Tackling the primary healthcare workforce crisis: time to talk about health systems and governance-a comparative assessment of nine countries in the WHO European region.

Background: Primary healthcare has emerged as a powerful global concept, but little attention has been directed towards the pivotal role of the healthcare workforce and the diverse institutional setting in which they work. This study aims to bridge the gap between the primary healthcare policy and the ongoing healthcare workforce crisis debate by introducing a health system and governance approach to identify capacities that may help respond effectively to the HCWF crisis in health system contexts.

Methods: A qualitative comparative methodology was employed, and a rapid assessment of the primary healthcare workforce was conducted across nine countries: Denmark, Germany, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom/ England.

Unlocking the Potential of the Elderly Population in Serbia: A Modeling Study on Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Factors.

A properly functioning musculoskeletal system is imperative for human well-being at every stage of life, including at an older age. This study's aim was to assess the relationship between sociodemographic and physical functioning variables and the presence of individual musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), MSD comorbidity, and multimorbidity, as well as to determine factors that are independent predictors of the presence of MSDs in people over 65 years old. This population-based study included 3701 participants aged 65 years and older.

A real-world analysis of pharmacotherapy adherence and the factors influencing it in Serbia: a nationwide, population-based, cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Monitoring the pharmacotherapy adherence in society is crucial for identifying occurance and causes of potential inadequate use of drugs and inform providers about the need for better customer counceling. It is necessary component of the strategic planning of the quality of healthcare services. This population- based study aimed to assess the medication intake adherence in the Republic of Serbia and the individual factors and health system variables influencing its pattern.

The mortality burden related to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 - years of life lost and excess mortality in 13 countries and sub-national regions in Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Introduction: Between 2021 and 2023, a project was funded in order to explore the mortality burden (YLL-Years of Life Lost, excess mortality) of COVID-19 in Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Methods: For each national or sub-national region, data on COVID-19 deaths and population data were collected for the period March 2020 to December 2021. Unstandardized and age-standardised YLL rates were calculated according to standard burden of disease methodology.

Immediate and long-term effects of COVID-19 on antibiotic dispensing: increasing use of Watch antibiotics.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected antibiotic usage worldwide. However, there is limited data from Serbia. Dispensing of oral antibiotics in Serbian pharmacies was analyzed to calculate monthly and yearly changes between 2018-2021, and to explore immediate and long-term effects of COVID-19 on antibiotic dispensing during this period.

Nurses' Perception of Tension, Stress, and Pressure before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Serbian Study.

The mental health of healthcare workers, especially the nursing staff in intensive care units, is crucial for the optimal functioning of healthcare systems during medical emergencies. This study implements a cross-sectional design to investigate the associations between nurses' personal characteristics, workplace challenges, and job satisfaction with the increased perception of tension, stress, and pressure at the workplace (TSPW) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, we surveyed 4210 nurses from 19 intensive healthcare facilities in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, and, at that time, collected data about their perceived TSPW before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing the Frequency of Exposure to Cyberbullying in Children: The Results of the National HBSC Study in Serbia.

Nowadays, children are able to enrich their reality via the Internet. Unfortunately, this may increase their risk of becoming victims of cyberbullying. We analyzed the health characteristics and risk behavior of two cohorts of children in Serbia; those who reported being exposed to cyberbullying and those who did not.

Healthcare workforce equity for health equity: An overview of its importance for the level of primary health care.

Background: Healthcare workforce crises often stem from healthcare workers' inequities. This study provides an overview of the main PHC workforce policy questions related to health equity, offering examples of evidence necessary to support the implementation of policies and strategies that increase equity in the health workforce and access to the PHC workforce and services.

Methods: The equity-related policies in PHC and workforce were linked with the indicators listed in the Global Health Workforce Network Data and Evidence Hub and guidelines for health workforce management.

The Burden of Disease due to COVID-19 (BoCO-19): A study protocol for a secondary analysis of surveillance data in Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an extensive impact on public health worldwide. However, in many countries burden of disease indicators for COVID-19 have not yet been calculated or used for monitoring. The present study protocol describes an approach developed in the project "The Burden of Disease due to COVID-19.

The burden of breast, cervical, and colon and rectum cancer in the Balkan countries, 1990-2019 and forecast to 2030.

Background: Despite effective prevention and control strategies, in countries of the Balkan region, cancers are the second leading cause of mortality, closely following circulatory system diseases.

Objective: To describe trends in the burden of breast, cervical, and colon and rectum cancer in the Balkan region and per country between 1990 and 2019, including a forecast to 2030.

