Introduction: Health literacy of secondary school students is particularly important as they are exposed to higher health risk. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine the level of basic ...health literacy, critical and mental health literacy, and numeracy of Slovenian secondary school nursing students using a cross-sectional comparative method.Methods: The questionnaire measuring the level of basic numerical, critical, and mental health literacy was completed by 249 secondary school students, divided into a group of secondary school students attending a nursing program and students of others similar secondary schools such as economic technician, chemical technician and preschool education.Results: Secondary nursing students were found to have statistically significantly higher levels of basic and mental health literacy than their peers, rather than numerical and critical health literacy. In addition, the results show that there is no statistically significant difference in the level of health literacy between the groups of secondary school students in relation to the environment (rural/urban area).Conclusion: Numerical and critical health literacy should be systematically developed in nursing schools, and at least the basic aspects of health literacy should be introduced in all secondary school curricula.
Inter-organizational collaboration among healthcare institutions is widely recognized to improve healthcare services. Because there is a research gap in examining the management barriers to ...inter-organizational collaboration in countries with less efficient healthcare systems and the reasons for non-implementation of innovations, the aim of this study was to identify key management barriers to inter-organizational collaboration in the preoperative treatment of patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis in Slovenia using a mixed-methods approach with key stakeholders. A cross-sectional study was conducted using multiple methods. An online survey (n = 135) and a multilevel qualitative approach were used, interviewing patients (n = 21), healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders (n = 42). The overall assessment of barriers affecting the integrated approach at the macro, meso, and micro levels revealed that macro-level factors were statistically significantly perceived as the major barriers, while micro-level factors were the minor barriers. There was no significant difference between public and private sector respondents in the barriers at the three levels. However, there were significant differences in the perceptions of different professional groups at the micro and meso levels, but not at the macro level. The analysis of the in-depth interviews confirmed the importance of macro-level barriers. A culture of noncooperation combined with "managerial indecision" prevails in the Slovenian healthcare system due to weak management support for inter-organizational collaboration, with managers and other key stakeholders failing to make urgent decisions due to a lack of autonomy. Interviewees commonly noted that one of the major barriers to inter-organizational collaboration was a lack of resources and staff, particularly of primary care physicians and nurses. In the preoperative treatment of patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, the culture of non-collaboration and executive indecision are the major macro-level barriers to inter-organizational collaboration in Slovenia.
Integrated clinical pathways should provide the best and most efficient treatment. As no study on barriers to inter-organisational collaboration has investigated the barriers to unimplemented ...integrated clinical care in a country with less efficiently organised health system, the study aimed to identify these barriers in the preoperative management of patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis in Slovenia.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using multiple methods, including a quantitative survey with participants involved in target patient groups, and in-depth interviews with involved key actors at micro, meso and macro levels in Slovenia.
Respondents predominantly expressed a lack of inter-organisational collaboration. The exposed barriers are individualistic culture, the level of development of the health system, financing, administration, and regulatory frame at the macro level, shortage of staff at the meso level, and the lack of technological standards, trust, communication, and perception of pressures at the micro level.
In addition to the barriers identified in previous studies, our study shows that individualistic culture and the level of development of the health system at the macro level, manifested as a pressure on health professionals and other actors at the micro level, are important barriers to inter-organisational collaboration.
Članek odgovarja na vprašanje, kakšna je vloga medijev pri oblikovanju identitete in integraciji mlajših priseljenih mladostnikov iz nekdanje Jugoslavije v slovensko družbo. V teoretskem delu ...konceptualizira odnos med socializacijo, integracijo, identiteto in medijsko potrošnjo mladostnikov. V osrednjem delu predstavlja rezultate analize poglobljenih intervjujev s priseljenimi mladostniki iz držav nekdanje Jugoslavije. Ti kažejo, da mediji igrajo pomembno vlogo pri integraciji priseljenih mladostnikov. Intervjuvanci redno uporabljajo internet za ohranjanje starih in vzpostavljanje novih znotrajetničnih in medetničnih odnosov, preverjanje veljavnosti svojih prepričanj in dejanj ter pridobivanje priznanja s strani vrstnikov. Mediji igrajo nasprotujočo vlogo pri identifikaciji z novo družbo. Na eni strani z negativno reprezentacijo priseljencev poglabljajo vrzel med večinsko družbo in etničnimi manjšinami, na drugi strani pa jo osebna medetnična komunikacija prek interneta zmanjšuje.
•Key discourses of the CAP were transformed in a way that emphasised the environment.•The productivist discourse was also strengthened at the level of budget distribution.•The study has shown the ...usefulness of critical discourse analysis for policy analysis.
Existing studies have employed discourse analysis to examine the reform of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) but have only partially studied the implementation of the discourse in the context of CAP measures and budgetary distribution. The present study tries to fill this gap. By conducting a discourse analysis of the latest CAP reform (2014–2020) documents, we attempted to determine which discourses and discourse strategies predominated in the reform’s documentation and how they were implemented into measures and budgetary distributions. The findings show that in the process of CAP reform decision-making, European institutions justified the CAP with a transformation of key discourses (productivist, multi-functional and neo-liberal) by emphasising the hugely popular environmental element while, at the same time, employing a strong productivist discourse at the level of measures and the budgetary distribution between the EU member states and farmers’ groups. In order to retain a strong CAP as well as the current distribution of financial resources, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council employed greening as a justification strategy as well as a productivist discourse as a major component in determining CAP measures.
