How to minimize negative health effects in the European Union due to the Economic recession caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aims: The article aims to analyze what can be learned from the last Financial Crisis from 2008 on to minimize the negative health effects in the European Union due to the Economic recession caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Methods: Systematic literature reviews were conducted to analyze the interventions taken to combat the last Financial Crisis and their consequences on health. Parallel to this, a qualitative document analysis of the ongoing discussion about the measures taken or to be taken in the Covid-19 Pandemic to fight the current economic recession was conducted using institutional websites and international media. Results: The main methods taken to combat the Financial Crisis from 2008 were, bailing out banks, austerity measures, and the European Stability Mechanism. There is evidence that the Financial crisis had negative effects on the European Health Systems in general. Austerity measures in some countries, led to an increase in psychological disorders. Overall mortality was not affected but the decrease of avoidable mortality slowed down. Various economic interventions such as bailing out essential industries e.g., the Aviation sector, cash injections, tax relief, short-work salary compensation, modified ESM, and the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP) were taken during the Covid-19 Pandemic to help stabilize the economy. Conclusion: The current recession is not caused by internal failures of the financial system as it was in the financial Crisis of 2008, but by an outside event - the Covid-19 pandemic. Measures were taken by the governments and the European Union to avoid an economic crisis, and by these, the negative health effects were created during the Financial Crisis in 2008, but the lockdown phase seems to lead to similar negative health effects regarding psychological disorders and delay of planned screening and treatment. Conflict of interest: None declared

How to minimize negative health effects in the European Union due to the Economic recession caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aims: The article aims to analyze what can be learned from the last Financial Crisis from 2008 on to minimize the negative health effects in the European Union due to the Economic recession caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Methods: Systematic literature reviews were conducted to analyze the interventions taken to combat the last Financial Crisis and their consequences on health. Parallel to this, a qualitative document analysis of the ongoing discussion about the measures taken or to be taken in the Covid-19 Pandemic to fight the current economic recession was conducted using institutional websites and international media. Results: The main methods taken to combat the Financial Crisis from 2008 were, bailing out banks, austerity measures, and the European Stability Mechanism. There is evidence that the Financial crisis had negative effects on the European Health Systems in general. Austerity measures in some countries, led to an increase in psychological disorders. Overall mortality was not affected but the decrease of avoidable mortality slowed down. Various economic interventions such as bailing out essential industries e.g., the Aviation sector, cash injections, tax relief, short-work salary compensation, modified ESM, and the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP) were taken during the Covid-19 Pandemic to help stabilize the economy. Conclusion: The current recession is not caused by internal failures of the financial system as it was in the financial Crisis of 2008, but by an outside event - the Covid-19 pandemic. Measures were taken by the governments and the European Union to avoid an economic crisis, and by these, the negative health effects were created during the Financial Crisis in 2008, but the lockdown phase seems to lead to similar negative health effects regarding psychological disorders and delay of planned screening and treatment

Strengthening cybersecurity for patient data protection in Europe

The health care sector experiences 76% of cybersecurity breaches due to basic web application attacks, miscellaneous errors, and system intrusions, resulting in compromised health data or disrupted health services. The European Commission proposed the European Health Data Space (EHDS) in 2022 to enhance care delivery and improve patients' lives by offering all European Union (EU) citizens control over their personal health data in a private and secure environment. The EU has taken an important step in homogenizing the health data environment of the European health ecosystem, although more attention needs to be paid to keeping the health data of EU citizens safe and secure within the EHDS. The pooling of health data across countries can have tremendous benefits, but it may also become a target for cybercriminals or state-sponsored hackers. State-of-the-art security measures are essential, and the current EHDS proposal lacks sufficient measures to warrant a cybersecure and resilient environment

Understanding predictors of mental health and substance use treatment utilization among US adults: a repeated cross-sectional study

Background: Understanding discrepancies in mental health and substance use treatment utilization can help identify inequities in access to health services. We investigate mental health and substance use treatment utilization as function of demographic and social determinants, as well as pre-existing mental health and substance use disorders. Methods: In this repeated cross-sectional study, we used the 2017–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data on US adults above age 18. Two logistic regression models were conducted, using predictors of age, gender, race/Hispanicity, sexual identity, education, insurance, family income, and past year mental health and substance use disorders, with outcomes of mental health or substance use treatment utilization. Weighted estimates of substance use disorders and insurance types and Pearson's correlation tests of vulnerability among age, gender, and treatment type were reported. Findings: Racial minorities, uninsured populations, sexual minorities, and females had lower odds of receiving mental health treatment, while older populations, lower income groups, and dual eligible enrollees had higher odds. Individuals with substance use disorders but no mental illness had higher odds of receiving mental health treatment. Those utilizing mental health treatment were mostly of high income, privately insured, and using cannabis, cocaine, and opioids. Older populations, men, and Medicaid only enrollees had higher odds of receiving substance use disorder treatment, whereas racial minorities had lower odds. Distribution of income, insurance type, and substance use were more widespread than mental health treatment. Interpretation: Mental health treatment can be used as an avenue for substance use treatment, particularly opioid use disorders. It is important to target vulnerable populations, like racial minorities and uninsured populations to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital health-seeking behavior: big data interrupted time-series analysis of Google trends

