Rare diseases (RD) are very heterogenic group of disorders affecting less than 5 out of 10.000 people in the European Union (EU), at the same time putting them in danger or disabling them chronically. It is estimated that only in Serbia almost half a million people suffer from some RD. In spite of rarity, they represent an important medical and social problem.The aims of this pilot project were to evaluate the pharmacists` general knowledge and specific knowledge regarding RD, regulatory requirements and availability of drugs for the RD in the Republic of Serbia as well as pharmacists` attitudes and understanding of the health public importance of RD and drugs` availability. The prospective crosssectional KAP study was conducted during 2012, on a convenient sample of the community pharmacists from the territory of the Niš branch of Pharmaceutical Chamber of Serbia. The questionnaire was fully completed by 139 pharmacists; 89.2% were females with mean age of 43.4±9.1 years. More than half of the respondents (66.9%) knew that there was no Register of RD in Serbia, but did not know the estimated percentage of the EU population suffering and the prevalence of RD (67%, 51.8%, respectively). Insufficient information about the problem points to insecurity in basic epidemiology and regulatory knowledge. The majority of the respondents supported the establishment of the regulatory instruments for the promotion of the research and development of the orphan drugs for RD.

BackgroundSmoking rates in Serbian adults are among the highest in Europe. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of smoking and smoking-related behaviours of Belgrade University students depending on their sociodemographic characteristics and faculty group.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 2,608 Belgrade University students (59.6% female) in 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to the opportunity sample to collect the data describing students’ smoking habits and attitudes across all 30 faculties of the university.Results30.5% of students reported smoking: 26.4% of medical, and 31.1% of non-medical ones. Smoking rate among female students was 31.2% vs. 29.5% among males. Age (p=0.001), relationship (<0.001) and employment status (p=0.002) had statistically significant influence on smoking status, while the differences in smoking status between genders (p=0.141) and medical and non-medical group of students (p=0.066) were not statistically significant. The highest percentage of students started smoking during high school (66.2%). As the most common reason to start smoking, respondents cited peer influence (36.5%). 44.3% of students who smoked unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking.ConclusionTo combat high smoking prevalence among a younger population, the formal education of students about the adverse impacts of smoking should be integrated in all active anti-smoking programs. Medical students, as future healthcare professionals, can play an important role in smoking rates reduction among both younger and general populations, if properly trained and educated about smoking prevention and cessation techniques.