Methods: We described the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimates for breast, cervical, and colon and rectum cancers in eleven Balkan countries over the period 1990-2019, including incidence, years lived with disability (YLD), years of life lost (YLL), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates per 100,000 population and accompanied 95% uncertainty interval.

The layered crisis of the primary care medical workforce in the European region: what evidence do we need to identify causes and solutions?

Primary care services are key to population health and for the efficient and equitable organisation of national health systems. This is why they are often financed through public funds. Primary care doctors are instrumental for the delivery of preventive services, continuity of care, and for the referral of patients through the system.

Risk Factors of Adverse Maternal Outcome among SARS-CoV-2 Infected Critically Ill Pregnant Women in Serbia.

Background And Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Serbia has faced devastating losses related to increased mortality rates among men and women of all ages. With 14 registered cases of maternal death in 2021, it became obvious that pregnant women are faced with a serious threat that jeopardises their life as well as the life of their unborn child. Studying the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal outcomes is vivifying and stimulating for many professionals and decision-makers, and knowing the contextual characteristics can facilitate the application of literature findings in practice.

Antimicrobial utilization and resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using segmented regression analysis: a comparative study between Serbia and eight European Countries.

Background: In Europe, Serbia occupies a high position in antibiotic utilization and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Aim: The aim was to analyse utilization trends of meropenem, ceftazidime, aminoglycosides, piperacillin/tazobactam and fluoroquinolones (2006-2020), and the reported AMR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2013-2020) in Serbia and to compare with data from eight European countries (2015-2020).

Method: Joinpoint regression was used to analyse antibiotic utilization data (2006-2020) and the reported AMR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2013-2020).

Association of Pre-Pregnancy Obesity and COVID-19 with Poor Pregnancy Outcome.

Background And Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a possible overlap of obesity and COVID-19 infection has raised concerns among patients and healthcare professionals about protecting pregnant women from developing a severe infection and unwanted pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of body mass index with clinical, laboratory, and radiology diagnostic parameters as well as pregnancy complications and maternal outcomes in pregnant patients with COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: Clinical status, laboratory, and radiology diagnostic parameters and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed for pregnant women hospitalized between March 2020 and November 2021 in one tertiary-level university clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, due to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Psychological Distress in the Republic of Serbia, the Association of Social Characteristics and Substance Use on a National Representative Sample of Serbia.

This study examined the association between social characteristics, substance use, and psychological distress in a national representative sample of adults in Serbia. It was a secondary analysis of the National Survey on Lifestyles in Serbia: Substance Abuse and Gambling 2018. The study included a total of 2000 participants aged 18 to 65 from the general population in Serbia.

miRNAs as a Potential Biomarker in the COVID-19 Infection and Complications Course, Severity, and Outcome.

During the last three years, since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of scientific publications have focused on resolving susceptibility to the infection, as well as the course of the disease and potential long-term complications. COVID-19 is widely considered as a multisystem disease and a variety of socioeconomic, medical, and genetic/epigenetic factors may contribute to the disease severity and outcome. Furthermore, the SARS-COV-2 infection may trigger pathological processes and accelerate underlying conditions to clinical entities.

The Organization of Outreach Work for Vulnerable Patients in General Practice during COVID-19: Results from the Cross-Sectional PRICOV-19 Study in 38 Countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected vulnerable populations' access to health care. By proactively reaching out to them, general practices attempted to prevent the underutilization of their services. This paper examined the association between practice and country characteristics and the organization of outreach work in general practices during COVID-19.

Four Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparison of Clinical and Pregnancy Outcomes.

During the last two and a half years, clinical manifestations, disease severity, and pregnancy outcomes have differed among pregnant patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. These changes were preceded by the presence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, known in the literature as variants of concern. The aim of this study is to describe the differences between maternal clinical characteristics and perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19 during four waves of the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia.

Knowledge and barriers to early detection of breast cancer among female primary care patients in Serbia.

Objectives: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Serbia and accounts for 22.8% of total cancer mortality in 2018. This study assessed the knowledge and barriers to early detection of breast cancer in women.

Practice and System Factors Impact on Infection Prevention and Control in General Practice during COVID-19 across 33 Countries: Results of the PRICOV Cross-Sectional Survey.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is an evidence-based approach used to reduce the risk of infection transmission within the healthcare environment. Effective IPC practices ensure safe and quality healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for enhanced IPC measures and the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized the need for strict adherence to the basic principles of IPC.