ABSTRACT. This contribution describes the results of the research conducted within the framework of "PolishGerman Health Summit 2015" project. It mainly tackles the issues concerning health economics and research dissemination in the field of cross-border care and cooperation. Recently patient mobility, especially in the border regions, has received a huge deal of political and legal attention in the EU. However, the nature and the scale of it is more and more contested. It is argued that different stakeholders might have different interests. Supporters of the idea indicate that more intense patient mobility can introduce more competitive markets into healthcare, while skeptics argue that the health needs of the patients should be always on the top. The topics related to health economics and cross-border care became the core of this issue of Economics and Sociology. The spectrum of the covered problems range from managerial issues in health care entities, through regional approach towards cross-border care, to the issues concerning sociological aspects of patient-doctor relationship.

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IntroductionIn 2010, the government of Poland passed an amended smoke-free law that strengthened existing tobacco control policies and banned smoking in hospitals. The aims of our study are: to determine the state of smoke-free practices in Polish hospitals, and to identify challenges facing hospitals implementing smoke-free practices.Material and methodsIn 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on a representative sample of 100 hospitals operating in Poland. The research tool was the ENSH-Global Self-Audit Questionnaire. The questionnaire included 48 items related to the various aspects of smoke-free policy implementation in the hospital.ResultsAmong the surveyed hospitals, public entities were the dominant group (79%). The mean score for all analyzed standards was 78.55 points (out of 144 maximum available), with no differences (p = 0.4) between public and private entities. All hospitals surveyed displayed signage with information about prohibited tobacco products and tobacco-free campus boundaries. Hospital staff (95%) and service users (98%) reported a basic level of understanding of the hospital’s tobacco-free policy and the available tobacco cessation services. However, tobacco-free policies, in line with the ENSH-Global Standards, were implemented in 61% of surveyed hospitals. More than half of the hospitals (64%) do not currently assess tobacco use or provide tobacco dependence treatment services.ConclusionsOverall, smoke-free policies in hospitals operating in Poland are compliant with the National Tobacco Control Act and provide a smoke-free environment for service users and staff. However, continued monitoring and evaluation of tobacco control activities are necessary to promote the importance of smoke-free environments.

Kraje europejskie po kilkunastoletnim okresie destabilizacji gospodarczej irozchwianiastruktur społecznych w połowie drugiej dekady XXI wieku wkroczą w co najmniej kilku‑nastoletni okres przeobrażeń społecznych, ustrojowych i strukturalno‑organizacyjnychstymulowanych coraz głębiej motywowanymi, uświadomionymi i jednoznacznie arty‑kułowanymi oczekiwaniami bezpieczeństwa socjalnego i zdrowotnego szerokich rzeszspołecznych. W tej nowej, bliskiej już, epoce transformacji realizacja nadrzędnych celówsłużyć powinna jedności UE i wspólnemu bezpieczeństwu wewnętrznemu i zewnętrz‑nemu. Polityka spójności, jako narzędzie realizacji tych celów, uwzględniać musi te noweuwarunkowania i wymaga wsparcia przez szczegółowe komplementarne programy/projekty regionalne. Wynika stąd konieczność reinterpretacji pojęcia regionalizacja, czyteż wskazania nowych wymiarów regionalizacji, w odniesieniu do polityki spójności.