Isabel María Fernández Medina

Universidad de Almería | UAL · Department of Nursing Physiotherapy and Medicine.

• Context/Purpose: The arrival of undocumented migrants in the European Union is a political, social and public health challenge. UMs require medical assistance from emergency health teams. This study aims to learn about the experiences of nurses and doctors in providing emergency care to these UMs. • Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was co...

Background: Adolescence is a crucial time in the development of young people’s identity, and sexuality is a key issue. Comprehensive sex education provides the knowledge and skills to help adolescents protect their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Policies on sex education in secondary schools are highly influential in the development of...

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an international health emergency situation where nursing took on a fundamental role. The high number of patients in hospital ICUs led to a shift in nurses’ working conditions and workload. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences of nurses who worked in ICUs during the acute...

(1) Background: Sexuality is influenced by the school, family, and social contexts. All of these play a crucial role in promoting adolescents’ sexual health and well-being. However, little is known about the factors that have an impact on sexuality in late adolescence. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perspectives of late adole...

Adolescents have a greater risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which is a serious public health problem. Education is an effective strategy to improve adolescent sexual health outcomes. However, Spanish adolescents have a lack of sex education. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and opinions of a sample of ad...

Background Chronic ultimorbidity is the most frequent and serious health problem in older adults. Home visiting programmes could be a strategy with potential benefits. However, there are no scoping reviews to date that examine the effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Objective To exami...

Background: Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an alternative method to spoon-feeding to introduce solid foods. This study aimed to describe and understand the experiences and opinions of pediatricians and pediatric nurse specialists of the implementation of the BLW approach. Methods: An interpretive descriptive qualitative research was carried out. A fo...

Background: The phenomenon of migration from regions with more limited resources is a reality of the globalized world. It is estimated that at the end of 2019, almost 80 million migrants were displaced around the world, with 46% of them being children. Almost 20% of the irregular immigrants who arrived in Spain were child irregular migrants, who t...

Migratory movements are a political, social, and public health issue on a global scale. Access to sexual and reproductive health services for irregular migrant women (IMW) is a public health issue. The aim of this study is to identify qualitative evidence of IMW’s experiences of sexual and reproductive health care in emergency and primary care sett...

Introduction The specialist Family and Community Nurse Practitioner (FCNP) is a professional who, after a period of training, is qualified to be part of multidisciplinary teams in primary care. The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of nurses during their training process in the specialty of Family and Community Nursin...

Migratory movements are a political, social and public health issue on a global scale. Access to sexual and reproductive health services for irregular migrant women (IMW) is a public health issue. The aim of this study is to identify qualitative evidence on IMW's experiences of sexual and reproductive health care in emergency and primary care setti...

Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to describe and understand how heterosexual women with Turner Syndrome experience sexuality. Background: Turner Syndrome is a genetic condition that is the result of one of the X chromosomes missing or partially missing, and it affects women of all ages. Turner Syndrome may lead to psychological, rel...

Perinatal loss is a traumatic and stressful experience with a significant emotional toll on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the healthcare professionals. We included 216 healthcare professionals working in an obstetrics-gynecology service or neonatal intensive care unit in a cross-sectional study and aimed to analyze the possible associ...

Introduction Sexuality is an important aspect of comprehensive care for patients with disabilities. However, for many healthcare professionals in clinical practice, sexuality is not usually an issue discussed with patients. The aim of this study was to explore and describe physiotherapists’ perceptions of sexuality in people with disabilities. Met...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequalities in nurses have been exacerbated through the images shown on social networks. This study aimed to explore and describe nursing students’ experiences and perceptions about gender inequalities in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive qualitative study was carried out in two universities in...

Background: In recent years, concern has arisen worldwide about the potential adverse effects that could result from early-life exposure to pesticides. Asthma, bronchitis, and persistent cough in children have been linked to gestational exposure to pesticides. The respiratory effects of gestational exposure to pesticides are controversial. The aim...

Purpose This study aimed to describe and understand the experiences and opinions of pediatricians and pediatric nurse specialists of the implementation of the Baby-led Weaning (BLW) approach. Methods A qualitative descriptive study was carried out. A focus group and thirteen face-to-face interviews were conducted between February and May 2022. All...

Women victims of gender violence consider the health system an appropriate place to seek help. Aims and Objectives: to describe and understand how nurses perceive gender-based violence in health care for women victims of gender-based violence. Qualitative descriptive study. The recommendations of the COREQ guide for qualitative research reporting w...

