Health-related quality of life of prisoners with diabetes mellitus.

The study explored health related quality of life of prisoners with diabetes mellitus (DM).48 male inmates incarcerated in a Greek prison, completed a demographic and clinical traits questionnaire. Prisoners with DM and those with additional health problems had worse physical, mental health and psychological well-being outcomes (p = 0.002, p < 0.001 and p = 0.014 respectively). People with DM in correctional facilities should receive specialized primary health care services either health services within the correctional institution or community liaison. The implementation of services targeting DM should be evaluated with the target of improving offenders' physical and mental health.

Knowledge management practices in healthcare settings: a systematic review.

Knowledge is an intangible asset in Organizations, and provides a comparative advantage to those who possess it. Hospitals are complex organizations with unique characteristics because of the heterogeneity of health professionals' orientation, the composite networking and the decision-making processes. A deeper understanding of knowledge management (KM) could streamline productivity and coordinate the use of resources more efficient. We conducted a systematic literature search of peer-reviewed papers that described key elements of KM using three databases (Medline, Cinahl and Health Source: nursing/academic edition) for a 10-year period (1/1/2004-25/11/2014). The included articles were subjected to qualitative content analysis. We retrieved 604 articles of which 20 articles were eligible for analysis. Most of the studies (n=13) used a qualitative methodology. The total sample size was 2155 participants. The key elements that arose were as follows: perceptions of KM, synthesis, dissemination, collaboration, means of KM and leadership. Moreover, this study identified barriers for KM implementation, like time restrictions and limited skills. Healthcare managers ought to cultivate a knowledge environment, operate as role models, provide the tools for KM and reward people who act as knowledge brokers. Opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing should be encouraged. Successful KM should be patient-centered to gain its maximum value. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Public health services knowledge and utilization among immigrants in Greece: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: During the 90s, Greece has been transformed to a host country for immigrants mostly from the Balkans and Eastern European Countries, who currently constitute approximately 9% of the total population. Despite the increasing number of the immigrants, little is known about their health status and their accessibility to healthcare services. This study aimed to explore the perceived barriers to access and utilization of healthcare services by immigrants in Greece. METHODS: A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2012 in Athens, Greece. The study population consisted of 191 immigrants who were living in Greece for less than 10 years. We developed a questionnaire that included information about sociodemographic characteristics, health status, public health services knowledge and utilization and difficulties in health services access. Statistical analysis included Pearson's ×2 test, ×2 test for trend, Student's t-test, analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Only 20.4% of the participants reported that they had a good/very good degree of knowledge about public health services in Greece. A considerable percentage (62.3%) of the participants needed at least once to use health services but they could not afford it, during the last year, while 49.7% used public health services in the last 12 months in Greece. Among the most important problems were long waiting times in hospitals, difficulties in communication with health professionals and high cost of health care. Increased ability to speak Greek was associated with increased health services knowledge (p<0.001). Increased family monthly income was also associated with less difficulties in accessing health services (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The empowerment and facilitation of health care access for immigrants in Greece is necessary. Depending on the needs of the migrant population, simple measures such as comprehensive information regarding the available health services and the terms for accessibility is an important step towards enabling better access to needed services.

The accessibility of vulnerable groups to health services in Greece: a Delphi study on the perceptions of health professionals.

BACKGROUND: Problems of accessibility to healthcare services notably affect certain population groups such as poor and unemployed people, migrants and minorities, thus having a negative impact on their health. The aim of this study was to investigate these problems from the perspective of health professionals and to formulate empirically informed suggestions to solve the issue. METHODS: Primary data were collected in 2010-2011 by using a panel of 36 experienced health professionals around Greece. A two-round Delphi method was undertaken to achieve the objectives of the study. The first questionnaire investigated the factors that hinder accessibility to health services. The second round aimed at determining the relative importance of each of the factors emerging in the first round. RESULTS: The group of experts identified 345 factors in the first round, which were grouped in 55 statements. Consensus was achieved in 22 statements. The study revealed important issues, and health professionals proposed a number of actions to eliminate the accessibility problems. CONCLUSIONS: The use of medical interpreters and cultural mediators, transcultural education and stronger linkages among medical facilities are important to reduce accessibility problems. Restructuring primary healthcare and better documenting of the beneficiaries could also improve the quality of provided healthcare services.