7 research outputs found
Health Democracy Index: Development and Validation of a Self-Reported Instrument for Measuring Patient Participation in Health Policy
Health Democracy Index: Development and Validation of a Self-Reported Instrument for Measuring Patient Participation in Health Policy
Introduction: Patient participation has emerged as a preponderant theme
in contemporary health and healthcare; however there is a dearth of
research on the degree and impact of collective patient participation on
shaping health policy. In this frame, the current study endeavored to
validate a scale for assessing patients' association (PA) participation
in health policy processes. Furthermore, PAs' participation in health
policy decision making in Greece was explored.
Materials and Methods: The Health Democracy Index (HDI) is an eight-item
scale enquiring about PAs' participation in important facets of health
policy. To investigate its psychometric properties, 414 members of PAs
in Greece were randomly recruited. By employing a self-reported
questionnaire, construct validity was examined through exploratory and
confirmatory factor analysis, while convergent validity was investigated
through an additional question asking respondents to rate the degree of
their association's participation in health policy processes. Moreover,
the internal consistency of the scale and its test-retest reliability
were explored.
Results: The scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach a = 0.85)
and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.89, p < 0,001). Exploratory factor
analysis suggested a unidimensional construct; while confirmatory factor
analysis indicated an adequate fit of the one-factor model (RMSEA =
0.079, CFI = 0.976, and GFI=0.972). Regarding convergent validity, the
HDI composite score displayed strong and positive correlation with the
item asking respondents to rate the degree of PA participation in health
policy processes (rho = 0.73, p < 0.0001). Concerning the pattern of
results in Greece, PAs' participation was found to be low. The lowest
level was observed for the item enquiring about PA participation in the
national parliament and the highest for panels at influential
health-related organizations.
Conclusion: The HDI is a valid and reliable tool that can be utilized to
serve policy-related as well as research purposes. PAs' participation in
Greece is weak and thus efforts should be made to enhance it
COVID-19 Vaccination and Mental Health Outcomes among Greek Adults in 2021: Preliminary Evidence
Existing research on the association between COVID-19 vaccination and quantitatively measured mental health outcomes is scarce. We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey on a random sample of 1039 adult Greek citizens in June 2021. Among the participants, 39.6% were vaccinated with two doses, 23.1% with one dose, 21.4% were planning to become vaccinated later, and 8.1% refused vaccination. Compared to those fully vaccinated, those against vaccination (“deniers”) and those who planned to do so later on (“not vaccinated yet”) had significantly higher scores across three stress, anxiety, and depression construct scales. Our findings suggest an association between COVID-19 vaccination status and mental health