Perceived needs for attaining a 'new normality' after surviving myocardial infarction: A qualitative study of patients' experience.

Background: A comprehensive understanding of the various aspects of patients' myocardial infarction (MI) experiences may help to guide these patients and their relatives through the many uncertainties they face and help them to stabilize their lives after the disruption they experienced.

Objectives: To explore MI patients' experiences of life with MI, the challenges they face during the process of accepting their condition, and the setting and resetting of their personal goals.

Methods: Thirty semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted.

Ten-Year Trends in the Morbidity of Diabetes Mellitus and Antidiabetic Drug Utilization in Croatia: A Study Based on Routinely Collected Data.

Objectives. To investigate trends of diabetes mellitus (DM) morbidity and antidiabetic drug utilization in Croatian primary health care (PHC) from 2005 to 2014. Method.

[USE OF CONTRACEPTION IN WOMEN FROM THE ZAPRESIĆ AREA AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICE OF METHOD: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY].

There have long been no surveys in the field of family planning in Croatia. There were some carried out by commercial agencies and some related to adolescents, but none focused on women of reproductive age. Therefore, we embarked upon this survey including women living in the town of Zaprešić and its surroundings.

A role of Croatian family doctors in the provision of women's health care: a study based on routinely collected data.

The aim of this study was to investigate how often Croatian FDs are involved in the provision of women's health, having in mind that women's health is primarily organized by the gynecological service. Only the data related to women's health were collected from the Croatian health statistical yearbooks from 1995 to 2012, in which ICD X was used. Results showed that total number of diagnoses are increasing.

A role of family doctors in taking care of men's health.

The aim of this study was to investigate, based on routinely collected data, the scope of family doctors work in the field of men's health. Based on the Croatian Health Service Yearbook in the period from 1995 to 2012, we collected the morbidity data related to male urogenital disorders. The total number of urogenital disorders almost doubled, but the number of diagnoses related to the men increased fourfold, mostly among the oldest patients.

Development of family medicine specialist curriculum in Croatia: challenging experiences.

The specialization in family medicine (FM) was introduced in the academic year 1960/61, but there was an almost 12-year gap in its implementation. Specialized training (ST) was reintroduced in 2003 through the project "Harmonization of family medicine with EU standards introducing a FM specialization". The aim of this paper is not to present all of the developmental phases of the ST curriculum, but to provide accounts of some of the challenging experiences which might be of help to the readers.

Health care expenditures in Croatia, 2000-2013: is primary health care in the right position?

The research was undertaken to determine the trends in the amount and the structure of the health care expenditures in Croatia from 2000 to 2013. It is based on routinely collected and publicly available data, The Annual Reports of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund and OECD data. The income of Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) increased by 66.

Ambulatory care sensitive conditions at out-of-hospital emergence services in Croatia: a longitudinal study based on routinely collected data.

Conditions for which a hospital and emergency utilization can be considered avoidable are often referred as ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). Until now, there has been no published research related to ACSCs in Croatia. This study was undertaken with the aim of determining the trends relating to ACSCs in out-of-hospital ES from 1995-2012.

Trends in referrals from Croatian family practice in relation to specialists' consultations: a longitudinal observational study from 1995 to 2012.

Drug prescribing and referrals to specialists' consultations, as the indicators of the quality of health care, were not so often monitored in Croatian family medicine. The aims of the study are to determine the trends of referrals from family doctors to specialists' consultations and the trends of specialists' consultations utilization. The study is based on routinely collected data from the Croatian Health Service Yearbooks, 1995-2012.

Morbidity trends of elderly people registered in Croatian family practice: a longitudinal study based on routinely collected data.

The research aim was to determine the overall morbidity trends in Croatian elderly population. The morbidity data recorded in family practice (FP) were extracted from Croatian Health Service Yearbooks for the years 1995-2012. The percentage of diagnoses in elderly people registered in FM was always higher then their shares in overall population, and with increased trend by 121%.

Organizational structure of the Croatian family practice: a longitudinal study based on routinely collected data.

