Professional development: a mixed methods study of Masters of Public Health alumni.

Introduction: We examined the perceptions of the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree graduates regarding their personal competencies, job performance and professional development using a mixed method, explanatory sequential design.

Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire of the Haifa School of Public Health alumni who graduated between 2005 and 2022 was disseminated to 849 graduates between March and June 2022, from which 127 responded (response rate: 14.90%).

A Patient-Centered Approach to Communication during Endoscopic Procedures: The Importance of Providing Information to Patients.

The study aimed to explore patients' experiences and perceptions throughout the various stages of endoscopic procedures and examine the association between patient-centered communication and the patient's experience. A total of 191 patients responded to pre- and post-procedure surveys that inquired about fear and pain, patients' satisfaction regarding the information provided to them, perceptions and experience. Pain was associated with post-procedure fear (r = 0.

Evaluation of Telephone Visits in Primary Care: Satisfaction of Pediatricians and Family Physicians and Their Perceptions of Quality of Care and Safety.

Telehealth has accelerated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. As telephone visits become more common, it is important to examine the challenges involved in using this modality of care. In this study, we examined family physicians' and pediatricians' perceptions regarding three aspects of the use of telephone visits: quality of care, safety of care, and physicians' satisfaction.

Recognition of COVID-19 with occupational origin: a comparison between European countries.

Objectives: This study aims to present an overview of the formal recognition of COVID-19 as occupational disease (OD) or injury (OI) across Europe.

Methods: A COVID-19 questionnaire was designed by a task group within COST-funded OMEGA-NET and sent to occupational health experts of 37 countries in WHO European region, with a last update in April 2022.

Results: The questionnaire was filled out by experts from 35 countries.

Higher Education in Public Health as a Tool to Reduce Disparities: Findings from an Exploratory Study among the Bedouin Community in Israel.

The Bedouin community is a minority disadvantaged population in Israel that suffers from a variety of health and socioeconomic disparities and limited access to higher education. The current study aimed to examine perceptions, successes, and challenges experienced by Bedouin students during their studies and to assess an internship program developed on the principles of a community-based participatory research approach to public health. In-depth interviews were conducted with 34 Bedouin students studying in the public health academic track between January and April 2023.

The Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist: A Rapid Review of Implementation Models and Barriers around the World.

The role of a clinical nurse specialist in oncology varies greatly between healthcare systems, and implementing this healthcare role with its multifaceted and co-existing responsibilities may prove challenging. While already integrated into healthcare systems and services in several European countries, Asia, Canada, and the United States, other countries are just beginning to develop clinical nursing specialties. The current study aims to provide healthcare policymakers with up-to-date evidence that focuses on the diverse modes of oncology clinical nurse specialist role implementation across several healthcare systems and pertinent implementation challenges as described in the literature.

Simulation as a key training method for inculcating public health leadership skills: a mixed methods study.

Background: Successful management of public health challenges requires developing and nurturing leadership competencies. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of training simulations to assess public health leadership and decision-making competencies during emergencies as an effective learning and training method.

Methods: We examined the effects of two simulation scenarios on public health school students in terms of their experience (compared to face-to-face learning) and new skills acquired for dealing with similar emergent situations in the future.

Nurses and Physicians' Perceptions Regarding the Role of Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists in an Exploratory Qualitative Study.

The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of nursing and medical teams about the role of oncology clinical nurse specialists in the healthcare system in Israel, where, unlike many countries in the world, such a role has not yet been developed or professionally defined. We conducted 24 interviews with physicians and nurses between August and October 2021. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis method.

Challenging Organizational Factors Associated With Admission Delay to Intensive Care Unit-A Novel Quality Indicator.

Background: Delays in admitting patients to the intensive care unit ICU) can defer the timely initiation of life-sustaining therapies and invasive monitoring, jeopardizing the success of the treatment. Nevertheless, the availability of research on interventions that reduce or minimize admission delays is limited.

Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the factors related to delays in admission times of critically ill patients transferred to the ICU.

The Role of Nurses in the Quality of Cancer Care Management: Perceptions of Cancer Survivors and Oncology Teams.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of cancer survivors and oncology professionals of quality in cancer care and the role of oncology nurses in prompting and maintaining quality across the cancer care continuum.

Data Sources: Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 cancer survivors and 22 healthcare professionals between August and October 2021. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using ATLAS.

Identifying the Gaps Between Public Health Training and Practice: A Workforce Competencies Comparative Analysis.

The study aimed to generate insights on how best to enhance the compatibility between Public Health training program competencies and the implementation of competencies required by employers to address current and emerging public health needs. A survey adapted from the WHO-ASPHER Competency Framework for the Public Health Workforce was conducted online among Israeli public health managers from August to November 2021. The survey was formulated to mirror Essential Public Health Operations.

Patients' and oncologists' perceptions towards the discussion on high-cost innovative cancer therapies: findings from a qualitative study.

