EXAMINING OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE: A CASE STUDY OF THE SARAJEVO CANTON

Background: Primary healthcare plays a crucial role in addressing opiate addiction, aiming to provide treatment to approximately 80 percent of affected individuals, aligning with its approach to managing other chronic diseases. An optimal scenario involves the integration of opiate substitution therapy within primary healthcare settings, enhancing accessibility for individuals struggling with addiction. For effective treatment delivery, primary healthcare facilities must be equipped with knowledgeable staff, appropriate medical equipment, and diagnostic resources. In instances where primary healthcare cannot deliver services to full capacity, referrals to secondary healthcare facilities, particularly addiction specialist, become necessary for comprehensive examination and treatment. Methods: This study adopts a retrospective qualitative approach. It encompasses an examination of pertinent laws and regulations, analysis of opiate addiction reports and treatment documentation, and the facilitation of focus group discussions. Results: Findings from the focus group sessions illuminate prevalent challenges within primary care, indicating difficulties in managing addicted individuals coupled with negative emotional responses among staff members, underscoring the need for enhanced support and training. Conclusion: Addressing the identified gaps necessitates collaborative efforts involving secondary healthcare education, systemic reforms, and increased involvement of psychiatrists in the treatment continuum. By integrating these measures, primary healthcare systems can bolster their capacity to effectively address opiate addiction, thereby improving outcomes and overall community well-being. Keywords: primary healthcare, secondary healthcare, opiate addiction, Canton Sarajev

The impact of organizational culture on patient satisfaction

Introduction: Managing organizational culture has been increasingly viewed as a lever for health care improvement. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the type of organizational culture and patient satisfaction in the selected health care centers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in two municipal primary health care (PHC) centers in the FBIH, referred as Primary health care (PHC) center A and Primary health care (PHC) center B. A validated questionnaire, known as the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI), was used for the assessment of organizational culture. The questionnaire was distributed among the family health care teams at the two PHCs. Simultaneously, we carried out a survey about patient satisfaction among patients during their visits to the family health care teams. Results: We observed the differences in the type of the organizational culture between the health care centers. The hierarchical culture was found the dominant culture in PHC center A, whereas the market culture was the dominant culture in PHC center B. Also, the statistical significance (t test) was recorded in the overall patient satisfaction in the health care center with the dominated hierarchical culture followed by the clan culture (PHC center A). Conclusions: Considering the lack of similar surveys in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we believe that this study might be a good starting point for education of human resource managers in health care

The influence of social environment on the smoking status of women employed in health care facilities

Introduction: Bosnia and Herzegovina has a high prevalence of smoking among women, especially among health care professionals. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of the social environment of women employed in health institutions in relation to the cigarettes smoking habits.Methods: The study included 477 women employed in hospitals, outpatient and public health institutions in Sarajevo Canton Bosnia and Herzegovina. We used a modifi ed questionnaire assessing smoking habits of medical staff in European hospitalsResults: The results showed that 50% of women are smokers, with the highest incidence among nurses (58.1%) and administrative staff (55.6%). The social environment is characterized by a high incidence of colleagues (60.1%) and friends who are smokers (54.0%) at the workplace and in the family (p<0.005). One third of women (27.8%), mainly non-smokers, states that the work environment supports employees smoking (p=0.003).Conclusion: Workplace and social environment support smoking as an acceptable cultural habit and is contributing to increasing rates of smoking among women

The influence of social environment on the smoking status of women employed in health care facilities

Introduction: Bosnia and Herzegovina has a high prevalence of smoking among women, especially among health care professionals. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of the social environment of women employed in health institutions in relation to the cigarettes smoking habits.Methods: The study included 477 women employed in hospitals, outpatient and public health institutions in Sarajevo Canton Bosnia and Herzegovina. We used a modifi ed questionnaire assessing smoking habits of medical staff in European hospitalsResults: The results showed that 50% of women are smokers, with the highest incidence among nurses (58.1%) and administrative staff (55.6%). The social environment is characterized by a high incidence of colleagues (60.1%) and friends who are smokers (54.0%) at the workplace and in the family (pConclusion: Workplace and social environment support smoking as an acceptable cultural habit and is contributing to increasing rates of smoking among women

Is there a relationship between attitudes of general practitioners/family doctors and attitudes of their patients regarding industry-sponsored clinical investigations? A cross-sectional survey in a convenience sample of doctors and patients across nine European countries

Aim: To assess the relationship between the attitudes of general practitioners/family medicine doctors (GP/FD) and of their patients toward industry-sponsored clinical research. Methods: A cross-sectional survey included volunteer GPs/FDs who then enrolled and interviewed their patients. Data were analyzed in hierarchical models (patients nested in GPs/FDs, nested in countries/regions). Results: A total of 201 GPs/FDs from nine European countries responded to the invitation and enrolled 995 of their patients. We observed mild associations between some of the GPs/FDs' attitudes (general opinion on sponsored clinical studies, appreciation of the general values of such studies, views about the importance of participant protection/privacy) and some of the patients' attitudes (appreciation of the general values and of risks associated with sponsored clinical studies, importance assigned to potential personal benefits from participation). We observed no association between GPs/FDs' attitudes and patients' willingness to participate in such studies. However, willingness to participate increased with higher patients' appreciation of the general values of sponsored studies, decreased with higher patients' appreciation of associated risks, and showed a quadratic trend across the levels of importance assigned by patients to potential personal benefits (willingness was higher when the assigned importance was very low or very high). More importance to GP/FD's advice in this respect was assigned by patients who assigned more importance to potential personal benefits, who were better educated, and who resided in rural/suburban dwellings. Conclusions: In the present convenience sample, lay-person attitudes about and willingness to participate in industry-sponsored clinical studies were associated with the attitudes of their GPs/FDs