The Effect Of Family And Social Environment On Smoking Behaviour In Adolescence

Background: Parental and peer smoking are considered major predictors of smoking in adolescence. We investigate the impact of family and social environment and parental anti-smoking socialization on the intensive and extensive margins of smoking for Greek adolescents. Method and Material: Information on 873 adolescents was collected through a self-reported survey and regression analysis examined associations with five different smoking outcomes (current/lifetime smoking status/intensity and onset). Subgroup analyses and interactions provided further insights. Results: Prevalence of adolescent smoking is high. Family and peer smoking habits and smoking restrictions at home reduce probability and intensity of smoking. Parental smoking increases probability of current smoking by 5% (95% CI: 0.01-0.09) as does having all your friends smoking by 30% (95% CI: 0.16-0.45). Parental anti-smoking advice delays onset of smoking by 0.76 years (95% CI: 0.15-1.39) but does not affect current smoking. Conclusion: Family and social environments play a significant role in preventing or promoting smoking and should be regarded as crucial factors when devising policy to curb adolescent smoking

Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study

Background Austerity measures and health-system redesign to minimise hospital expenditures risk adversely affecting patient outcomes. The RN4CAST study was designed to inform decision making about nursing, one of the largest components of hospital operating expenses. We aimed to assess whether differences in patient to nurse ratios and nurses' educational qualifications in nine of the 12 RN4CAST countries with similar patient discharge data were associated with variation in hospital mortality after common surgical procedures. Methods For this observational study, we obtained discharge data for 422 730 patients aged 50 years or older who underwent common surgeries in 300 hospitals in nine European countries. Administrative data were coded with a standard protocol (variants of the ninth or tenth versions of the International Classification of Diseases) to estimate 30 day in-hospital mortality by use of risk adjustment measures including age, sex, admission type, 43 dummy variables suggesting surgery type, and 17 dummy variables suggesting comorbidities present at admission. Surveys of 26 516 nurses practising in study hospitals were used to measure nurse staffing and nurse education. We used generalised estimating equations to assess the effects of nursing factors on the likelihood of surgical patients dying within 30 days of admission, before and after adjusting for other hospital and patient characteristics. Findings An increase in a nurses' workload by one patient increased the likelihood of an inpatient dying within 30 days of admission by 7% (odds ratio 1·068, 95% CI 1·031–1·106), and every 10% increase in bachelor's degree nurses was associated with a decrease in this likelihood by 7% (0·929, 0·886–0·973). These associations imply that patients in hospitals in which 60% of nurses had bachelor's degrees and nurses cared for an average of six patients would have almost 30% lower mortality than patients in hospitals in which only 30% of nurses had bachelor's degrees and nurses cared for an average of eight patients. Interpretation Nurse staffing cuts to save money might adversely affect patient outcomes. An increased emphasis on bachelor's education for nurses could reduce preventable hospital deaths. Funding European Union's Seventh Framework Programme, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, the Norwegian Nurses Organisation and the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Swedish Association of Health Professionals, the regional agreement on medical training and clinical research between Stockholm County Council and Karolinska Institutet, Committee for Health and Caring Sciences and Strategic Research Program in Care Sciences at Karolinska Institutet, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

FREQUENCY OF NEMATODES HELMINTHS IN THE SOIL OF WESTERN MACEDONIA.

