Definition of medical error and physicians’ interest in changes in the law

The main purpose of the paper is to discuss the definition of medical error. Moreover, the statistical analysis was aimed at demonstrating at what level is the legal knowledge of the professional group of doctors, in relation to the performed profession. The research group consisted of doctors of different specializations, of different ages, with diverse work experiences, performing their profession in the Lubelskie voivodeship. These were people working on the basis of contract of employment, civil law contracts or individual medical practice, employed in provincial hospitals, clinics, district hospitals, outpatient’s clinics, ambulances or medical centers. The author's questionnaire survey consisted of questions and answers for 298 doctors. Damage resulting from a widely understood medical error can be caused not only by the physician but by all medical staff or due to the organizational failure of the medical establishment. It must be stated with all conviction that the formulation of the concept of medical error is still ongoing and will evolve with the development of medicine as well as the law, which will strive to delineate the framework of its occurrence. The majority of doubts, which results from the obtained research, raises the issue of provision of medical help without the consent of the patient and the right to refuse treatment, but above all, what is quite surprising is the question of accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies. The most frequently cited reasons influencing the lack of updating legal knowledge in the field of the performed profession were lack of time and a large number of duties, whereas the research group, in order to deepen their knowledge on that matter, most frequently used the Internet resources, industry articles, and on the third place was the training related to the subject matter of the medical law

Dysleksja rozwojowa – wiedza i doświadczenia własne przyszłych logopedów

The article presents the results of the survey about specific reading and writing difficulties, which was conducted in the group of 25 students of the first year of postgraduate studies in general logopedics at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. The aim of the survey was to establish the level of knowledge about developmental dyslexia possessed by prospective speech therapists and their awareness of the problems facing children and adults suffering from dyslexia as well as of the needs of children with the risk of dyslexia.W artykule prezentowane są wyniki badań ankietowych dotyczących problematyki specyficznych trudności w czytaniu i pisaniu, przeprowadzonych w 25-osobowej grupie słuchaczy I roku studiów podyplomowych z zakresu logopedii ogólnej Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie. Badania miały na celu ustalenie, jaką wiedzą na temat dysleksji rozwojowej dysponują przyszli logopedzi i jaka jest ich świadomość problemów dotykających uczniów i osób dorosłych z dysleksją oraz potrzeb dzieci z ryzykiem dysleksji

Edukacja logopedyczna – potrzeby i preferencje zawodowe słuchaczy studiów podyplomowych

The article presents the results of the survey about the needs and preferences of postgraduate students in general logopedics at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. The survey, which was conducted in the group of 50 students, considered, among other things, the issues such as motivation to study logopedics, preferences of educational model, programme, place of employment, vocational speciality and projections of the possibility of being employed as a speech therapist. W artykule prezentowane są wyniki badań ankietowych dotyczących potrzeb i preferencji zawodowych słuchaczy studiów podyplomowych z zakresu logopedii ogólnej Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie. Badania, przeprowadzone w 50-osobowej grupie, uwzględniały m.in. takie zagadnienia, jak: motywacja do podjęcia studiów logopedycznych, preferencje odnośnie do modelu edukacji, oferty programowej, miejsca zatrudnienia i specjalizacji zawodowej, prognozy dotyczące możliwości podjęcia pracy w zawodzie logopedy

The Role of Lead and Cadmium in Gynecological Malignancies

Lead and cadmium are non-essential and toxic heavy metals. Their presence and elevated levels can lead to many pathologies. They disrupt the antioxidant properties of many enzymes, consume the resources of antioxidant cells, and thus participate in the generation of oxidative stress, which may result in DNA damage. In addition, they have been found to be carcinogenic through their genotoxic properties. They have been shown to be present in various types of cancer, including cancer of the female reproductive system. Both metals have been recognized as metalloestrogens, which are important in hormone-related cancers. Participation in the oncogenesis of ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer was analysed in detail, using the available research in this field. We emphasize their role as potential biomarkers in cancer risk and diagnosis as well as advancement of gynaecological malignancies

DataSheet1_Reimbursement decision-making system in Poland systematically compared to other countries.docx

Introduction: Our objective was to analyze and compare systematically and structurally reimbursement systems in Poland and other countries.Methods: The systems were selected based on recommendations issued by the Polish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffication (AHTAPol), which explicitly referred to other countries and agencies). Consequently, apart from Poland, the countries included in the analysis were England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Relevant information and data were collected through a systematic search of PubMed (Medline), Embase and The Cochrane Library as well as competent authority websites and grey literature sources.Results and discussion: In most of the countries, the submission of a reimbursement application is initiated by a pharmaceutical company, and only a few countries allow it before a product is approved for marketing. All of the agencies analyzed are independent and some have regulatory function of reimbursement decision making body. A key criterion differentiating the various agencies in terms of HTA is the cost-effectiveness threshold. Most of the countries have specific mechanisms to improve access to expensive specialty drugs, including cancer drugs and those used for rare diseases. Reimbursement systems often lack consistency in appreciating the same stages, leading to heterogeneous decision-making processes. The analysis of recommendations issued in different countries for the same medicinal product will allow a better understanding of the relations between the reimbursement system, HTA assessment, stakeholders involvement and decision on reimbursement of innovative drugs.</p

OFF-LABEL USE OF MEDICINAL PRODUCTS - LEGAL RULES AND PRACTICES

The off-label use of medicinal products raises many interpretation-related issues, not only among physicians, but also pharmacists and lawyers. The use of drugs in a manner other than that specified in the Summary of Product Characteristics is not regulated by Polish law. The authors’ goal is to discuss the topic mainly from the practical perspective, while also considering its theoretical aspects, and to identify systemic solutions to several problems, that are extremely important for the proper functioning of the entire healthcare system. The paper highlights that there is a fine line between experimental medicinal practices and those that are in keeping with current medical knowledge

Cytostatic and cytotoxic waste – rules of conduct in Poland

Polska jest jednym z krajów europejskich, w których wytwarza się najwięcej niebezpiecznych odpadów medycznych. Mimo że w Europie ilość produkowanych odpadów cytotoksycznych i cytostatycznych (stosowanych w chemioterapii przez chorych onkologicznie) od kilku lat się zmniejsza, w Polsce – rośnie. Odpady te stanowią zagrożenie bezpieczeństwa dla pracowników medycznych oraz chorych otrzymujących leki. Dlatego wymagane są specjalne procedury postępowania, które pozwalają ograniczyć szkodliwość tych leków dla zdrowia ludzi. Celem pracy było przedstawienie zasad postępowania w Polsce z lekami cytotoksycznymi i cytostatycznymi oraz ich odpadami. Med. Pr. 2019;70(3):377–391Poland is one of the European countries with the highest level of production of dangerous medical waste. Although in Europe the volume of produced cytotoxic and cytostatic waste (used in chemotherapy by oncological patients) has been declining for several years, in Poland a reverse trend has been observed. As this waste puts the safety of medical workers and patients at risk, special handling procedures are required to limit the harmful effect of these drugs on human health. In view of the above, the aim of the work was to present the rules of conduct with cytotoxic and cytostatic drugs, and their waste, in Poland. Med Pr. 2019;70(3):377–9