Browsing by Author "Šantrić Milićević, Milena (57211144346)"

Previous studies among the Serbian population concluded that the trend of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills requires deeper study. The objective is to identify gender differences in socio-demographic, health, and health service predictors of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills in a Serbian population of 15 years old and above. This was a population-based, cross-sectional study. Data was extracted from the most recently available results of the Serbian National Health Survey of 2013. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent self-medication predictors. The study included 14,623 participants, of which 51.77% were female. While 5.6% of the females reported self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills, only 2.2% of males reported such practice (p<0.001). The presence of chronic disease, stress, and physical pain in the last month before the interview was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of self-medication with observed drugs in both genders. Age was the most significant socio-demographic predictor of self-medication in females, while in males it was unemployment. Women of 55-65 years of age showed a greater risk from self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills in comparison to women of 15-24 years of age (aOR=4.75, 95% CI: 1.83-12.33). Unemployed males showed a greater tendency for such practice in comparison to employed (aOR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.19-2.91). The findings highlighted predictors of self-medication with tranquillizers and sleeping pills and important differences between genders, which may contribute to the design of gender-sensitive surveillance, identification, and the prevention of such undesirable practices through evidence-based and appropriately tailored public health actions. © 2020 Katica Tripković et al.

Background & Aim: The study describes the experiences and opinions of Serbian physicians regarding workforce management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials & Methods: A total of 1553 licensed physicians (65% males; average age 44.0 years) responded to an online survey in September 2020. Differences in the respondents' general data and attitudes regarding workforce management and outbreak preparedness in Serbia were analysed in relation to their engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic (Pearson χ2 and the independent samples t-test, p < 0.05). The logistic regression model explained the need for changing health workforce management. Results: The results reveal that the physicians engaged in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 (64.4% of the respondents) more often than their counterparts, were clinicians from the public sector, younger, with less work experience, influenced negatively by the pandemic, and reassigned to other positions (p < 0.001). Health workers dissatisfied with workplace preparedness and those reassigned due to COVID-19 were by 2.61 times and 1.38 times, respectively, more likely than their counterparts to consider changes in health workforce management. Discussion & Conclusion: COVID-19 underlines the need for changes in health workforce management during public health emergencies. An internal incident management team and a panel of external experts may support health workforce management during the prolonged and rapidly changing crises. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Objectives: This study aimed at identifying the needs for the health workforce in 16 public health laboratories in the Serbian capital by assessing the workforce stock, workload activities, activity standards, and workload pressure. Methods: A review of laboratory records and regulations, interviews with key respondents, and observing work processes provided data for the World Health Organization method for determining staffing needs based on workload indicators (Workload Indicators of Staffing Need, WISN). Results: A total of 99 laboratory workers spend almost 70% of their available working time in undertaking core activities. Core activities per sample can take from 0.25 to 180 min. Laboratory workers are under moderate or high workload pressure (the WISN ratio from 0.86 to 0.50). The WISN difference indicates a shortage of 22.22% of laboratory analysts and 20.63% of laboratory technicians. To balance the staffing to workload, these laboratories need an additional 8 FTE analysts and 13 FTE technicians. They could also consider selectively reducing workload pressure by automating some of the additional activities while maintaining the competence of laboratory workers and opportunities for professional development. Conclusions: Staffing policy should account for work processes, activity standards, and workload pressure to determine necessary staffing to meet the need for laboratory services in the local context. Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc..

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected vulnerable populations’ access to health care. By proactively reaching out to them, general practices attempted to prevent the underutilization of their services. This paper examined the association between practice and country characteristics and the organization of outreach work in general practices during COVID-19. Linear mixed model analyses with practices nested in countries were performed on the data of 4982 practices from 38 countries. A 4-item scale on outreach work was constructed as the outcome variable with a reliability of 0.77 and 0.97 at the practice and country level. The results showed that many practices set up outreach work, including extracting at least one list of patients with chronic conditions from their electronic medical record (30.1%); and performing telephone outreach to patients with chronic conditions (62.8%), a psychological vulnerability (35.6%), or possible situation of domestic violence or a child-rearing situation (17.2%). Outreach work was positively related to the availability of an administrative assistant or practice manager (p < 0.05) or paramedical support staff (p < 0.01). Other practice and country characteristics were not significantly associated with undertaking outreach work. Policy and financial interventions supporting general practices to organize outreach work should focus on the range of personnel available to support such practice activities. © 2023 by the authors.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected vulnerable populations’ access to health care. By proactively reaching out to them, general practices attempted to prevent the underutilization of their services. This paper examined the association between practice and country characteristics and the organization of outreach work in general practices during COVID-19. Linear mixed model analyses with practices nested in countries were performed on the data of 4982 practices from 38 countries. A 4-item scale on outreach work was constructed as the outcome variable with a reliability of 0.77 and 0.97 at the practice and country level. The results showed that many practices set up outreach work, including extracting at least one list of patients with chronic conditions from their electronic medical record (30.1%); and performing telephone outreach to patients with chronic conditions (62.8%), a psychological vulnerability (35.6%), or possible situation of domestic violence or a child-rearing situation (17.2%). Outreach work was positively related to the availability of an administrative assistant or practice manager (p < 0.05) or paramedical support staff (p < 0.01). Other practice and country characteristics were not significantly associated with undertaking outreach work. Policy and financial interventions supporting general practices to organize outreach work should focus on the range of personnel available to support such practice activities. © 2023 by the authors.