Introduction: The quality of communication among health care professionals is an important aspect of interprofessional teamwork. As there is a gap in research on communication in interprofessional ...teams as assessed by team members and patients, the aim of this study was to analyze interprofessional team communication and team participation in a Slovenian general hospital from the perspective of health care professionals and patients.Methods: This was a case report study using a multi-methods study with a survey (n = 150) and a qualitative approach with focus groups (n = 27) and in-depth interviews with interprofessional team members (n = 22) and patients (n = 20).Results: Interprofessional team members rated communication as relatively good, being least satisfied with equal participation in team communication, especially communication with physicians due to interdisciplinary rivalry. Nursing assistants particularly emphasized the lack of time for communication with patients, dissatisfaction with communication with physicians, and overload with documentation. The patients were relatively satisfied with the communication of the team members. However, they criticized the lack of communication between team members and patients and inconsistent messages of team members.Conclusion: Communication in interprofessional teams was moderately good in this setting. Low staffing was a primary driver of communication problems
Several preventive measures have been applied to limit the COVID-19 pandemic, including successful the development and introduction of vaccines. The aim of this study was to investigate adherence to ...preventive measures and vaccination intentions among nursing students in three European countries and the factors associated with vaccination intention and advising vaccination. A cross-sectional study using convenience/snow-ball sampling strategy was performed in Slovenia, Poland, and Serbia between 12 February and 5 March 2021. Data from 872 eligible respondents were analyzed (mean age 23.5 ± 6.5 years, 89% female). Higher adherence to preventive behavior was declared by those working in healthcare (p < 0.001), engaged in COVID-19 departments (p < 0.001), had not had the disease yet (p < 0.001), and had children (p = 0.01). Those groups also expressed higher vaccination intention and advised vaccination to others. Higher vaccination intention and advising vaccination were mostly associated with belief in benefits of vaccine, trust in institutions, perceived effectiveness of vaccine, influence of social environment, protection of patients and perceived health care professionals’ duty. Fear of side effects and general refusal of vaccines are the main reasons for vaccination hesitancy. The results of the study indicate how higher education institutions can support the development of appropriate professional attitudes and behaviors among nursing students.
COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare workers (HCWs) is very important to control the pandemic and to ensure the safety of HCWs and patients. As psychological factors may affect the ...decision to be vaccinated, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of psychological factors on vaccination acceptance in different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted among HCWs in Slovenia at the beginning of the pandemic (N = 851), one month later (N = 86), and one year later (N = 145) when vaccines were already available. The results showed that the influence of psychological factors (anxiety, psychological burden, perceived infectability, and germ aversion) was specific for each survey period. At the beginning of the pandemic, vaccination intention was positively associated with anxiety. In the third survey period, anxiety was not exposed as a predictive factor for vaccination intention. However, comparison of vaccination status among groups with different levels of anxiety revealed an interesting distinction within those in favour of vaccination; in the group with minimal levels of anxiety, there was a relatively high share of respondents that were already vaccinated, whereas in the group with severe anxiety, most individuals intended to be vaccinated but hesitated to take action.
The first large outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe occurred in Northern Italy in February 2020. The relatively fast spread of the infection to Slovenia was expected, and preventive measures for its ...suppression were widely discussed.
An online questionnaire was designed to evaluate adherence to preventive measures and the extent to which the taking of preventive measures was associated with people's anxiety level, psychological burden, their perceived vulnerability to disease, germ aversion and a number of demographic characteristics in the early stage of Covid-19 spread. The survey was active for 24 hours (13-14 March 2020). There were 12,307 responses and 7,764 questionnaires were completed in full.
Higher preventive behaviour was found in individuals who experienced greater psychological distress, were more anxious, and expressed greater perceived infectability and germ aversion. Greater compliance with preventive behaviour was found among women, those sharing a household with people aged over 65, the elderly and those who knew somebody who had been infected. These groups also showed higher anxiety levels, which appeared to be significantly increased in general as a result of the specific situation. Quarantine was evaluated as the most efficient preventive measure, and was respected relatively strictly even before it became an officially announced protective measure.
This research reveals a strong association between preventive behaviour and anxiety. Anxiety, together with social distancing, may affect physical and psychological health in the population in the long term. Other aspects of public health might therefore be influenced by the measures currently being enforced to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
As no study on attitudes towards local food has compared "organic" and national quality scheme consumer segments, this study aimed to provide further insights and clarifications on the issue of ...consumer segmentation in terms of trust towards organic food and food of selected quality perceived as local, along socioeconomic characteristics, and other important determinants of this complex interaction. The research examines consumers' attitudes and perceptions related to two quality schemes for special Slovenian foods: "Organic", which relates to production methods; and "Selected Quality", which relates to quality attributes. The study focused on two segments of consumers, who exhibit a high level of trust towards the two quality schemes. Comparative analysis of the consumer segments looked for the potential differences with respect to their sociodemographic profiles, as well as to their understanding of the definition of local food, attitudes towards local food, trust in actors and institutions, and willingness to purchase local food. The study combined qualitative approaches and a quantitative survey with a general population sample. The results showed that both consumer groups have similar understandings of local food, with region-based interpretations outperforming country-based interpretations. The "Organic" group was more cosmopolitan and supportive of the local community, regardless of geographic proximity, than the "Selected Quality" group. Older consumers occupy a larger share of both segments, with professionals and individuals with higher incomes more likely to be in the "Organic" group and retirees and students more likely to be in the "Selected Quality" group. To increase the consumers' interest in food with the "Organic" and "Selected Quality" schemes, more specific product propositions should be developed.
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