Gatekeeping or Provider Choice for Sustainable Health Systems? A Literature Review on Their Impact on Efficiency, Access, and Quality of Services.

As early as 1978, the World Health Organization set primary healthcare as the basis on which health systems should be built worldwide. However, the health systems of the different countries show considerable variations in terms of the implementation of gatekeeping from primary to secondary healthcare and direct access to specialists and hospital care. This literature review attempts to present the gatekeeping system with references to the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany compared to the situation in Greece, where no gatekeeping system exists.

Managing Pharmaceutical Costs in Health Systems: A Review of Affordability, Accessibility and Sustainability Strategies.

Background: This paper reviews cost containment policies to control pharmaceutical expenditure either by regulating the pharmaceutical industry or targeting the demand side.

Methods: The method used was the narrative literature review of studies which assessed the effect of pharmaceutical cost containment policies.

Results: Governments worldwide have implemented a great variety of policy measures to manage pharmaceutical expenditure while ensuring fair access to essential medicines.

Unmet Needs for Dental Care Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/objectives: Unmet dental needs involve cases wherein someone needed dental care and did not receive it. Published data on unmet dental needs are limited. This cross-sectional study investigates unmet dental needs in Greece before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unveiling the Value of Meta-Analysis in Disease Prevention and Control: A Comprehensive Review.

Given the plethora of studies today that focus on the same topic, clinicians and other healthcare professionals increasingly rely on meta-analysis to aid in their evidence-based decision-making. This research method, which combines data from multiple studies to produce a single, more precise estimate of effect size, is invaluable for synthesizing evidence, resolving inconsistencies and guiding clinical practice and public health policies. Especially in disease prevention and control, meta-analysis has emerged as a critical tool.

Sustainable medical tourism in the global competitive environment: The case of Cyprus.

Background: The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of Cypriot medical tourism experts regarding the phenomenon of medical tourism, as well as to emphasise the benefits and opportunities for Cyprus to become a highly competitive global healthcare destination.

Methods: A Delphi study was conducted in Cyprus, with the participation of 20 experts in the field of medical tourism. At first, 20 experts took part in semi-structured interviews.

Inhibitory Control, Cognitive Flexibility, and the Production of Disfluencies in Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter.

Purpose: Differences in inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility between children who stutter (CWS) and children who do not stutter (CWNS) have been previously demonstrated. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the previously reported inhibitory control- and cognitive flexibility-related performance costs for CWS are associated with the number of speech disfluencies that they produce.

Method: Participants were 19 CWS ( = 7.

Healthcare Workers' Knowledge about the Segregation Process of Infectious Medical Waste Management in a Hospital.

Any hospital's primary goal is to restore human health and save lives through health services provided to patients, but at the same time, hazardous wastes are produced. Inconsistent management of unsafe wastes might cause adverse effects and other issues for workers, the environment, and public health. Segregation is considered the critical stage in successful medical waste management.

Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on the Implementation of the Integrated Care Models for Chronic Patients.

Objective This study aimed to assess the understanding, adoption, and barriers to implementing integrated care for chronic diseases among healthcare professionals in Greece. By gathering insights from healthcare professionals directly involved in the care of patients with chronic conditions, this study sought to identify areas for improvement and inform future policy and strategic initiatives to enhance the quality of care and patient outcomes in Greece. Specific objectives included assessing healthcare professionals' knowledge and understanding of integrated care concepts, principles, and components in chronic disease management and exploring healthcare professionals' experiences in providing or participating in integrated care activities for patients with chronic diseases.

Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Technology Acceptance and Its Applications.

Technological innovation has become an integral aspect of our daily life, such as wearable and information technology, virtual reality and the Internet of Things which have contributed to transforming healthcare business and operations. Patients will now have a broader range and more mindful healthcare choices and experience a new era of healthcare with a patient-centric culture. Digital transformation determines personal and institutional health care.

Emotional intelligence with the gender perspective in health organizations managers.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is considered as a necessary qualification for Health Service executives in order to emotionally understand the human resources they manage and how to best handle people, situations and infrastructures. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the EI levels of healthcare executives (senior, middle and junior executives), in the field of health, in relation to sex. An EI Scale Assessment Questionnaire was used, which explores aspects of EI, such as estimating, expressing, regulating and using EI in problem solving.

The Association between Fear of COVID-19 and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Greek General Population.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the level of fear related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the association of fear, and of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A large sample of the Greek general population (N = 583) completed the validated versions of the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19s) and the 12-item Short Form (SF-12), and provided data on socio-demographic status, health history and COVID-19 protective behaviors. Variables were compared with Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests and associations with Spearman’s correlations.

Does bullying in the hospital affect the health-related quality of life of health professionals?

Background: This study investigates workplace harassment among Greek NHS employees and its impact on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL).

Objectives: In the present study, we highlight that the consequences of workplace harassment and the concomitant damaged satisfaction can negatively affect health-related quality of life in Public Hospitals.

Methods: A sample of 343 employees from five Athens-based hospitals, including doctors, nurses, administrative and technical personnel, completed the Greek versions of the Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terrorization (LIPT) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36).

Assessing Job Satisfaction and Stress among Pharmacists in Cyprus.

