Seasonal Influenza and Low Flu Vaccination Coverage as Important Factors Modifying the Costs and Availability of Hospital Services in Poland: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Susło, Robert; Pobrotyn, Piotr; Brydak, Lidia B.; Rypicz, Łukasz; Grata-Borkowska, Urszula; Drobnik, Jarosław

doi:10.3390/ijerph18105173

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It is however possible to lessen these negative results, at least to a limited extent, through actions aimed directly at the most cooperative parts of the society. These actions are crucial for the health and safety of elderly people and for delivering healthcare services to them affordably [41], minimizing the risk of critical staff shortages [40]. Loneliness among the elderly has been identified as one of the main factors behind the increased consumption of healthcare services, which can jeopardize the tight budgets of states that have to deal with an ageing society [42].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness among elderly people as a public health threat

Susło¹,

Mizia²,

Pochybełko³

et al. 2023

fmpcr

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Each day, primary care physicians see many lonely elderly people with multiple complaints, who sometimes can be labelled "over-demanding" or even "abusing health services"; in fact, this phenomenon results from general deficiencies and insufficiency in social support. A literature review has been carried out in order to identify the characteristics of loneliness in people aged sixty years and older, and its health-related consequences. Loneliness causes sensory deprivation and emotional starvation, which translate into a subjective feeling of discomfort and distress, as well as into objective behavioral changes. Loneliness is a prognostic factor for worsened health and cognitive status in the elderly. The limited ability of elderly people to take care of themselves as a result of deterioration in health does not itself lead to loneliness and abandonment if the social support system is not deficient. Paradoxically, policies intended to protect the elderly often result in negative phenomena, such as actual discrimination justified on the basis of paternalistic and generalizing assumptions. Loneliness among elderly people is becoming a serious public health problem in modern atomized, ageing societies. This thus demands urgent action from the Polish state, aimed at providing the elderly with organized social support in order to adequately protect their health and well-being. currently, different levels of the health system, including primary care physicians, are forced to deal with the increasing fallout of loneliness, which presents in the form of physical and mental illnesses, as well as psychosomatic ailments.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness among elderly people as a public health threat

Susło¹,

Mizia²,

Pochybełko³

et al. 2023

fmpcr

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“…The flu vaccination rate of the Polish population has been climbing for decades, but it still remains at unsatisfactorily low levels of around 4% for the general population and up to around 8% in the case of medical professions [ 44 ]. The study results expose the main underlying factor, which is a low level of fear of getting ill with the flu and its health complications, both for the given person and for other people potentially infected by this person.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19

Susło

Pobrotyn²,

Mierzecki

et al. 2022

Vaccines

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The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for two years as of 2022, and it is common knowledge that vaccines are an essential tool to mitigate the health, economic, and social fallout. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is still a serious global problem, both in the general population and among healthcare workers. The authors used an original questionnaire to conduct an anonymous survey study in the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław, Poland, in April and May of 2021 after acquiring consent from the Medical University of Wrocław, Poland Bioethical Committee. The study results demonstrate that, to a significant extent, the decisions concerning vaccinations are based on factors that are difficult to change with rational argumentation, including people’s personal opinions or beliefs concerning vaccinations and their earlier experiences with vaccinations. The study results suggest that the impregnating effect of one’s own opinions, beliefs, and experiences can be surmounted if vaccines are dispensed free and conveniently while the pathogen is irrationally and emotionally perceived as untamed and possibly severe and life threatening. It makes a significant difference as in such cases that the percentage of participants whose decisions concerning vaccination are influenced by the risks to life or health of one’s own or others rises by about 27 and 36 percent points, respectively. Therefore, in order to succeed, campaigns for vaccinations need to include strong subjective and emotional communication, appealing to negative emotions and exploiting the public’s fear of the unknown while stressing tangible and personal threats possibly resulting from acquiring a vaccine-preventable infectious disease.

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“…This is of particular concern in the context of the formulation of health policy, given the existing shortage of medical staff as exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic [9], and the fact that the number of elderly people requiring treatment is increasing while the cost of treatment is significantly higher for elderly people than for other age groups, and to date this is not adequately reflected in the level of funding for health services [10]. Also, the still weak measures of health promotion and disease prevention [11], despite the efforts of both the medical and political communities [12], are not popular with the public [13], although they have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of healthcare and increase the availability of services for older patients [14]. There are hopes for the introduction of modern IT solutions in medicine [15], however this is hindered by the lack of cooperation from seniors due to the low level of IT competence of people in older age groups [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychomotor disorders of the ageing and problems of institutional care in Poland

Ulmer,

Adamiec

2023

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In modern societies, including that of Poland, a weakening of the family's caring functions is observed, while simultaneously the demographic process of ageing in these societies intensifies. Being able to provide proper care for the elderly is one of the most significant challenges of ageing societies, necessary to minimise the risk of neglect and self-neglect in this population. In response to the growing needs of society, traditional informal care is being replaced by care of a formal nature, in the form of inpatient institutional care, among others. At the end of 2021, there were 2015 inpatient social care institutions in Poland, 164 more than in 2020. The largest group of residents in stationary social care institutions were those aged 65 and over, i.e., more than half of all residents. In the group of residents of social care facilities for the elderly, one of the most common syndromes affecting cognitive function is dementia, including dementia of the Alzheimer's type, vascular dementia, and dementia in the course of Parkinson's disease. In addition, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is also found in this group. Many residents of 24-hour care facilities, who constitute the elderly population, are diagnosed with multimorbidity. In addition, a significant proportion of the disease entities diagnosed in this population are categorised as Geriatric Giants. Disease entities affecting the level of physical activity of elderly residents of 24-hour care facilities include Parkinson's disease, depression, and various types of dementia.

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Seasonal Influenza and Low Flu Vaccination Coverage as Important Factors Modifying the Costs and Availability of Hospital Services in Poland: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Loneliness among elderly people as a public health threat

Loneliness among elderly people as a public health threat

Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19

Psychomotor disorders of the ageing and problems of institutional care in Poland

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