Panayota Sourtzi

School nurses interact closely with parents of children with chronic health conditions. Understanding how they perceive and respond to parental health literacy (HL) is essential. In this study, we assessed the accuracy of school nurses’ evaluations of parental HL by comparing their assessments with parents’ objectively measured HL. A cross-sectional design was employed with a convenience sample of 52 parent-school nurse pairs. Parental HL was measured using the HLS-EU-Q16 and adapted items from previous studies. Data were analyzed using cross-tabulation, Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and sensitivity-specificity metrics. The results demonstrated very low agreement between nurses’ estimations and parents’ actual HL (κ = 0.060, p = 0.547). Nurses frequently rated HL as ‘Adequate’, leading to misclassification of ‘Problematic’ and ‘Inadequate’ cases. Sensitivity in identifying inadequate HL was low, and ICC values confirmed poor reliability. Findings underscore the need for training school nurses to better identify and address parents’ HL needs.

Background: Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQoL) is an essential aspect of the sustainability of the healthcare workforce, intimately connected to employee well-being, job fulfillment, and the standard of patient care. This research sought to evaluate WRQoL among healthcare employees in Greek public hospitals, concentrating on the influence of demographic and work-related factors in a healthcare system affected by prolonged economic and public health crises. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1022 staff members from 23 hospitals in the 1st Health Region of Attica, utilizing the validated Work-Related Quality of Life Scale (WRQoL). Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests, including Chi-square and Linear-by-Linear Association analyses. Results: The findings showed that 44.3% of employees experienced low WRQoL, with the lowest ratings found among younger workers, those on temporary contracts, and individuals working in pediatric hospitals. Holding a leadership position, being over 40 years old, and having a permanent job were linked to notably greater well-being and job satisfaction. A significant portion of participants viewed the working conditions and autonomy as insufficient, particularly in demanding institutional environments. Conclusions: These results emphasize the necessity for focused policy measures to enhance working conditions, guarantee job stability, and reinforce organizational support structures. Tackling structural shortcomings in the healthcare system is crucial for protecting workforce stability and the standard of public health services.

Background: In recent decades, climate change has increasingly concerned the scientific community not only due to its environmental impact but also due to its direct and indirect impact to human health. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the current evidence on the impacts of several climate parameters -such as temperature, floods, humidity, air pollution, wildfires and dust- on human health in terms of both mortality and morbidity. Methods: Systematic search for observational studies on climate change effect on human mortality and morbidity published in the last ten years in PubMed, EBSCOhost and Scopus. Results: A total of 57 articles were included in this systematic review. A positive association between extreme heat/cold events, temperature variation and air pollution with mortality was reported from most studies. Moreover, floods might be associated with infant mortality. Cardiovascular diseases are attributed to extreme temperature conditions and humidity is linked to cardiovascular diseases. The chronic exposure to air pollution is strongly associated with respiratory diseases. Floods and wildfires cause mainly respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, while dust exacerbates respiratory diseases like asthma. Conclusions: The data derived from the studies confirm the significant impact of temperature, air pollution, humidity, floods, wildfires and dust on both physical and mental health.

Background: Working in the public healthcare sector, especially in hospitals, is widely recognized as a highly demanding job. Measuring work related quality of life is crucial, as it allows the assessment of working conditions and the level of well-being among healthcare professionals. The aim of this research was to assess the quality of working life among employees in the Greek public hospitals, with the ultimate goal of identifying demographic and job-related factors affecting quality of working life and setting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 23 public hospitals of the 1st Health Region of Attica, which includes the capital (Athens) and 39 other municipalities. This region comprises some of the country’s largest and busiest hospitals, employing approximately 23,940 workers. The tool used was the Work-Related Quality of Life Scale (WRQoL). Data collection was carried out during the period 2023–2024. Results: A total of 1,022 employees participated in the study, with a mean age of 47 years and a mean working experience of 20.4 years. Based on the overall WRQoL score, 44,8% of employees reported a low level of quality of working life. Working conditions were rated at a low level by 59.3% of participants. Perception of general well-being increased with age and was reported at higher levels by those who held a managerial position and a permanent job. Doctors, especially men, reported a lower perception of well-being. Job satisfaction was low, at a rate of 45.8%, particularly among younger employees (age group < 40 years) and employees in pediatric hospitals. High levels of work-related stress were reported by 27.8% of participants. Job-related predictors and demographic characteristics of high statistical significance were identified across all dimensions examined. Conclusion: This study highlights significant challenges affecting the work-related quality of life of employees in Greek public hospitals and provides evidence-based insights that can guide organizational and policy-level interventions. The findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted strategies to improve working conditions, reduce occupational stress, and enhance the overall well-being and job satisfaction of healthcare workers.

