Pharmaceutical consumption continues to grow constantly. Unused/expired pharmaceuticals are disposed of to the municipal sewage system or waste disposal. Consequently, many countries have implemented a system of collecting pharmaceutical waste, with pharmacies playing an important role. It is important to educate consumers on rational consumption and the appropriate disposal of unused/expired pharmaceuticals and to identify the level of public awareness. Two studies were conducted in Poland to estimate the problem of collection and disposal of expired/unused pharmaceuticals. The purpose of the Survey I was to identify the scale of pharmaceutical consumption and the way pharmaceuticals are disposed of by various social groups. The Survey II was aimed to identify patients’ attitudes regarding expired/unused pharmaceuticals at home. Of the respondents who participated in in Survey I, almost 74% indicated that analgesics were among the over-the-counter drugs they purchased. Group of pharmaceuticals 65% of the respondents purchased were medicines for treating flu symptoms. Almost 68% of the respondents said they usually disposed of expired pharmaceuticals in their household waste or by flushing them down the toilet. In Survey II more than 35% reported that they disposed of pharmaceuticals in the same ways. Of all respondents, ~30% returned their expired pharmaceuticals to pharmacies. Most respondents (over 65%) who participated Survey I indicated that they were aware that pharmaceutical waste can be returned to pharmacies. It should be noted that local governments are currently not obliged by law to work with or compensate pharmacies in the collection and proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals.

Background: E-prescribing is the most important achievement in the automation of the healthcare sector in Poland. Obligatory electronic prescribing came into force on 8 January 2020. This innovation significantly changes the work of doctors. Therefore, it is useful to identify the factors that have an impact on doctors’ acceptance levels for the new technology. Methods: This study employs a survey based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) method. Our questionnaire was completed by 144 family doctors in Poland during the technology implementation phase and the initial period of obligatory e-prescribing, between 1 December 2019 and 1 March 2020. Results: The results of the survey indicate that doctors do not believe that e-prescribing improves the effectiveness of their work. In addition, this attitude does not depend on the age of the respondent. We also found, regarding the influence of societal attitudes, that doctors only rarely consider the opinions of others in relation to their job. Conclusions: The implementation of new technologies in the healthcare system must be accompanied by consideration of how user-friendly the technologies are, and whether the users will have appropriate technical and financial support.

The negative effect of the pharmaceuticals presence (persistence?) in various components of the environment is a global problem today. These compounds are released into the environment as a result of, inter alia, their use and improper disposal. Therefore, it is important to reduce excessive drug consumption and to develop a system for the collection of unused/expired pharmaceuticals. The effectiveness of actions in this area is inextricably linked with the need to educate society on how to deal properly with unwanted medications. The aim of the study was to show that the inappropriate handling of unused/expired drugs by society is an important problem in waste management systems, and it impacts the state of the environment. Forty-eight scientific articles published between 2012 and 2021 were taken into account that discussed the systems in various countries for the collection of unused/expired pharmaceuticals. This literature review shows that the main method of disposing of unused/expired medications, according to respondents from different countries, is either by disposing of them in household waste or flushing them into the sewage system. This is also the case in countries with systems or programs for the return of redundant drugs, which indicates that these systems are not sufficiently effective. This may be influenced by many factors, including the lack or ineffective education of the society.

Introduction Nurses play a significant role in ensuring the safety and quality of drugs. Our aim was to assess significant factors in nurses’ participation in ensuring pharmacotherapy safety by reporting adverse drug reactions (ADR) and detecting substandard drugs (SD). Materials and methods The study was a cross-sectional, comparative survey, using original questionnaires. Survey questions were grouped to probe the opinions, attitudes and practices of nurses reporting ADRs and SDs. Data were obtained from nurses working in teaching hospitals in Poland (group A) and, for comparison, in the USA (group B). 1200 questionnaires were distributed in Poland (return rate: 55.7%) and 200 questionnaires in the USA (return rate: 73%). Both groups were surveyed during the same period. There were no exclusion criteria. The questionnaires were self-administered. Distribution and collection were anonymous. Participation was voluntary. The Spearman correlation test was used. Both groups’ responses were cross-tabulated and compared using Fisher’s Exact Test for Count Data. Results The study group comprised 669 Polish and 146 American professionally active nurses working in general care and surgical departments. Age range: 18 to 72 years. Median job seniority: 18.3 years (group A) and 20.6 years (group B). Education levels varied. ADR reporting conditions in Poland are unfavorable: shortage of time—83.9% vs 22.6% in the US (p = 0.01); no incentive—58.2% vs 6.1% in the US (p = 0.01); and no equipment—44.7% vs 2.8% in the US (p < 0.01). Both Polish and American nurses indicate they rarely report SDs, with rates of 0.4% and 11% (p < 0.0001) respectively, during the study period. Conclusions Nurses in Poland are insufficiently prepared to ensure drug safety conscientiously and responsibly. Training is required for Polish nurses. Nurses’ employers need to improve conditions to enable reporting of ADRs and SDs.

