Search

Efficient production is paramount for all types of institutions, hinging upon the attainment of predefined employee targets and their subsequent outcomes. In contemporary times, a pervasive issue plaguing institutions is declining production, primarily stemming from employee absenteeism due to various reasons, ultimately eroding profitability. In our research, we spotlight organizations that rely heavily on healthcare services to bolster their bottom line, focusing on the unique case of King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH). Drawing insights from surveys administered to nurses, we meticulously compiled a clean dataset using the OpenRefine tool. Subsequently, we harnessed the power of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques to construct a classification model. We judiciously assessed performance metrics such as Accuracy, Precision, and Recall to discern the most effective model. Our comparative analysis unequivocally underscored the superiority of ANN in our classification task, boasting an impressive 82% accuracy rate for predicting nurse absenteeism. This research endeavors to forecast the likelihood of nurse absenteeism in the upcoming year and elucidate the key contributing factors that elevate the risk of such occurrences. The overarching objective is to equip King Abdullah University Hospital's decision-makers with a valuable tool to proactively mitigate absenteeism rates, elevate healthcare service quality, and elevate production levels, ultimately yielding optimal profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

This paper examines the state policies through the judiciary and health institutions in curbing underage marriage. Furthermore, the article sheds light on the extent to which these efforts are realized in the legal practices of the Religious Courts. Data were gathered by analyzing the decisions of the Religious Courts and supplemented with interviews. This paper argues that the state, through the judiciary, has enacted strict mechanisms via the Supreme Court Regulation Number 5 of 2019 concerning Guidelines for handling marriage dispensation cases. Other efforts have been undertaken by the Ministry of Health by requesting the Supreme Court to instruct all judiciary bodies under its jurisdiction to collaborate with health services or relevant institutions to combat underage marriage. To the author's investigation, there are 14 Religious Courts that have collaborated with the Ministry of Health. Judges in these courts consider recommendation letters as one of the considerations. The judges also exhibit a non-permissive attitude by rejecting applications for marriage dispensation without supplementary documents such as recommendation letters from the health services. This study indicates that state institutions, through the judiciary and healthcare sectors, are making progressive efforts to reduce the prevalence of underage marriage. [Abstrak: Paper ini mengkaji kebijakan negara melalui lembaga kehakiman dan kesehatan dalam menekan pernikahan di bawah umur. Selain itu, artikel ini juga melihat sejauhmana upaya tersebut terrealisasikan dalam praktik hukum di Pengadilan Agama. Data dikumpulkan dengan menelaah putusan-putusan Pengadilan Agama dan dilengkapi dengan wawancara. Paper ini menegaskan bahwa negara melalui lembaga kehakiman mengeluarkan ketentuan mekanisme yang ketat melalui Peraturan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 5 Tahun 2019 tentang Pedoman menangani kasus dispensasi nikah. Upaya lain dilakukan oleh Kementerian Kesehatan dengan cara meminta Mahkamah Agung memberikan intruksi kepada seluruh lembaga kehakiman yang berada dibawahnya untuk melakukan kerjasama dengan dinas kesehatan atau lembaga terkait guna menekan pernikahan di bawah umur. Sejauh penelusuran penulis, ada 14 Pengadilan Agama yang berkolaborasi dengan Kementerian Kesehatan. Hakim-hakim di pengadilan tersebut menjadikan surat rekomendasi sebagai salah satu pertimbangan. Hakim juga menunjukkan sikap yang tidak permisif berupa penolakan permohonan dispensasi nikah tanpa dokumen pelengkap seperti surat rekomendasi dari dinas kesehatan. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahwa lembaga negara melalui kehakiman dan kesehatan melakukan upaya progressif untuk menekan tingkat pernikahan di bawah umur.]