Background: Inadequate staffing, increased responsibilities and a high workload are some of the factors that are directly related to stress levels experienced by pharmacists, which in turn affect job satisfaction. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess job satisfaction and stress levels of pharmacists in Cyprus, involving those working in the public and private sector. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed which involved the completion of the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) questionnaire to estimate job satisfaction, and the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14) questionnaire to evaluate perceived stress.

A Comparison of EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and SF-6D Utilities of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders of Different Severity: A Health-Related Quality of Life Approach.

This study compares EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and SF-6D utilities in patients with different musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, also differing in disease severity as defined by valid clinical indexes. Utilities were measured from a cross-sectional sample of rheumatoid arthritis (N = 114), psoriatic arthritis (N = 57), ankylosing spondylitis (N = 49), and osteopenia/osteoporosis (N = 95) patients. For the first three groups, disease activity (severity) was measured with the DAS-28, DAPSA, and BASDAI clinical indexes, respectively.

Digital Strategy Decision Support Systems: Agrifood Supply Chain Management in SMEs.

The specific attributes of agrifood supply chains, along with their importance for the economy and society, have led to an increased interest in the parameters that enhance their effectiveness. Recently, numerous digital tools aimed at improving supply chain effectiveness have been developed. The majority of existing research focuses on optimizing individual processes rather than the overall growth of a food supply chain.

Effectiveness of maternal vaccination with quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in pregnant women and their infants in 2019-2020.

Objectives: Influenza is associated with an increased risk for serious illness, hospitalization, and death in pregnant women and young infants. Our aim was to estimate the effectiveness of a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (QIV) in pregnant women and their infants during 2019-2020.

Methods: A QIV vaccine was offered to pregnant women followed in a maternity hospital.

Real-World Setting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Comparing Three Therapeutic Schemes of One-Year Adjuvant Trastuzumab in HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer from the Cyprus NHS Payer Perspective.

Introduction: This study is one of the first real-world cost-effectiveness analyses of one-year adjuvant trastuzumab used in HER2-positive early female breast cancer in comparison to chemotherapy alone. It is just the second one in Europe, the first one in Cyprus, and the fourth one worldwide ever carried out using real-world data.

Methods: Using a Markov model (four health states), a cost-effectiveness analysis was carried out both over 20 years and for a lifetime horizon.

Assessing and Improving the Quality in Mental Health Services.

Background: The mental health of the population consists of the three essential pillars of quality of life, economy, and society. Mental health services take care of the prevention and treatment of mental disorders and through them maintain, improve, and restore the mental health of the population. The purpose of this study is to describe the methodology for qualitative and quantitative evaluation and improvement of the mental health service system.

Performance characteristics of automated clinical chemistry analyzers using commercial assay reagents contributing to quality assurance and clinical decision in a hospital laboratory.

Clinical laboratories provide essential diagnostic services that are essential in clinical decision making, contributing to the quality of healthcare. The performance of two Siemens ADVIA 1800 analyzers was characterized in a hospital Biochemistry laboratory in order to evaluate the analytical characteristics of such automated analyzer systems using nonoriginal assay reagents attempting to support laboratory quality service and crucial clinical decision making. We independently completed performance validation studies including trueness, precision, sensitivity as well as measurement of uncertainty and sigma metrics calculation for 25 biochemical parameters.

Geodemographic Area Classification and Association with Mortality: An Ecological Study of Small Areas of Cyprus.

Geographical investigations are a core function of public health monitoring, providing the foundation for resource allocation and policies for reducing health inequalities. The aim of this study was to develop geodemographic area classification based on several area-level indicators and to explore the extent of geographical inequalities in mortality. A series of 19 area-level socioeconomic indicators were used from the 2011 national population census.

EMPATHIC-N in a Greek-Cypriot sample: confirming its factorial structure.

Background: Family-centered care has been receiving increased attention during the last decades and health professionals recognize family satisfaction with care as an important health indicator. The Empowerment of Parents in The Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPATHIC-N) is a newly developed, yet empirically reliable and valid measure for the assessment of parental satisfaction with the care provided by Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). The present study aims to present the Greek version of the EMPATHIC-N and to confirm its factorial structure.

Comparing hospital compensation to actual costs based on the Greek Diagnosis-Related Group system in ophthalmology.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the new system of pricing medical services in the field of ophthalmology in Greece. In addition, it attempts to benchmark the system with respective interventions at an international level.

Materials And Methods: The study deals with the implementation of the new system, presenting systematic pairing of ophthalmic coding with other coded information regarding registration and management.

Are condition-specific utilities more valid than generic preference-based ones in asthma? Evidence from a study comparing EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D with AQL-5D.

Background: Systematic discrepancies have been shown in utility values derived from different instruments. This study compares utilities from the condition-specific AQL-5D and the generic EQ-5D-3L and SF-6D in an asthmatic population with heterogeneous health-related quality of life (HRQoL), disease severity, and control status.

Methods: A consecutive sample of 104 patients diagnosed with asthma completed a survey containing the Greek versions of SF-36, EQ-5D-3L, and AQLQ(s).

The economic burden of adult asthma in Cyprus; a prevalence-based cost of illness study.

Background: Asthma is one of the main non-infectious diseases of the respiratory system with substantial economic burden worldwide. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic burden of adult asthma in Cyprus during 2015.

Methods: A retrospective probabilistic prevalence-based cost of illness model was developed to calculate the economic burden of asthma including direct and indirect costs.