Application of the bow-tie analysis to improve patient safety - a lesson learned from clinical practice.

This study aimed to assess the risk management of drug safety in an operating theater setting within a hospital-based treatment facility.

Predictors of a severe course and mortality in patients with COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

Severe and critical forms of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Numerous research studies have been conducted around the world to investigate various variables (demographic, clinical, laboratory, etc.) in an attempt to understand the relationships between them and the course and outcome of patients with COVID-19 infection and pneumonia.

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on rheumatic disease patients' satisfaction with access to medical services.

The COVID-19 hurt various lifestyle aspects, especially the treatment and follow-up of patients with chronic diseases such as autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (RD). The new circumstances changed the frequency of medical examinations and the way patients with rheumatic diseases are followed up. The objective is to study the impact of COVID-19 on RD patients' satisfaction with access to medical services.

Prophylactic Central Neck Lymph Node Dissection Adds No Short-Term Benefit to Total Thyroidectomy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

: To answer the research question: "Is prophylactic central neck lymph node dissection (pCNLD) beneficial among differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients?" : This was a retrospective cohort study enrolling DTC patients treated at the University Hospital Kaspela, Bulgaria, from 30 January 2019 to October 2021. The predictor variable was presence of pCNLD (total thyroidectomy with vs. without pCNLD).

Reporting rates for VAERS death reports following COVID-19 vaccination, December 14, 2020-November 17, 2021.

Purpose: Despite widely available safety information for the COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine hesitancy remains a challenge. In some cases, vaccine hesitancy may be related to concerns about the number of reports of death to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). We aimed to provide information and context about reports of death to VAERS following COVID-19 vaccination.

Surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine safety among elderly persons aged 65 years and older.

Background: Monitoring safety outcomes following COVID-19 vaccination is critical for understanding vaccine safety especially when used in key populations such as elderly persons age 65 years and older who can benefit greatly from vaccination. We present new findings from a nationally representative early warning system that may expand the safety knowledge base to further public trust and inform decision making on vaccine safety by government agencies, healthcare providers, interested stakeholders, and the public.

Methods: We evaluated 14 outcomes of interest following COVID-19 vaccination using the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data covering 30,712,101 elderly persons.

Background rates of adverse events of special interest for COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring in the United States, 2019-2020.

Background: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Biologics Effectiveness and Safety (BEST) Initiative conducts active surveillance of adverse events of special interest (AESI) after COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 Mortality and Related Comorbidities in Hospitalized Patients in Bulgaria.

Until now, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in at least 27 million cases and over 900,000 deaths worldwide. Bulgaria is one of the countries that is the most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mortality rate is among the highest registered in the world. The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze mortality rates due to the fact of COVID-19 in addition to the most common related underlying medical conditions in those hospitalized to outline the factors that have an impact on the mortality rate due to the fact of COVID-19.

Comparative Assessment of the Level of Patient Safety Culture between Surgical and Nonsurgical Units in Bulgarian Hospitals.

Patient safety culture is a key component of the organizational culture and a critical measure of the quality of healthcare. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the problems concerning patient safety culture, based on the analysis of data, collected after interviewing healthcare specialists working in surgical and nonsurgical units in selected Bulgarian hospitals. This was a cross-sectional online study using a web-platform and the Bulgarian Version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Thrombocytopenia after Ad.26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine: Reports to the vaccine adverse event reporting system.

Background: On February 27, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Ad.26.COV2.

Association of Receipt of the Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 Vaccine With Presumptive Guillain-Barré Syndrome, February-July 2021.

Importance: As part of postauthorization safety surveillance, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified a potential safety concern for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following receipt of the Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine.

Perception of Patient Safety Culture among Hospital Staff.