Aims: A single-blinded, multicentred randomized controlled trial (RCT) was employed to examine the effectiveness of a 3-month telephone follow-up, a telephone follow-up with education before discharge, or education only before discharge on the heart failure (HF) knowledge, HF self-care management, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with HF by a nurse specialist. Methods and results: This is a multicentre RCT with three different intervention groups (IGs) and one control group. Participants in the first IG received education on HF self-management principles before discharge. The second IGs were enrolled to a 3-month telephone follow-up educational programme in addition to the pre-discharge educational session. The third IG received the telephone follow-up intervention only for 3 months. A total of 357 patients with HF were enrolled to the study of whom 262 participants completed the intervention. Outcome measures included HF-related QoL, HF self-care, and HF-related knowledge. Intervention effects were analysed using the Cohen d (rm) coefficient for repeated measurements and ANCOVA. There was a significant improvement in the physical dimension of the HR-QoL (F = 2.7, df = 3, P = 0.046) between the control group and in-person education group. In HF-related self-care, the telephone component alone or in combination with in-person education led to greater improvement than the control group (F = 3, df = 3, P = 0.034). Self-care practices were improved in the education and telephone arms as compared to the control group (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Education and telephone support on self-care management may improve the physical dimension of HR-QoL. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01905176

Background/Objectives: Vaccination coverage status of nursing students has a pivotal role as they are in direct contact with patients. Suboptimal vaccination status poses patients at high risk of transmission as healthcare providers may serve as reservoirs of pathogens. The present study aimed to assess the immunity status of nursing students of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Methods: It was a cross-sectional study which was conducted between June to July 2024. Univariate and Bivariate analyses were applied, and the x² statistical test (chi-square test) was used to correlate the data. p-value≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 152 students participated in the study. The full vaccination rate was as follows: 38.8% against Hepatitis B, 33.6% against Hepatitis A, 55.3% against MMR, 35.5% against varicella, 45.4% against HPV, 75% against COVID-19, 19.1% against influenza. In the past decade, only 25.7% of the students had received booster shot for diphtheria-tetanus. Hepatitis B antibodies test has been statistically correlated with the year of study (pConclusions: There is a need for a comprehensive program for healthcare students which will include not only training and awareness for VPDs but also interventions such as individual consultation for VPDs, free-of-charge vaccination on-site, collection of anonymous data from vaccination booklets of students to ensure accurate data about vaccination coverage, free of charge titer testing and immunity confirmation.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) present a major occupational health challenge, especially among office workers. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a workplace intervention program for managing MSDs and measure its impact on presenteeism/absenteeism and health status. Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted between May 2019 and October 2022 in Greece and involved 247 office workers randomly assigned to early and late intervention groups. The intervention included a seminar on ergonomics and proper workstation practices with a demonstration of exercises. Data were collected by the SF-36, the Standardised Nordic, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaires. Results: In the early intervention group (n = 143), presenteeism significantly decreased (p = 0.045), from a mean value of 0.11 to 0.07, but not absenteeism. Significant improvements were observed in physical (p = 0.007) and mental health (p = 0.012). Reductions in pain were recorded for the neck (p = 0.032), shoulders (p = 0.015), wrists (p = 0.014), upper back, lower back, hips, and knees (p = 0.044 for each). In the late intervention group (n=104), there were no significant changes in absenteeism or presenteeism. Mental health improved significantly (p = 0.008), and reductions in pain were noted for the neck (p = 0.001), wrist (p = 0.0005), and upper back (p = 0.001). Conclusions: This workplace intervention program proved effective both in reducing pain in various body areas and reducing presenteeism, and improved physical and mental health were observed in the intervention groups while absenteeism remained unchanged.

