Empowerment, the process by which a person is enabled to increase control over decisions concerning their life, is a multidimensional construct that has been extensively discussed by various disciplines for more than four decades. Several empowerment models have been presented, based on different approaches. This paper proposes a four-step model, based on individual and contextual awareness and advancement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objectives: In recent years, knowledge management and digital innovation have become pivotal in transforming healthcare systems, driving efficiency and enhancing patient outcomes. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research trends at the intersection of knowledge management and digital innovation in healthcare, examining the scope, impact, and evolution of scholarly work in this domain.
Methods: Using a comprehensive dataset from the Scopus database, we analyzed 419 publications from 1985-2023 to identify influential authors, journal collaborations, and emerging topics and methodologies in the field.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicina (Kaunas)
October 2024
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Health Plann Manage
November 2024
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.
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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
February 2023
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmotional 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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).
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: 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.
Structural properties of sociometric networks have been associated with behaviors related to HIV transmission. Very few studies, however, have explored the correlation between sociometric network factors and drug injection-related norms. This exploratory work: (i) describes basic structural qualities of a sociometric risk network of participants in the Transmission Reduction Intervention Project (TRIP) in Athens, Greece, in the context of a large HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID); (ii) measures HIV prevalence within specific structures within the sociometric risk network of PWID in TRIP; and (iii) explores the association of structural properties of the sociometric risk network in TRIP with drug injection-related norms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: 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.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
December 2019
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
August 2019
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: 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.