Robust and transparent formal benefit-risk (BR) analyses for medicinal products represent a means to better understand the appropriate use of medicinal products, and to maximize their value to prescribers and patients. Despite regulatory and social imperatives to conduct structured BR (sBR) assessments, and the availability of a plethora of methodological tools, there exists large variability in the uptake and execution of sBR assessments among pharmaceutical companies. As such, in this paper we present an sBR assessment framework developed and implemented within a large global pharmaceutical company that aims to guide the systematic assessment of BR across the continuum of drug development activities, from first-time-in-human studies through to regulatory submission. We define and emphasize the concepts of Key Clinical Benefits and Key Safety Risks as the foundation for BR analysis. Furthermore, we define and foundationally employ the concepts of sBR and a Core Company BR position as the key elements for our BR framework. We outline 3 simple stages for how to perform the fundamentals of an sBR analysis, along with an emphasis on the weighting of Key Clinical Benefits and Key Safety Risks, and a focus on any surrounding uncertainties. Additionally, we clarify existing definitions to differentiate descriptive, semi-quantitative, and fully quantitative BR methodologies. By presenting our framework, we wish to stimulate productive conversation between industry peers and health authorities regarding best practice in the BR field. This paper may also help facilitate the pragmatic implementation of sBR methodologies for organizations without an established framework for such assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this research is to compare government and non-government spokespersons by examining their roles in educating about COVID-19 vaccines and health services. This study employed comparative factor analysis and non-participatory observation toward the media activity of spokespersons in Indonesia. Using a questionnaire, this study examined the dimensions of public campaigns, risk communication, health and emergency, leadership and communication from Indonesian spokespersons. The data collection was conducted in two stages: a pilot study involving 102 respondents and the actual study involving 276 respondents. This study found that the highest perceived benefits and behavioral change come from the non-government spokesperson, of which 26.45% and 18.48% of respondents strongly agree, while the lowest is from a government spokesperson with no medical background. This study also found from five-health spokespersons, the best two are occupied by non-government with medical backgrounds, with 31.52% and 29.35% of respondents strongly agree. However, most respondents had high trust in the governments, with 14.49% strongly agreeing. Compared to those from the governmental sector, spokespersons from the non-governmental sector are perceived to induce higher perceived benefits in delivering the message. However, this does not mean there is no utility in using governmental sector spokespersons, as they are also shown to induce high levels of trust. Overall, governmental and non-governmental spokespersons show utility in different communication aspects, highlighting the need for targeted communication strategies. To conclude, these findings demonstrate that government spokespersons for the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia receive the same high level of trust as non-government spokespersons regarding communicating health hazards. The public looks forward to the regularity and routine of the leaders who serve as spokespersons in hopes of easing concerns and tension brought on by the ongoing appearance of the Omicron variation in Indonesia.

Cloud-based regulatory platforms have the potential to substantially transform how regulatory submissions are developed, transmitted, and reviewed across the full life cycle of drug development. The benefits of cloud-based submission and review include accelerating critical therapies to patients in need globally and efficiency gains for both drug developers and regulators. The key challenge is turning the theoretical promise of cloud-based regulatory platforms into reality to further the application of technology in the regulatory processes. In this publication we outline regulatory policy journeys needed to effect the changes in the external environment that would allow for use of a cloud-based technology, discuss the prerequisites to successfully navigate the policy journeys, and elaborate on future possibilities when adoption of cloud-based regulatory technologies is achieved.

Drug safety monitoring is essential for developing efficient and safe treatments. It starts with preclinical toxicology studies and continues with the observation and analysis of potentially harmful effects in humans throughout the whole drug life cycle. Safety surveillance during the clinical phase is of paramount importance for protecting the health of clinical trial (CT) participants at a period when relatively little is known about the drug safety profile, and for reassuring that detected risks are minimized when the product obtains marketing approval. This review aimed to investigate current safety surveillance methods during drug development worldwide, in order to identify potential gaps and opportunities for amelioration. To this end, international guidelines, standards, and local legislations about CTs were reviewed and compared. Our review revealed common strategies, mainly in alignment with international guidelines, especially concerning the systematic collection, assessment, and expedition of adverse events by investigators and sponsors and the preparation of periodic aggregate safety reports by sponsors, as a means to inform health authorities (HAs) about the evolving benefit–risk balance of the investigational product. Inconsistencies in safety surveillance mainly concerned local expedited reporting requirements. Significant gaps were identified in the methodologies for aggregate analyses and the responsibilities of HAs. Addressing the regulatory discrepancies and harmonizing the safety surveillance processes at a global level would increase the usability of safety data accumulated by clinical studies worldwide, thus enabling and hopefully accelerating the development of safe and efficient drug therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomarkers have the potential to accelerate drug development, as early indicators of improved clinical response, to improve patient safety, and for personalised medicine. However, few have been approved through the biomarker qualification pathways of the regulatory agencies. This paper outlines how biomarkers can accelerate drug development, and reviews the lessons learned by the EU IMI2-funded LITMUS consortium, which has had several interactions with regulatory agencies in both the US and EU regarding biomarker qualification in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Sharing knowledge of such interactions with the scientific community is of paramount importance to increase the chances of qualification of relevant biomarkers that may accelerate drug development, and thereby help patients, across disease indications. A qualified biomarker enables a decision to be made that all understand and support in a common framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Adab / Al-ādāb is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) 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.)