Background and aim Healthcare professionals have played a fundamental role in managing and controlling the COVID-19 health crisis. They are exposed to high levels of suffering, trauma, uncertainty, and powerlessness in the workplace. The objective of this study was to explore and understand experiences of suffering among primary care and hospital c...

Aims and objectives This study aimed to describe and understand the lived experiences and opinions of sub‐Saharan women living in Spain in relation to female genital mutilation. Background Female genital mutilation is a bloody procedure with serious consequences for the health of women and girls. Understanding mutilated women's lived experiences p...

The impact of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) when starting to breastfeed is an important issue that has been sparsely addressed in scientific literature and yet has contradictory results. This study aims to determine the relation between the mode of fertilization and breastfeeding by means of a retrospective longitudinal cohort study that i...

Introduction Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for women with negative consequences for their well‐being and mental health. After perinatal loss, some women choose to not suppress lactation and to donate their breast milk. Donating milk can be a grief ritual to cope with the loss. The aim of this study was to explore women's experiences of donati...

This study aims to describe and compare the effects of standardised patient simulation and role-play in the acquisition and retention of interprofessional communication in elderly care competence amongst nursing students. In this controlled clustered randomised trial, 121 nursing students attended a workshop on interprofessional communication in el...

Home care nurses have become the main references in home care for vulnerable patients. In patients’ homes they offer comprehensive and continuous care to both the vulnerable population and their families. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore experiences and perspectives of home care nurses regarding the care of vulnerable patients in Sp...

(1) Background: Disability is a dynamic interaction between a person’s health conditions and personal and environmental factors. Disability is an evolving concept, which can be improved by intervening in the barriers that prevent disabled people from functioning in their daily life and enjoying a satisfactory sexual life. Sexuality is an important...

End-stage kidney disease has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. People who receive a kidney transplant experience an improvement in many areas of their daily life. Sexuality is a general component of health, which can be affected by end-stage kidney disease and kidney transplant. The aim of this study was to explore and understand the...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked several changes in home care. Understanding home care nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic plays an essential role in home care management. Objective: This study aimed to explore and articulate the experience of home care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Design: A qualitat...

Aim The aim of our study is to describe and understand the experiences of nurses providing emergency care to undocumented migrants who arrive in Spain in small boats. Background Spain receives thousands of undocumented migrants every year who arrive by sea. Provision of appropriate emergency care to undocumented migrants is a public health problem...

Perinatal death is the death of a baby that occurs between the 22nd week of pregnancy (or when the baby weighs more than 500 g) and 7 days after birth. After perinatal death, parents experience the process of perinatal grief. Midwives and nurses can develop interventions to improve the perinatal grief process. The aim of this review was to determin...

Introduction Access to emergency care for undocumented migrants (UMs) is a public health problem. Spain receives thousands of UMs who arrive by sea. A multidisciplinary team of the Spanish Red Cross, made up of physicians, nurses, police, and cultural mediators, developed emergency care for UMs. Aim The aim of our study is to describe and understa...

Aims To understand how the social patterns about death influence end‐of‐life care from the perspective of healthcare professionals. Design A qualitative study according to the theory of Glaser and Strauss. Methods A purposeful sample of 47 participants with different roles (nurses, physicians and clinical psychologists) were involved in four focu...

Parents of extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks of gestation) report high levels of stress and anxiety related to daily needs after hospital discharge. Social support has a significant role in reducing the negative psychological impact of preterm birth and parents' adaptation to caregiving. We conducted a hermeneutic phenomenological study using Ga...

Social workers in the community setting are in constant contact with the suffering experienced by the most vulnerable individual. Social interventions are complex and affect social workers’ emotional well-being. The aim of this study was to identify the emotions, feelings, and experiences social workers have while attending to individuals in situat...

Objective: The association between assisted conception and breastfeeding outcomes has been investigated, but the women's experiences have not been fully explored. This study aimed to describe and understand the breastfeeding experience of first-time mothers who conceived using assisted reproductive treatment. Methods: A qualitative study based on...

University is a period in which students can experience a considerable amount of challenges that may influence their health lifestyles. The aim of this article is to discover the role of therapeutic adherence to the Mediterranean diet and self-efficacy as mediators in the relationship between sleep quality and the average grades of nursing students...

African irregular migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in small boats hoping to reach Europe. Women irregular migrants (WIMs) are an especially vulnerable group that suffer from violence and sexual aggression, but little is known about their actual experiences. The objective of our study is to describe and understand the violenc...

In order to control the spread of COVID-19, people must adopt preventive behaviours that can affect their day-today life. People's self-efficacy to adopt preventive behaviours to avoid COVID-19 contagion and spread should be studied. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test the COVID-19 prevention, detection, and home-manageme...