BACKGROUND: Due to the emergency responses early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital health in health care increased abruptly. However, it remains unclear whether this introduction was sustained in the long term, especially with patients being able to decide between digital and traditional health services once the latter regained their functionality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aim to understand how the public interest in digital health changed as proxy for digital health-seeking behavior and to what extent this change was sustainable over time. METHODS: We used an interrupted time-series analysis of Google Trends data with break points on March 11, 2020 (declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization), and December 20, 2020 (the announcement of the first COVID-19 vaccines). Nationally representative time-series data from February 2019 to August 2021 were extracted from Google Trends for 6 countries with English as their dominant language: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. We measured the changes in relative search volumes of the keywords online doctor, telehealth, online health, telemedicine, and health app. In doing so, we capture the prepandemic trend, the immediate change due to the announcement of COVID-19 being a pandemic, and the gradual change after the announcement. RESULTS: Digital health search volumes immediately increased in all countries under study after the announcement of COVID-19 being a pandemic. There was some variation in what keywords were used per country. However, searches declined after this immediate spike, sometimes reverting to prepandemic levels. The announcement of COVID-19 vaccines did not consistently impact digital health search volumes in the countries under study. The exception is the search volume of health app, which was observed as either being stable or gradually increasing during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the increased public interest in digital health associated with the pandemic did not sustain, alluding to remaining structural barriers. Further building of digital health capacity and developing robust digital health governance frameworks remain crucial to facilitating sustainable digital health transformation

Is Europe prepared to go digital? making the case for developing digital capacity: An exploratory analysis of Eurostat survey data

Digital divides are globally recognised as a wicked problem that threatens to become the new face of inequality. They are formed by discrepancies in Internet access, digital skills, and tangible outcomes (e.g. health, economic) between populations. Previous studies indicate that Europe has an average Internet access rate of 90%, yet rarely specify for different demographics and do not report on the presence of digital skills. This exploratory analysis used the 2019 community survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals from Eurostat, which is a sample of 147,531 households and 197,631 individuals aged 16-74. The cross-country comparative analysis includes EEA and Switzerland. Data were collected between January and August 2019 and analysed between April and May 2021. Large differences in Internet access were observed (75-98%), especially between North-Western (94-98%) and South-Eastern Europe (75-87%). Young populations, high education levels, employment, and living in an urban environment appear to positively influence the development of higher digital skills. The cross-country analysis exhibits a positive correlation between high capital stock and income/earnings, and the digital skills development while showing that the internet-access price bears marginal influence over digital literacy levels. The findings suggest Europe is currently unable to host a sustainable digital society without exacerbating cross-country inequalities due to substantial differences in internet access and digital literacy. Investment in building digital capacity in the general population should be the primary objective of European countries to ensure they can benefit optimally, equitably, and sustainably from the advancements of the Digital Era

Challenges and opportunities for incentivising antibiotic research and development in Europe

Antimicrobial, and particularly antibiotic resistance are one of the world's biggest challenges today, and urgent action is needed to reinvigorate the antibiotic development pipeline. To inform policy discussions during and after the 2023 Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we critically appraise incentive options recently proposed by the European Commission, and member states, and consider what has been achieved over the last two decades in relation to antibiotic research and development. While several new antibiotics have achieved regulatory approval in recent years, almost none have innovative characteristics such as new chemical classes or novel mechanisms of action. We consider four incentive options to incentivise research and development of new antibiotics, including subscription payments, market entry rewards, transferable exclusivity extensions, and milestone payments. While each option has advantages and drawbacks, a combination of incentives may be required and continued investment is needed by the EU in push incentives, such as direct funding and grants, to incentivise drug discovery and preclinical stages of development. The EU must also coordinate with international initiatives and support access to new and pre-existing antibiotics in LMICs through platforms such as the WHO, and G7 and G20 group of countries

Correlates of level of satisfaction among primary health care workers in Albania

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the level of satisfaction of primary health care staff in Albania and the factors associated with it. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tirana city, the Albanian capital, from 11 November 2020 until 25 November 2020. Among all health centers (HCs) and health centers of specialties (HCSs) of Tirana Municipality, there were selected randomly a HC in rural areas, a HC in urban areas and one HCS. All the staff (doctors and nurses) being present at the time of data collection was interviewed, using an international standardized tool (the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center instrument) assessing the satisfaction with various elements of the work in PHC, validated in Albanian. A total of 102 PHC staff were included in the study. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of staff satisfaction with independent factors. Results: The aspects of work most appreciated by PHC staff (% satisfied or very satisfied) were: respectful treatment by colleagues (78.2%), staff morale and their positive attitude towards work (73.2%). The most disliked aspects of work by PHC staff (% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied) were: current salary (60.8%), stress at work (38.3%), physical and medical infrastructure in the institution (27%). Staff in rural HCs, older staff, females and nurses and family doctors are more likely to be satisfied compared to their respective colleagues. Conclusion: Our findings suggest various factors associated with the satisfaction of PHC staff in Albania. These findings could be guiding future efforts aiming to improve the work conditions of the professionals working in primary health care in Albania

Addressing ableism in inclusive education policies: a policy brief outlining Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Context: Access to education is a fundamental right that should be realised to the degree that every child can develop their talents to the fullest potential. Therefore, children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) have the right to claim resources and aid to function in schools and should not be excluded from any level of mainstream education. However, the process towards executing this fundamental right is slowed down by existing ableist structures.   Policy Options: This policy brief analyses inclusive education policies from the perspective of four different European Countries (Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom). The data was synthesised using four types of ableism that are addressed in this policy brief. The gaps within definitions and argumentation were identified and discussed to provide recommendations concerning education for people with SEND. Recommendations: The evaluation provided three significant recommendations towards inclusive education systems by addressing ableist structures. Firstly, it is crucial to reduce the linguistic gaps between national educational policies and the underlying national laws. Secondly, it is necessary to include the target group and raise awareness for SEND to reinforce societal and scientific perspectives, and influence policy decision-making. Lastly, it is important to address the discrepancies between the inclusive education policies and the structural capacity. The synergy between these two key factors is crucial for an effective implementation of inclusive education. &nbsp