Canali V, Sabina S. miRNAs as biomarkers of musculoskeletal pain in long-distance runners: the MiMuS study protocol. Epigenomics Future Medicine; 2023 Mar 1;15(6):341–349. doi: 10.2217/epi-2023-0088

ABSTRACT:

miRNAs are involved in the generation and progression of musculoskeletal pain, a condition that causes significant clinical, economic and social burden. In runners, the presence of musculoskeletal pain related to an inflammatory state or ongoing underlying tissue damage may result in poor training ability and performance. This study aims to evaluate the association between circulating and salivary miRNAs and pain in runners with and without musculoskeletal pain and to observe whether dysregulated miRNAs can distinguish between responders and nonresponders to a kinesiological intervention. The possible correlation between these miRNAs and inflammatory molecules, stress parameters and individual or behavioral characteristics will be evaluated. Finally, in silico analysis will be used to characterize miRNAs function. Ethics approval was obtained.

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Castelluccia A, Mincarone P, Tumolo MR, Sabina S, Colella R, Bodini A, Tramacere F, Portaluri M, Leo CG. Economic Evaluations of Magnetic Resonance Image-Guided Radiotherapy (MRIgRT): A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022;19(17). doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710800

ABSTRACT:

Objectives: This review systematically summarizes the evidence on the economic impact of magnetic resonance image-guided RT (MRIgRT). Methods: We systematically searched INAHTA, MEDLINE, and Scopus up to March 2022 to retrieve health economic studies. Relevant data were extracted on study type, model inputs, modeling methods and economic results. Results: Five studies were included. Two studies performed a full economic assessment to compare the cost-effectiveness of MRIgRT with other forms of image-guided radiation therapy. One study performed a cost minimization analysis and two studies performed an activity-based costing, all comparing MRIgRT with X-ray computed tomography image-guided radiation therapy (CTIgRT). Prostate cancer was the target condition in four studies and hepatocellular carcinoma in one. Considering the studies with a full economic assessment, MR-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy was found to be cost effective with respect to CTIgRT or conventional or moderate hypofractionated RT, even with a low reduction in toxicity. Conversely, a greater reduction in toxicity is required to compete with extreme hypofractionated RT without MR guidance. Conclusions: This review highlights the great potential of MRIgRT but also the need for further evidence, especially for late toxicity, whose reduction is expected to be the real added value of this technology.

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