Predictors of unmet health care needs in Serbia; Analysis based on EU-SILC data.

Unmet health care needs have been designated as an indicator of equality in access to health care, which provides insight into specific barriers faced by respondents when they need medical services. The purpose of this research was to analyze demographic, socioeconomic, regional characteristics and perception of the health status; and identify predictors of unmet health care needs and consequently determine the size of inequalities in the availability, accessibility and acceptability of health care. The cross-sectional study obtained data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions in the Republic of Serbia in 2014, based on a sample of 20,069 respondents over 16 years. Data was collected by using a household questionnaire and a questionnaire for individuals. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied. Almost every seventh citizen (14.9%) reported unmet health care needs. Predictors of unmet needs, for overall reasons, which increase the likelihood of their emergence included: self-perceived health status as very bad (OR = 6.37), divorced or widower/widow (OR = 1.31), living in the Sumadija region or Western Serbia (OR = 1.54) and belonging to the age group of 27 to 44 (OR = 1.55) or 45 to 64 years (OR = 1.52). The probability for those least reporting unmet health care needs included female patients (OR = 0.81), those with higher education (OR = 0.77), those who belong to the richest quintile (OR = 0.46) and who are unemployed (OR = 0.64). Reasons for unmet needs that indicate the responsibility of the health system amounted to 58.2% and reasons which represent preferences of the respondents amounted to 41.7%. The most frequent reason for unmet needs was financial (36.6%), and the wish to wait and see if the problem got better on its own (18.3%). Health policy should adopt a multidimensional approach and develop incentives for the appropriate use of health services and should eliminate barriers which restrict the accessibility and availability

Leadership and motivation among employees in health-care facilities in Serbia

Reserarch question: This paper investigates whether motivational factors have influence on the work of employees in health care organizations of Serbia and what factors affect employees. Motivation: Motivation and job satisfaction among different groups of workers in health care facilities in Serbia are an important issue. This study’s purpose is to assist health managers in their efforts to fulfill individual and organizational targets by highlighting the most preferred motivational factors among the employees. With good leadership and with the building of good motivational system the organization can increase its value and competitiveness. It has been shown that employees are more motivated and work under less stress if there is a support from their leader or manager (Jensen, 2010). Idea: The  core  idea  of  this  paper  is to  evaluate  the  relationship  between motivational factors and work of employees in health care institutions in Serbia. The central hypothesis of this study is what the managers within health care institutions have to do to improve motivation as well as their abilities for the fulfillment of both individual’s and organization’s needs. Data: The cross-sectional study included 217 physicians, nurses, technicians, health associates and non-medical staff in 21 facilities of primary, secondary and tertiary levels in Pozarevac, Belgrade, Nis, Pirot, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Krusevac, Varvarin and Novi Pazar. Tools: The research instrument was a questionnaire with questions regarding socio-demographic characteristics, participants’ characteristics and motivational factors. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Findings: The most important motivational factors are: salary, good interpersonal relationships and team work, contribution to population’s health and patient’s satisfaction. Around 10% of the participants thought that work could be done well even without motivational factors’ presence. Employees from the areas outside Belgrade rated job security higher in comparison with employees from Belgrade. A study conducted at the University of llorin Teaching Hospital in 2011 showed that salary was the most important motivational factor, followed by job security (Ojokuku& Salami, 2011). Contribution: Salary is an important motivational factor for employees in health care facilities in Serbia. Managers should work on the improvement of motivational factors through acknowledgement of needs of individual employees as well as through involving employees into decision making

Hospital management training and improvement in managerial skills: Serbian experience

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the improvement of managerial skills of hospitals' top managers after a specific management training programme, and to explore possible predictors and relations.Methods The study was conducted during the years 2006 and 2007 with cohort of 107 managers from 20 Serbian general hospitals. The managers self-assessed the improvement in their managerial skills before and after the training programme.Results After the training programme, all managers' skills had improved. The biggest improvement was in the following skills: organizing daily activities, motivating and guiding others, supervising the work of others, group discussion, and situation analysis. The least improved were: applying creative techniques, working well with peers, professional self-development, written communication, and operational planning. Identified predictors of improvement were: shorter years of managerial experience, type of manager, type of profession, and recognizing the importance of the managerial skills in oral communication, evidence-based decision making, and supervising the work of others.Conclusions Specific training programme related to strategic management can increase managerial competencies, which are an important source of competitive advantage for organizations.Hospital management Managerial skills Knowledge Predictors Management training Management learning

Social-demographic characteristics of the population reporting unmet and met health care needs.

<p>Social-demographic characteristics of the population reporting unmet and met health care needs.</p

Financial Burden of Medical Care, Dental Care, and Medicines among Older-Aged Population in Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia

The aim was to explore the factors associated with the financial burden (FB) of medical care, dental care, and medicines among older-aged people in Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia using EU-SILC 2017. The highest frequency of FB of medical care and medicines was in Croatia (50% and 69.1%, respectively) and of dental care in Slovenia (48.5%). The multivariate logistic regression analysis with FB as an outcome variable showed that the FB of medical care was associated with being married (OR: 1.54), reporting not severe (OR: 1.51) and severe limitations in daily activities (OR: 2.05), having higher education (OR: 2.03), and heavy burden of housing costs (OR: 0.51) in Slovenia, with very bad self-perceived health (OR: 5.23), having the slight (OR: 0.69) or heavy (OR: 0.47) burden of housing costs, making ends meet fairly easily or with some difficulty (OR: 3.58) or with difficulty or great difficulty (OR: 6.80) in Serbia, and with being married (OR: 1.43), having heavy burden of housing costs (OR: 0.62), and making ends meet fairly easily or with some difficulty (OR: 2.08) or with difficulty or great difficulty (OR: 2.52) in Croatia. The older-aged have the FB of healthcare, especially the poorest or those with health problems

The main reason why respondent did not visit a doctor, by regions.

<p>The main reason why respondent did not visit a doctor, by regions.</p

The Validity and Reliability of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory for Examination of Burnout among Preschool Teachers in Serbia

Introduction: Burnout syndrome is being increasingly recognized as a factor that affects the health status and is being examined among different professional groups. Consequently, there is a need for a reliable and valid instrument for its examination. Teachers are emerging as a professional group of interest in the area of burnout research, so the aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Serbian version of Copenhagen burnout inventory among teachers at preschool institutions in Serbia. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted as a cross-sectional study between October 2018 and April 2019 on a nationally representative sample of preschool teachers in Serbia. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and the construct validity was examined using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Results: The average score on total burnout was 39.1 ± 17.0, while the average score per scales on the Copenhagen burnout inventory was: 41.3 ± 18.7 for personal burnout, 41.2 ± 15.9 for work-related burnout, and 34.7 ± 22.0 for client-related burnout. The Cronbach’s alpha for the entire scale was 0.936, the Cronbach’s alpha for the personal burnout scale was 0.906, and the Cronbach’s alpha for the work-related burnout scale was 0.765, while the Cronbach’s alpha for the client-related burnout scale was 0.901. The EFA for the CBI showed three factors. The factor loadings varied from 0.575 to 0.859. The three factors explained 67.17% of the variance. Conclusions: Our study showed that the three-factor Serbian version of the Copenhagen burnout inventory can be used for the assessment of burnout syndrome among teachers