Association of Lifestyle Behaviors with Quality of Life in Patients with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care.

: The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and their effect on quality of life among patients with COPD remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the lifestyle behaviors and their association with the disease-specific quality of life among a primary care population with COPD in Greece. : This cross-sectional study included 236 participants aged 40 years and older from the COCARE COPD study.

The Effect of Sleep Impairment, as Assessed by the CASIS Questionnaire, in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Disease Severity and Physical and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care.

The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of sleep impairment among primary care patients with COPD and explore its impact on disease severity and overall health status. This cross-sectional study included 251 participants > 40 years old from the prospective COCARE COPD study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, disease-specific quality of life [COPD Assessment Test (CAT)], COPD severity [Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2023 categorization based on CAT score and exacerbations], fatigue [Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)], psychological parameters [Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)], and sleep complaints [COPD and Asthma Sleep Impact Scale (CASIS) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)] were collected.

Health-Related Issues of Users of Social Care Services for Elderly and Their Caregivers: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Day Care Center.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine two hypotheses: 1) Users of Day Care Center for Elderly (DCCE) would have frail health and multiple age-related care needs, and 2) caregivers would have to deal with some levels of anxiety due to the burden of care, and similar levels of quality of life to the users.

Materials And Methods: The current cross-sectional study was carried out at a DCCE of the regional unit of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, between March-April 2022. The study sample comprised 29 DCCE social care services users and 51 caregivers.

Patient Knowledge, Medication Adherence, and Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Hypertensive Patients in Greece.

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of patients with hypertension about their condition, adherence to antihypertensive medication, and the factors influencing it. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two cardiology outpatient clinics of two tertiary hospitals, in Greece. The study included 188 patients diagnosed with hypertension.

The journey of lung cancer patients from symptoms to diagnosis in Greece. A mixed methods approach.

The early diagnosis of lung cancer improves the probability of successful treatment. However, patients and physicians face several difficulties that can considerably delay the diagnostic process. A mixed-methods study that would follow the patient's journey throughout the diagnostic process could alleviate these difficulties.

The Prevalence and Determinants of Hesitancy for Regular COVID-19 Vaccination among Primary Healthcare Patients with Asthma or COPD in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The emergence of novel coronavirus mutations and signs of the waning immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines underscore the importance of regular vaccination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of regular COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and the factors that influence it among patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who visited primary care centers. The cross-sectional study was conducted in six primary healthcare centers in Crete, Greece (October-December 2023).

A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Self-Management Intervention for Improving Patient-Reported Outcomes in Primary Care in Greece.

: Self-management programs are essential for increasing COPD patient participation and autonomy in making appropriate decisions about their chronic condition. The present study aimed to assess the impact of COPD self-management interventions on quality of life, functional status, patient education, depression, and anxiety in primary care. : We conducted a randomized controlled trial recruiting patients with COPD (GOLD A and B) from four primary care centers in Crete, Greece, with one intervention group ( = 40) receiving self-management educational support and one control group ( = 80) receiving usual care.

Evaluating Critical Thinking Disposition, Emotional Intelligence, and Learning Environment of Nursing Students: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may have inhibited the development of critical thinking and emotional intelligence of nursing students due to the transition from traditional to online learning environments.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the development of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the perceived learning environment of nursing students during the pandemic from their first to second year.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study of 82 nursing students from 2 universities in Greece.

Exploring the Link between Social Support and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care.

We aimed to explore the link between social support and various patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in primary care patients with COPD. This was a cross-sectional study with 168 patients with COPD from six primary care centers in Crete, Greece. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, disease-specific quality of life, the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), fatigue, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), phycological parameters, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7, sleep complaints, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Athens Insomnia scale (AIS), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

The Effectiveness of Teaching the Teacher Interventions in Improving the Physical Activity among Adolescents in Schools: A Scoping Review.

Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for global mortality as it increases the risk of non-communicable diseases and decreases overall health. Therefore, increasing physical activity (PA) is strongly recommended, particularly in adolescents. The Teaching the Teachers (TTT) approach is a prominent example of an intervention that could enhance PA levels in adolescents.

The Influence of Social Support in PROMs of Patients with COPD in Primary Care: A Scoping Review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent and multidimensional disease with symptoms that greatly influence patients' health. Healthcare professionals utilize patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to classify and better manage the disease. Despite the value of PROMs, they inadequately represent some important dimensions of COPD, like social support and healthcare access/utilization.

Linking Learning Environment and Critical Thinking through Emotional Intelligence: A Cross-Sectional Study of Health Sciences Students.

Background: Health sciences educators should increase the critical thinking of their students as this may improve the quality of care. However, this is rarely considered as a critical point in teaching, despite studies identifying factors such as the learning environment and emotional intelligence as increasing critical thinking at an undergraduate level. Thus, there is a need to better explore these factors and investigate interrelations and ways of improving critical thinking, especially in the critical field of healthcare students (nursing and medicine).

Emotional intelligence is more important than the learning environment in improving critical thinking.

Purpose: To examine the association of critical thinking (CT) and emotional intelligence (EI) versus CT and learning environment (LE) in order to investigate which has the greatest influence EI or LE.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 340 s-year healthcare university students in two nursing and one medical schools from three universities in Greece, between October and December 2020. Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form were administered.

Vaccination Coverage and Associated Factors of COVID-19 Uptake in Adult Primary Health Care Users in Greece.

In our study, attitudes and perceptions of adult primary health care users regarding COVID-19 vaccination were evaluated. A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted during a 1-year period (March 2021-March 2022) in a rural area in Crete, Greece. A sample of 626 self-reported questionnaires was collected at the end of the study period.

Suggestions for overcoming the barriers to critical thinking in nursing.

Nurses strive to provide the best quality of care to their patients in a stressful and constantly changing environment. Critical thinking (CT) could help nurses provide better quality of care to their patients. However, studies have shown that nurses either have low levels of CT or underutilize it during clinical practice.

Improving Critical Thinking in New Graduate Nurses: Are Practical Methods the Answer?

Critical thinking is an essential skill of health care professionals. Not sufficiently matured during undergraduate studies, critical thinking skills need continued development. One solution could be a practical guide of teaching methods for clinical educators and professional development specialists to use with new graduate nurses.