Exploration of the factors that influence perceived quality of patient centered care among cancer survivors: A systematic review

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was the estimation of the quality of patient centered care among cancer survivors.

METHODS

Following the PRISMA guidelines, MEDLINE and Google Scholar were systematically searched using the keywords "quality of patient centered care" and "cancer" from 2012 to 2022.

RESULTS

In this systematic review 7 articles were included, from which 5557 patients were derived, 3050 of them being females. The majority of them (2553 patients) suffered from haematological malignancies, while a considerable amount of them suffered from breast cancer. Three studies were conducted in Australia and four studies in Mexico. Factors, such as respect to patients' values and preferences, emotional support, management of psychological needs and integrated and coordinated care received a lower score. The characteristics that were statistically significantly related to the dimensions of person-centered care were numerous and were grouped into two major categories: a) socio-demographic such as gender, age, marital status, professional status, level of education, place of residence, type of insurance and b) clinical factors such as type of malignancy, psychiatric comorbidities, time interval of diagnosis, follow-up center, type of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature showed that there is a lack of comparative data regarding the perceived quality of patient centered care among cancer survivors. More psychometric tools of quality of patient centered care, or validation of the existed ones among all types of cancer survivors are needed, in order to identify and further improve the aspects of care that are not delivered successfully.

Hospital factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare personnel in Greece

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been recognized as a high-risk group for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study estimated their risk of infection based on hospital characteristics. Factors significantly associated with increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection were: working in a non-referral hospital compared with a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) referral hospital, working in a hospital with a high number of employees, and working in a hospital with an increased number of patients with COVID-19. This study revealed gaps in infection control in the non-referral hospitals. There is an urgent need for continuous training in infection control practices. Compliance of HCWs with the use of personal protective equipment should also be addressed.

Data on expectations, perceived quality, satisfaction with hospital care and financial ability of patients who suffer from acute and chronic respiratory diseases, in Central Greece

The research article presents the data collected from a questionnaire based survey that aimed to evaluate patients’ expectations, perceived quality, satisfaction with hospital care and financial ability of 202 hospitalized patients suffering from acute or chronic respiratory diseases. The anonymous and self-completed questionnaire was divided in two parts. The first part included questions to elicit information on social and demographic characteristics (gender, age group, education level, categorization of respiratory disease, evaluation of the current hospitalization, nationality and way of living with). The second part included the 26-items Elderly Patient Satisfaction Scale and the 12-items Financial Ability Scale, which are validated in the Greek language with a high internal consistency. Data were collected from February 2016 to December 2018.

Quality & safety aspects of nuclear medicine practice: Definitions and review of the current literature

Current literature records a glaring discrepancy between the rapid developments and progress of medicine and the simultaneous deterioration of the quality and safety of the provided health care services. Bibliographic data as far as perceptions of quality and safety in nuclear medicine departments are concerned, are limited and frequently ambiguous. Most nuclear medicine departments provide the same types of services, but not the same quality of service, while patients' perceptions are not always matched by the perceptions of health care providers. The multidimensional nature of quality and safety, deriving from the different criteria and standards by which different groups of the population attempt to interpret and evaluate them, justifies these discrepancies, over most of quality's and safety's dimensions studied. Nuclear medicine's unique characteristic of using radiopharmaceuticals, exposing to ionizing radiation affects dramatically these perceptions, irrespective of whether quality and safety assurance measures already cover radiation protection, instrumentation maintenance, radiopharmaceutical handling, and the management of all the other aspects of patient care. On the other end of the spectrum, patient-centred practice, communication and proper information play as a well decisive role in ensuring patients' satisfaction.

Informal in-hospital care in a rehabilitation setting in Greece: An estimation of the nursing staff required for substituting this care

PURPOSE

To explore: (a) the type and frequency of care-giving activities provided by family members in the Rehabilitation Setting (RS), (b) opportunities for family members to receive training in care-giving activities, (c) to what extent caregivers feel free to ask the nursing staff for help and (d) to estimate the number of nursing staff required to substitute this care and thus to estimate the money saved by the RS due to the in-hospital informal care.

METHOD

A convenience sample of 80 family members was selected. A questionnaire was developed to investigate several aspects of informal in-hospital care. Data was analysed using SPSS for Windows (Release 10.1).

