Transformation of a large multi-speciality hospital into a dedicated COVID-19 centre during the coronavirus pandemic

Introduction. The article describes the process of converting a large multi-specialized hospital into one dedicated to COVID-19 patients, and present established standards of work organization in all the wards and training system of the medical and supporting staff. The several weeks pandemic of the COVID-19 disease has forced the healthcare systems of numerous countries to adjust their resources to the care of the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Managers were presented with the challenge of protecting the healthcare workers from transmission of the disease within medical institutions, and issues concerning the physical and psychological depletion of personnel. Materials and method. Based on analyses of the structure and work processes in Central Clinical Hospital (CCH) reconstructive strategic plan was developed. It included: division of existing wards into observation and isolation wards; installing locks; weekly plan for supplying personal protection equipment (PPE); designating new access to the hospital and communication routes; training of medical and supporting staff. The plan was implemented from the first days of conversion of the hospital. Results. The wards of the CCH were converted for observation and isolation, and each one was fitted with sanitary locks. There was a big improvement in the supply of PPE for the medical staff. Separation of the ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ parts of the CCH were attained, and widespread intensive training not only protected personnel against infections, but also diminished unrest which was discernable at the beginning of conversion. Conclusions. The transformation efforts will ultimately be appraised at the end of the epidemic, but the data looks encouraging. Two weeks after conversion, the testing of hospital Staff was started and by the end of April, 459 tests were had been conducted, of which only 11 were positive

Rapid decline in cigarette smoking among children in Poland

Introduction In the last decade daily cigarette smoking among children has been rapidly declining in several countries around the world. Studies conducted in this period in Poland include the Health Behaviour in in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (2010 and 2014) and the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS, 2016). This paper explores whether this positive trend also applied in Poland. Material and Methods GYTS, a nationally representative school-based survey of students, was conducted in Poland in 2016. This paper compares the smoking prevalence in Poland among 15-year-olds in GYTS with earlier studies. Results GYTS included responses from 5154 pupils, among whom 1699 were aged 15. The overall response rate was 81.7%. Among participants aged 15 daily smoking prevalence has decreased for the first time to under 5% (to 4.8% among boys and 3.6% among girls). This constitutes a significant decrease since 1998, the year with the highest daily smoking among 15-year-olds in Poland, when the prevalence was 24% among boys and 14.4% among girls 1 . Conclusions A similar decline has been noted in other European countries. In Norway in 1998 among 15-year-olds smoking prevalence stood at 18.2% among boys and 20.9% among girls. By 2014 the daily smoking prevalence declined among 15-year-old boys to 2.1%, and among girls to 0.6% 2 . In several other countries, including USA, daily smoking prevalence among children is at similar levels of under 5% 3 . 1. Zatoński WA, Aaro LE, Samdal O, Mazur J. Smoking- or nicotine-free generation, or both? What should be the public health priority? J Health Inequal 2016; 2 (2): 105–108. 2. Aarø LE, Mazur J, Zatoński WA, Samdal O. Trends in smoking among Polish and Norwegian youth 1986-2014. J Health Inequal 2016; 2 (1): 44–51. 3. Zatoński WA and al. Rapid decline cigarette smoking by children. J Health Inequal 2017 (2). In print

Euro 2012 European Football Championship Finals: planning for a health legacy.

The revised international health regulations offer a framework that can be used by host countries to organise public health activities for mass gatherings. From June 8, to July 1, 2012, Poland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Union of European Football Associations European Football Championship Finals (Euro 2012). More than 8 million people from around the world congregated to watch the games. Host countries and international public health agencies planned extensively to assess and build capacity in the host countries and to develop effective strategies for dissemination of public health messages. The effectiveness of public health services was maximised through rapid sharing of information between parties, early use of networks of experienced individuals, and the momentum of existing national health programmes. Organisers of future mass gatherings for sporting events should share best practice and their experiences through the WHO International Observer Program. Research about behaviour of large crowds is needed for crowd management and the evidence base translated into practice. A framework to measure and evaluate the legacy of Euro 2012 is needed based on the experiences and the medium-term and long-term benefits of the tournament