Knowledge is an intangible asset in Organizations, and provides a comparative advantage to those who possess it. Hospitals are complex organizations with unique characteristics because of the heterogeneity of health professionals' orientation, the composite networking and the decision-making processes. A deeper understanding of knowledge management (KM) could streamline productivity and coordinate the use of resources more efficient. We conducted a systematic literature search of peer-reviewed papers that described key elements of KM using three databases (Medline, Cinahl and Health Source: nursing/academic edition) for a 10-year period (1/1/2004-25/11/2014). The included articles were subjected to qualitative content analysis. We retrieved 604 articles of which 20 articles were eligible for analysis. Most of the studies (n=13) used a qualitative methodology. The total sample size was 2155 participants. The key elements that arose were as follows: perceptions of KM, synthesis, dissemination, collaboration, means of KM and leadership. Moreover, this study identified barriers for KM implementation, like time restrictions and limited skills. Healthcare managers ought to cultivate a knowledge environment, operate as role models, provide the tools for KM and reward people who act as knowledge brokers. Opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing should be encouraged. Successful KM should be patient-centered to gain its maximum value. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the grieving process of parents who were faced with the dilemma of donating organs and tissues of their underage brain dead child, and to explore the impact of their decision on their grief process. A grounded theory methodology was adopted and a semi-structured interview was conducted with 11 bereaved parents who consented to, and 11 parents who declined organ donation. Findings suggest that the core themes that characterize their grief and the main variables that affect their grieving process are similar for both donor and non-donor parents. Consent or refusal of organ donation per se does not seem to affect the overall grieving process. It is the meaning attributed to the act of donation that affects how parents perceive the child's death and subsequently facilitate or hinder their adjustment to loss.

This cross-sectional study examined the factors associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in 1,468 adolescents, 6 months after a wildfire. The rate of probable PTSD was 29.4% and 20% for probable depression. Findings on predisaster, disaster-related, and postdisaster factors revealed that disaster-related factors-specifically objective and perceived threat to self and others-were associated with symptoms of PTSD but not depression. Predisaster life events, postdisaster losses, and escape-oriented coping strategies were associated with higher levels of both PTSD and depression symptoms, while control-oriented coping and perceived social support were differentially associated with symptoms of and depression. Findings have implications for the assessment and treatment of traumatized and depressed adolescents after a disaster.

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Findings highlight the necessity to train mental health professionals to provide individualized information; facilitate family communication; address the parents' guilt, ambivalence, meaning attributions that compromise adjustment; and support them through the challenges of parenting a son or daughter with psychosis.

BackgroundDuring the 90s, Greece has been transformed to a host country for immigrants mostly from the Balkans and Eastern European Countries, who currently constitute approximately 9% of the total population. Despite the increasing number of the immigrants, little is known about their health status and their accessibility to healthcare services. This study aimed to explore the perceived barriers to access and utilization of healthcare services by immigrants in Greece.MethodsA pilot cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2012 in Athens, Greece. The study population consisted of 191 immigrants who were living in Greece for less than 10 years. We developed a questionnaire that included information about sociodemographic characteristics, health status, public health services knowledge and utilization and difficulties in health services access. Statistical analysis included Pearson’s ×2 test, ×2 test for trend, Student’s t-test, analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.ResultsOnly 20.4% of the participants reported that they had a good/very good degree of knowledge about public health services in Greece. A considerable percentage (62.3%) of the participants needed at least once to use health services but they could not afford it, during the last year, while 49.7% used public health services in the last 12 months in Greece. Among the most important problems were long waiting times in hospitals, difficulties in communication with health professionals and high cost of health care. Increased ability to speak Greek was associated with increased health services knowledge (p<0.001). Increased family monthly income was also associated with less difficulties in accessing health services (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe empowerment and facilitation of health care access for immigrants in Greece is necessary. Depending on the needs of the migrant population, simple measures such as comprehensive information regarding the available health services and the terms for accessibility is an important step towards enabling better access to needed services.

Background Senior individuals are particularly vulnerable to influenza. Research suggests that protection against the virus and its transmission in this high-risk group of the population can be achieved by active immunization against the pathogen. Aims To explore and analyze the attitudes, knowledge and behavior of people over the age of 60 on influenza vaccination. Population and methods This cross-sectional survey included people over the age of 60 who were eligible candidates for the influenza vaccine from 3 regions from Northern and 1 region from Southern Greece. A self-completed questionnaire based upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Motivation for Vaccination (MoVac-flu) and the Vaccination Advocacy Scale (MovAd) was administered to the participants. Demographic characteristics and information about health status were also obtained. Results The final sample included 318 participants with mean age of 70.7 years. More than half of the participants (56.6%) had received a flu vaccine in 2018 while 50.8% received it annually in previous years. Behavioral (p < 0.001), normative (p < 0.001), and control beliefs (p < 0.001), promoted the uptake of the vaccine and the increased intention score (p < 0.001) was associated with increased probability of vaccination. Greater age (p = 0.001) and frequent visits to the doctors (p = 0.003) had a positive influence upon the uptake of the vaccine. Conclusions Only a small proportion of those over the age of 60 had received the influenza vaccine. This finding is worrying, as it indicates the impact that a future outbreak of seasonal influenza could exert upon vulnerable groups. There is an urgent need for further, better and more evidence-based information from healthcare professionals to achieve greater vaccination coverage in the community.

The purpose of this study was to explore the sources, nature, and effectiveness of mutual support among nurses who are exposed to the death of children and to compare the experiences between a group of pediatric oncology nurses and a group of critical care nurses. Semistructured interviews were conducted with sixteen pediatric oncology nurses and twenty-three critical care nurses. Qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that (1) nurses relied more on their colleagues for support than on their relatives and friends; (2) the nature of the support they sought involved informational, clinical/practical, emotional, and meaning-making support; and (3) different forms of mutual support were encouraged in the two units, depending on individual needs and the unit's goals, philosophy, and implicit rules about expected behavior in the face of death and dying. Educational and clinical implications are briefly discussed.