The controversies around vaccines have been in the spotlight over the years, particularly in the public arena. The case of the Italian vaccination fierce controversies was particularly worrying in a period (2017) when a new law introducing mandatory vaccine schedules for children was submitted to Parliament. 705 Italian university students belonging to medical curricula (paediatricians, pharmacists), midwives, psychologists, educators, were asked to fill out a questionnaire about salient issues about vaccines (myths, confidence, conspiracy, parent’s free choice, individualistic and competitive positions about decision making), and their personal vaccination history (mandatory vaccination received). While these issues have been studied in terms of people’s characteristics, the paper aims at showing their socio-cognitive organization, in terms of an integrated representational field, according to the socio-psychological approach. MCA analysis allowed a well-organized representational field of students’ representations of vaccination and their relationships with students’ vaccination histories, sensitivity to social rumors and social media, and Science as the instrument for eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD). The results show clusters of favourable vs negative positions that are modulated by the respect of mandatory vaccine schedules and the students’ curricula. Medical students are closed to individualism and competition, characteristics of liberal professions; less prone to myths; no conspiracy, nor the parents’ free choice. Psychology and Education students do not share these positions and are more prone to myths, conspiracy, rumors, and parents’ free choice. Medical students are more distant and disinterested in vaccine-specific topics than their humanities peers. Midwives share an intermediate position. A sociopsychological approach to vaccine issues vs an individual cognitive one offers a better understanding of complex and dilemmatic vaccine issues. Implications for improving the organization of medical and humanities university curricula are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns over an infodemic following a surge in health misinformation circulating on social media set out the government's priority for Indonesia. Given the urgent work on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, the government collaborated with health-related spokespersons and influencers with a medical background by starting a COVID-19 public education campaign on social media. A collaborative initiative involved health spokespersons from government and non-government to clarify misinformation about COVID-19. Methods: The primary purpose of this research is to compare government and non-government spokespersons by examining their roles in educating about COVID-19 vaccines and health services. This study employed comparative factor analysis and non-participatory observation toward the media activity of spokespersons in Indonesia. Using a questionnaire, this study examined the dimensions of public campaigns, risk communication, health and emergency, leadership and communication from Indonesian spokespersons. The data collection was conducted in two stages: a pilot study involving 102 respondents and the actual study involving 276 respondents. Results: Findings show that utilizing spokespersons is important due to its capabilities of reaching diverse audiences and improving public engagement, trustworthiness, and credibility. Conclusions: Combining health authorities’ spokespersons and health influencers in Indonesia, this study provides valuable insights for communication management in developing and supporting the role of health authorities from the government, non-government as well as medical sectors.

This study aimed to identify the level of social compliance with the instructions of the health authorities in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic from the viewpoint of faculty members at the university of Duhok, and the significance of the differences in that according to the variables: Age, Gender, Specialization. The study relied on the descriptive survey method. The research population consist of (1003) male and female teachers, distributed among (19) colleges affiliated to the university of Duhok, while the study sample consist of (403) male and female teachers, who were chosen by a random stratified sampling method. The Study depended on a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. After processing the data statistically using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) by using of the (t-test) for one sample and two independed sample, one-way analysis of variance and (L.S.D) test . The results indicated that the level of social compliance from the viewpoint of the members of the sample was high, and it was found that there were no differences according to the variables of specialization, gender. While, there is a significant differences according to the variables of Age.

The starting point of this article is a debate that took place in Denmark in 2021, when the Danish Health Authority together with Islamic organizations produced a pamphlet on Covid-19 vaccination which contained answers to religious questions Muslims might have about the vaccine. The pamphlet was broadly condemned by Danish politicians. This article shows that this was far from the first time that the Danish health authorities have used or referred to specific interpretations of Islam. In this article, we investigate both how the Danish health authorities have used or considered Islam and the questions this raises regarding how to consider religion in relation to health. The article highlights the many different ways that health authorities might interact with Islam, including partnerships with imams and Islamic organizations, referencing religious rulings in information material, providing advice to Muslims on how to handle religious practices such as Ramadan in a healthy way, and adjusting health regulations to allow Muslims to practice their religion. Based on these examples, the article presents insights regarding the dynamics of which health authorities have to be aware when attempting to interact with religion, and the key considerations to have in mind when religion and health interact in society.

Background: Considering regulatory, supervision, and control health policy, an innovative knowledge management model is proposed for the Colombian health system, which is recognized as a complex system., Methods: A model is constructed through a comparative analysis of various theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and an original methodology is proposed based on an analysis of the macroprocesses of the Supervision and Control System (SSC) of the Colombian General Social Security System in Health (SGSSS). After formulating hypotheses and conceptual references, information errors are determined within the different macroprocesses of the SGSSS, including those of governance and the SSC., Results: The risks of generating duplicate, wrong, hidden, or non-existent information arise when the associated regulations need more specificity to be applied in all cases, thus leading to the risk of different interpretations by some actors. In this way, it is possible to hinder the generation of unified information, as there is no clarity as to who is responsible for the generation or creation of certain data., Conclusions: The proposed model is characterized by its flexibility and adaptability, integrating several processes that can be executed simultaneously or cyclically (depending on the system's needs) and allowing for the generation and feedback of knowledge at different stages, with some processes simultaneously executed to complement each other., Competing Interests: Conflicts of InterestThe authors declare no conflicts of interest. Furthermore, the authors declare that the funders had no role in the design of this study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of this manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results., (© 2024 by the authors.)

