Bartłomiej Zdaniuk, Konsolidacja państwa w Republice Mołdawii, published by University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2016, pp. 282.

Bartłomiej Zdaniuk, Konsolidacja państwa w Republice Mołdawii, published by University of Warsaw, Warsaw 2016, pp. 282

Social Network Analysis as a research method in political science. An attempt to use it in coalition research

The main aim of the article is to argue the need for better focus of researchers conducting their research in the field of political science on some digital analytical tools used in social network analyses. Additional objectives are to outline the historical context of SNA’s development in this discipline, as well as to present possible fields of exploration and using of this method, both in basic and in applied research. Particular attention was paid to the potential of SNA in the study of the processes of cabinet coalitions formation, as well as to the important limitations of this method. The article was constructed as a methodological essay. We inevitably accept - because of its focus on network analyses a structural perspective on social reality. We verify the hypothesis that the greatest potential of SNA could be currently to create a visualization of social relations based on large data sets, but at the same time the most important barrier to the development of the method are limitations in the access to these data, which could be used as a basic analytical material for visualization of the network and generalization of the statistical conclusions. Presenting some political science research in Poland and around the world, in which SNA tools are used, we used the historical as well as the case study method

Visual impairment and traits of autism in children

Visual impairment present from birth or from an early childhood may lead to psychosocial and emotional disorders. 11-40% of children in the group with visual impairment show traits of autism. The aim of this paper was to present the selected examples of how visual impairment in children is related to the occurrence of autism and to describe the available tools for diagnosing autism in children with visual impairment. So far the relation between visual impairment in children and autism has not been sufficiently confirmed. Psychiatric and psychological diagnosis of children with visual impairment has some difficulties in differentiating between "blindism" and traits typical for autism resulting from a lack of standardized diagnostic tools used to diagnosing children with visual impairment. Another difficulty in diagnosing autism in children with visual impairment is the coexistence of other disabilities in case of most children with vision impairment. Additionally, apart from difficulties in diagnosing autistic disorders in children with eye dysfunctions there is also a question of what tools should be used in therapy and rehabilitation of patients

The European hospitals’ functioning determinants with special emphasis on the human resources issue

The aim of the article is to present the scope of determinants influencing hospitals’ functioning in contemporary Europe with emphasize put on the health sector human recourses issue. Multiplicity of the functions realized by the hospitals units relates to the plurality of determinants which influence their present situation as well as long-term transformation processes. The determinants can be categorized into three main groups: these related to the demand side of the hospital services, their supply and determinants being the results of the social and economic changes. Regardless of the differences existing between health systems in specific countries – all European countries are facing similar problems of increasing health care costs, strong need of efficiency improvement and deficits of medical staff. In case of the hospital sector the key issue is number of beds reduction and transformation of the hospitals’ organizational for

Testing the 2017 PHC reform through pilots: strengthening prevention and chronic care coordination

Numerous official reports have highlighted insufficient provision of preventive services within primary health care (PHC) in Poland. Other identified weaknesses include inappropriate referrals to ambulatory care that contribute to long waiting times for specialist consultations. Since mid-2018, a new model of PHC organization has been piloted and can be seen as an attempt to address some of these weaknesses. It draws on the Primary Health Care Act of 2017 and puts much more emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion within PHC as well as shifts management of common chronic conditions to multidisciplinary PHC teams. The implementation of this model has been supported by a range of financial and non-financial measures, including a special grant that helps PHC practices to adapt their IT systems to the requirements of the pilot. Yet, the overall requirements were prohibitive to most PHC practices and only 42 were eventually included in the pilot. In this paper, we describe the content of this model, the difficulties in its implementation and how they were addressed and discuss its possible effects on PHC and the health system more broadly

Exploring satisfaction and migration intentions of physicians in three University Hospitals in Poland

Introduction: University hospitals constitute a unique group of health care organizations which traditionally link three functions: (1) providing highly specialized services, (2) teaching activities, and (3) conducting research. Objectives: To assess the level of carrier satisfaction among physicians working in three university hospitals in Poland (1); to assess whether the physicians have the intention to migrate and what the main reasons for migration are (2); and to identify the actions that might be taken at the hospital level to mitigate physicians’ intentions to migrate (3). Methods: Cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative components. In the quantitative part, an online questionnaire was distributed among physicians working in three university hospitals. A total number of 396 questionnaires were analyzed. In the qualitative part, in-depth interviews with six hospital managers were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: On a scale from one “very dissatisfied” to six “very satisfied”, the mean career satisfaction of physicians was 4.0 (SD = 0.74). The item with the lowest mean concerned salary level (2.8, SD = 1.41). In the sample, 34% of physicians declared intentions to migrate from Poland. The main reasons for the intention to migrate were: Better working conditions abroad, higher earnings, the ability to maintain better work-life balance, better training opportunities abroad, and problems due to a stressful current workplace. Hospital managers considered the actions that can be taken at the hospital level to mitigate physicians’ migration to be specific to those focused on the working environment. Conclusions: Career development opportunities and features related to the working environment are the main factors influencing physicians’ satisfaction and migration intentions that can be modified at the university hospital level

A multidimensional questionnaire to measure career satisfaction of physicians : validation of the Polish version of the 4CornerSAT

To study physicians’ satisfaction with a multidimensional approach, the 4CornerSAT questionnaire to measure the career satisfaction of physicians was conceptualized in English and later adapted into Polish. In this study, we aimed to test the reliability and validity of the adapted 4CornerSAT questionnaire in Poland and confirm its the tetra-dimensional structure. In 2018, physicians working in 15 Polish hospitals were invited to participate in a survey that included the Polish 4CornerSAT. We evaluated the questionnaire’s reliability by computing Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. We also computed a Pearson correlation coefficient between the reported global item of satisfaction and the standardized level of career satisfaction. A confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) tested the tetra-dimensional structure of the questionnaire in Polish. In total, 1003 physicians participated in this study. The questionnaire’s internal consistency and concurrent validity were optimal. In the CFA, good model fit indicators were observed. In conclusion, the Polish version of the 4CornerSAT demonstrated good psychometric properties. The adapted questionnaire has evidence of its validity and reliability in Poland to be used in further studies and to monitor physicians’ wellness as a health care system indicator. Our approach to adapt and validate this questionnaire could be replicated in other settings