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Introduction: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) placed unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system. COVID-19 is highly contagious, and the severity of cases varies. For this reason, extensive measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the infection in hospitals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 has greatly affected the incidence of healthcare-associated infections, including surgical site infections (SSIs). Aim: The investigation of the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of SSI. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in the international electronic database "PubMed" with the keywords: "COVID-19", "surgical site infection*", "SSI" and in the Greek electronic database "IATROTEK-online" with the keywords: "surgical site infections" and "COVID-19", without time limit for the publication of scientific papers. On PubMed, the keywords were searched in the title and abstract of the studies. Studies were excluded if they were not published in English and Greek language, were conducted on animals, and were case studies, editorials, and letters to the editor. Results: Of the 32 scientific papers retrieved, seven were included in the systematic review. In 5 of the participating studies, the incidence of SSIs during the COVID-19 pandemic period was decreased by 30.7% to 100% compared with the period before the pandemic due to the increased use of personal protective equipment and the implementation of site-specific protocols concerning the management of patients preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively. In one of the remaining studies, the incidence of SSIs did not change during the COVID-19 pandemic period, while in the other, the incidence increased. Conclusions: The increased use of personal protective equipment and the implementation of site-specific protocols concerning the management of patients preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a reduction in incidence of SSIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency and crisis communication management has been documented in the literature as a significant dimension of operational preparedness, particularly in the case of public health crises. Amid the recent Covid-19 pandemic, therefore, the psychological effects of the crisis have prompted international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to issue recommendations and guidelines on more effective risk and crisis communication. This paper examines the ways in which the Greek authorities handled the communication aspect of the first Covid-19 pandemic wave in the light of its impact on the mental health of Greeks. Emphasis is placed on the importance of operational planning, and an early assessment of the management experience as a whole is attempted, along with estimation of the impact of communication management in the medium term. The multilevel effect of communication in crisis management has been shown to have such a degree of added value that the development of national communication plans is now deemed necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major issue for health care delivery structures, which have been under constant pressure since its commencement. Health professionals, particularly front-line nurses, face extremely difficult working conditions, which have been documented in many studies internationally. Aim: The main objective of this paper is to explore nurses' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the current pandemic, with a particular focus on issues that concerned their professional lives. Material - Methods. A systematic critical search of the international literature was conducted in 2020-2021. The search terms used were: "nursing", "coronavirus", "pandemic", "knowledge", "attitudes", "perceptions", and their derivatives, synonyms and combinations in Pubmed. Once relevant studies were identified, a data extraction process Results: After careful perusal of 1277 original literature references, the analysis ultimately included 38 research studies on nurses' knowledge attitudes and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. These were categorized under five themes, i.e. 'nurses expressed problems of understaffing and increased workload', 'strong psychological effects' (discomfort, fear, symptoms of anxiety and depression), 'concerns about resource adequacy' (mainly lack of personal protective equipment) and 'difficulties in communication and seeking further information and education'. Conclusions: During the pandemic, nurses, especially those on the front-line, reported multiple problems and concerns, both on a professional and personal level. The recognition of these problems can be useful and taken into account in central planning for possible future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health and societal emergency respiratory disease that is caused by SARS-CoV-2. A poor understanding of the disease among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) can result in delayed identification and treatment leading to rapid spread of infections. Aim: The investigation of the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of HCWs toward COVID-19. Material and Methods: Search was performed on PubMed for studies published from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 with the key-words: "knowledge", "attitude», "practice", "COVID19", "healthcare workers" and "HCW", which were searched in the title and abstract of the studies. Studies were excluded if they were not published in English language, were conducted on animals and were case studies, editorials, and letters to the editor. Results: Of the scientific papers retrieved, 5 were included in the systematic review. Regarding the rate of knowledge of HCWs toward COVID-19, it ranged from 62.6 % to 89%. The rate of HCWs that had good practices and positive attitudes toward COVID-19 ranged from 74% to 89.7% and from 21% to 88.5%, respectively. The factors that positively affected (increase the rate) in statistically significant level the knowledge, attitudes and practices were the age of 40 years old and more, the higher level of education (possession of Master of Science Degree and/or Doctor of Philosophy), the medical profession and the more years of experience. Conclusions: Continuing professional education is advised among HCWs to improve knowledge of HCWs hence averting negative attitudes and promoting positive preventive and therapeutic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]