Introduction The prevalence of workplace bullying, job burnout, and turnover intention among nursing staff increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies that have measured the relationships among variables of interest after the pandemic. Objective Our intention is to investigate the effect of workplace bullying on job burnout and turnover intention in nursing staff. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study during January–February 2024 in Greece. We obtained a convenience sample of 450 nurses. We used the 22-item Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised to assess workplace bullying. We measured job burnout with the single-item burnout measure. We measured nurses' turnover intention with a valid 6-point Likert scale. Results The study sample included 450 nurses with the mean age of 39.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 10.2). The mean workplace bullying score was 7.7 (SD = 2.0), while the mean job burnout score was 7.7 (SD = 2.0). Among our nurses, 57.3% showed a high level of turnover intention. After eliminating confounders, we found that increased workplace bullying (adjusted beta = 0.031, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.023 to 0.039, p < 0.001) was associated with increased job burnout. Moreover, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that increased turnover intention was more common among nurses who experienced higher levels of workplace bullying (adjusted odds ratio = 1.057, 95% CI = 1.043 to 1.071, p < 0.001). Conclusion We found a positive relationship between workplace bullying, job burnout, and turnover intention. Nurse managers, organizations, and policy-makers ought to consider such findings to intervene and decrease workplace bullying by improving working conditions.

The aim of this study was to measure the one-year total cost of strokes and to investigate the value of stroke care, defined as cost per QALY. The study population included 892 patients with first-ever acute strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, and ischemic strokes, (ICD-10 codes: I61, I63, and I64) admitted within 48 h of symptoms onset to nine public hospitals located in six cities. We conducted a bottom-up cost analysis from the societal point of view. All cost components including direct medical costs, productivity losses due to morbidity and mortality, and informal care costs were considered. We used an annual time horizon, including all costs for 2021, irrespective of the time of disease onset. The average cost (direct and indirect) was extrapolated in order to estimate the national annual burden associated with stroke. We estimated the total cost of stroke in Greece at EUR 343.1 mil. a year in 2021, (EUR 10,722/patient or EUR 23,308 per QALY). Out of EUR 343.1 mil., 53.3% (EUR 182.9 mil.) consisted of direct healthcare costs, representing 1.1% of current health expenditure in 2021. Overall, productivity losses were calculated at EUR 160.2 mil. The mean productivity losses were estimated to be 116 work days with 55.1 days lost due to premature retirement and absenteeism from work, 18.5 days lost due to mortality, and 42.4 days lost due to informal caregiving by family members. This study highlights the burden of stroke and underlines the need for stakeholders and policymakers to re-organize stroke care and promote interventions that have been proven cost-effective.

Healthy and active aging and age-friendly society frameworks attempt to address the well-documented challenges and opportunities of population aging. To meet the needs of an increasingly older society, there is a demand for professionals with appropriate age-related knowledge and skills. To this end, a master's in active aging is in development. This study reports on the consultation with prospective students, employers, older people and academics on the knowledge areas to be included in the course. An anonymous online survey gathered data from stakeholders in Ireland, Slovenia, Austria, Portugal, Finland, and Greece. Participants ranked the importance of 14 broad knowledge areas and linked topics. The influence of participant characteristics on decisions was examined using multivariate regression modeling. Across all stakeholder groups (total sample N = 757), health promotion was most often deemed very important (80%), followed by psychology (73%), and social inclusion and engagement (71%). Potential students from healthcare backgrounds were more interested than others in aging physiology, social aspects, and the physical environment. More western-located European countries overall showed more enthusiasm for the topics presented, additional to regional variations between topics. This learning needs analysis provides multi-stakeholder insights into priorities regarding learning in healthy and active aging and age-friendly society.