Rating of Patient Satisfaction Factors in a Clinical Hyperbaric Centre of a Greek Navy Hospital

Background: Modern medical technology has promoted the creation and improved the organization of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Units (DHMU).Objective: This study evaluates patient satisfaction regarding services provided by the DHMU’s in Attica, Greece.Material and Method: This is a descriptive study, its sample constitutes of 91 patients admitted at the DHMU of Navy for Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) therapy. For the collection of data an anonymous selfadministered, 2-part questionnaire was utilized. The first part consisted of questions recording sociodemographicdata, while the second constituted of questions investigating the satisfaction of patients from the DHMU with a five-point Likert scale. The data was analyzed using SPSS (ver 17).Results: A total of 91 patients (53 male, 38 female) with a mean age of 35.5 years, sd=+/-7.245 participated in the study. Most of them 44% were university graduates. Patients’ satisfaction from theservices provided at DHMU was up to 85.7%, while 87.6% of them highly appreciated the prompt initiating and availability of sessions and rated telephone communication with the DHMU as exceptional. Personnel were described by patients as polite (94.4%), respectful (95.6%) and discrete (94.5%). The 92% of patients understood the importance of abiding by the rules of safety from nurses. Gender, age and the number or treatments were the characteristics that correlated statistically withpatients’ satisfaction from the services provided at a Greek Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Unit.Conclusion: The patients rated care and access to the particular D.H.M.U. as most excellent. Greek patients experience great satisfaction from the Naval Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Unit

The clinical assessment of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients suffering from sudden hearing loss

Purpose: The clinical assessment of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in patients suffering from Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Study Population and Methods: The study entered 56 patients suffering from sudden hearing loss and tinnitus. Treatment included "conventional medication" and treatment with hyperbaric oxygen. The basic tool for assessing the measurement of auditory acuity was the tone audiogram. The evaluation of tinnitus was assessed by the questionnaire which was based on the questionnaire Tinnitus Severity Index (TSI) of Folmer and Griest and an optical analogue scale. The second theoretical assessment level of tinnitus was based on the Glorig questionnaire. Results: Fifty-six patients were treated with hyperbaric oxygen in this study, especially for hearing loss combined with tinnitus. All patients completed the first and second phase of the protocol, thirty patients continued and completed the third phase, seven patients completed the fourth and only six finished the five stages of the study. Overall, there was a significant hearing improvement between the initial and final phase, after treatment with HBO (p<0.001). The internal comparison of the initial and final scoring of tinnitus per treatment phase, showed that there was a statistically significant improvement (p<0.001) after the treatment, per phase. Conclusions: In our study, the results were encouraging, and it can be said that treatment with hyperbaric oxygen, along with conventional treatment, greatly improves the level of hearing in patients suffering from Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.Σκοπός: Η κλινική εκτίμηση της αποτελεσματικότητας της Υπερβαρικής Οξυγονοθεραπείας σε ασθενείς που πάσχουν από αιφνίδια απώλεια της ακοής. Υλικό και Μέθοδος: Στη μελέτη εισήχθησαν 56 ασθενείς, οι οποίοι πάσχουν από αιφνίδια απώλεια της ακοής και εμβοές. Η θεραπεία των ασθενών αυτών περιέλαβε την «κλασσική φαρμακευτική αγωγή» και τη θεραπεία με υπερβαρικό οξυγόνο. Το βασικό εργαλείο αξιολόγησης της ακουστικής οξύτητας ήταν το τονικό ακοόγραμμα. Η αξιολόγηση των εμβοών εκτιμήθηκε από το υποβληθέν ερωτηματολόγιο και ήταν βασισμένο στο ερωτηματολόγιο Tinnitus Severity Index (TSI) των Folmer και Griest, καθώς και από την οπτική αναλογική κλίμακα (VAS). Το δεύτερο θεωρητικό επίπεδο αξιολόγησης των εμβοών βασίσθηκε στο ερωτηματολόγιο Glorig. Αποτελέσματα: Από τους ασθενείς που υποβλήθηκαν σε θεραπεία με υπερβαρικό οξυγόνο, 56 ολοκλήρωσαν την πρώτη και δεύτερη φάση του πρωτοκόλλου, 30 ολοκλήρωσαν την τρίτη φάση, 7 ολοκλήρωσαν την τέταρτη και μόνον 6 ασθενείς τελείωσαν και τα πέντε στάδια της μελέτης. Συνολικά σημειώθηκε σημαντική βελτίωση της ακοής μεταξύ της αρχικής και της τελικής φάσης μετά τη θεραπεία με ΥΒΟ (p<0.001. Η εσωτερική σύγκριση της αρχικής και τελικής βαθμολόγησης των εμβοών ανά φάση θεραπείας έδειξε ότι υπήρξε στατιστικά σημαντική βελτίωση (p<0.001) μετά το πέρας των θεραπειών ανά φάση. Συμπεράσματα: Η θεραπεία με υπερβαρικό οξυγόνο, παράλληλα με την κλασσική θεραπευτική αγωγή, βελτιώνει σε μεγάλο βαθμό το επίπεδο ακοής των ασθενών που πάσχουν από Ιδιοπαθή Αιφνίδια Νευροαισθητήρια Απώλεια της Ακοής

