Background: The stress associated with the physician's work is generally acknowledged and is related to well-being and life satisfaction. The presented study was designed to extract the role of coping strategies in identifying differentiated styles of success in a medical career during medical education. Methods: The participants were examined when they applied to medical school and each subsequent academic year. The final study took place four years after graduation. The baseline questionnaire measured coping strategies. The follow-up questionnaire consisted of measures of: quality of life, work stress and burnout, satisfaction with medicine as a career, and professional competency. Results: Based on coping strategies assessed during admission and preclinical years of medical study, some aspects of success in the participants' future medical career can be predicted. Students who take action and deal directly with a problem, neither accept resignation, nor reduce tension by expressing feelings would most probably resist future burnout. However, despite the fact that they obtain the highest quality of life or earn the highest income they would be, at the same time, the least satisfied with chosen career, as well as being more likely to be characterised by a low level of competence. Conclusions: Assessment of coping strategies at the beginning of medical education could be taken into consideration as an instrument to diagnose a specific trend in physicians' career development.

Aim of the studyTo assess quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients treated at home, at an in-patient palliative care unit (PCU), and at a day care center (DCC).Patients and methodsQoL was assessed in advanced cancer patients at baseline and after 7 days of symptomatic treatment using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL), the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), and the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scale.ResultsA total of 129 patients completed the study, with 51 patients treated at home, 51 patients treated at the PCU, and 27 patients at DCC. In the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, improvement in functional and symptom scales was observed except in physical functioning and fatigue levels; patients at DCC had a better physical functioning, global QoL, appetite, and fatigue levels. In the ESAS, improvement in all items was found except for drowsiness levels, which was stable in patients treated at DCC and deteriorated in home and PCU patients. Higher activity, better appetite and well-being, and less drowsiness were observed in patients treated at DCC. KPS was better in DCC patients compared to those treated at home and at the PCU; the latter group deteriorated.ConclusionsQoL improved in all patient groups, with better results in DCC patients and similar scores in those staying at home and at the PCU. Along with clinical assessment, baseline age, KPS, physical and emotional functioning may be considered when assigning patients to care at a DCC, PCU, or at home.

Introduction People with gliomas need specialized neurosurgical, neuro-oncological, psycho-oncological, and neuropsychological care. The role of language and cognitive recovery and rehabilitation in patients’ well-being and resumption of work is crucial, but there are no clear guidelines for the ideal timing and character of assessments and interventions. The goal of the present work was to describe representative (neuro)psychological practices implemented after brain surgery in Europe. Methods An online survey was addressed to professionals working with individuals after brain surgery. We inquired about the assessments and interventions and the involvement of caregivers. Additionally, we asked about recommendations for an ideal assessment and intervention plan. Results Thirty-eight European centres completed the survey. Thirty of them offered at least one post-surgical (neuro)psychological assessment, mainly for language and cognition, especially during the early recovery stage and at long-term. Twenty-eight of the participating centres offered post-surgical therapies. Patients who stand the highest chances of being included in evaluation and therapy post-surgically are those who underwent awake brain surgery, harboured a low-grade glioma, or showed poor recovery. Nearly half of the respondents offer support programs to caregivers, and all teams recommend them. Treatments differed between these offered to individuals with low-grade glioma versus those with high-grade glioma. The figure of caregiver is not yet fully recognized in the recovery phase. Conclusion We stress the need for more complete rehabilitation plans, including the emotional and health-related aspects of recovery. In respondents´ opinions, assessment and rehabilitation plans should also be individually tailored and goal-directed (e.g., professional reinsertion).

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A child’s illness and hospitalization are particularly difficult and most often an unpredictable situation in a family’s life cycle. The level of stress of a parent of a hospitalized child depends on many factors, such as the psychological characteristics of the child and the parent, the child’s health condition, and support from the family and medical staff. Our research aimed to search for interactions between the stress experienced by the parent and the temperamental variables of both the child and the parent, and the support received from the family and hospital staff. Using three pencil-paper questionnaires—PSS, EAS-D, EAS-C—and interview questionnaire, we tested 203 parent–child dyads at the time of children hospitalization. It was revealed that the most notable moderator of the relationship between temperamental traits and the characteristics of the hospital-related situation is the child’s age. When analyzing the situation of a family with a hospitalized child, particular attention should be paid to parental emotional distress, which, regardless of the child’s age, predicts a high level of parental stress.