Abstract Background Outpatient department visits per individual for each year are one of the core indicators of healthcare delivery to assess accessibility or quality of services. In addition, this study aimed to assess health service utilisation and disease patterns in southern Ethiopia, by including the health authorities’ suggestions to improve the services. No study has assessed this in Ethiopia previously. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional design study was done in 65 primary health care units in Dale and Wonsho districts, in Sidama region, for all patients visiting health facilities from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. We estimated the utilisation rate as visits per person per year, the odds ratio for health use and proportions of diseases’ diagnoses. The results of our study were presented to local health authorities, and their suggestions for improvements were incorporated into the analysis. Result A total of 81,129 patients visited the health facilities. The annual outpatient health service utilisation was 0.18 (95% CI: 0.18–0.19) new visits per person per year. The health service utilisation rate per year for the rural population was lower than the urban utilisation by 91% (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.08–0.09). Children in the age group of 5–14 years had lower odds of health service utilisation by 78% (OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.21–0.23), compared to children under 5 years of age. Females were four times (OR = 4.17; 95% CI: 4.09–4.25) more likely to utilise health services than males. Febrile illness constituted 17.9% (14,847 of 83,148) of the diagnoses in all age groups. Almost half of the febrile cases, 46.5% (3827 of 8233), were among children under 5 years of age. There were very few cases of non-communicable diseases diagnosed in the health facilities. The health authorities suggested improving diagnostic capacities at health centres, enhancing health professionals’ skill and attitudes, and improving affordability and physical accessibility of the services. Conclusion The health service utilisation rate was low in Sidama. The use of health services was lower among rural residents, men, children and elderly, and health post users. Improving the quality, affordability and accessibility of the health services, by involving responsible stakeholders could increase service usage.

IntroductionThe SARS CoV-2 pandemic poses major challenges not only to patients but also to health care professionals and policy-makers, with rapidly changing, sometimes complex, recommendations, and guidelines to the population. Online forward triage tools (OFTT) got a major boost from the pandemic as they helped with the implementation and monitoring of recommendations.MethodsA multiphase mixed method sequential explanatory study design was employed. Quantitative data were collected first and informed the qualitative interview guides. Video interviews were held with key informants (health care providers and health authorities) between 2 September and 10 December 2020. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim, coded thematically and compared with patient perspectives (framework).ObjectivesTo explore the perspectives of health care providers and authorities in Canton Bern on the utility of a COVID-19 OFTT, as well as elicit recommendations for telehealth in future.ResultsThe following themes emerged; (i) accessibility (ii) health system burden reduction (iii) utility in preventing onward transmission (iv) utility in allaying fear and anxiety (v) medical decision-making utility (vi) utility as information source (vii) utility in planning and systems thinking. The health care providers and health authorities further provided insights on potential barriers and facilitators of telehealth in future.ConclusionSimilar to patients, health care providers acknowledge the potential and utility of the COVID-19 OFTT particularly as an information source and in reducing the health system burden. Data privacy, doctor-patient relationship, resistance to change, regulatory, and mandate issues, and lack of systems thinking were revealed as barriers to COVID-19 OFTT utility.

For public health promotion to succeed, popular support is necessary and the chosen policies and measures have to be perceived as legitimate by the public. In other words, health authorities need to build on and sustain established trust when they recommend a certain policy. When the policy is criticized, this trust is challenged, and the authorities enter into a negotiation of credibility (ethos). In this article, we research a particular instance of such negotiation, drawing lessons for health promotion and for COVID-19 communication. We study a Norwegian television debate in which an MD presented harsh criticism of the health authorities' chosen crisis response in the early phase of the pandemic. Unpacking the rhetorical constitution of the expert ethos of the MD and of the health authorities, respectively, we find that representatives of the authorities are more open to participation and better at connecting to everyday experiences than the MD, who primarily builds her expert ethos on mastery of scientific language and methods, combined with alarmist rhetoric. Further, we identify main tenets of the public's reception of the debate through an analysis of 1961 tweets that commented on the program. The analysis indicates that public health authorities might maintain high levels of trust by rhetorically cultivating their positions within institutional and (social) media networks of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis compares and systematizes some of the milestones (between December 2020 and October 2021) in the approval by Brazil and Chile of the CoronaVac vaccine made by the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, with regard to how the efficacy and immunogenicity of the vaccine was determined. To this end, a comprehensive analysis was conducted of official public documentation of the vaccine's approval in both countries; likewise, relevant technical articles on the subject, as well as dissemination and discussion in the media were considered. In both cases, a wide range of private and public actors expressed clearly competing interests in the measurement and dissemination of figures on the vaccine's efficacy. This reveals the challenges that middle-income countries face--and will continue to face--when certifying the quality of products in a pandemic period, and the need to institutionally strengthen regulatory authorities to ensure a sound and accurate evaluation of vaccine quality, in terms of safety and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instagram (IG) has been used as a health promotion tool by national and international sanitary authorities to tackle COVID-19. The profile of the World Health Organization (WHO) on IG contributed to spread and update information on the new coronavirus prevention This study focus attention on a non-pharmaceutical control measure (face mask in the community) and discusses the adaptation of health authorities from Portugal and Brazil to WHO guidelines on this topic, and how they passed them to citizens. A content analysis of posts from WHO, Portuguese National Health Service (NHS), and the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MH) profiles on IG was carried out, in the first 100 days of the pandemic. The sample is composed of 65 posts - WHO (12), NHS (36) and, MH (17). NHS highlights masks in 8,8% of posts and MH in 3,3%. WHO guidelines followed scientific evidence and prioritized the surgical masks, while NHS and MH adapted the guidelines to regional scenarios (community transmission and difficulty to social distancing) and produced information on non-surgical masks. NHS recommends the use of certified non-surgical masks. MH diverged from WHO guidelines and advised cloth masks. NHS has adopted the preventive approach and the use of celebrities to stress the importance of following its guidelines. MH adopted an institutional approach to encourage adherence to the instructions. Both profiles offered incomplete content on the production, use, disposal, and maintenance of masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irruption of COVID-19 has led to a multitude of deep-seated transformations, which go beyond the purely sanitary sphere, leading to major socio-economic changes, among which the evolution of traditional forms of administrative intervention or the empowerment and/or acceleration of the advances derived from the digital (re)volution stand out for their extraordinary importance. Thereby, in recent months we have witnessed the implementation of numerous initiatives aimed to alleviate the harmful effects of the pandemic by developing technological tools based on processing categories of specially protected personal data, such as health data, which raises important questions from the perspective of privacy and digital rights. The aim of this study is to carry out a detailed analysis of some essential elements, necessary to achieve the difficult balance between the promotion of technological instruments that contribute to control the effects of COVID-19 increasing the resources available to health authorities, and safeguarding the fundamental right of personal data protection.