The study aimed to investigate the situation of nurse prescribing, introduced in Poland in 2016, by analyzing the opinions of nurses, expected to be influential on nurses’ actual practices, in response to legislative change to enable nurses to prescribe and comparing this with actual nurse prescribing behaviours during the early years of the legislation. The paper fills a knowledge gap and provides baseline data analysis for subsequent research. Nurses’ opinions were collected during the period they were preparing themselves for prescribing. That data was compared with data on the character and extent of nurses’ actual prescribing practices over the first two years of implementation. The study showed the number of nurse prescriptions increased. Comparing the first and second years of nurse prescribing, the number of nurse independent prescriptions more than doubled. Over the same period, the number of nurse supplementary prescriptions increased almost six-fold. The implementation of nurse prescribing has increased the scope of nursing care, especially in the treatment of the infections, pain and chronic conditions in the elderly.

E-prescription is already used in many countries, improving the standard of patient care. Officially, from 8 January 2020 e-prescribing has been obligated in Poland. Physicians’ and pharmacists’ opinions on e-prescribing have been widely researched and reported in the literature. In contrast, patients’ perception has, to date, received little attention. For this reason, the aim of this study was to find the features and functionalities of e-prescribing that are desired by the public and influence the positive evaluation of this tool, according to patient opinion. In order to obtain data, a questionnaire was completed by 456 randomly selected adults. The obtained results indicated that only eight people (1.8%) did not know what e-prescription is. Of the remaining 448 individuals, 72.1% prefer e-prescription because it is more convenient for them. Most patients (62.1%) also recognize that e-prescribing makes it easier to purchase medications on behalf of another patient. Based on the study, it can be concluded that e-prescription is well evaluated by Polish patients. A large percentage of respondents were positive about obtaining prescriptions for continued treatment, without a personal doctor visit. Therefore, it is reasonable to maintain the possibility of such contact with a physician. The most popular, and preferred, method of receiving e-prescriptions is via SMS. However, it is necessary to offer different options for obtaining prescriptions, to meet the needs of different populations.

Pathological similarities between sarcoidosis (SA) and tuberculosis (TB) suggest that mycobacterial antigen(s), in genetically different predisposed hosts, may be a cause of SA. The authors' work and other published comparative analyses of HLA and non-HLA alleles in patients with SA or TB from different ethnic groups in the world revealed that some antigens were connected with high risk of SA or TB development, but others were comparable in both patient populations. The authors also showed a possibility of predominant occurrence of HLA alleles characteristic for TB as a cause of TB in patients with SA on corticosteroid therapy. It is possible that an analysis of SA and TB patient's genetic background may be helpful for protection from TB in SA patients on corticosteroids, especially on anti-TNF-α treatment. The authors suggest that the consideration of an immunosuppressive therapy in SA patients will need more attention and individual therapy based on genotyping study.

Patient safety means a condition in which a patient does not suffer any unnecessary actual harm, nor is exposed to any potential harm related to healthcare. The World Health Organization’s recognition of patient safety, as one of the most important factors in determining high quality healthcare, initiated the systematic introduction of changes in the approach to this issue, both globally and on the level of individual healthcare service providers. In order to enhance the quality and ensure the safety of healthcare services provided, national, European Union, and worldwide institutions focus on the introduction of a so-called patient safety culture. The creation of this safety culture would not be possible without the establishment of its legal framework. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the legislative achievements of the European Union within patient safety, taking into consideration acts that summarize the level of implementation of individual recommendations. This study can be useful both for those who focus their scientific interests on the subject of patient safety and those who need concise information on the legislative measures of the Community in this respect, as well as for medical personnel who want to become acquainted with this issue without reading comprehensive legal acts.