Initiatives in the Romanian eHealth Landscape

Even if the foundation in the field of eHealth was set almost half century ago, the current achievements’ status does not place Romania on a good position in a European ranking. The efforts made during the last years are promising, but they still cannot surpass the enormous gaps in many eHealth indicators. This is not a surprising fact because the eHealth level must be sustained by a healthy and stable sanitary system and infrastructure, which, in our country, is almost in collapse, especially now in the context of global economic and financial crisis. We consider being guilty for these circumstances the lack of a clear and solid mid-term strategy developed at the level of the Ministry of Health (MoH), harmonized in a global legal and regulatory framework as well, and also the non-correlated researcher groups interests. The good attitude of practitioners regarding the challenges of new technologies and the political will can still give a chance to the Romanian healthcare system and to its modern faces

ATTITUDES TOWARDS EHEALTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: UNTANGLING THE GORDIAN KNOT IN GREECE, BULGARIA AND ROMANIA IN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS?

Background: Until recent times, healthcare specialists lagged behind other fields in terms of computer networks and software usage, partly because they were uncomfortable with information and communication technologies. The rapid development of personal wearables, their easier connections with smartphones and other similar devices, and the possibilities of online or cloud storage of personal medical data led to improvements of eHealth services in terms of ease of access and reduced costs of delivery. Subjects and methods: The current research aimed to fill a research gap regarding attitudes towards eHealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Balkan countries: Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. A total number of 775 adult participants (healthcare professionals and students in the field) were contacted in the winter of 2020 and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their eHealth attitudes. Results: The Greek participants had the most negative attitudes toward eHealth services. This may be due to forced use of eHealth applications during the pandemic crisis and the need for mastering the necessary technical skills to use them. Conclusions: It should be noted that in the scientific literature no research is found on this topic, therefore it is the first study aimed to assessing and comparing attitudes towards eHealth in these countries

ATTITUDES TOWARDS EHEALTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: UNTANGLING THE GORDIAN KNOT IN GREECE, BULGARIA AND ROMANIA IN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS?

Background: Until recent times, healthcare specialists lagged behind other fields in terms of computer networks and software usage, partly because they were uncomfortable with information and communication technologies. The rapid development of personal wearables, their easier connections with smartphones and other similar devices, and the possibilities of online or cloud storage of personal medical data led to improvements of eHealth services in terms of ease of access and reduced costs of delivery. Subjects and methods: The current research aimed to fill a research gap regarding attitudes towards eHealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Balkan countries: Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. A total number of 775 adult participants (healthcare professionals and students in the field) were contacted in the winter of 2020 and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their eHealth attitudes. Results: The Greek participants had the most negative attitudes toward eHealth services. This may be due to forced use of eHealth applications during the pandemic crisis and the need for mastering the necessary technical skills to use them. Conclusions: It should be noted that in the scientific literature no research is found on this topic, therefore it is the first study aimed to assessing and comparing attitudes towards eHealth in these countries

Report on SHAFE policies, strategies and funding

The objective of Working Group (WG) 4 of the COST Action NET4Age-Friendly is to examine existing policies, advocacy, and funding opportunities and to build up relations with policy makers and funding organisations. Also, to synthesize and improve existing knowledge and models to develop from effective business and evaluation models, as well as to guarantee quality and education, proper dissemination and ensure the future of the Action. The Working Group further aims to enable capacity building to improve interdisciplinary participation, to promote knowledge exchange and to foster a cross-European interdisciplinary research capacity, to improve cooperation and co-creation with cross-sectors stakeholders and to introduce and educate students SHAFE implementation and sustainability (CB01, CB03, CB04, CB05). To enable the achievement of the objectives of Working Group 4, the Leader of the Working Group, the Chair and Vice-Chair, in close cooperation with the Science Communication Coordinator, developed a template (see annex 1) to map the current state of SHAFE policies, funding opportunities and networking in the COST member countries of the Action. On invitation, the Working Group lead received contributions from 37 countries, in a total of 85 Action members. The contributions provide an overview of the diversity of SHAFE policies and opportunities in Europe and beyond. These were not edited or revised and are a result of the main areas of expertise and knowledge of the contributors; thus, gaps in areas or content are possible and these shall be further explored in the following works and reports of this WG. But this preliminary mapping is of huge importance to proceed with the WG activities. In the following chapters, an introduction on the need of SHAFE policies is presented, followed by a summary of the main approaches to be pursued for the next period of work. The deliverable finishes with the opportunities of capacity building, networking and funding that will be relevant to undertake within the frame of Working Group 4 and the total COST Action. The total of country contributions is presented in the annex of this deliverable

How the marketing research affects the improvement in the dental doctor-patient relation

The relation between provider and customer in the services area, mainly medical, represents a fundamental desideratum. This type of relation derives from a two-way involvement of both parts at the entire marketing mix level. The base of new marketing strategies that imply effective relation models can only be built by setting out an ample time related investigation process of the mechanisms pertaining to the customer’s perception of the quality and the coordinates of the relationship with the provider. The article aims to investigate the mechanism leading to customer retention in the case of dental offices, both from the perspective of customers and providers.The authors conducted an in-depth interview-type qualitative research, which identified and pointed out the extent to which the marketing activity, as seen from the perspective of specific principles and scientific methodology, is implemented in the dental offices in Bucharest.The research was also focused on the perception of specialists, dental office/clinics managers or owners regarding the concept of customer retention, elements which could lead to keeping customers, and the image of the ideal office from the perspective of services adjusted to consumers.  

The Contribution of Digital Technologies to Service Delivery: An Evidence Review

The explosion in digital connectivity, globalisation and the rapid growth in digital technologies over the last two decades has revolutionised the way that businesses perform and compete globally. Governments around the world have been put under strong pressure to transform themselves into electronic governments, in recognition of the efficiencies brought about by the appropriate use of information communication technologies (ICTs) in businesses and the need for development. The aim has been to maximise the state’s capacity to serve its stakeholders: namely citizens, business, employees and other government and non-government agencies. E-government or digital government has been a significant feature of public sector reform in recent years in both developed and developing countries with a substantial amount of resources dedicated to the development of necessary systems and infrastructure. Yet the transformational potential of digital for development risks not being replicated in the real world. Large-scale and sustainable use of ICTs for education is not yet being realised in developing countries, despite the fact that digital technologies have the potential to reduce costs and strengthen education systems. In the field of health care, mHealth systems are reaching significant scale in many developing countries but there is still a lack of concrete evidence with which to fully assess the economic impact of these technologies. This report explores and assesses the evidence for the impact and use of digital technologies in development, identifying cross-cutting themes that are important for use, implementation and scale-up. These include funding and infrastructure, policy commitments by government, skills and leadership.UK Department for International Developmen