To compare the frequency of patients' oral health problems and prevention needs among Slovenian and international dentists with the aim to validate the four oral health-related quality of life ...(OHRQoL) dimensions across six clinical dental fields in all World Health Organization (WHO) regions.
An anonymous electronic survey in the English language was designed using Qualtrics software. A probability sampling for Slovenia and a convenience sampling strategy for dentist recruitment was applied for 31 countries. Dentists engaged in six dental fields were asked to categorize their patients' oral health problems and prevention needs into the four OHRQoL dimensions (Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact). Proportions of patients' problems and prevention needs were calculated together with the significance of Slovenian and international dentists' differences based on dental fields and WHO regions.
Dentists (n=1,580) from 32 countries completed the survey. There were 223 Slovenian dentists (females: 68%) with a mean age (SD) of 41 (10.6) years and 1,358 international dentists (females: 51%) with a mean age (SD) of 38 (10.4). Pain-related problems and prevention needs were the most prevalent among all six dental fields reported by dentists; Slovenian (37%) and 31 countries (45%). According to Cohen, differences between Slovenia, the broader European Region, and 31 countries were considered non-significant (<0.1).
According to the dentists' responses, the frequency of patients' oral health problems and prevention needs are proportionate between Slovenia and 31 countries, regionally and globally. The four OHRQoL dimensions can be considered universal across all dental fields.
Ankete pouzdanja poduzeća i potrošača (engl. Business and Consumer Surveys, BCS) koristan su izvor podataka za ekonomske analize i prognoze, a bezrezervna dostupnost BCS podataka stimulira nove ...primjene ovih podataka u empirijskim znanstvenim istraživanjima kao i kontinuirana metodološka unapređenja provođenja anketa i izračunavanja kompozitnih pokazatelja. Pokazatelj pouzdanja potrošača (engl. Consumer Confidence Indicator, CCI), koji se računa upravo pomoću BCS podataka, jedan je od široko prihvaćenih i empirijski potvrđenih vodećih (engl. leading) indikatora osobne potrošnje i ekonomske aktivnosti općenito. Iako je metodologija izračuna pokazatelja pouzdanja harmonizirana na europskoj razini, argumentirani prijedlozi poboljšanja istih uvijek su dobrodošli. Stoga se u ovom radu zadržavaju varijable komponente CCI-a koje su definirane na razini EU-a, ali se promjenom metodologije izračuna CCI-a nastoji ukazati na mogućnost poboljšanja prognostičkih svojstava ovog pokazatelja sentimenta potrošača. Umjesto standardne metode izračuna pokazatelja kao jednostavne aritmetičke sredine četiriju varijabli komponenti, što znači da su sve četiri varijable jednako značajne u izračunu pokazatelja, rabi se metoda nelinearne optimizacije. U istraživanju se polazi od pretpostavke da se inoviranjem metodologije izračuna pokazatelja, novim načinom određivanja težina pridruženih pojedinim varijablama komponentama CCI-a, mogu poboljšati njegova prognostička svojstva. Rezultati empirijskog istraživanja povezanosti inoviranog CCI-a i osobne potrošnje kao referentne serije potvrđuju pretpostavku istraživanja. Naime, rezultati pokazuju da se temeljem promjena inoviranog CCI-a može uspješno predvidjeti smjer promjene osobne potrošnje s dva tromjesečja prethođenja.
U istraživanju su rabljeni tromjesečni BCS podatci za četiri standardne CCI komponente i godišnje stope rasta osobne potrošnje na agregatnoj razini EU-a. Podatcima je obuhvaćeno razdoblje od prvog tromjesečja 1996. do drugog tromjesečja 2019. Izvori podataka su Europska komisija i Eurostat. Ovo istraživanje provedeno je samo za EU na agregatnoj razini, no ovo ograničenje uklonit će se budućim istraživanjima koja će se usredotočiti na ispitivanje i uočavanje potencijalnih razlika u sentimentu potrošača po pojedinim zemljama članicama EU-a. Očekuju se različiti sustavi ponderiranja u izračunu CCI-a za različita nacionalna gospodarstva u EU-u. Izvornost ovoga rada ogleda se u inoviranom načinu izračuna pokazatelja pouzdanja potrošača primjenom nelinearne optimizacije u odnosu na standardni izračun koji primjenjuje EU.
