BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of patients received ambulatory treatment, highlighting the importance of primary health care (PHC). However, there is limited knowledge regarding PHC workload in Europe during this period. The utilization of COVID-19 PHC indicators could facilitate the efficient monitoring and coordination of the pandemic response. The objective of this study is to describe PHC indicators for disease surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19's impact in Europe. METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study employing data obtained through a semi-structured ad hoc questionnaire, which was collectively agreed upon by all participants. The study encompasses PHC settings in 31 European countries from March 2020 to August 2021. Key-informants from each country answered the questionnaire. Main outcome: the identification of any indicator used to describe PHC COVID-19 activity. RESULTS: Out of the 31 countries surveyed, data on PHC information were obtained from 14. The principal indicators were: total number of cases within PHC (Belarus, Cyprus, Italy, Romania and Spain), number of follow-up cases (Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Spain and Turkey), GP's COVID-19 tests referrals (Poland), proportion of COVID-19 cases among respiratory illnesses consultations (Norway and France), sick leaves issued by GPs (Romania and Spain) and examination and complementary tests (Cyprus). All COVID-19 cases were attended in PHC in Belarus and Italy. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes a crucial deficiency in preparedness for infectious diseases in European health systems highlighting the inconsistent recording of indicators within PHC organizations. PHC standardized indicators and public data accessibility are urgently needed, conforming the foundation for an effective European-level health services response framework against future pandemics.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- osobní újma zaviněná nemocí MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- primární zdravotní péče MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Kypr MeSH
The incidence and mortality of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) among non-residents to countries where they occur remains unknown, warranting epidemiological research. Epidemiological data are key to inform prevention and public health policies related to TBI, as well as to help promote safe travelling practice. The aim of this study was to analyse the epidemiological patterns of TBI-related deaths among residents and non-residents in 30 European countries in 2015 using standardised European level data on causes of death. A large-scale cross-sectional study analysing TBI-related deaths in 30 European countries in 2015 among residents and non-residents to the country of occurrence of the death was conducted. Data from death certificates collected on European level by Eurostat were used to calculate the numbers of TBI-related deaths and estimate crude and age-standardised mortality rates. Rates were stratified by country, sex, age-group and by resident status. External causes of the injury were determined using the provided ICD-10 codes. 40,087 TBI-related deaths were identified; overall about 3% occurred among non-residents with highest proportions in Turkey (11%), Luxembourg (9%) and Cyprus (5%). Taking into account tourism intensity in the countries, Bulgaria, Greece and Austria showed highest rates of TBI-related deaths in non-residents: 0.7,0.5 and 0.5 per million overnight stays, respectively. The pooled age-standardised TBI-related mortality in non-residents was 0.2 (95% CI 0.1-0.3), among residents 10.4 (95% CI 9.4-11.5) per 100,000. In non-residents, TBI-related deaths were shifted to younger populations (86% in < 35 years); in non-residents 78% were 15-64 years old. Falls were predominant among residents (47%), and traffic accidents among non-residents (36%). Male:female ratio was higher among non-residents (3.9), compared to residents (2.1). Extrapolating our findings, we estimate that annually 1022 TBI-related deaths would occur to non-residents in the EU-27 + UK and 1488 in Europe as a continent. We conclude, that the primary populations at risk of TBI-related deaths in European countries differ in several characteristics between residents and non-residents to the country of the occurrence of death, which warrants for different approaches in prevention and safety promotion. Our findings suggest that TBI occurring in European countries among non-residents present a problem worthy of attention from public health and travel medicine professionals and should be further studied.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- traumatické poranění mozku * etiologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Kypr MeSH
- Rakousko MeSH
- Řecko MeSH
We provide an explorative and international comparison of the governance models of academic medical centres (AMCs). These centres face significant challenges, including disruptive external pressures and enduring financial conflicts pertaining to patient treatment, research and education. Therefore, we covered 10 European countries (Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Spain) and one associated state (Israel) in our analysis. In addition, we developed an expert questionnaire to collect data on the governance of AMCs in these 11 countries. Our results revealed no standardised definition of AMCs, with countries combining patient care, education/teaching and research differently. However, the ownership of such institutions is significantly homogeneous and is limited to public or private, nonprofit ownership. Furthermore, significant differences are associated with the (functional) integration level between the hospital and medical school. Therefore, most experts believe that the governance of AMCs will evolve into a more functionally integrated model of patient care, research and education.
