Assessment of Awareness and Knowledge about Osteoporosis in Relation to Health Prevention among Patients Treated in Osteoporosis Clinics.

The increasing incidence of osteoporosis indicates that the disease is a serious public health problem, with about 200 million people being affected worldwide. The aims of this research are to assess the awareness and knowledge about osteoporosis in relation to risk factors, health condition, supplementation used, socio-demographic factors and other variables among osteoporosis patients. The study was conducted in 2016-2018 in osteoporosis clinics in Poland. The study involved 312 patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis. In the diagnostic survey method, the authors' own questionnaire was used. The results indicate that the more frequent the symptoms associated with the disease, the lower the general self-assessment of the health condition of the respondents (rho = -0.682, p < 0.001). In addition, almost half of the respondents stated that their knowledge of osteoporosis is negligible. Moreover, the use of dietary supplements significantly differentiated respondents in terms of health self-assessed (p < 0.001), and it is noteworthy that users of dietary supplements assessed their health significantly better. We also saw a statistically significant relationship between the self-assessment of knowledge about osteoporosis and the use of dietary supplements (p < 0.001). Accordingly, significantly more respondents rating their knowledge as good or very good used dietary supplements. The conducted study demonstrates the need to educate patients and implement educational programs at central and provincial levels to improve patient knowledge concerning the disease. Supporting adaptation to chronic diseases and appropriate therapeutic management may contribute to improved osteoporosis treatment and enhanced patient quality of life.

Assessment of Hospital Volume in the Surgical Management of Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer: A Polish Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND Surgery is a cornerstone in management of ovarian and endometrial cancer. The European Society of Gynecological Oncology introduced quality indicators to improve management of these cancers. The optimal annual number of surgeries per unit was established for high-quality surgical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS The database of the National Health Fund on surgical management of endometrial and ovarian cancer was analyzed. Patients treated between 2017 and 2020 were included. Departments where patients underwent surgery were divided according to number of surgeries performed per year in endometrial cancer: ≥80, 79-50, 49-20, 19-0; and ovarian cancer: ≥100, 99-50, 49-20, 19-0. Optimal number of surgeries per center was defined as at least 100 and 80 surgeries per year in ovarian and endometrial cancer, respectively. RESULTS Totally, there were 22 325 surgeries in 316 units and 10 381 surgeries in 251 units due to endometrial and ovarian cancer, respectively. Most surgeries in endometrial cancer (n=15 077; 67.5%) and ovarian cancer (n=9642; 92.88%) were performed in departments that did not meet optimal criteria in number of surgeries. Between 2017 and 2019, an increasing trend in number of surgeries per year in endometrial and ovarian cancer was found. In 2020, there was a decrease in the number of surgeries by 7.8% (n=453) and 8.6% (n=234) in endometrial and ovarian cancer, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In Poland, surgical treatment of ovarian and endometrial cancer is decentralized. Most cancer patients underwent surgery in low-volume general gynecologic departments. The COVID-19 pandemic impaired cancer management, leading to a decreased number of surgeries.

Assessment of the Level of Satisfaction with Medical Care of Patients Treated in Osteoporosis Clinics as an Indicator of the Quality of Medical Care.

The aims of this research are to assess the level of satisfaction with medical care among patients treated in osteoporosis clinics and to determine the relationship among the frequency of visits to the doctor, the duration of treatment, socio-demographic factors, and patient satisfaction with the medical care they receive. The study was conducted from August 2016 to July 2018 at osteoporosis clinics in eastern Poland. The study participants were 312 patients treated for osteopenia or osteoporosis. The authors utilized two research instruments: the PASAT POZ questionnaire and their own questionnaire. The results indicate that the duration of osteoporosis treatment is a factor that significantly influences the level of satisfaction with medical care: the longer the treatment time, the poorer the assessment of the clinic, and therefore, the lower the patient degree of satisfaction. Our analysis shows that women assess clinics more positively overall. Additionally, the higher the study participants' age, the lower the general assessment of the clinic. A further analysis showed that respondents in better financial situations and with higher levels of education tended to assess clinics more favorably. The Pareto-Lorenz analysis indicated that the key element in general assessments of specialist clinics is the doctor. It is advisable for health service providers to monitor the quality of health care they are providing and make improvements. Therefore, further research is needed, especially in relation to chronic diseases such as osteoporosis.

Coping strategies observed in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

When faced with a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, the patient attempts to cope with the stressful situation by applying coping strategies. The main aim of rheumatoid treatment is not only improving health but also increasing the quality of life. The research objective was to determine the relationship among socio demographic factors, duration of the disease and its associated ailments, attitude to the disease, self-assessment of one's knowledge of RA, and the application of coping strategies in stressful situations by women with rheumatoid arthritis. The study involved 193 patients of the Clinic of Rheumatology and Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases, and the Rheumatology Unit of the Specialist Outpatient Clinic of the Independent Public Teaching Hospital No. 4 in Lublin, from November 2016 - June 2017. The Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced Inventory (COPE) Questionnaire and an author's Original Questionnaire were used in the study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's range test were applied for statistical analysis. A p-value<0.05 defined the statistical differences. Analysis was performed using the commercial SPSS Statistics 19 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The respondents usually use instrumental social support (11.5±1.7), focus on and vent emotions (11.4±1.9), use emotional social support (11.4±1.8), employ active coping (11.4±2.1) and positive reinterpretation and growth (11.2±1.8), and least often rely on their sense of humour (5.5±1.4) or use alcohol or drugs (5±1.1). The factors which determine the types of strategy used are age, education, the duration of the disease, ailments experienced, and attitude towards the disease. Those respondents who declared a greater knowledge of RA more often applied positive reinterpretation and growth, and more rarely used alcohol or drugs. In the treatment and rehabilitation processes it is important to reinforce in the patient positive expectations for the treatment, seek advantages and benefits in one's present health status, and educate patients about the disease, its therapy and appropriate coping strategies.