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head: Evaluation of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and quality of life.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNFH) is based on invasive (e.g., core decompression) and non-invasive methods (e.g., hyperbaric oxygen therapy - HBO2). The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effect of HBO2 on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with AVNFH. METHODS: This was a prospective observational non-controlled study of patients with AVNFH treated by HBO2. It was conducted, with the use of Steinberg scale, on 73 patients with AVNFH Stage I or II who were treated with HBO2. Patients’ QoL was assessed with EuroQol-5D-5L (EQ), Harris Hip Score (mHHS), MAHORN (MHOT), and VAS, in three different phases: before HBO2; after the completion of the first phase (20 HBO2 sessions, up to two months); and after the completion of the second phase (20 HBO2 sessions, up to two months after the first phase). A reassessment was made on the completion of each phase. Ratings were also made after the completion of each phase, over the first five months of follow-up. RESULTS: All 73 patients (67.1% males, 32.9% females, mean age: 40.34, SD ±± 9.99) participated in the study. Steinberg scale, mean EQ (F (1, 57) = 25.18, η2 = .306 and F (1, 43) = 43.402, η2 = .502); mHHS (F (1, 61) = 67.13, η2 = .524) and F (1, 43) = 31.84, η2 = .425); MHOT (F (1, 61) = 11.68, η2 = .161) and F (1, 43) = 98.01, η2 = .695); and VAS (F (1, 53) = 24.11, η2 = .313) and F (1, 39) = 45.61, η2 = .539), improved between the first and second measurements and between the second and third measurement accordingly (p &lt; .01). CONCLUSION: HBO2 treatment does not induce alteration of quality of life and is well tolerated and accepted by patients

Quality of Life among Couples with a Fertility Related Diagnosis

Fertility-related stress can negatively impact infertile couples’ quality of life (QoL). Most previous studies have concentrated on the effects of stress and infertility on individual persons, especially women, though infertility affects the QoL of both spouses. Our research aimed to investigate the roles of infertility and stress in couples’ quality of life as a single unit. The research sample consisted of 202 spouses, i.e., 101 couples, with a mean age of 39.5 years (SD = 4.9 years) undergoing fertility treatment at Athens Naval Hospital-Assisted Reproduction Unit. Data collection was completed via self-administered questionnaires: the FertiQoL International Questionnaire for measuring the quality of life in infertility and The Demographic Information and Medical History Questionnaire. Data collection was conducted between January and November 2022. Quantitative variables are expressed as mean values (standard deviation) and as median interquartile range, and qualitative variables are expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. Pearson’s (r) and Spearman’s (rho) correlations coefficients were used to explore the association of two continuous variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used with dependence on the Ferti-QoL’s subscales. The regression equation included terms for participants’ demographics and information from their medical history. Adjusted regression coefficients (β) with standard errors (SE) were computed from the results of the linear regression analyses. All reported p values are two-tailed. Statistical significance was set to p < 0.05, and analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software (version 22.0). We found that greater anxiety and depression were significantly associated with worse quality of life. Additionally, quality of life, according to Ferti-QoL, was significantly worse in women, participants with a high level of education, those with greater depressive symptoms, and those with greater state scores. Findings of this study highlight the need for implementing interventions of supportive care methods, counseling, stress reduction methods, and improving the fertility-related quality of life of infertile couples

Quality of Life among Couples with a Fertility Related Diagnosis

Fertility-related stress can negatively impact infertile couples&rsquo; quality of life (QoL). Most previous studies have concentrated on the effects of stress and infertility on individual persons, especially women, though infertility affects the QoL of both spouses. Our research aimed to investigate the roles of infertility and stress in couples&rsquo; quality of life as a single unit. The research sample consisted of 202 spouses, i.e., 101 couples, with a mean age of 39.5 years (SD = 4.9 years) undergoing fertility treatment at Athens Naval Hospital-Assisted Reproduction Unit. Data collection was completed via self-administered questionnaires: the FertiQoL International Questionnaire for measuring the quality of life in infertility and The Demographic Information and Medical History Questionnaire. Data collection was conducted between January and November 2022. Quantitative variables are expressed as mean values (standard deviation) and as median interquartile range, and qualitative variables are expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. Pearson&rsquo;s (r) and Spearman&rsquo;s (rho) correlations coefficients were used to explore the association of two continuous variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was used with dependence on the Ferti-QoL&rsquo;s subscales. The regression equation included terms for participants&rsquo; demographics and information from their medical history. Adjusted regression coefficients (&beta;) with standard errors (SE) were computed from the results of the linear regression analyses. All reported p values are two-tailed. Statistical significance was set to p &lt; 0.05, and analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software (version 22.0). We found that greater anxiety and depression were significantly associated with worse quality of life. Additionally, quality of life, according to Ferti-QoL, was significantly worse in women, participants with a high level of education, those with greater depressive symptoms, and those with greater state scores. Findings of this study highlight the need for implementing interventions of supportive care methods, counseling, stress reduction methods, and improving the fertility-related quality of life of infertile couples