Social policy in Europe – its development and models

The article provides an overview of social policies in democratic, market economy states in Europe. The first section looks at the development process of social policy from the first experiments and consolidation by the rise of welfare state to modern social policy and its challenges. In the second section the author describes the characteristics of five models of social policy, which could be identified in European Union member states, i.e. liberal, conservative, social-democratic, South European, and Central-Eastern European

State health policy and family – selected aspects

The study presents activities of the government in health policy towards family in Poland, with particular emphasis on health policy objectives, funding of the healthcare system, medical personnel and access to healthcare services. The author pays special attention to the problems of financing healthcare, including underfunding of primary healthcare, low spending on long-term care, the deficit of doctors and nurses and limited access to medical services for the least affluent families

Children and adolescents in the health care system in Poland

The paper presents basic issues related to the health care system and the main regulations for the health care of children and adolescents in Poland. The author discusses the health care system resources and services provided to this group with special emphasis placed on preventive health care. The article concludes with the evaluation of the Polish health care system for children and adolescents. The author argues that some changes are needed in this area

Healthcare system in Poland – selected issues

The article provides an overview of the healthcare policy in Poland with particular emphasis on the health care. In the first section the author looks at the background information about tasks and aims of the healthcare system. In the second section he presents the facts about health of the Polish society and describes characteristics of six elements of the healthcare system, i.e. human resources, delivery of healthcare services, health information systems, access to medicines, financing, and leadership and governance

Salaries and wages in Poland between 2004 and 2012

The paper looks at the issue of earnings in Poland between 2004 and 2012. First, the author discusses the level of average gross monthly earnings broken down by various demographic and occupational characteristics, such as occupation, region, sex, educational attainment and sector of economy. In the second section the data on earnings in Poland is compared with the data from other EU and OECD member countries

Knowledge and Practice of Antibiotic Management and Prudent Prescribing among Polish Medical Doctors

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent public health issue. The role of medical doctors in proper antibiotic use is crucial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practices of Polish doctors of antimicrobial prescribing and antibiotic resistance. The study group consisted of 504 medical doctors with an average age 32.8 ± 5.9 years, mostly women (65%). The paper questionnaire was developed on the basis of a survey tool developed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Public Health England (PHE). According to our study, physicians were aware that: taking antibiotics has side effects, antibiotics cannot be used against viruses, unnecessary use of antibiotics leads to AMR and that healthy people can carry resistant bacteria (each item ≥98% correct responses). Only 47% of respondents knew that the use of antibiotics as growth stimulants in livestock is illegal in the EU. Of the respondents, 98.61% saw the connection between prescribing antibiotics and AMR. However, 65.28% of the respondents reported a lack of appropriate materials on AMR counseling. Nearly 92.5% of participants “never” or “rarely” gave out resources on prudent antibiotic use. Physicians in Poland underestimate the role of hand hygiene in stimulating antibiotic resistance (ABR) (74.4%), while demonstrating satisfying knowledge about antimicrobial use, the clinical application of antimicrobial guidelines and prevention of ABR. However, educational interventions are needed to help lead challenging communication with assertive patients. Appropriate patient resources would be helpful in reaching this goal

Vitamin D Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Polish Medical Doctors

Background Vitamin D deficiency occurs in as much as 90–95% of the Polish population, although this condition is known to cause negative long-term health implications. The role of medical doctors in advising proper supplementation, monitoring and correcting the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in individuals is of great importance and should be used to help mitigate its common deficits. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices of Polish physicians regarding vitamin D supplementation in order to identify areas for improvement and determinants for the knowledge gaps. Methods The study group comprised 701 medical doctors aged 32.1 ± 5.3 years on average, mostly women (71.61%). An original survey questionnaire was developed for the purpose of the study. Results The mean vitamin D knowledge score was 6.8 ± 2.3 (in a scale 0–13) and was related to gender (p < 0.001), type of specialization (p = 0.032), D3 supplements use (p < 0.001), recommending supplementation to patients (p = 0.005), to relatives and friends (p < 0.001) and to healthy adults (p < 0.001). In terms of self-administration, 14% of respondents take vitamin D all-year-round while 24% only in autumn and winter. 25% of respondents monitor their vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) serum concentration. Most participants (61%) did not recommend supplementing vitamin D to their patients on a regular basis. Conclusions The study indicates that medical doctors in Poland need to have more training and education on vitamin D supplementation in order to better address the problem of its deficits in the population