Objective: To compare the effect of managing neonatal lung disease with lung ultrasound (LUS) or chest X-ray (CXR) monitoring on health outcomes and cost-effectiveness. Methods: The data obtained from the NICU of the Beijing Chaoyang District Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital were used as the study group, as LUS has completely replaced CXR in managing newborn lung disease in the hospital for the past 5 years. The primary outcomes of this study were the misdiagnosis rate of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the using status of mechanical ventilation, the incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and the survival rate in hospitalized infants. The secondary outcomes included the use pulmonary surfactant (PS), and the mortality rate of severe diseases (such as pneumothorax, pulmonary hemorrhage and RDS, etc.). Results: Managing neonatal lung disease with LUS monitoring may enable the following effects: The frequency of ventilator use reducing by 40.2%; the duration of mechanical ventilation reducing by 67.5%; and the frequency of ventilator weaning failure being totally avoided. A misdiagnosis rate of 30% for RDS was also avoided. The dosage of PS was significantly reduced by 50% to 75%. No BPD occurred in the LUS-based care group for 5 years. The fatality rates of RDS, pneumothorax and pulmonary hemorrhage decreased by 100%. The poor prognosis rate of VLBW infants decreased by 85%, and the total mortality rate of hospitalized infants decreased by 90%. Therefore, the cost of LUS-based care was inevitably saved. Conclusions: Diagnosing and managing neonatal lung diseases with LUS monitoring have significant benefits, and this technology should be widely promoted and applied around the world.