Business and Consumer Surveys (BCS) surveys are useful source of data for various economic analysis and forecasts. The general availability of BCS data stimulates new applications of this data in empirical scientific research, as well as continuous methodological improvements in conducting surveys and calculating composite indicators. The Consumer Confidence Indicator (CCI), which is calculated using BCS data, is one of the widely accepted and empirically proven leading indicators of consumer sentiment and economic activity in general. Although the methodology for calculating confidence indicators has been harmonized at European level, suggestions for improving them have always been welcome. Therefore, in this research the CCI component variables defined at EU level have been retained. However, the possibility of improving the prognostic properties of this consumer sentiment indicator has been indicated by changing the CCI calculation methodology. Instead of the standard method of calculating the CCI indicator as a simple arithmetic mean of its four component variables, that is the methodology which considers all four variables as equally significant in the calculation of the indicator, the nonlinear optimization method is used. The hypothesis of the study is that by updating the methodology of the indicator calculation, its prognostic properties can be improved through a new method of determining the weights associated with individual variables of CCI’s components. The results of an empirical study of the relationship between the innovated CCI and personal consumption as a reference series confirm the research hypothesis. Specifically, the results show that, based on changes in innovated CCI, one can successfully predict the direction of change in personal consumption two quarters in advance. The empirical part of the study is based on quarterly BCS data for four standard CCI’s components and annual growth rates of personal consumption at EU aggregate level. The data covers the period from the first quarter of 1996 to the second quarter of 2019. Data sources are the European Commission and Eurostat. This research was conducted only for the EU at the aggregate level, but this limitation will be removed by future research that will focus on examining and spotting potential differences in consumer sentiment across individual EU member states. Different weighting systems are expected in the calculation of CCI for different national economies in the EU. The originality of this paper is reflected in the innovative way of calculating consumer confidence indicators which is based on applying nonlinear optimization, unlike the standard calculation applied by the EU.
To provide physicians and patients with the tools needed to evaluate patients' problems and health-related quality of life by cross-culturally adapting and validating the Chronic Otitis Media ...Questionnaire 12 (COMQ-12), the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the Neuropsychological Vertigo Inventory (NVI) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).
COMQ-12, DHI, NVI and THI were translated into the Slovenian language and completed by patients treated at our department for chronic otitis media, vertigo or tinnitus. The control group for each questionnaire consisted of healthy volunteers. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, discriminant validity, diagnostic accuracy and cut-off value were determined for each questionnaire.
Test-retest reliability was excellent for DHI (ICC A=0.946) and NVI (p=0.315, ICC A=0.975), good to excellent for COMQ-12 (p=0.680, ICC A=0.858) and satisfactory for THI (p=0.120). Discriminant validity was confirmed for each questionnaire (p>0.05) using the Mann-Whitney U test (COMQ-12, DHI, THI) or the Welch t-test (NVI). COMQ-12 had acceptable (α=0.796) and DHI (α=0.910), NVI (α=0.950) and THI (α=0.924) perfect internal consistency. COMQ-12 and DHI had excellent, NVI acceptable and THI perfect diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0.987, AUC=0.999, AUC=0.781 and AUC=1.000 respectively). Cut-off values determined by Youden's index were 7, 7, 9 and 56 for COMQ-12, THI, DHI and NVI, respectively.
Slovenian COMQ-12, DHI, NVI and THI are a valid and accurate tool for the diagnosis and measurement of health-related quality of life in patients with chronic otitis media, vertigo and tinnitus. They could aid general practitioners, occupational health specialists, neurologists and otorhinolaryngologists.