Polish Medical Doctors’ Opinions on Available Resources and Information Campaigns concerning Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance, a Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is at the top of global health threats. This paper aims to assess Polish physicians’ readiness to impact ABR through prescribing routines. Methods: Surveying Polish physicians participating in specialization courses at the Center for Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Poland from October 2019 to March 2020. Results: Information was obtained from 504 physicians aged 25–59, mean 32.8 ± 5.9 years, mainly women (65%). Most doctors (78%) prescribed antibiotics at least once a week. Physicians indicated clinical practice guidelines as resources most often consulted in the management of infections (90%). However, clinical experience was also declared a powerful resource. In total, 54% of respondents recalled receiving information about the prudent use of antibiotics within 12 months, which partially translated into changing views (56%) and practice (42%). Physicians disagreed that national campaigns provide good promotion of prudent antibiotics use (75%) or that they are effective (61%). Only 40% of doctors were aware of the national campaign promoting responsible antibiotics use, 24% had heard about the European Antibiotic Awareness Day and 20% knew about the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. Conclusions: Prescribers most often rely on clinical practice guidelines and their own experience as resources for antibiotics use. Doctors’ awareness of available resources and information campaigns concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance should be improved

Self-reported secondhand smoke exposure following the adoption of a national smoke-free policy in Poland: analysis of serial, cross-sectional, representative surveys, 2009–2019

Objective We assessed changes in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in workplaces and public venues in Poland over a 9-year period following the adoption of a smoke-free policy in Poland in 2010.Design Six waves of cross-sectional surveys were carried out between 2009 and 2019.Participants A nationally representative sample of adult Polish residents (age 15 years and older) was surveyed.Survey respondents self-reported SHS exposure in the workplace and 12 different public venues. Data were analysed separately for samples consisting of (1) all respondents and (2) non-smokers only.SHS exposure was defined based on self-report, which may invoke error such as demand bias or recall bias and study protocol do not include participation of paediatric populations that are key limitations of this study.Results Within a year of adopting the smoke-free policy in 2010, the proportion of non-smokers exposed to SHS in Polish workplaces decreased by more than half (from 19.2% in 2009 to 9.5% in 2011). Over 10 years, a substantial reduction in SHS exposure was observed in all public venues. The highest decrease in SHS exposure was observed in transport services (decreased from 45.7% to 11.7% among all respondents and from 44.2% to 11.7% among non-smokers) and in bars/pubs (SHS exposure decreased from 45.0% to 7.0% among all respondents and from 39.4% to 7.0% among non-smokers).Conclusions This study demonstrates the substantial success of a national smoke-free law. Nevertheless, smoke-free laws must continue to be refined in terms of their legal boundaries as well as implementation strategies to eliminate disparities in SHS exposure in certain types of venues

The State of Vaccine Confidence in Poland: A 2019 Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey

Vaccination is considered as one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions. This study aimed to assess (1) the attitudes and behaviors towards mandatory childhood vaccination, with particular emphasis on socio-economic factors determining the vaccine confidence among adults in Poland as well as to (2) identify the potential impact of anti-vaccination movement on vaccination coverage among children and adolescents aged ≤19 years. This cross-sectional study was carried in 2019 on a nationwide, representative sample of 1079 individuals aged 18 and over in Poland (53.7% females). Most of the respondents (74.6%) agreed or strongly agreed that mandatory vaccinations are safe, and only 8% of participants neglected the safety of vaccines. The results of multivariate analysis showed that the lowest level of vaccine confidence was observed among participants aged 25–34 years (aOR: 0.48, 95%CI: 0.29–0.80; p = 0.01). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.35; p < 0.001) between trust in doctors and vaccine confidence. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between trust in scientific knowledge and vaccine confidence (r = 0.19; p < 0.001). Also, a negative correlation (r = −0.13; p < 0.001) between trust in horoscopes and vaccine confidence was observed. Most of the parents declared (97.7%), that their children were vaccinated following the national immunization programme. However, 8.5% of parents who currently vaccinated their children declared that they would stop vaccinating children when vaccination obligation will be abolished. This study demonstrates relatively high confidence in mandatory vaccination among adults in Poland. While most of society trusts in vaccine safety, young adults are the least trustful of vaccinations