bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Working in emergency services in Germany: cross-sectional data on violence experience and perception
Authors: Zhelyazkova A , Bonigut M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Violence in emergency medical services (EMS) continues to be a topic of concern. Experiencing violence impedes the workers’ wellbeing, thus impairing the coverage and quality of EMS. We explored employment-related factors associated with violence experience and perception.

Methods
We conducted an anonymous online-based survey among EMS staff in Germany (09.2023-01.2024). Participants reported on their work setting, frequency of violent experiences and perception of violence. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were calculated.

Results
Of 224 participants with completed questionnaires, 86 reported to have been exposed to physical violence (PV) in the past 12 months (Median number of events=2.00) and 129 reported to have experienced non-physical violence (NPV; Median number of events=5.00) with the majority of participants reporting that all cases occurred during assignment (n(PV)=79; n(NPV)=86). Of those, 78 reported PV by patients and 5 by colleagues, while in NPV cases 113 participants experienced violence by patients and 40 by colleagues. Women had a higher probability of reporting PV experiences compared to men (OR = 2.214, p=.010). Reporting NPV experiences was negatively associated with age between 45 and 49 (compared to ≤ 24 years, OR=.291, p=.019) and having worked for the current employer for ≥16 years (OR=.339, p=.035). Participants who have experienced violence in the past year had a higher likelihood of perceiving a general increase in the prevalence of violence in EMS (PV: OR = 6.766, p&lt;.001; NPV: OR = 1.688, p=.047).

Conclusions
Younger EMS workers with juniority have a higher probability of reporting experiencing NPV. Women are more likely to report experiencing PV. It remains to be explored, if these associations refer to the experiences of violence, to reporting frequency or both. Regardless, the majority of respondents perceive an increase in violence within the work setting of EMS, especially if they have been subjected to it themselves.

Key messages
• EMS professionals experience significant levels of physical and non-physical violence originating from patients and colleagues.
• Sex, age and seniority may affect the likelihood of EMS professionals of experiencing physical or non-physical violence.
Patterns of alcohol use in Belgium, 2013-2020
Authors: Nayani S , De Pauw R , Devleesschauwer B , Guariguata L 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Despite numerous efforts worldwide to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol, its impact on health remains significant, contributing significantly to the loss of healthy life years. In Belgium, alcohol use is still a major public health concern, ranking among the highest in alcohol consumption across Europe. This study aims to use available nationally representative data to estimate and evaluate the time trends of alcohol use patterns in Belgium from 2013 to 2018. We used repeated cross-sectional survey data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS), which includes self-reported alcohol use and sociodemographic data, to create a time series of annual consumption from 2013 to 2018. This included current and former drinkers, and lifetime abstainers by year, sex, region, and age groups. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model, using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation to create the time series and forecast trends for 2020. In Belgium, the prevalence of current drinking remained at a similar level of 80% from 2013 to 2020, with similar rates observed in the Flemish (FL) and Walloon (WA) regions. However, the Brussels-Capital region (BR) had a slightly lower prevalence of 70%. Trends remained relatively stable across all regions during this period. The national level of former drinkers increased from 5% in 2013 to 8% in 2020, with BR and FL showing similar increases, while WA experienced a decline. Abstainer rates rose from 15% in 2013 to 19% in 2020 nationally, with varying increases in each region. Specifically, abstainer rates in FL increased from 13% to 17% and in WA from 14% to 20%, while BR saw an increase from 19% to 22%. Overall, declining trends were evident, with men exhibiting higher prevalence rates across all categories. Time trends from the BHIS reveal consistent and high use of alcohol in Belgium over 7 years, emphasizing the ongoing public health challenge. Urgent policy interventions are needed to reduce the impact of alcohol on health

Key messages
• Alcohol use in Belgium is still a pressing public health issue, with high prevalence rates of current drinking in the population. Different patterns of alcohol use can be seen between regions.
• Understanding the role of alcohol on population health as an attributable burden can improve health monitoring.
Depressive symptoms among medical students
Authors: Vidojevic J , Stamenkovic Z , Terzic-Supic Z , Mirkovic M , Stevanovic A , Sotirovic I , Todorovic J 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Adolescence is a period of psychological development which is associated with an increased risk of developing mental health disorders. Medical students have a higher prevalence of depression compared to the general population, but they are given low priority in the healthcare system. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of clinically significant scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), and factors associated with clinically significant scores.