To investigate the correlation between the four dimensions of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) constructs in a dental patient population.
A ...cross-sectional study carried out at HealthPartners, Minnesota, USA. This study is a secondary data analysis of available adult dental patients' data. The instruments used to assess the OHRQoL and HRQoL constructs were the Oral Health Impact Profile-version with 49 items (OHIP-49) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Information System (PROMIS) measures v.1.1 Global Health instruments Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), respectively. We used Structural Equation Modeling to determine the correlation between OHRQoL and HRQoL.
Two thousand and seventy-six dental patients participated in the study. OHRQoL and HRQoL scores correlated with 0.56 (95%CI:0.52-0.60). The OHRQoL and Physical Health dimension of HRQoL correlated with 0.55 (95%CI:0.51-0.59). The OHRQoL and Mental Health dimension of HRQoL correlated with 0.51 (95%CI:0.47-0.55). When adjusted for age, gender, and depression, the correlation coefficients changed only slightly and resulted in 0.52 between OHRQoL and HRQoL Physical Health, and 0.47 between OHRQoL and HRQoL Mental Health. Model fit statistics for all analyses were adequate and indicated a good fit.
OHRQoL and HRQoL overlap greatly. For dental practitioners, the OHRQoL score is informative for their patients' general health status and vice versa. Study results indicate that effective therapeutic interventions by dentists improve patients' OHRQoL as well as HRQoL.
The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) is among the most frequently cited tools for measuring safety culture in healthcare settings. Its ambulatory version was used in this study. The aim was to ...assess safety culture in out-of-hours (OOH) family medicine service and its variation across job positions, regions, and respondents' demographic characteristic.
A cross-sectional observational study was carried out targeting 358 health professionals working in the 29 largest Croatian healthcare centres providing out-of-hours family medicine service. The response rate was 51.7% (185 questionnaires). The questionnaire comprised 62 Likert items with 5 responses (fully disagree to fully agree). Scores of negatively worded items were reversed before analysis. Scores on the total scale and subscales were calculated as additive scores. The study included demographic data on gender, age, working experience, and job position. Repeated measurement analysis of variance was used to assess variation of Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - Ambulatory Version (SAQ-AV) sub-scales.
Nurses assessed safety culture higher than did physicians and residents. Teamwork climate had higher scores than Ambulatory process of care and Organizational climate. Stress recognition and Perceptions of workload had the lowest overall scores. Variation across gender, age, working experience, and region was not statistically significant.
SAQ-AV can be used to identify areas for improvement in patient safety at OOH GPs. There is a need to improve staffing and support for OOH GP residents. Further research is needed in order to gain better understanding of factors influencing observed variations among job positions.
Confidentiality is one of the oldest ethical principles in healthcare. However, confidentiality in adolescent healthcare is not a universally-accepted doctrine among scholars. The ethical ...acceptability of confidential services in adolescents' healthcare is based on perceptions of adolescent maturity and an appreciation of its importance to adolescents' access and utilization of healthcare services. Despite legal policies that promote adolescents' rights, physicians' attitudes toward adolescent confidentiality can be a determining factor in their ultimate decision to protect adolescents' confidentiality.
A new Attitude towards Adolescent Confidentiality Scale was developed based on the results of a qualitative interview study. This new instrument was administered to a sample of 152 physicians working at school pediatric and gynecology departments in 13 primary healthcare institutions in Belgrade. Principal component analysis was applied to determine the main components of the scale. Reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach alpha and mean inter-item correlations.
Psychometric analysis of the final 19-item version of the scale showed a high level of reliability (Cronbach alpha of 0.83). Principal component analysis showed four components, which present subscales of the instrument: Confidentiality in clinical situation, Iimportance of confidentiality, Adolescent maturity, and Communication with parents.