Background and Aims: Heat extremes are associated with considerable health risks, especially for vulnerable groups. To counteract these risks, public health policy calls for protective measures to be linked to heat warnings. Such links do not generally exist in Germany, with the exception of the heat inspections and consultations carried out by the Hessian health authorities since 2004. The aims of this work were to identify the structures and processes of the Hessian heat inspections and heat consultations and to derive findings for acute response to heat in residential care and nursing facilities., Methods: We conducted 14 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with experts from the Hessian health authorities as well as with managers of residential care and nursing facilities. The analysis of the interview protocols was carried out using content-structuring qualitative content analysis. In addition, documents from the supervisory authority were analyzed., Results: Every year, up to 370 heat inspections are carried out in the approximately 2500 inpatient facilities in Hesse. They are either integrated into already planned inspections or carried out separately; they focus on preventive and acute measures. In principle, heat protection can be easily integrated into the daily routine of residential health facilities. High staff turnover and lack of resources pose challenges., Discussion: Inspections and consultations on heat management raise awareness of hot weather health risks and support the establishment of preventive measures. The Hessian system is a suitable orientation for other federal states., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Outpatient department visits per individual for each year are one of the core indicators of healthcare delivery to assess accessibility or quality of services. In addition, this study aimed to assess health service utilisation and disease patterns in southern Ethiopia, by including the health authorities' suggestions to improve the services. No study has assessed this in Ethiopia previously.Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional design study was done in 65 primary health care units in Dale and Wonsho districts, in Sidama region, for all patients visiting health facilities from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. We estimated the utilisation rate as visits per person per year, the odds ratio for health use and proportions of diseases' diagnoses. The results of our study were presented to local health authorities, and their suggestions for improvements were incorporated into the analysis.Result: A total of 81,129 patients visited the health facilities. The annual outpatient health service utilisation was 0.18 (95% CI: 0.18-0.19) new visits per person per year. The health service utilisation rate per year for the rural population was lower than the urban utilisation by 91% (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.08-0.09). Children in the age group of 5-14 years had lower odds of health service utilisation by 78% (OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.21-0.23), compared to children under 5 years of age. Females were four times (OR = 4.17; 95% CI: 4.09-4.25) more likely to utilise health services than males. Febrile illness constituted 17.9% (14,847 of 83,148) of the diagnoses in all age groups. Almost half of the febrile cases, 46.5% (3827 of 8233), were among children under 5 years of age. There were very few cases of non-communicable diseases diagnosed in the health facilities. The health authorities suggested improving diagnostic capacities at health centres, enhancing health professionals' skill and attitudes, and improving affordability and physical accessibility of the services.Conclusion: The health service utilisation rate was low in Sidama. The use of health services was lower among rural residents, men, children and elderly, and health post users. Improving the quality, affordability and accessibility of the health services, by involving responsible stakeholders could increase service usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Norwegian health authorities provided citizens with advice, information about the disease and recommendations to take the COVID-19 vaccine. One of their tools was information videos shared on their official Facebook pages. Through the lens of the rhetorical situation, this article investigates these videos' role as part of the Norwegian health authorities' rhetorical response. During a constantly changing pandemic, governments continuously meet new challenges and must adjust their strategies. The various phases of the pandemic and the different rhetorical situations require different responses. We examine how the Norwegian health authorities use information videos to respond to these varying rhetorical situations during the COVID-19 pandemic and what characterizes their visual rhetoric. We show that during a lasting crisis such as the corona pandemic, different phases recur, allowing us to establish some general rhetorical situations. The responses to the situations are part of an ongoing process of rhetoric on the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analyses find that informative videos often use graphic imagery, are longer and use a direct address from authorities to citizen and thus serve a directive function. Persuasive videos are shorter, have less direct voice-over and tend to serve a more expressive function. Still, despite their variation in content and form, the videos share one type of main rhetorical strategy that we call invitation to appreciate. The main appeal in most of the videos is somewhere in-between deference and participation, or sometimes both at the same time. Instead of direct requests, they camouflage the direct appeal for compliance with the measures through filmic strategies in order not to compel acceptance but to invite appreciation. The videos present the citizens with scenarios and position them as apparently free to decide for themselves. In this way the rhetoric of the information films works as invitations to appreciate and adopt certain attitudes and behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho Politico is the property of Editorial UNED 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.)

Copyright of Revista Catalana de Dret Públic is the property of Revista Catalana de Dret Public 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.)

IntroductionThere are increasing concerns regarding the inappropriate use of medicines with expenditure continuing to grow driven by increasing sales in oncology and orphan diseases, enhanced by their emotive nature. As a result, even high income countries are struggling to fund new premium priced medicines. These concerns have resulted in initiatives to better manage the entry of new medicines and enhance the rational use of medicines (RUM). However, there is a need to ascertain the current situation. We sought to address this by developing the Current Obstacles for Rationalizing Use of Medicines in Europe (CORUM) mapping tool to qualitatively investigate the current situation and provide analysis of current views on RUM and interventions among key European payers and their advisers. The findings will be used to provide future guidance.MethodologyDescriptive study exploring and identifying perceived gaps to achieving optimal RUM. The CORUM tool was based on the WHO 12 key interventions to promote RUM.Results62 participants took part with most respondents believing their country could improve RUM capacity. This included educational initiatives on the use of clinical guidelines (90%) and the inclusion of problem-based pharmacotherapy in undergraduate curricula and for Continued Professional Development. Key challenges included a lack of regular updates of guidelines, exacerbated by limited funding and a lack of follow-up to monitor adherence to agreed guidelines. RUM could also be enhanced by the development of regional formularies as well as implementing Drug and Therapeutic Committees where these are currently limited. There also needs to be greater co-ordination between RUM and Health Technology Assessment activities, with countries learning from each other.ConclusionThere is an urgent need to improve RUM through improved educational and other activities among European countries, with countries learning from each other. This will involve addressing current challenges and we will be following this up.

The simple definition of encapsulation is “enclosing something in a capsule”. Encapsulation is applied as micro- and nanotechnology in pharmaceutical and food sciences for varied materials. Moreover, we will see more implementations in the forthcoming years because of the promising nature of this technology. However, the adverse effects of encapsulated tiny materials are unknown, and the health authorities of countries do not follow specific legislations on micro- and nano-encapsulated foods. Indeed, applications of micro- and nanotechnology are observed with different regulations in different countries. For instance, in the USA, there are no regulations for encapsulation studies required by the FDA. Standard food tests are applied for micro and nano food products as well. In the European Union, no strict rules are required by the EFSA for approval requests from authorized institutions regarding the safety of food products utilizing micro- and nanotechnologies [1]. Furthermore, there are no regulations in Argentina, Canada, China, and the Republic of Korea for nanomaterials used in foods. Encapsulated food products are tiny, and the extent of accumulation of materials in the human body is unknown [2]. More importantly, encapsulated foods might create some unpredictable changes in the human body and produce harmful byproducts for the environment as well [3].

