Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is, next to obesity and asthma, the most common chronic disease in children in Poland. The results of T1D treatment strongly depend on the patient’s compliance with therapeutic recommendations, which entails the use of necessary health services. Based on a retrospective analysis of the data on health services provided in 2016–2020 to over 15.5 thousand patients with T1D in Poland, we assessed the compliance of the actual model of treatment of T1D in children with the current guidelines. It was found that only about 50% of patients received the number of diabetes consultations corresponding to the recognized standards, with about 15% of children with T1D remaining outside the public healthcare system. In the case of many outpatient services (ophthalmological, neurological, mental health), the number of consultations was extremely low—one order of magnitude lower than in general population and dropped even lower in 2020. This shows that the health needs of children with T1D are not being met within the public healthcare system. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant limitations in access to healthcare in Poland. Compared to the pre-pandemic period there was a significant decrease (−27% compared to 2019) in the number of hospitalizations, and a substantial increase (+22% compared to 2019) in the number of diabetic ketoacidoses (DKA) cases. The proportion of hospitalizations caused by DKA rose to 8.9% compared to 7.3% in 2019.
We aimed to assess attitudes towards the influenza vaccine and factors associated with a willingness to vaccinate against seasonal influenza in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic (flu season 2020/2021). This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out between 5 and 15 November 2020 on a representative nationwide sample of 1052 individuals aged 18+ in Poland. Of the respondents, 5.5% (95% CI: 4.3–7.0%) declared that they had already got vaccinated against influenza and 13.4% (95% CI: 11.4–15.6%) declared a willingness to vaccinate against influenza during the 2020/2021 season. Out of nine different factors analyzed in this study, only three were significantly associated with attitudes towards influenza vaccination. Participants aged 75 years and over (OR = 5.82; 95% CI: 2.63–12.85), as well as participants aged 60–74 years (OR = 2.43; 95% CI: 1.30–4.54), compared to those aged 19–29, had significantly higher odds of having a positive attitude towards seasonal influenza vaccination. Respondents who define themselves as completely religious unbelievers (OR = 4.34; 95% CI: 1.79–10.55), as well as Internet users (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.30–3.47), had higher odds of having a positive attitude towards influenza vaccination. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of adults in Poland who already got vaccinated or declared a willingness to vaccinate against influenza remains low. This also applies to high-risk groups.
Background: One of the parts of the broadly understood pharmaceutical care is health promotion. Therefore, the study aimed to find out how pharmacy students in Poland assess their own readiness to promote health in pharmacies and their own qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation and effectiveness of health promotion in pharmacies. Methods: The study conducted in 2019 comprised 206 pharmacy students from Poland. The authors’ survey questionnaire had two parts: Readiness to promote health in pharmacies; and Qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation and effectiveness of health promotion in pharmacies. Results: The students assessed the system solutions regarding health promotion as insufficient. The highest assessment was given to their own readiness to promote health. In between those was assessment of readiness to promote health by pharmacists as an occupational group. Readiness to promote health at a workplace in a pharmacy was assessed higher than in a local community. The students gave the highest assessments to the relevance and motivation to promote health, and the lowest to their own competences to promote health. In between those, their qualifications and effectiveness to health promotion in pharmacies. were assessed. Conclusions: Pharmacy students consider themselves ready and motivated to promote health, that is of a great importance in their opinion, and they could potentially play an important role in improving the health care of patients.
The aim of this research was to perform comparative analysis of the publicly avaiable data of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) on sickness absence of insured persons in Poland in 2016-2021 (before the outbreak and during the COVID-19 pandemic). Materials and methods. The research material consisted of data from the Social Insurance Institution for the years 2016-2021 (Q1) concerning the sickness absence of the insured. Due to the publication of data in an aggregated form, quantitative analysis was performed instead of statistical analysis. The data used in the analysis included the number of insured persons, the number of people receiving sickness benefits, the number of issued medical certificates on temporary incapacity to work and the reasons for the incapacity to work. Results and Conclusion. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, following numbers have increased compared to 2019: the number of people receiving sickness benefit in Poland (by 10%), the number of days of sickness absence (by 7%) and the number of issued medical certificates of temporary incapacity for work (by 4%). The largest increase in the number of beneficiaries, the number of days of sickness absence and the number of medical certificates was recorded in the Q4 of 2020 (respectively by 21%, 16% and 24% compared to Q4 of 2019). Due to COVID-19, 4.84 million days of sickness absence were used in 2020 – it was the tenth cause of absence. The largest changes in the number of people receiving sickness benefit and the number of days of sickness absence can be observed in Q1 and Q4, which may result from the seasonality of COVID-19 and the subsequent wave of infections. Importantly, COVID-19 is not the only factor contributing overall increase in the number of days of sickness absence in Poland – absence due to non-communicable diseases also increased during the pandemic.
Introduction: The specialty training system in Poland is subject to constant changes on the formal and legal as well as qualitative and quantitative levels. These changes should be analysed on an ongoing basis to assess the directions of development of education for medical specialists. Objective of the paper: The study aimed to determine the quantitative changes taking place in the system of specialty training of physicians in general and in ten most numerous fields of medicine in the years 2011-2018. Material and methods: Data from the register of physicians undergoing specialty training conducted by the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education from 2011 to 2018 constituted the material for analysis. The analysis of the material was of quantitative character. The data analysis was performed using the Statistica 12 Software (TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, CA, the USA). Results: The analysis of data from the register of physicians undergoing specialty training indicates that the number of physicians who trained to be specialists and the percentage of women in the group increased in the years 2011-2018. In the period in question, the percentage of doctors in training within a residency, the number of specialty training providers the number of training places and the use of training places enabling them to pursue specialisation rose as well. The situation differed between 10 specialties analysed. Conclusions: The system of post-graduate education of physicians in Poland in the years 2011-2018 constantly developed and increasingly took advantage of most of its opportunities.
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