SAŽETAKHipertenzija predstavlja jedan od najvažnijih preventabilnih uzroka smrtnosti širom sveta, na osnovu čega ciljnu grupu za njenu prevenciju i ranu detekciju čini pre svega populacija mladih. Ispitivanje zastupljenosti odabranih faktora rizika za razvoj hipertenzije u populaciji studenata, i postojanja razlike među polovima, definisanim starosnim grupama i fakultetima. Studija preseka sprovedena je tokom 2013. godine na fakultetima medicinskih nauka Univerziteta u Beogradu. Ispitanici su popunjavali namenski kreiran upitnik. Kategorički parametri su analizirani primenom statističkog Hi-kvadrat testa nezavisnosti. U studiji je učestvovalo 600 ispitanika prosečne starosti 23.96 ± 2.09 godina, od čega je bilo više osoba ženskog pola (61,2%). Genetsku predispoziciju za razvoj hipertenzije ima više od trećine ispitanika (38,6%). Od prisutnih preventabilnih faktora rizika kao najznačajniji su zabeleženi prekomerna uhranjenost (22.33%), redovan dodatni unos soli kroz konzumaciju slanih grickalica (86,3%) i pušenje (32,8%). Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na zastupljenost reverzibilnih faktora rizika kod ispitivane populacije. Kako bi se sprečio razvoj hipertenzije u starijem životnom dobu i smanjio broj prisutnih faktora rizika neophodno je razvijanje edukativnih programa o hroničnim bolestima tokom perioda dodiplomskih studija.Ključne reči: faktori rizika za hipertenziju, studenti, socijalna farmacija, javno zdravlje UVODPrema Svetskoj ligi za borbu protiv hipertenzije (World Hypertension League), hipertenzija se smatra ,,najmasovnijom nezaraznom bolešću savremenog čove-čanstva'' koja je značajan faktor rizika za nastanak kardiovaskularnih bolesti (KVB) i vodeći uzrok mortaliteta u svetu [1]. Ključni faktori za razvoj hipertenzije su: ireverzibilni faktori: (pozitivna porodična anamneza, uzrast, pol i telesna građa), faktori ponašanja kao potencijalno reverzibilni pušenje, gojaznost, fizička neaktivnost i sedentarni način života, prekomeran unos soli i prekomerna konzumacija alkohola) i psihosocijalni i ekonomski faktori (nizak nivo obrazovanja, neadekvatni uslovi stanovanja, niska primanja, nezaposlenost i strah od nezaposlenosti, slaba kontrola stresa, moderni način živ-ota koji promoviše nezdrave životne navike, brza urbanizacija) [2].Pozitivna porodična anamneza smatra se izuzetno značajnim faktorom rizika za razvoj hroničnih nezaraznih bolesti uključujući hipertenziju i to ne samo zbog genetskog opterećenja, već i socio-ekonomskih faktora i život-nih navika koje utiču na zdravstveno stanje članova porodice. Brojna istraživanja [3,4] pokazuju da je rizik od razvoja hipertenzije kod pojedinaca kod kojih je registrovana pozitivna porodična anamneza i do četiri puta veći u odnosu na prosečne vrednosti.Prevencija uspostavljanja negativnih obrazaca ponašanja u mlađem životnom dobu, smatra se mnogo jednostavnijom i delotvornijom od pokušaja da se već uspostavljena situacija izmeni, a ukupan kardiovaskularni rizik smanji kod odraslih osoba. Prekomerna telesna težina predstavlja nezavisan faktor rizika za razvoj hiper...

Background: Pharmaceutical products can become a potential source of poisoning. The improper disposal of unused medicines is a growing problem throughout the world, with a manifold effect on the cost of health care, public health and the environment. The objectives of this research are the overview of current situation of pharmaceutical waste management in the pharmacy sector in the Republic of Serbia, attitudes and knowledge of pharmacists on the matter and the measures they should undertake in order to make the general public aware of the significance of proper disposal of medications. Methods: The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study on entire population of state pharmacies at the primary health care level in the Republic of Serbia, in March 2013. Primary data were collected by filling in a 14 questions questionnaire that was specially designed for this research. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 683 (34 healthcare institutions -pharmacy) pharmacies. According to the data obtained, 76.5% of pharmacies collect expired medicines that people bring there in order to get them put away, while 23.5% pharmacies assert that they do not collect pharmaceutical waste from households at all. Conclusion: The pharmacies have not started to implement their legal obligation of collecting pharmaceutical waste from the citizens yet, at least not in the full range. The development and practical implementation of adequate procedures and facilities for the disposal of this type of waste represents the key step towards the decrease of pharmaceutical waste in the environment.

Introduction / Aim. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) is a qualitative research method for measuring consumer satisfaction by collecting and analysing information on participants and their activities. This method allows participants to present their detailed experiences related to a particular service in the way they perceive them. The study aimed to examine patients' perceptions of an incident occurred in community pharmacies using CIT and determine recommendations for improving the quality of pharmacy services. Methods. A qualitative study using an interview based on CIT was conducted in three pharmacies in Serbia, on the territory of Krusevac city. The entire course of the interviews was recorded, which provided detailed research. Results. A total of 68 critical incidents were collected and divided into two groups: positive (37) and negative (31), depending on the (dis)satisfaction of patients with the services of pharmacists in community pharmacies. The following thematic clusters of pharmacy services were covered: accessibility of community-based pharmaceutical services, pharmacist behaviour, patient counselling, dispensing of drugs and / or medical devices, compounding, and pharmacy sales / commercial practice. Conclusion. The results show that CIT is a useful tool for evaluating and improving pharmaceutical services. Based on the data collected, various aspects of community pharmacy services can be improved and further research should be carried out.