Search

Abstract Background Increased workload and of the health workforce (HW) strained the capacity to maintain essential health services (EHS) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and other consequences to their health. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the health, wellbeing, and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and to identify gaps in policies to be addressed to increase preparedness of the HW for future emergencies. Methods A nation-wide cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses during November–December 2021, referring to the period of January 2021 to November 2021. To assess the differences between impact on HW on various levels of care, respondents were grouped by type of facility: hospital-COVID-19 wards; Hospital–non-covid ward; Outpatient or ER; Other care facilities. Results 1170 nurses participated, about 1/3 of them tested positive for COVID-19 by November 2021, mostly developing mild disease. Almost 2/3 reported long-covid symptoms and about 13% reported that they do not plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The median of the score of the impact of workload on health was 2.8 (56% of the maximum 5), the median score of mental health-wellbeing was 1.9 (63% of a maximum of 3). The studied impacts in all domains were highest in nurses working in COVID-19 hospital wards. Significant disruptions of health care were reported, with relatively high use of telemedicine to mitigate them. Overall, about 70% of the respondents thought of leaving their job, mostly due to working stress or inadequate pay. Conclusions Our study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a substantial burden on the health, wellbeing and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and that a large proportion of nurses considered leaving their jobs because of work overload or low salaries. Human resource strategies should be adopted to attract, retain and continuously invest in HW development including in emergency preparedness and response. Such an approach may improve the resilience and preparedness of the health system in Slovakia for future emergencies.

Background: Despite the available diagnostics and treatment, tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease currently occurring. Even some high-income countries in the world do not fully control it at this time. The reason for this situation is the lack of elimination programs to address the situation. The aim of the update of the prediction data was to create a presumption of TB development in Slovakia by 2040. Methods: We used the time series prediction method with exponential equalization. The basis for the calculation were historical data on the incidence of TB from 1960 to 2018 in Slovakia (data for the last 58 yr). This time series has a clearly declining level. In view of this trend, we have set a threshold, whether and when the incidence in the future will fall below 5.0 patients per 100,000 inhabitants. Results: In case of a favorable development, the limit of our incidence drop below 5.0 cases per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022, when the incidence will be 4.91 per 100 000 inhabitants. In 2040, the predicted incidence of TB should be 1.78 per 100 000 inhabitants. A gradual decline may also be related to a decrease in the population of the Slovak Republic. Conclusion: Slovakia belongs to those countries of the world where TB is under control. Increased surveillance of high-risk communities through community interventions and countries' readiness for global migration can help to influence factors that may aggravate the epidemiological situation of TB.

IntroductionThis paper investigates the links between deforestation and key economic, social, environmental, and geographical variables. We focus on per capita GDP, total forest cover, and the population across a diverse sample of countries from five continents for the last three decades.MethodsThis study utilizes a regression model using panel data to show the impact of key economic, and social variables on deforestation. Also, set of dummy variables is introduced in the paper. To enable the investigation, we use a set of dummies to capture their influence. The random effect specifications are used in this investigation. The research focuses on a period ranging from 1990 to 2020.ResultsResults show how different socio-economic variables influence deforestation. For example, disruptive events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial crisis had a negative effect on forest area development across all models. GDP per capita has different impact depending on the size of a country. Former colonies seem to have more deforestation.ConclusionsThe global environmental challenges posed by human activities and their impact on the state of forest have become increasingly evident. It is necessary to undertake policy and governance reforms to establish a solid legal framework, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and foster transparency and accountability. The promotion of sustainable agriculture and agroforestry practices can substantially alleviate pressure on forests. Furthermore, it is necessary to mitigate disruptive events like pandemics by establishing specific strategies and creating contingency plans.