Methods
The research was conducted through a cross-sectional study among fifth-year medical students, using a 95-item questionnaire anonymously filled out. The questionnaire examined: socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the students; students’ lifestyles (including alcohol consumption, binge drinking, smoking cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, use any of other tobacco products); Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); Zung’s Anxiety Scale; and Problematic Internet Use Scale. Based on the score on PHQ-9, the participants were classified in two groups: with clinically significant scores (score ≥10) and without clinically significant scores (score &lt;10).

Results
The study included 461 medical students who completed the PHQ-9. Average score on PHQ-9 scale was 5.25±4.53 and total of 66 students (14.3%) had the PHQ-9 indicative of clinically significant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥10). The clinically significant depression was associated with smoking of any tobacco product (OR:3.02, 95% CI: 1.37-6.63), score on social support scale (0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.98), age (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.06-1.90) and score on Zung anxiety scale (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.16-1.34).

Conclusions
Considering that medical students, are at higher risk of developing clinically significant symptoms of depression, it is crucial to form psychological and social support programs.

Key messages
• Monitoring the mental health of young individuals holds significant importance.
• It is crucial to detect risk factors in time and develop prevention programs.
Infodemic management in higher education: Mapping opportunities at the University of Belgrade
Authors: Stevanović A , Mandić-Rajčević S , Rowland A , Zdujić M , Vidojević J , Sotirović I , Zelić P , Martin R 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Effective infodemic management (IM) requires a multidisciplinary approach and the use of various skills originating from natural, social, and medical sciences. Personnel involved in IM activities have diverse backgrounds from medical doctors and data scientists to communication specialists and journalists. However, the IM framework is rarely introduced into the existing teaching programs, compromising the training of a competent workforce.

Objectives
Our goal was to identify opportunities for integrating the IM framework into the existing teaching programs at the University of Belgrade. A team of researchers reviewed the curricula of 31 faculty and identified the courses that already covered IM skills or had the potential to include them in their teaching programs. The research was conducted as part of the U.S. Federal Assistance Award within the University Partnership Program between Emory University and the University of Belgrade.

Results
After conducting independent reviews and reaching a consensus, over 40 different courses and/or teaching programs have been identified to include or could potentially integrate IM skills and competencies. These courses are found across all major academic clusters (natural sciences and mathematics, technology and engineering, medical sciences, social sciences, and humanities). Faculties of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry lead with the number of courses and interested teaching staff, followed by social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science). Most of the identified courses are related to information, data science, and communications.

Conclusions
There is a promising opportunity to introduce IM skills into the current teaching programs at the University of Belgrade. Faculties from the medical sciences group have a solid potential to lead such a process. Collaborative efforts are needed to establish comprehensive teaching programs to ensure a competent public health workforce and certification.

Key messages
• University of Belgrade has the potential to introduce infodemic management skills into its existing teaching programs, respecting the multidisciplinary nature of this discipline.
• Medical and social sciences faculties can lead the process of mainstreaming infodemic management in their curricula, ensuring a competent public health workforce and certification.
Burnout as a multidimensional phenomenon: How can workplaces be healthy environments?
Authors: Gaspar T , Gaspar T , Carvalho M , Matos M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Burnout was already a significant problem before the pandemics, but in the aftermath became a serious concern and a public health and occupational health priority. This study had two aims. First, it investigated how different healthy workplace dimensions and other health individual-level variables are related to burnout. Second, it examined differences in terms of presentism, absenteeism, quality of life between employees who report burnout symptoms and those who do not.

Methods
Participants were 1702 Portuguese employees from various organizations. 69.68% were female, age ranged from 18 to 72 years (M = 43.25 years, SD = 10.40). Almost half of the participants (49.9%; 851 participants) reported having at least one burnout symptom.

Results
Participants reported that they have felt exhausted (43.7%), irritated (34.5%) and sad (30.5%) always or very often in the last 4 weeks. Regression analysis revealed that the global score on burnout symptoms was negatively related to leadership engagement, psychosocial work environment, personal health resources, health behaviours, and satisfaction with salary. In addition, the global score on burnout symptoms was positively related to worker involvement, enterprise community involvement, perceived stress, and screen time at work. Furthermore, females tend to report a higher level of burnout symptoms compared to males. In addition, burnout has an impact on sickness absenteeism, presentism, and quality of life.

Conclusions
Our findings have an important contribution to understanding and promoting a healthier work environment and reinforce the need for measures and policies to promote mental health, manage stress, and prevent burnout in the workplace.