Introduction: A patient safety culture (PSC) is a complex phenomenon, representing an essential part of the organizational culture and refers to the shared values, conceptions and beliefs which contribute to the formation and encouragement of safe behavioural models in a health organization. With this study, the authors wanted to delineate the attitude of hospital staff in Bulgaria regarding PSC and to document to whether attitudes differ between physicians and other healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: A national cross-sectional survey among 384 HCPs was conducted using an online version of the Bulgarian version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (B-HSOPSC).

Age- and risk factor-based serologic screening for Hepatitis C virus among an Urban, high-risk population.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening among individuals born between 1945 and 1965 (ie birth cohort) may augment risk factor-based screening. We assessed HCV seropositivity among injection drug users (IDUs) and birth cohort members from New York City. We assessed HCV risk factors and seropositivity in 7722 participants from community health, HIV prevention, syringe exchange and drug treatment programmes.

Psychometric properties of the Bulgarian version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Objective: To explore the psychometrics of the Bulgarian version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (B-HSOPSC) and its suitability for use in Bulgaria.

Design: A national web-based cross-sectional survey of the safety patient culture.

Setting: The hospitals' staffs from 28 administrative areas in the country.

Health-related quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients, using the Missoula-Vitas quality of life index: a multicenter study.

Background And Aims: Assessment of Health-related Quality of Life in chronic hemodialysis patients (CHD) is a predictive indicator of the outcome of the disease, including mortality and hospitalization. Regular surveys of the quality of life (QoL) in CHD patients have been conducted worldwide, using various, internationally validated and standardized tools, including the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index scale (MVQOLI). The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Bulgarian version of the Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life Index-15 (B-MVQOLI-15) and QoL in CHD patients using this instrument.

Academic Staff Satisfaction with their Work: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Medical University.

Background: Employees' work satisfaction, combined with democratic management, are important predictors of future productivity in any organisation.

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate job satisfaction in academic staff as well as the associated working environment factors, using an original self-administered questionnaire.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an original standardised questionnaire.

Comparing patient safety culture in Bulgarian, Croatian and American hospitals - preliminary results.

Background And Aims: Patient safety culture (PSC) is an essential component of the quality of healthcare. Improving PSC is considered a priority in many developed countries. A specialized software platform for registration and evaluation of hospital patient safety culture has been developed with the support of the Medical University Plovdiv Project №11/2017.

Involvement of general practitioners in colorectal cancer voluntary screening campaign: a mixed-methods study.

Purpose: To investigate the attitudes and willingness of the general practitioners (GPs) as well as their actual participation in the voluntary colorectal cancer (CRC) screening campaign without additional financial incentives for them, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Methods: A multiple-case practice based study was designed using a mixed method, triangulation techniques and a sequential explanatory design strategy. The study included all 41 GPs practices in the Municipality of Asenovgrad.

Mixed-methods study of reported clinical cases of undesirable events, medical errors, and near misses in health care.

Rationale, Aims, And Objectives: Patient safety is recognized as a key indicator of quality of medical care. International experience has shown that all efforts should focus on the delivery of a safer work environment and health care system as a whole in order to reduce or mitigate medical errors and their impact on society. The aim of this study is to investigate and classify the most common incidents regarding patient safety as well as their contributory factors, based on personal real-life experiences and situations in medical care reported by health care professionals.

Linguistic Validation and Cultural Adaptation of Bulgarian Version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC).

Background: Patient safety (PS) is one of the essential elements of health care quality and a priority of healthcare systems in most countries. Thus the creation of validated instruments and the implementation of systems that measure patient safety are considered to be of great importance worldwide.

Aim: The present paper aims to illustrate the process of linguistic validation, cross-cultural verification and adaptation of the Bulgarian version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (B-HSOPSC) and its test-retest reliability.

The EUROPEP questionnaire for patient's evaluation of general practice care: Bulgarian experience.

Aim: To validate the Bulgarian EUROPEP-questionnaire and its implementation to measure patient evaluation of general practice care in Bulgarian population.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted at twenty five primary care practices from South-Central Region of Bulgaria. A total of 1000 adult patients aged over 18 years and visiting the practice for more than a year were approached consecutively to take part in the study.