Ο ΡΟΛΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΟΠΟΙΟ ΠΑΙΖΟΥΝ ΟΙ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΕΙΣ ΕΛΜΙΝΘΕΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΙΝΗ ΠΑΘΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗ ΔΗΜΟΣΙΑ ΥΓΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ Η ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝ, ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΖΕΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΟ ΕΝΔΙΑΦΕΡΟΝ ΑΠΟ ΑΠΟΨΕΩΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ. ΣΤΗΝ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΑΥΤΗ ΑΝΑΖΗΤΗΣΑΜΕ ΤΗ ΣΥΧΝΟΤΗΤΑ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ ΕΛΜΙΝΘΩΝ ΣΤΑ ΕΔΑΦΗ ΤΗΣ ΔΥΤ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ. ΑΦΟΡΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΛΕΤΗΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΕ Η ΕΛΛΕΙΨΗ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΗΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΑ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ, ΓΕΝΙΚΑ ΟΣΟΝ ΑΦΟΡΑ ΤΗ ΣΥΧΝΟΤΗΤΑ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ ΕΛΜΙΝΘΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΙΔΙΑΙΤΕΡΑ ΣΕ ΚΑΘΕ ΠΕΡΙΟΧΗ ΤΟΠΙΚΑ. ΤΟ ΥΛΙΚΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΑΝ 200 ΔΕΙΓΜΑΤΑΧΩΜΑΤΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΠΡΟΕΡΧΟΝΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ 7 ΠΕΡΙΟΧΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΔΥΤ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ, ΤΗ ΦΛΩΡΙΝΑ, ΤΗΝ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΔΑ, ΤΗΝ ΚΑΣΤΟΡΙΑ, ΤΗΝ ΚΟΖΑΝΗ, ΤΗ ΒΕΡΡΟΙΑ, ΤΗ ΝΑΟΥΣΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΕΔΕΣΣΑ. ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΖΗΤΗΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ ΕΛΜΙΝΘΩΝ ΣΤΑ ΧΩΜΑΤΑ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙΟΧΩΝ ΑΥΤΩΝ ΧΡΗΣΙΜΟΠΟΙΗΣΑΜΕ ΓΙΑ ΜΕΝ ΤΑ ΩΑΡΙΑ ΤΗ ΜΕΘΟΔΟ FAUST, ΚΑΙ ΤΗ ΜΕΘΟΔΟ ΜΕ ΚΕΚΟΡΕΣΜΕΝΟ ΔΙΑΛΥΜΑNACL ΓΙΑ ΤΙΣ ΠΡΟΝΥΜΦΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΝΗΛΙΚΕΣ ΣΚΩΛΗΚΕΣ. ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΜΑΤΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΚΥΠΤΕΙ ΟΤΙ ΣΤΑ 200 ΕΞΕΤΑΣΘΕΝΤΑ ΔΕΙΓΜΑΤΑ ΤΑ 50 ΗΤΑΝ ΘΕΤΙΚΑ. ΑΠΟΑΥΤΑ ΤΑ 8 ΑΝΗΚΑΝ ΣΕ ΩΑΡΙΑ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ, ΤΑ 21 ΣΕ ΚΙΝΟΥΜΕΝΕΣ ΠΡΟΝΥΜΦΕΣ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ 21 ΣΕ ΕΝΗΛΙΚΕΣ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΕΙΣ ΕΛΜΙΝΘΕΣ. ΑΠΟ ΑΥΤΑ ΤΑ 8 ΩΑΡΙΑ ΤΑ 4 ΑΝΗΚΑΝ ΣΕ ΩΑΡΙΑ ΑΣΚΑΡΙΔΟΣ, ΤΟ 1 ΣΕ ΩΑΡΙΟ ΟΞΥΟΥΡΟΥ, 1 ΣΕ ΩΑΡΙΟ ΤΡΙΧΟΚΕΦΑΛΟΥ ΚΑΙ 2 ΗΣΑΝ ΩΑΡΙΑ ΥΜΕΝΟΛΕΠΙΔΟΣ DIMINUTA. ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΚΙΝΟΥΜΕΝΕΣ ΠΡΟΝΥΜΦΕΣ ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΥΤΕΡΟ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟΑΝΗΚΕ ΣΤΟ ΕΙΔΟΣ ΣΤΡΟΓΓΥΛΟΕΙΔΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΚΟΠΡΑΝΩΝ, ΩΣ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΝΗΛΙΚΕΣΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΥΤΕΡΟ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΗΤΑΝ ΤΟΥ ΣΤΡΟΓΓΥΛΟΕΙΔΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΠΑΝΙΟΤΕΡΑ ΤΩΝ ΣΑΠΡΟΦΥΤΙΚΩΝ ΝΗΜΑΤΩΔΩΝ (ΠΕΡΙΚΟΠΗ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗΣ

A Survey on Information Seeking Behaviour of Nurses at a Private Hospital in Greece

The paper deals with the investigation of the information seeking behavior of nursing staff of a private hospital in Greece. It is assumed that the information seeking behaviour has an effect on the nursing care and practices. A survey was conducted through a specially designed questionnaire distributed within 2013 to registered nurses of a major private Hospital in Athens. Nonparametric descriptive statistics have been carried out through SPSS version 20. The information needs of nurses are related to their work role and include information for nursing interventions and hospital infections control. The online scientific content is considered as the main source of information, while lack of time is considered as the main obstacle when seeking information. Regarding the effects of information, nurses believe that information quality and availability influences nursing care as well as nursing practices. Development of appropriate information services and information literacy skills for nurses is required

A Framework for the Development of Patient Safety Education and Training Guidelines

Patient Safety (PS) is a major concern that involves a wide range of roles in healthcare, including those who are directly and indirectly involved, and patients as well. In order to succeed into developing a safety culture among healthcare providers, carers and patients, there should be given great attention into building appropriate education and training tools, especially addressing those who plan patient safety activities. The framework described in this policy paper is based on the results of the European Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS) project and analyses the principles and elements of the guidance that should be provided to those who design and implement Patient Safety Education and training activities. The main principles that it should be based on and the core teaching objectives-expected outcomes are addressed. Once the main context and considerations are properly set, the guidance should define the general schema of the content that should be included in the Education and Training activities, as well as how these activities would be delivered. It is also important that the different roles of the recipients are clearly distinguished and linked to their role-specific methods, proper delivery platforms and success stories. Setting these principles into practice when planning and implementing interventions, primarily aims to enlighten and support those who are enrolled to design and implement Patient Safety education and training teaching activities. This is achieved by providing them with a framework to build upon, succeeding to build a collaborative, safety conscious and competent environment, in terms of PS. A guidelines web platform has been developed to support this process

Common Health Risks, Required Precautions of Travelers and their Customs Towards the Use of Travel Medicine Services.

INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing number of people who travel around the world. Every traveler is exposed to nearly all infectious risks which may occur during his travel time. Some of the main risk factors can be water quality, temperature and high humidity and the exposure to multi-resistant microorganisms. To tackle the upcoming problem there is an imperative need to develop a new branch of medicine with the name of travel medicine. REVIEW RESULTS: A consultation prior to departure for an upcoming trip is required, focusing to a personalized healthcare plan, based on international scientific protocols and epidemiological studies.Travelers must acquire essential information about the prevailing hygiene conditions and climatic differentiations that occur in the region. Additionally there are several health risks upon the arrival at destination. A scheduled visit to a health professional is necessary, especially in the case of travelers suffering from chronic diseases or those taking medication, while vaccination is considered essential for specific destination countries. Healthcare professionals should be able to inform travelers and evaluate their needs. According to research studies on notion and attitudes travelers' specific risks, only few of them are well-informed during a trip. While most studies indicate that travelers have some kind of pre travel medical consultation, not all of them proceed to the required vaccinations and medications. CONCLUSION: Travelling for business or leisure around the world may be unhealthy. The importance of proper preparation prior to the travel requires to be adequately informed by specialized healthcare professionals, and to receive appropriate vaccinations and medications, when required. The results of the review of notions and attitudes of travelers during the trip indicate not only the need for further development of the branch of travel medicine but especially the need for the expansion and the availability of health services

Nursing Oncology Hospital Information System and Nursing Care

The purpose of this study is register the opinion of nurses on the compatibility of the Nursing Information System with the provision of nursing care, and the ease of learning of the subsystem. This paper is an empirical study that was conducted using a questionnaire in Cancer and Oncology Hospital “Agios Savvas”. Specifically, 121 nurses (108 women and 13 men) of all education levels participated in the survey. According to user responses, 86% agreed partially that the subsystem was easy to learn, and 40.5 % of this 86% believe that the clinical subsystem adequately supports nursing care, mainly engaged in designing the necessary processes, and followed by reducing errors. In conclusion, we can consider that the use of information systems in nursing is important for improving clinical practice and quality of patient care

The Use of Geographical Information System in Health Sector

The provision of health care has undergone radical changes during the last years. Geography plays an important role in understanding the dynamics of health, as well as the reasons why a disease is spreading. In general, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is based on the same principals with a traditional relational database. The main idea behind this study is the methodological approach as far as the implementation of a real-time electronic healthcare record is concerned, for the descriptive statistical analysis that uses geographical information to identify spatial data related to accidents. The purpose of developing such a health care record is to record the patients who were injured in accidents. The database that will be used for the development of the EHR is based on Microsoft Office 2007, which is considered to be one of the best tools for developing databases. The main table of the database includes the fields with demographics, ie name, surname, age, sex, address and place of birth. The primary key of the table Demographics is Patient ID. The demographics from the table are connected to the table Admission with a relationship type one-to-many. The combination of these features in a graphic representation can be used to display the health problems on the map, so that the proper health policies can be applied. The results of the monitoring could be used as pilot instructions for spatial epidemiological analysis

Hospital based Treatment for Internet Addicts

The importance of recognizing the symptoms of Internet addiction constitutes the first step for treatment. Internet use can be pathological, and the percentage of addicted people is increasing while people become dependent on technology and Internet continues to develop. This study is a systematic litterature review. An electronic literature search was conducted using as keywords internet addiction, psychological implications, internet abuse etc. to the following databases: Medline, PubMed and Google Schoolar. The majority of research was conducted in Europe and in North America. We found 20 surveys. 9 were excluded on the basis of screening due to full text articles were not available. The final number of included surveys was 11. Hospitals and clinics have to emerge with outpatient treatment services for Internet addiction recovery, and in some cases there may be a need for addiction rehabilitation centers as admitted from people with Internet addiction into inpatient care

Investigation of the associations of demographic factors with quality of life in the population in Attica, Greece, in the period of financial crisis

Introduction: The current financial crisis has affected the daily life of citizens. Due to the unemployment, job insecurity, stress and many other factors, population health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is affected. Persons in higher socioeconomic status tend to have higher HRQoL. Educational level, age, gender, low income, marital status and other demographic factors are associated with quality of life. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling of both employed and unemployed individuals in Attica, Greece, population from February 2014 to March 2015. To evaluate HRQoL SF-36v2 questionnaire was used. Statistical program SPSS 21.0 was used for data analysis. Results: The studied population consisted of 1049 people (52.7% female and 47.3% male) with an average age of 37.1 years and standard deviation of 11.8. 91% were Greek, 36.8% had high school graduates and 62.4 were employed. In univariate analysis, work status, educational level, age, low income, parenthood, chronic illness and nationality were found to be related to the score of the participants at least one dimension. In linear regression analysis, there are statistically significant correlations between educational level, work status, chronic illness and age with HRQoL of the participants. Conclusions: Improvements of HRQoL should be directed towards chronic illness prevention, lifelong education, better information about health issues, the improvements of access to health services of elderly (vulnerable population in general) and unemployment reduction. HRQoL is not only a health policy issue but mainly an economic and social policy matter