Key messages
• What best explains the burnout symptoms is the workers’ perceived stress, followed by psychosocial risk factors at work.
• There is a positive relationship between perceived stress and burnout: effective work stress management is one of the protective factors that prevents burnout.
Self-reported mistreatment of Danish medical students
Authors: Sorensen J , Krasnik A , Hindhede A L 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Evidence suggests that mistreatment of medical students (MS) exists and that it is associated with stress, anxiety, burnout, substance abuse etc. Mistreatment encompasses discrimination and sexual harassment and impacts MS’ ability to partake their education with increased risk of dropout. The aim of the study is therefore to explore whether Danish MS and junior physicians enrolled in the Clinical basic education (CBE) have experienced mistreatment during their studies.

Methods
An online survey was conducted by email and sent to 5234 MS enrolled in one of four medical Master programs in Denmark or in the CBE. Reminders were distributed by email, shared in Facebook groups, and presented during lectures, accompanied by cards with QR codes for the survey. Data collection took place during spring 2023 and 645 completed the questionnaire giving a response rate of 12 %. The questions were based on the Everyday Discrimination Scale. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results
MS most often encounter mistreatment from physicians, other health professionals and patients during their clinical internships. They also encounter mistreatment from lecturers and peers. MS who self-identify with another ethnicity than Danish/European were 3.2 times more likely than MS identifying with Danish/European ethnicity to report mistreatment from other students (95% CI 1.76 -5.95). Men were also less likely than women to report mistreatment. The mistreatment reported by MS is predominantly based on gender, ethnicity, religion, and age. The most frequent experiences are stereotypical statements (71,8%), lack of respect (65,1%) and being ignored (54,1%).

Conclusions
Our results indicate that Danish MS experience mistreatment, which can potentially impact their mental health. These results underscore the need for targeted interventions to create an inclusive educational environment that fosters the well-being and success of MS.

Key messages
• Danish medical students often face mistreatment from peers and health professionals, and more often reported by woman and students identifying with ethnic backgrounds other than Danish/European.
• Action by University management is needed to implement targeted interventions such as diversity training, as mistreatment can negatively impact students’ mental health and educational outcomes.
Perception of stress among healthcare workers in hospitals in Belgrade during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Babić M , Bukumirić Z , Nešković A , Tripković K 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare institutions and workers, exposing them to unfamiliar and hazardous conditions, increased workloads, and changing directives. This has led to work-related stress, resulting in burnout, depression, anxiety disorders, and other health issues among healthcare workers.

Methods
This cross-sectional study utilized an anonymous questionnaire with closed-ended questions. To assess stress levels among healthcare workers, a Likert-type scale was used. Over 6.000 healthcare workers completed the questionnaire in 2022. The relationship between the dependent variable (perceived stress level) and predictors was modelled using generalized ordinal univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Results
Almost a third (30.7%) of respondents felt a very high amount of tension, stress, or pressure while performing their jobs under the conditions of the COVID-19 epidemic, while 422 (6.8%) did not feel tension, stress, or pressure at all. In the multivariate logistic regression model, statistically significant predictors of higher levels of perceived stress in the conditions of the COVID-19 epidemic include female sex (OR = 0,80), older age (OR = 1.19), being in a managerial position (OR = 1.32), lower satisfaction with available work time (OR = 0.82), patient relations (OR = 0.81), financial compensation (OR = 0.83), and cooperation with colleagues (OR = 0.93).

Conclusions
Through the identification of potential stress predictors, valuable insights are gained to aid policymakers in the planning and enhancement of healthcare personnel’s work during pandemics, as well as in situations characterized by heightened stress levels.

Key messages
• These findings emphasize supporting healthcare workers during the pandemic.
• Strategies for reducing stress should be directed towards healthcare professionals who experience higher stress levels.
Unveiling pharmacogenomics: insights from Portuguese pharmacists on quaternary prevention
Authors: Cardoso M L , Costa A , Rasga C , Marques A R , Vicente A 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Public health genomics recognises the potential of genomic knowledge for enhancing population health. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) and lack of efficacy have significant clinical and economic burdens, which can be mitigated by pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing. Pharmacists can play a vital role in facilitating the implementation of PGx into routine clinical care. This will promote quaternary prevention, to protect individuals from medical intervention that can cause more harm than good.