RESULTS

Cultural reasons and nursing staff shortage led 78.8% (n = 63) of the sample to provide informal in-hospital care. Oral and facial care (67.5%), help with getting dressed (62.5%), help with feeding (61.25%, n = 49), making patients' beds (57.5%, n = 46) and assistance with transferring patients from one hospital department to another (56.25%, n = 45) was provided on a daily basis by the subjects. 48.75%, (n = 39) changed sheets 1 - 2 times per week, while assistance with transfers from bed to wheel-chair and vice-versa (43.75%, n = 35) was provided 3 - 4 times per week. The estimated total time spent per week by the subjects on care-giving activities was 34,034 minutes that corresponds to a total of 75.6 working days or 15.12 working weeks. In order to substitute this care, the RS would need to hire 17 more assistant nurses, entailing a cost of from Euro 14,450 to Euro 20,060 per month.

CONCLUSIONS

Informal in-hospital care is provided by Greek families in the RS. Nursing care staff shortage combined with cultural factors are the main reasons for this phenomenon. However, it saves the RS and the Greek State money and policy makers should be looking for ways to overcome the nursing shortage.

Outbreak of infections due to KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a hospital in Crete (Greece)

Starting in May 2007, an ongoing outbreak of infections due to carbapenem resistant KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae occurred in a tertiary care hospital in Crete (Greece). The outbreak involved 22 patients, none of whom had travelled in a country with known high prevalence of such isolates. KPC-producing K. pneumoniae strains were mainly isolated from patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit, on mechanical ventilation, with prolonged hospitalization, prolonged administration of antibiotics, and prolonged administration of carbapenems. Clinical diagnoses were: pneumonia (62% of cases), surgical site infection (19%), bacteremia (9.5%), urinary tract infection (4.7%), and peritonitis (4.7%). Overall, 61 KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates were recovered, mainly from the respiratory tract (59.1%), catheter tip (22.7%), surgical site (18.2%), and blood (18.2%). Among 16 patients for whom therapeutic data were available, 14 (87.5%) were treated with a combination of colistin and/or tigecycline and/or garamycin. Clinical failure was noted in 22.2% of 18 patients available for assessment of clinical outcome, and microbiologic failure in 87.5% of 8 patients available for assessment of microbiologic outcome. In conclusion, an outbreak of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae infections has occurred in a tertiary care hospital in Greece, with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Prospective studies are required to evaluate the available therapeutic options for these infections. Our efforts should focus on rational use of available antibiotics, enhancement of infection control measures, and implementation of active antibiotic resistance surveillance.

Post-exposure prophylaxis after non-occupational exposure to HIV in Greece

AIM

To assess the use of post-exposure prophylaxis after a non-occupational exposure to HIV in Greece.

METHODS

We analysed the data that were reported to the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention by physicians who requested non-occupational post-exposure to HIV prophylaxis (NONOPEP).

RESULTS

During the period January 1996-June 2005 inclusive, 159 persons received NONOPEP (116 males, 42 females and 1 unknown). Fifty-three per cent of the males sought NONOPEP because of an exposure to sperm and vaginal secretions, while 35.7% of the females were exposed to sperm. Unprotected sex was the main reported cause of exposure to HIV (38.36%) followed by condom rupture (35.85%). For 110 (69.18%) persons, it was the first time they were prescribed NONOPEP.

CONCLUSION

The current surveillance system in Greece should be further developed to include the documentation of potential drug-toxicity, side effects and adherence to the prophylaxis. The health educational role of the nurse in HIV prevention in Greece should be developed.

A study to ascertain the patients' satisfaction of the quality of hospital care in Greece compared with the patients' satisfaction in Poland

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction of elderly patients, of the hospital care's quality, based on the literature evidence on results of a qualitative research and on a previous developed conceptual frame.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We developed the Elderly Patient Satisfaction Scale (EPSS) by using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. In this study participated 320 elderly patients from Greece (182 male, 138 female) and 240 patients (136 male, 104 female) from Poland (mean age 74.16 +/- 6.14 years). Most of elderly patients were married. Inclusion criteria were: elderly patients over 65 years old, being able to be interviewed, hospitalized for at least three days and not to be suffering from severe mental disease.

RESULTS

There was no correlation among age and global patients' satisfaction. Men in both of groups were expressed greater satisfaction with perceived quality of doctor care than women. Age positively correlated with question who estimate the satisfaction with the time that doctor spends for medical history taking. Patient's education correlated with question (satisfaction with availability of nurses night). Patient's depression found that affects the quality of hospital care and the satisfaction. Elderly patients were most satisfied with the technical care ability of nurse. The time period of hospital stay is correlated negatively with patient's global satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

No significant difference between the patients from Greece and Poland in majority of dimensions: the satisfaction of elderly patients, of the hospital care's quality was noted.