This study was undertaken with the main aim of determining the trends in the number of family doctors' (FD), gender and educational structure, working status and the number of patients per FD between 1995 and 2013. As the main source of data collection served the Croatian Health Service Yearbooks and Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) databases on practices and FDs contracting in 2013. Obtained results indicated that the number of contracted FDs increased until 2007, then decreased, and again increased until 2350 in 2013.

Assessing primary care in Croatia: could it be moved forward?

It is well known that countries with strong primary care achieve better health outcomes at lower costs. Therefore, the effort of World Health Organization in promoting primary care as a basic principal of successful health care system is an ongoing process. Although Croatia was recognized as a country with primary care orientation due to the development of health centers and introduction of specialist training of general practitioners, it seems that many health care reforms aimed at better organization of health institutions and decreasing of health care costs did not result with higher primary care orientation.

Facing the diagnosis of myocardial infarction: a qualitative study.

Background: Patient experience is increasingly recognized as one of the three pillars of quality in health care, alongside clinical effectiveness and patient safety. However, little attention has been paid to the patients' experience from the point of view of health care delivery.

Objective: To explore the initial experience of patients facing a new diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI).

How to deal with a crying patient? A study from a primary care setting in Croatia, using the 'critical incident technique'.

Background: Expression of strong emotions by patients is not a rare event in medical practice, however, there are few studies describing general practitioner (GP) communication with a crying patient.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe GP behaviour with a patient who cries in a family practice setting.

Methods: A semi-qualitative study was conducted on 127 Croatian GP trainees, 83.

Illness perception and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes: cross-sectional questionnaire study.

AIM. To investigate illness perception in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its association with the degree of control over relevant cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS.

[Health locus of control assessment in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients].

Unlabelled: Health locus of control (LOC) refers to the person beliefs who or what has control over his/her health. A person's LOC orientation is one of several factors that determine which health-related behaviors a person will perform.

Aim: To explore LOC of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) patients, also in relation to patient' socio-demographic characteristics (sex, education, working status, and family status), context (place of birth, experience with chronic diseases in family, economic status), social support and quality of life.

[Guidelines for diagnostics and treatment of arterial hypertension. Practical recommendations of the Croatian Working Group for Hypertension. Consideration on the ESH-ESC 2007 guidelines].

ESH/ECS guidelines for diagnostics and treatment of arterial hypertension 2007 is a basic paper for all physicians who treat hypertensive patients. Since publishing, this article has been the most cited medical paper. According to ESH/ECS guidelines some local peculiarities in each country should be considered when diagnosing and treating hypertensive patients.

Information systems and the electronic health record in primary health care.

The implementation of information systems into primary health care opened the possibilities of providing integrated and co-ordinated health care, improved in quality and focused on the healthcare user. The healthcare system, researchers, physicians, and patients have recognised the benefits offered by informatics, but also raised questions that have yet to be answered.

[Specialization in family medicine--has all the planned been achieved?].

The planned, comprehensive inclusion of general practitioners/family physicians in specialist education has begun with the project entitled Harmonization of Family Medicine Service with European Standards by the Implementation of Compulsory Residency. According to the Project, all physicians working in family medicine practice should have an opportunity to complete the respective residency by 2015. Analysis of the planned and completed family medicine residency in Croatia during the 2002-2006 period is presented.

[International course Training of teachers in general/family practice: 20 years of experience].

Twenty years of experience in organising and participating at the international courses of Training of teachers in general/family practice are presented. The course was for the first time held in 1983 at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik. The founders and the first course directors were the members of the Leeuwenhorst group.

[Scientific and research projects of the Department of Family Medicine--contribution to the identity of general practice/family medicine as a scientific discipline].

The main task of an academic department of any medical discipline is an integrated development and improvement of professional, scientific and educational activities. The proces of formulation, establishment and recognition of general practice/family medicine as an academic discipline in Croatia started with postgraduate education and vocational training in 1960 at the Andrija Stampar School of Public Health. In 1980 Department of Family Medicine of the Medical School, University of Zagreb was officially established.