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Copyright of Nursing Care & Research / Nosileia kai Ereuna is the property of Greek Nursing Studies Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AIM: To investigate the impact of environmental crisis on hospital and outpatient health expenditures and more specifically to estimate the effect of climate change, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution in hospital health expenditures and outpatient health expenditures. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A systematic literature review was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl and Science Direct and included papers that have published until to June 2015 in English. We used the following key-words: climate change, air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, health care expenditures, hospital health expenditures and outpatient health expenditures. RESULTS: Only 30 of the published scientific papers met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Twenty-one studies assessed the impact of the environmental crisis on hospital health expenditures and 9 assessed the impact on outpatient health expenditures. We found that components of the environmental crisis affect people's demand for primary and secondary health care services. CONCLUSIONS: The environmental crisis affects greatly in a direct way the health care expenditures globally, since it is responsible for a great number of hospital admissions, visits in hospitals' emergency departments and outpatient visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and present the effects of environmental crisis on health indicators and by extension to quality of life. More specifically, we searched the effects of climate change, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution in health indicators, such as morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A systematic review of papers that were published until January 2015 was conducted. Search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl and ScienceDirect with the following key-words: climate change, air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. The criteria for inclusion in this review was the existence of correlation between environmental crisis and morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. RESULTS: Only 24 of the published scientific papers met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Most of these studies assessed the impact of the environmental crisis on mortality, morbidity, life expectancy and infant mortality, while fewer were the studies investigating the environmental impact on years of life weighted for disability and lost years of life. We found that the environmental crisis affects negatively the configuration of health indicators on global reference frame. CONCLUSIONS: The environmental crisis affects greatly in a direct way morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. As a consequence of this fact there is loss of quality of human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nosileftiki is the property of Hellenic Nurses' Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

INTRODUCTION: Delphi method aims to facilitate the discussion and achieve the judgment in a concrete theme, in order to express experts' team perspectives. AIM: This article aims to discuss basic methodological issues regarding the appropriate application of the Delphi method, for future users. Added objectives include a. The description of the Delphi method and its basic characteristics, b. The reference to the benefits of Delphi and its application to the nursing science. METHODS: A literature review was conducted through the data bases of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane and Google scholar with the keywords- delphi, consensus, experts, nursing rounds, data analysis, validity, reliability, guidelines and a combination of these. Papers (general, critical review, research) in Greek and English language in which the Delphi method was applied and methodological issues were discussed. Articles that did not refer to the basic methodological issues that emerge through the application of Delphi, were excluded. RESULTS: According to the literature review, there are no guidelines regarding the way of the selection and the number of the experts that participate. The decision regarding the number of experts is made empirically; and it varies according to the aim of the study, the available time and resources. Before distribution, the questionnaires must be reviewed thoroughly, so that any unclarity would be avoided. A reliable Delphi method consist of at least three rounds, but this is also doubtful. The methods of analysis seem to vary, according to the purpose of the chosen method, the structure of the rounds, the types of the questions and the number of participants. Also, no rules seem to exist regarding when there is consensus between the participants. Delphi method has been criticized by many researchers for the absence of evidence, validity and reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Delphi method is still in a developing stage. Many queries regarding the Delphi methodology remain unresolved. In order to use the method successfully and homogenously, at least in the field of nursing or health in general, the study of method's criteria and characteristics, should be chosen taking into consideration available guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific evidences are about the results of studies that are conducted in health sciences and are used in everyday clinical practice in combination with clinical experience and patients' values. For this reason, health scientists must rely on the results that come from reliable and valid studies. Today, articles are searched and found relatively easily and immediately via the internet, using the various databases with regards to health sciences. Finding of appropriate evidence in databases requires common sense, knowledge, experience and patience. During the time, adaptation to the databases is increased continuously and literature search becomes easier and leads to more valid results. Successful search and recovery of the appropriate articles in databases are determined to a large extent from key-words or, differently, from search terms that are used by the investigators. Substantially, the key-words are those that determine the validity of recovery of appropriate articles. Moreover, it is very important to determine with clarity the research question that is to be investigated. The most important databases via the internet with regards to health sciences are the following: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Collaboration, CINAHL, ISI Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, COS Conference Papers Index, Scirus, ClinicalTrials.gov and IATROTEK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rostrum of Asclepius / Vima tou Asklipiou is the property of Technological Educational Institute of Athens and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)