The species of genus Lacon Laporte, 1838 from the Levant are taxonomically revised. Currently, 18 species are known from the area covering the island of Cyprus and mainland from Hatay province of Turkey to Israel. Six species are described as new for science: Lacon mucheibensis sp. nov. (Israel), L. qatanensis sp. nov. (Syria), L. platiai sp. nov. (Jordan), L. safitensis sp. nov. (Syria), L. tafilensis sp. nov. (Jordan), and L. zenobiae sp. nov. (Lebanon, Syria). Lacon freidbergi Platia, 2010 is synonymized with L. lithophilus (Candèze, 1857), and L. kapleri Platia Schimmel, 1994 with L. graecus (Candèze, 1857). Lacon drusus (Marseul, 1870) is recorded for the first time from Israel. Lacon lithophilus is recorded for the first time from Israel and Jordan. Lacon graecus is removed from the fauna of Levant, because all earlier reports of this species from Lebanon and Syria were based on misidentifications. Figures of habitus and main diagnostic features are provided for all species and an identification key to the Lacon species of the Levant is given.
Introduction. Plastic surgery is the medical specialty that enables moulding and reforming the human body. Cosmetic surgery can improve aesthetic appearance and subsequently self-esteem and self-confidence. Over the past 20 years, much of the research on the psychological aspects of aesthetic plastic surgery has focused on the psychological construct of body image. This study aims to investigate whether aesthetic surgery has an effect on an individual's body image, body satisfaction and general self-esteem in the Cyprus population. Material and methods. Questionnaire data from 128 cosmetic surgery patients in a Plastic Surgery Clinic in Nicosia, obtained at two time points: one week before and three months after the surgery. The questionnaire was developed by the authors for the purpose of this study and consisted of measures on body image, body satisfaction and self-esteem. Pre- and postoperative values were compared. Results. The majority were women (81.9%) and respondents' mean age was 35.35 years. One out of two participants who responded has undergone breast augmentation (47.6%). Prior to treatment, only 7.3% of participants reported they were very satisfied with their physical appearance/body image, while after treatment this figure rose to 38.6%. Before treatment, 17.7% of the participants reported they felt bad/very bad about their body during sex and this dropped to 2.5% after the treatment. Conclusions. The study provides evidence of improvement in individual's satisfaction with their body image and self-confidence after an aesthetic surgery.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- plastická chirurgie * metody MeSH
- představa o vlastním těle MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- sebepojetí MeSH
- spokojenost pacientů MeSH
- zákroky plastické chirurgie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Kypr MeSH
The emergence of the information technologies has seriously changed the healthcare system. Thus, health professionals need to be well-educated in order to respond successfully to the challenges of their job. In higher education programs in, biomedical informatics and health informatics are continuously developing. At this study more than 500 universities and colleges in Europe were checked in order to find related educational programs at all academic levels. The outcome of the research includes 316 study programs at undergraduate and postgraduate level including a variety of specializations. The majority of these programs are taking place in Czech Republic, Ireland and Austria. In contrast, countries such as Croatia and Cyprus have very low number of study programs in these fields.