Objectives: In the last decades, innovative technologies for cancer treatment were developed rapidly. In most cases, their price is high, with no funding offered by public health systems. The present study examined the perceptions of oncologists, patients and family members regarding the challenges in discussing innovative cancer treatments.

Emerging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic about the decisive competencies needed for the public health workforce: A qualitative study.

The global COVID-19 crisis exposed the critical need for a highly qualified public health workforce. This qualitative research aimed to examine public health workforce competencies needed to face COVID-19 challenges and identify the gaps between training programs and the competency demands of real-world disasters and pandemics. Through a sample of thirty-one participant qualitative interviews, we examined the perspectives of diverse stakeholders from lead public health organizations in Israel.

Perspectives of cancer patients during the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel: The long-term implications on support and well-being in an exploratory qualitative study.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing effects and long-term implications for the mental and social state of cancer patients are not yet fully known. The current study examined cancer patients' feelings about the pandemic's long-term impact on daily life 1 year after its outbreak in Israel and after the patient's vaccination against the virus.

Methods: Ten in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with cancer patients between February and April 2021.

Mental health among college students a year after COVID-19 outbreak in Israel: The association between wellbeing and anxiety.

To evaluate anxiety and well-being among college students. The sample comprised 366 college students who responded to an online survey In January 2021. Methods: An online survey included demographics, a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and a 14-item Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) measuring well-being.

Health locus of control in cancer patient and oncologist decision-making: An exploratory qualitative study.

Objective: To investigate how cancer patients' and family members' perspective and health locus of control are presented in clinical encounter decision-making.

Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 16 cancer patients and 6 family members living in Israel (n = 22). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

The Future Public Health Workforce in a Changing World: A Conceptual Framework for a European-Israeli Knowledge Transfer Project.

Health services quality and sustainability rely mainly on a qualified workforce. Adequately trained public health personnel protect and promote health, avert health disparities, and allow rapid response to health emergencies. Evaluations of the healthcare workforce typically focus on physicians and nurses in curative medical venues.

Recommending Unfunded Innovative Cancer Therapies: Ethical vs. Clinical Perspectives among Oncologists on a Public Healthcare System-A Mixed-Methods Study.

Over the past decade, there has been a growing development of innovative technologies to treat cancer. Many of these technologies are expensive and not funded by health funds. The present study examined physicians' perceptions of the ethical and clinical aspects of the recommendation and use of unfunded technologies for cancer treatment.

The Organizational Atmosphere in Israeli Hospital during COVID-19: Concerns, Perceptions, and Burnout.

The COVID-19 crisis poses challenges to healthcare systems and requires micro- and macro-organizational adaptations. This study examined the organizational atmosphere in Israeli hospitals by evaluating workers' perceptions and concerns about the COVID-19 crisis and its management. At the end of the pandemic's first wave in Israel, 547 healthcare workers responded to an online survey, which inquired about COVID-19 concerns at the individual and family level, perceptions at the national and organizational level, perceptions of the way the crisis was managed, self-assessment of coping with the crisis and burnout, and demographics.

[PUBLIC WILLINGNESS TO PERFORM CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND BARRIERS].

Background: Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death in the Western world. Its pre-hospital survival rates depend on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by those near the person. Despite epidemiological data showing a significant increase in the survival rate of people who had a cardiac arrest and were resuscitated by bystanders, the levels of public willingness to resuscitate are still low.

Influence of Health Status on the Association Between Diabetes and Depression Among Adults in Europe: Findings From the SHARE International Survey.

Objective: The association between diabetes and depression, a common health comorbidity in people with diabetes, has been recognized but not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between diabetes and depression in a large international sample of adults, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, behavioral risks, and current health status.

Methods: The association between diabetes and depression was assessed in a sample of 57,004 Europeans ≥50 years of age from 15 European countries using data from the fifth wave of SHARE (the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe).

Establishing undergraduate public health education: process, challenges, and achievements in a case study in Israel.

Background: In this paper, we describe the development process of the first undergraduate public health baccalaureate program, in the Ashkelon Academic College in Israel. Expansion of degree-granting colleges in Israel is part of the democratization of higher education providing access to and increasing educational opportunities for groups underrepresented in universities. The main objectives of the program at Ashkelon Academic College have been to open accessible and affordable career opportunities for current workers in the health system and for new entries to health careers for academic advancement in a peripheral and relatively poor region of the country.

Human Factors and Quality Improvement in the Emergency Department: Reducing Potential Errors in Blood Collection.

Objectives: Adverse events in blood collection procedures such as mismatched or unlabeled samples may have critical implications on patient safety (such as wrong diagnosis and treatments). The current study examined blood collection procedures in an emergency department before and after the application of a human factors approach for improving performance quality and preventing adverse events.

Methods: In the emergency department of a community care hospital, 190 blood collection events were observed in 2 phases: preintervention and postintervention.