The instrument showed satisfactory levels of reliability and validity. The results of the scale dissemination may be a valuable tool for needs assessment for future educational interventions and training programs that will raise physicians' awareness of the importance of adolescent confidentiality.
Cilj istraživanja: Cilj provedenog istraživanja jest usporedba zdravstvenih briga i ponašanja pripadnika opće populacije i liječnika, kao i indikatora njihovoga mentalnog zdravlja tijekom pandemije ...COVID-19 u Hrvatskoj. Ispitanici i metode: Istraživanje je provedeno u ožujku i travnju 2020. na dva uzorka. Uzorak liječnika sastojao se od 725 sudionika, od kojih su većina žene (71,9%) u dobi između 26 i 81 godine (M=48,3; SD=11,26). U uzorku iz opće populacije sudjelovalo je 780 sudionika, također većinom žene (72,7%); raspon dobi kretao se
od 19 do 77 godina (M=40,2; SD=12,27). Sudionici su ispunili Upitnik ponašanja vezanih uz COVID-19, Ljestvicu COVID-19 briga, Ljestvicu briga vezanih uz pandemiju, a kao indikatori mentalnog zdravlja korišteni su CORE-YP i procjena kvalitete života. Rezultati: Liječnici, u odnosu na opću populaciju, imaju izraženije brige vezane za COVID-19 i brige vezane za funkcioniranje zdravstvenog sustava. Manje su zabrinuti za vlastito mentalno zdravlje, nisu psihološki uznemireniji niti imaju lošiju kvalitetu života u odnosu na opću populaciju. Međutim, imaju
izraženije teškoće sa spavanjem, bili su manje zainteresirani za razgovor o svojim teškoćama, ali su imali dojam adekvatne socijalne podrške i samoefikasnosti. Iako nema razlike između liječnika i opće populacije u općoj razini psihološkog distresa, u objema skupinama ta je razina značajno viša nego u razdoblju prije pandemije. Zaključci: Pandemija je izazvala situacijske specifične zabrinutosti kod liječnika, no njihov stupanj opće uznemirenosti i razina procijenjene kvalitete života jednaki su kao i u općoj populaciji. Iako se prema dosadašnjim stranim istraživanjima očekivalo narušeno psihičko zdravlje liječnika u pandemiji, naši rezultati to nisu potvrdili. Jedan je od mogućih razloga povoljna epidemiološka situacija u Hrvatskoj, koja je pokazivala linearni porast oboljelih od COVID-19.
The paper presents the findings of the first large-scale survey on post-mortem organ donation among the general Slovenian population. It focuses on the reported donation willingness, the barriers to ...joining the register of organ donors and the position towards consent to donate organs of deceased relatives.
A face-to-face survey was conducted on a probability sample of 1,076 Slovenian residents between October and December 2017. The performed analyses included estimations of means and proportions for target variables, an evaluation of between-group differences and a partial proportional odds model to study the relations between organ donation willingness and socio-demographic characteristics.
The mean reported willingness to donate one's own organs after death was 3.77 on a 5-point scale, with less than a third of respondents claiming to be certainly willing. Only 6% of those at least tentatively willing to donate organs were certain to join the register of organ donors in the future. The most frequently reported barriers to registration were unfamiliarity with the procedure and a lack of considering it beforehand. The reported willingness to donate organs of a deceased relative strongly depended on the knowledge of the relative's wishes, yet 80% of the respondents did not discuss their wishes with any family members.
The findings confirm the gap between the reported donation willingness and joining the register of donors. Future post-mortem organ donation strategies need to consider socio-demographic and attitudinal factors of donation willingness and help stimulate the communication about organ donation wishes between family members.
Population ageing has significant effects on societies. The organization of care for dependent old people is one of the key issues for ageing societies. The majority of care for homebound dependent ...old people in Slovenia is still performed by informal carers, even though the use of formal services has been increasing over the last 20 years. The proportion and characteristics of people with unmet needs are important for the development of long term care social policy.
The SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) survey was used to assess the determinants of care arrangements and of unmet needs of the aging population in Slovenia. Multinomial regression analysis was used to evaluate individual and contextual determinants of care arrangements and unmet needs.
The proportion of older people with unmet needs is 4%. As expected, "needs" (Functional impairment OR=4.89, P=0.000, Depression OR=2.59, P=0.001) were the most important determinant, followed by the predisposing factor "age" (age OR 1.15, P=0.000) and two enabling factors, namely:"community setting and "availability of informal care within household" (Urban areas OR=.47, P=0.021; Household size 3+ OR=2.11, P=0.030).
This study showed that there are a proportion of older people in Slovenia with severe needs for care, which are being unmet. As shown by the importance of enabling factors, social policy should encourage the development of formal services in rural areas and elaborate policy measures for informal carers.
Background. Lyme borreliosis disease results from infection by members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The most common clinical presentation of Lyme borreliosis is erythema migrans ...(EM). To gain knowledge of the epidemiological parameters and the risk factors of EM in Slovenia, a survey has been carried out in 2010.
Methods. A short anonymous and self-administrated questionnaire was sent to 4917 notified EM patients in 2010, aiming to collect epidemiological data and assess socio-economic determinants in patients with EM.
Results. Three thousand and five (61%) patients with EM returned completed questionnaires. One thousand and nine hundred twenty-nine (74%) patients noted the tick where the EM developed. The tick bite was most often located on the legs in adults and in the head/neck area in children. The time that elapsed before the tick has been removed increased significantly with age. The attached tick was most frequently overlooked in preschool children. Nearly 70% of patients believed that they contracted the infection with borrelia near home. Infection away from their permanent residence was more often the case in those with a higher level of education and in 15-49 age groups. Compared to the Slovenian general population over 14 years of age, those with a higher level of education, the unemployed and farmers were overrepresented among the EM patients.
Conclusions. The risk of Lyme borreliosis is widespread in Slovenia, with some areas more affected then others. Determinants of exposure to infected ticks are different, and depend on the socio-economic status and demographic characteristics.
Izhodišče. Lymska borelioza je posledica okužbe z bakterijami kompleksa Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Erythema migrans (EM) je najpogostejša klinična oblika lymske borelioze. Namen raziskave je bil pridobiti epidemiološke podatke in preučiti socialno-ekonomske značilnosti prijavljenih bolnikov z EM v Sloveniji.
Metode. Kratek anonimni vprašalnik je bil poslan vsem 4917 bolnikom, prijavljenih z diagnozo EM v letu 2010, da bi se zbrali epidemiološki podatki in ocenile socialno-ekonomske determinante.
Rezultati. 3005 (61%) bolnikov z EM je vrnilo popolno ali delno izpolnjene vprašalnike. 1929 bolnikov (74%) je navedlo, da se je EM pojavil na mestu predhodnega vboda klopa. Vbod klopa je bil največkrat na nogah pri odraslih in v predelu glave ali vratu pri otrocih. Čas od vboda klopa do njegove odstranitve je bil značilno daljši pri starejših, pogosteje pa so ga spregledali pri predšolskih otrocih kot pri odraslih bolnikih. Približno 70% bolnikov z EM je menilo, da so se z borelijo okužili v bližini doma. Okužba zunaj kraja stalnega prebivališča je bila pogostejša pri tistih z višjo stopnjo izobrazbe in v starostni skupini 15-49 let. V primerjavi s strukturo slovenskega prebivalstva nad 14 let je bilo med bolniki z EM več tistih z višjo stopnjo izobrazbe, brezposelnih in kmetov.
Zaključek. Lymska borelioza je v Sloveniji zelo razširjena, pri čemer je primerov več v nekaterih predelih. Determinante izpostavljenosti okuženim klopom so različne in odvisne od socialnoekonomskega statusa in demografskih značilnosti.
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