Clinical and epidemiological risk factors associated with hospitalization and mortality rate of COVID-19 patients in Banja Luka County: A retrospective observational cohort study on 40,000 patients.

Context: Since beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) it became clear that severe forms of this infection have primarily affected patients with chronic conditions.

Aims: The aim of the study was to explore clinical and epidemiological characteristics associated with COVID 19 outcomes.

Settings And Design: The retrospective observational study included 40,692 citizens of Banja Luka County, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were confirmed as reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive on COVID-19 at a primary healthcare centre from March 2020 to September 2022.

Intensive Intervention on Smoking Cessation in Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery: The Role of Family Physicians.

: The aim of this study was to determine the role of physicians in the intensive intervention and education regarding the smoking cessation of patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia. : A randomised prospective study was conducted in family physicians' clinics in which smokers of both sexes, aged 21-65 years, without cognitive impairments, and who were not addicted to psychoactive substances voluntarily participated. Four weeks preoperatively, 120 smokers were randomised into two equal groups; the intervention group (IG) underwent an intervention for the purpose of smoking cessation and the control group (CG) underwent no intervention.

Eleven-Year Trends in Lipid-Modifying Medicines Utilisation and Expenditure in a Low-Income Country: A Study from the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background: In last two decades, there have been substantial changes in the pattern of lipid-modifying medicines utilisation following the new treatment guidelines based on clinical trials. The main purpose of this study was to analyse the overall utilisation and expenditure of lipid-modifying medicines in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina during an 11-year follow-up period and to express its share in relation to the total cardiovascular medicines (C group) utilisation.

Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, medicines utilisation data were analysed between 2010 and 2020 period using the ATC/DDD methodology and expressed as the number of DDD/1000 inhabitants/day (DDD/TID).

Validation and the Reliability of the ACIC Questionnaire in the Primary Health Care Setting: a Study from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Objective: The aim of this study was to carry out the cultural adaptation and validation of the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care questionnaire (ACIC) in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Methods: A validation study was conducted in two randomly selected primary health care centers in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during March and April 2016. The study participants were all physicians working in family medicine departments during the study.

Trends in Antihypertensive Medicine Utilization in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina: An Eleven-Year Follow-Up.

In last 2 decades, there have been substantial changes in the utilization patterns of antihypertensive medicines following new clinical trials and the introduction of new treatment guidelines. The aim of this study was to analyze utilization and prescribing patterns regarding antihypertensive medicines in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina during an 11-years follow-up according to national and European treatment guidelines. In this retrospective, observational study, medicine utilization data were analyzed between 2009-2019 period using the ATC/DDD methodology and expressed as the number of DDD/1,000 inhabitants/day (DID/TID).

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among primary healthcare workers in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina: A cross-sectional study.

Healthcare workers (HCW) in primary healthcare centres in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, are on the first combat line with COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among HCW at the primary healthcare centres and to analyse the risk exposure to COVID-19, clinical signs and vaccination status. A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCW at the selected primary healthcare centres between 19 March and 30 April 2021.

Health Literacy: Current Status and Challenges in the Work of Family Doctors in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Health literacy (HL) has become an important area of research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the HL of primary healthcare patients in the Republic of Srpska (RS), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and to identify socioeconomic and health factors associated with HL. This cross-sectional study among 768 patients was conducted in two healthcare centres between March and May 2017, using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA).

Assessment of health literacy in the adult population registered to family medicine physicians in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Background: Health literacy is an important determinant of health. This concept is under-researched in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Objectives: To assess health literacy and its association with sociodemographic variables, self-perception of health and the presence of chronic conditions in primary healthcare setting.

Assessment of hypertension chronic care model: Pacic application in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate patients' attitudes towards hypertension treatment according to the chronic care model and to assess the implementation of hypertension clinical guidelines in family medicine. The cross-sectional study was carried out in two randomly selected primary health care centers (Bijeljina and Prijedor), respectively in Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering the period between March and April 2016. This study sample consists of 791 respondents with hypertension purposing to measure specific actions and quality of care for hypertensive patients.