Objectives
To assess attitudes, opinions, expectations, practices, and concerns of Portuguese pharmacists regarding PGx implementation.

Methods
An observational cross-sectional web-based survey was developed based on literature review, adapted to the national context, and validated in a focus group. The target population were adults residing in Portugal with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences or equivalent, with convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results
From 303 participants, 98% believe that PGx is an important area of pharmaceutical sciences and 97% indicate that PGx should be included in continuing education. Almost all (99%) anticipate that PGx implementation will prevent the administration of ineffective drugs and inappropriate doses, 98% expect PGx will reduce ADR. Major concerns are related with direct-to-consumer sale of PGx tests via internet (78%) and unauthorized access to test results (91%). Currently, 25% are familiar with reliable sources of information on PGx, but only 11% feel qualified to recommend PGx testing, and 10% have analysed PGx reports.

Conclusions
There are positive opinions and expectations regarding the potential benefits of PGx tests. However, there are regulatory concerns and lack of readiness for immediate application. Pharmacists express interest in learning more about PGx, highlighting the need for continuous education and training to integrate it effectively into routine pharmaceutical practice.

Key messages
• Pharmacists recognize the benefits of PGx implementation for quaternary prevention.
• Regulatory concerns and readiness gaps in PGx emphasise a need for training and life-long education of pharmacists.
Diversity challenges in German nursing teams: a participatory organizational development approach
Authors: Feisst M , Peppler L , Schneider A , Schenk L , Apelt M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Migration of health care professionals, demographic change and the transformation of the health care system result in highly diverse nursing teams in German hospitals and nursing homes. Different orientations (regarding qualification, generation or migration background) collide in a working environment characterized by staff shortage, time pressure and decisions about life and death. But team cooperation not only has a strong impact on patient safety, but on job satisfaction and therefore retention management. Little is known on how teams cope with diversity challenges and how this is linked with organizational structures.

Methods
Based on qualitative content analysis of 197,5 hours of participatory observation, 8 group discussions and 25 interviews in 6 nursing teams in 2 hospitals and 2 nursing homes situated in a major German city, we developed workshops on the topic of team diversity and cooperation. 10 workshops (4-16 participants each) were in held in 2023/24 both on team- and management-level.

Results
All teams are struggling with diversity-related problems, but in their specific ways, depending on the particular neighbourhood of the facility and team composition among other things. Due to the strong team spirit and identity, the teams have a fundamental tendency to integrate diverse perspectives and orientations. But they need time capacities and supportive organizational structures. The workshops created a space to discuss the team specific problems. Starting points for structural changes could be identified and further discussed in the workshops at the next higher hierarchical level.

Conclusions
Organisational structures provide the framework conditions that enable teams to integrate different perspectives resulting from diversity in a productive way. One-fits all solutions are not suitable to address those problems and improve teamwork. A participatory bottom-up process seems to be the most appropriate approach.

Key messages
• Institutions need to provide structures in which diversity is not perceived as an additional burden.
• The best way to initiate improvements is through a participatory bottom-up approach.
How to rank schools of public health? The PHAR project
Authors: Dugerdil A , Chiolero A , Flahault A 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Since the shattering and abrupt withdrawal of several Ivy League universities from ranking systems in 2022, the debate on rankings has been raging in the academic world and beyond. Despite this, rankings have undeniable advantages and continue to be used on a daily basis by a variety of stakeholders. As a previous work has demonstrated that there is no ranking specifically designed for schools of public health, the aim of this project was to create one.

Methods
To create the Public Health Academic Ranking (PHAR), the InCites Benchmarking and Analytics™ software and the Web Of Science™ Core Collection database were employed. Bibliometric data on 26 schools of public health, from each continent, were collected between August and September 2022. Eleven research indicators and scores, covering four criteria (productivity, quality, accessibility for readers, international collaboration), for the period 2017-2021, were used. For some schools whose affiliation was not mentioned directly in the software, a specific methodology was designed and tested, with unique research queries applied to the database.

Results
The five top schools of the PHAR were: the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Conclusions
The PHAR provides an international bibliometric ranking of schools of public health. As this is a pilot project, the results should be taken with caution and future improvements should be developed.

Key messages
• The PHAR is the first university ranking system specifically designed for schools of public health and focuses on the research field of this discipline.
• The PHAR makes it possible to rank schools of public health with an unusual structure (such as the PHFI and the SSPH+), which are generally overlooked by traditional rankings.