The irruption of COVID-19 has led to a multitude of deep-seated transformations, which go beyond the purely sanitary sphere, leading to major socio-economic changes, among which the evolution of traditional forms of administrative intervention or the empowerment and/or acceleration of the advances derived from the digital (re)volution stand out for their extraordinary importance. Thereby, in recent months we have witnessed the implementation of numerous initiatives aimed to alleviate the harmful effects of the pandemic by developing technological tools based on processing categories of specially protected personal data, such as health data, which raises important questions from the perspective of privacy and digital rights. The aim of this study is to carry out a detailed analysis of some essential elements, necessary to achieve the difficult balance between the promotion of technological instruments that contribute to control the effects of COVID-19 increasing the resources available to health authorities, and safeguarding the fundamental right of personal data protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric elements are now soon integrated into the process of developing a new drug. In recent years, stronger enforcement by the regulatory agency to obtain pediatric information has resulted in an increased number of children's trials. The regulatory structure forms specific rules and specifications, notably from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This review summarizes the regulatory needs, policies, and role of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) in pediatric populations. It includes planning and conducting pediatric research, factors for children's first dose, suitable sampling strategies, and various techniques for generating and analyzing information to create understanding about a drug's pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature 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: There are increasing concerns regarding the inappropriate use of medicines with expenditure continuing to grow driven by increasing sales in oncology and orphan diseases, enhanced by their emotive nature. As a result, even high income countries are struggling to fund new premium priced medicines. These concerns have resulted in initiatives to better manage the entry of new medicines and enhance the rational use of medicines (RUM). However, there is a need to ascertain the current situation. We sought to address this by developing the Current Obstacles for Rationalizing Use of Medicines in Europe (CORUM) mapping tool to qualitatively investigate the current situation and provide analysis of current views on RUM and interventions among key European payers and their advisers. The findings will be used to provide future guidance. Methodology: Descriptive study exploring and identifying perceived gaps to achieving optimal RUM. The CORUM tool was based on the WHO 12 key interventions to promote RUM. Results: 62 participants took part with most respondents believing their country could improve RUM capacity. This included educational initiatives on the use of clinical guidelines (90%) and the inclusion of problem-based pharmacotherapy in undergraduate curricula and for Continued Professional Development. Key challenges included a lack of regular updates of guidelines, exacerbated by limited funding and a lack of follow-up to monitor adherence to agreed guidelines. RUM could also be enhanced by the development of regional formularies as well as implementing Drug and Therapeutic Committees where these are currently limited. There also needs to be greater co-ordination between RUM and Health Technology Assessment activities, with countries learning from each other. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to improve RUM through improved educational and other activities among European countries, with countries learning from each other. This will involve addressing current challenges and we will be following this up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting the shift away from regionalized health governance in Canada's provinces, the Nova Scotia government consolidated its nine Distinct Health Authorities into the single Nova Scotia Health Authority as of 1 April 2015. Regionalized health administration had originally been expected to produce economic efficiencies but, after two decades, a fragmented system of health governance was increasingly perceived as inflexible, uneven, and expensive. A more centralized system was presented as a means of reducing administrative costs, promoting scale economies, allowing greater flexibility, and facilitating standardization, which would in turn lead to significant savings. Five years on, however, the expected cost savings have not materialized. While there has been more success in standardization of services, not all attempts at standardization have led to greater efficiency. Evidence for greater flexibility is mixed. Problems with amalgamating health authorities include opportunity costs incurred by thoroughgoing reform, ambiguous and diminished accountability, administrative bottlenecks, decreased responsiveness, and poor working relationships with health care professionals leading to issues of access to health care services. Suivant le mouvement de dé-régionalisation amorcé dans d'autres provinces canadiennes, le gouvernement de Nouvelle Écosse a consolidé ses neuf Autorités de Santé Distinctes en une seule autorité sanitaire le 1er avril 2015. Initialement, l'attente était que la régionalisation de l'administration sanitaire apporterait des gains d'efficience, mais, après deux décennies, les systèmes fragmentés de gouvernance de la santé ont été perçus comme rigides, injustes et coûteux. Recentraliser le système a été présenté comme un moyen de réduire les coûts administratifs, de promouvoir des économies d'échelle, de permettre une plus grande flexibilité, et de faciliter la standardisation pour générer des économies substantielles. Après cinq années, cependant, les économies attendues ne se sont pas matérialisées. Même si la standardisation des services a été plus réussie, il n'en reste pas moins que la standardisation n'a pas toujours amélioré l'efficience. L'évidence empirique sur l'amélioration de la flexibilité est tiède. Parmi les problèmes liés à la consolidation des autorités sanitaires, on peut citer des coûts d'opportunité liés à la mise en place de la réforme, une moindre transparence comptable, des goulots d'étranglement administratifs, une moindre attention aux attentes des usagers, et des relations détériorées avec les professionels de santé amenant des problèmes d'accès aux soins.