Pain, anxiety, or depression are very prevalent in children and adolescents with cancer, which is a great challenge for health professionals. Several studies pointing out the positive effect of technology on the management of symptoms have been published in recent years. Considering these studies is important in order to reduce the negative impact...

Background: Perinatal death (PD) is a painful experience, with physical, psychological and social consequences in families. Each year, there are 2.7 million perinatal deaths in the world and about 2000 in Spain. The aim of this study was to explore, describe and understand the impact of perinatal death on parents' social and family life. Methods:...

Background: Stillbirth and neonatal death are one of the most stressful life events, with negative outcomes for parents. Society does not recognize this type of loss, and parental grieving is particularly complicated and intense. Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of parents in relation to professional...

Background: Perinatal grief is a process that affects families in biological, psychological, social and spiritual terms. It is estimated that every year there are 2.7 million perinatal deaths worldwide and 4.43 deaths for every 1000 births in Spain. The aim of this study is to describe and understand the experiences and perceptions of parents who...

Nursing students experience difficulties when communicating in clinical practice. Their self-efficacy in clinical communication should be explored as part of their competence assessment before they are exposed to real human interactions in the clinical setting. The aim of this study was to design and psychometrically evaluate a toolkit to comprehen...

Caring for a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease has a negative impact on family caregivers' psychological health. This study examined the factors related to 'perceived health' and 'presence of new-onset mental health problems' in family caregivers of people diagnosed with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease. A cross-sectional observational...

Background: Mothers' own milk (MOM) has more than nutritional benefits for extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks). However, mothers encounter barriers that make it difficult to provide their own milk to their extremely preterm infants. Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of mothers of extremely preterm in...

The European Union is the preferred destination of child irregular migrants arrived from northern Africa, who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in small boats. Accompanied Child Irregular Migrants (AChIMs) are exposed to physical and psychological risk. The objective of our study is to describe and understand the experiences and healt...

Background: this study aimed to describe and understand the experiences and health needs of women irregular migrants during emergency care provision upon arrival in Spain by small boat. Methods: a qualitative study based on Gadamer's phenomenology was used. The data collection included 13 in-depth interviews with women irregular migrants and 10...

Introduction: Although fibromyalgia symptoms negatively affect patients' sexual life, sexual desire in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia has been understudied. Aim: To describe and compare sexual desire in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and healthy control women, and to investigate the influence of fibromyalgia and its pharmacologic treatment...

Purpose: Research suggests that most patients and family caregivers lack competence in the management of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE). Self-efficacy is considered to be paramount in the development of people’s competence. The aim of this study is to design and psychometrically assess the pilot version of a scale to measure self-efficacy in the manag...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of mothers of extremely preterm infants during the first twelve months at home following discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit. Design and methods: A qualitative, interpretative approach using Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics was carried out. One focus gro...

Introduction Fibromyalgia is a form of non-articular rheumatic disorder of unknown origin. It is characterized by widespread, chronic musculoskeletal pain. Patients with fibromyalgia suffer more frequently eating disorders, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Studies have pointed out to nutrition as a relevant factor i...

Background: The birth of an extremely preterm infant can disrupt normal mother-infant physical contact and the care provided by the mother. This situation has an impact on the process of bonding between the mother and the child. Aim: The objective of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of mothers who have extremely preterm...

Introduction Fibromyalgia is a form of non-articular rheumatic disorder of unknown origin. It is characterized by widespread, chronic musculoskeletal pain. Patients with fibromyalgia suffer more frequently eating disorders, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Studies have pointed out to nutrition as a relevant factor...

RESUMEN Introducción: Actualmente se ha observado un mayor interés por parte de las madres y su entorno, por la aplicación de otros métodos analgésicos no invasivos. Por lo tanto, es un tema de gran importancia para los profesionales de la salud relacionados con la atención al parto, los cuales deben desarrollar las habilidades necesarias para ayud...

Introduction: Currently there has been an increased interest from mothers and their environment, by the application of other non-invasive analgesic methods. Therefore, it is a major issue for health professionals related to delivery care, which should develop the skills necessary to help those women who choose childbirth alternative promoted by the...

Introduction: Currently, most mothers know the importance of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child from the nutritional point of view and emotional development as well as prevention and pathologies, but some mothers know that inadequate breastfeeding technique can cause early problems in the breasts and thus, in many cases, the early aban...

Introduction: Currently, most mothers know the importance of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child from the nutritional point of view and emotional development as well as prevention and pathologies, but some mothers know that inadequate breastfeeding technique can cause early problems in the breasts and thus, in many cases, the early aban...