- MeSH
- kurikulum * MeSH
- lékařská informatika výchova MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Chorvatsko MeSH
- Irsko MeSH
- Kypr MeSH
- Rakousko MeSH
PURPOSE: The increase in patients diagnosed with and living with cancer calls for the provision of quality nursing care within this paradigm, one that can reflect the complex needs of the patient that cancer and its treatments induce. The study aimed to evaluate the quality of oncology nursing care, as perceived, by hospitalized cancer patients in three European countries. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. In-patients diagnosed with cancer were selected based on explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected with the Quality of Oncology Nursing Care Scale- QONCS, comprising of 34 items grouped in 5 domains. Sociodemographic data was also retrieved. RESULTS: The sample included 610 patients receiving care in 2 hospitals in Cyprus (n = 274), 1 hospital in Greece (n = 144) and 2 hospitals in the Czech Republic (n = 192). Statistically significant differences were found between the three countries and across all domains of the QONCS, with the exception of the spiritual and religious care (p = 0.136). Age and days of treatment produced statistically significant differences across all the domains of the QONCS, whilst gender did not produced any statistically significant differences (p ranged from (0.136-0.369). CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies that provide evidence on the Quality of Nursing Care delivered to patients diagnosed with cancer in various European countries. Discrepancies were found between the participating countries. However, the provision of spiritual and religious care by the nurses received the lowest scores across the three participating countries.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- kvalita zdravotní péče statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- onkologické ošetřovatelství statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- spokojenost pacientů statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- srovnávací studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Kypr MeSH
- Řecko MeSH
The authors' aim was to investigate gender and cultural differences in the attributions used to determine causality for hypothetical public and private face-to-face and cyber victimization scenarios among 3,432 adolescents (age range = 11-15 years; 49% girls) from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States, while accounting for their individualism and collectivism. Adolescents completed a questionnaire on cultural values and read four hypothetical victimization scenarios, including public face-to-face victimization, public cyber victimization, private face-to-face victimization, and private cyber victimization. After reading the scenarios, they rated different attributions (i.e., self-blame, aggressor-blame, joking, normative, conflict) according to how strongly they believed the attributions explained why victimization occurred. Overall, adolescents reported that they would utilize the attributions of self-blame, aggressor-blame, and normative more for public forms of victimization and face-to-face victimization than for private forms of victimization and cyber victimization. Differences were found according to gender and country of origin as well. Such findings underscore the importance of delineating between different forms of victimization when examining adolescents' attributions.
- MeSH
- chování mladistvých psychologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- internet MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- oběti zločinu psychologie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- sexuální faktory MeSH
- šikana * MeSH
- sociální percepce * MeSH
- srovnání kultur * MeSH
- vyrovnaná skupina MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Čína MeSH
- Indie MeSH
- Japonsko MeSH
- Kypr MeSH
- Spojené státy americké MeSH
- MeSH
- bolest etiologie farmakoterapie MeSH
- dostupnost zdravotnických služeb zákonodárství a právo MeSH
- kontrolované látky MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nádory komplikace MeSH
- opioidní analgetika * MeSH
- poruchy spojené s užíváním opiátů prevence a kontrola MeSH
- směrnice pro lékařskou praxi jako téma MeSH
- Světová zdravotnická organizace MeSH
- zákonodárství lékové * MeSH
- zneužívání léků na předpis prevence a kontrola zákonodárství a právo MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
- Kypr MeSH
- Turecko MeSH
- východní Evropa MeSH
The aim of this paper is to explore general practitioners' (GPs) prescribing intentions and patterns across different European regions using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A cross-sectional study was undertaken in selected geographically defined Primary Health Care areas in Cyprus, Czech Republic (CZ), France, Greece, Malta, Sweden and Turkey. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a TPB-based questionnaire. The number of GP participants ranged from 39 to 145 per country. Possible associations between TPB direct measures (attitudes, subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC)) and intention to prescribe were assessed by country. On average, GPs thought positively of, and claimed to be in control of, prescribing. Correlations between TPB explanatory measures and prescribing intention were weak, with TPB direct measures explaining about 25% of the variance in intention to prescribe in Malta and CZ but only between 3% and 5% in Greece, Sweden and Turkey. SN appeared influential in GPs from Malta; attitude and PBC were statistically significant in GPs from CZ. GPs' prescribing intentions and patterns differed across participating countries, indicating that country-specific interventions are likely to be appropriate. Irrational prescribing behaviors were more apparent in the countries where an integrated primary care system has still not been fully developed and policies promoting the rational use of medicines are lacking. Demand-side measures aimed at modifying GPs prescribing behavior are deemed necessary.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lékařská praxe - způsoby provádění statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- praktičtí lékaři psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- úmysl MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Francie MeSH
- Kypr MeSH
- Malta MeSH
- Řecko MeSH
- Švédsko MeSH
- Turecko MeSH