In September 2023, a botulism outbreak affecting 15 individuals occurred in Bordeaux, France, during the Rugby World Cup. We report on eight individuals from four different countries on two continents admitted to the intensive care unit at our hospital, where six required invasive mechanical ventilation. Cases reported consuming locally produced canned sardines at a restaurant. This report highlights the importance of rapid, worldwide alerts from health authorities to prevent severe consequences of such outbreaks, particularly during events attracting international visitors.

Safety Pharmacology studies are conducted to characterize the confidence by which biologically active new chemical entities (NCE) may be anticipated as safe. Non-clinical safety pharmacology studies aim to detect and characterize potentially undesirable pharmacodynamic activities using an array of in silico, in vitro and in vivo animal models. While a broad spectrum of methodological innovation and advancement of the science occurs within the Safety Pharmacology Society, the society also focuses on partnerships with health authorities and technology providers and facilitates interaction with organizations of common interest such as pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience, cardiology and toxicology. Education remains a primary emphasis for the society through content derived from regional and annual meetings, webinars and publication of its works it seeks to inform the general scientific and regulatory community. In considering the future of safety pharmacology the society has developed a strategy to successfully navigate forward and not be mired in stagnation of the discipline. Strategy can be defined in numerous ways but generally involves establishing and setting goals, determining what actions are needed to achieve those goals, and mobilizing resources within the society to accomplish the actions. The discipline remains in rapid evolution and its coverage is certain to expand to provide better guidance for more systems in the next few years. This overview from the Safety Pharmacology Society will outline the strategic plan from 2016 to 2018 and beyond and provide insight into the future of the discipline which builds upon a previous strategic plan established in 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the REIN (French Renal Epidemiology and Information Network), a summary work on the contributions of the national French ESKD register was carried out. On the issue of its link with health authorities, the following key messages were retained. One of the purposes of REIN is to contribute to a better understanding about patient management and its evolution, and thus to be called upon to develop health strategies aimed at improving the prevention and treatment of chronic renal failure. Indeed, the planning of the supply and the evaluation of the treatment are important issues for the public health decision-makers who must have the relevant indicators and tools to help them in their decision-making and follow-up processes. REIN is clearly identified as a source of information by institutional partners, as is shown by the various requests made by the Regional health agencies (ARS), the French National Authority for Health (HAS) and the General Directorate for Healthcare Services (DGOS), as well as other health authorities. It allows estimating the needs of the population within the framework of decree nos. 2002-1197 and 2002-1198 of September 2002 relating to the treatment of chronic renal failure by renal dialysis. The recent possibility of probabilistic matching of REIN data with the data from the National Healthcare Data System (SNDS) for a pseudonymised individual allows for more detailed studies on the different care pathways, as well as evaluating the impact of the different actions or experiments that are set up, with the help of detailed clinical information from the REIN and, among other things, the expenses reimbursed by the Health Insurance.

Cloud-based regulatory platforms have the potential to substantially transform how regulatory submissions are developed, transmitted, and reviewed across the full life cycle of drug development. The benefits of cloud-based submission and review include accelerating critical therapies to patients in need globally and efficiency gains for both drug developers and regulators. The key challenge is turning the theoretical promise of cloud-based regulatory platforms into reality to further the application of technology in the regulatory processes. In this publication we outline regulatory policy journeys needed to effect the changes in the external environment that would allow for use of a cloud-based technology, discuss the prerequisites to successfully navigate the policy journeys, and elaborate on future possibilities when adoption of cloud-based regulatory technologies is achieved., Competing Interests: RK was employed by Scimitar Inc. JM was employed by Pfizer Inc. AG was employed by GlaxoSmithKline. LA was employed by Sanofi. FB was employed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. GB-R was employed by Amgen, Inc., (Copyright © 2023 Khalil, Macdonald, Gustafson, Aljuburi, Bisordi and Beakes-Read.)

Abstract Safety Pharmacology studies are conducted to characterize the confidence by which biologically active new chemical entities (NCE) may be anticipated as safe. Non-clinical safety pharmacology studies aim to detect and characterize potentially undesirable pharmacodynamic activities using an array of in silico, in vitro and in vivo animal models. While a broad spectrum of methodological innovation and advancement of the science occurs within the Safety Pharmacology Society, the society also focuses on partnerships with health authorities and technology providers and facilitates interaction with organizations of common interest such as pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience, cardiology and toxicology. Education remains a primary emphasis for the society through content derived from regional and annual meetings, webinars and publication of its works it seeks to inform the general scientific and regulatory community. In considering the future of safety pharmacology the society has developed a strategy to successfully navigate forward and not be mired in stagnation of the discipline. Strategy can be defined in numerous ways but generally involves establishing and setting goals, determining what actions are needed to achieve those goals, and mobilizing resources within the society to accomplish the actions. The discipline remains in rapid evolution and its coverage is certain to expand to provide better guidance for more systems in the next few years. This overview from the Safety Pharmacology Society will outline the strategic plan from 2016 to 2018 and beyond and provide insight into the future of the discipline which builds upon a previous strategic plan established in 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]