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AIM: To investigate the impact of environmental crisis on hospital and outpatient health expenditures and more specifically to estimate the effect of climate change, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution in hospital health expenditures and outpatient health expenditures. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A systematic literature review was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl and Science Direct and included papers that have published until to June 2015 in English. We used the following key-words: climate change, air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, health care expenditures, hospital health expenditures and outpatient health expenditures. RESULTS: Only 30 of the published scientific papers met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Twenty-one studies assessed the impact of the environmental crisis on hospital health expenditures and 9 assessed the impact on outpatient health expenditures. We found that components of the environmental crisis affect people's demand for primary and secondary health care services. CONCLUSIONS: The environmental crisis affects greatly in a direct way the health care expenditures globally, since it is responsible for a great number of hospital admissions, visits in hospitals' emergency departments and outpatient visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and present the effects of environmental crisis on health indicators and by extension to quality of life. More specifically, we searched the effects of climate change, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution in health indicators, such as morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A systematic review of papers that were published until January 2015 was conducted. Search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl and ScienceDirect with the following key-words: climate change, air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. The criteria for inclusion in this review was the existence of correlation between environmental crisis and morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. RESULTS: Only 24 of the published scientific papers met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Most of these studies assessed the impact of the environmental crisis on mortality, morbidity, life expectancy and infant mortality, while fewer were the studies investigating the environmental impact on years of life weighted for disability and lost years of life. We found that the environmental crisis affects negatively the configuration of health indicators on global reference frame. CONCLUSIONS: The environmental crisis affects greatly in a direct way morbidity, mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, years of life lost and years of life weighted for disability. As a consequence of this fact there is loss of quality of human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rostrum of Asclepius / Vima tou Asklipiou is the property of Technological Educational Institute of Athens and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Interscientific Health Care is the property of University of Thessaly, Medical School / Technological Education Institute, Nursing Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nosileftiki is the property of Hellenic Nurses' Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

INTRODUCTION: Major crises and disasters have a wide range of effects on the physical and mental health of the general population and of rescuers who are exposed to them. However, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the mental health condition that is most frequently explored by researchers after a disaster. PURPOSE: Purpose of the current systematic review is to investigate whether professional rescuers (firefighters, police officers, emergency medical service workers), consist a high risk group for PTSD after being exposed to catastrophic events. METHODS: A literature systematic review was conducted the period October-December 2015 regarding the exposure of professional responders to crises and disasters. The search was performed on PubMed and Scopus with the use of keywords: first responders, police, firefighters, stress, PTSD, disasters. RESULTS: Only 37 scientific papers explored the prevalence of PTSD in professional rescuers, and met the inclusion criteria in the present review. The prevalence of PTSD among professional rescuers worldwide is estimated to approximate 10% for studies conducted one month to ten years after the catastrophic event. The highest risk is documented among firefighters, followed by ambulance personnel, and police officers, particularly women police officers. PTSD often coexists with other mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and drug or alcohol dependency or abuse. The factors which are related to an increased risk for PTSD include gender, direct exposure to major disasters causing multiple losses, the death of a co-worker and personal injury. CONCLUSIONS: Further qualitative and longitudinal studies are warranted, with samples comprising professional rescuers who, by profession, are trained to cope with the effects of disasters, and are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events which affect their mental health being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: In the majority of voluntary life circle models, motivations, restrictions and outcomes, are playing a significant role, which defines the degree and the duration of commitment. In literature is reported that, Greek voluntary sector has been influenced by crisis and after all the voluntary life circle factors. OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of the volunteer life circle main variables in health sector due to Greek crisis and specially the motivations, the obstructions, the outcomes and the commitment. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during May-June 2016 in the Municipalities of Komotini and Alexandroupoli. Study population consisted of 213 volunteers (response rate 62.65%) who trade in health sector. Data collection was performed with questionnaires. Data analysis was performed with IBM SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: Greek crisis caused a subtle increase of motivations and outcomes, a bigger to the commitment and to the temper of volunteering and also left obstructions constant. Correlations were found between changes of volunteering circle main variations with demographic and socio-economic factors, with characteristics of volunteering and voluntary organizations and also with changes of all above due crisis. According to multivariate linear regression analyses, the 17% of variability of motivation score was due to the increment of volunteering time, and the number of wider family that burden household. Also, the 9% of variability of obstruction score was due to the lack of income and the number of wider family that burden household. Moreover, the 17% of variability of outcomes score was due to the decrease of volunteering years and the number of wider family that burden household. CONCLUSIONS: The Greek crisis cause a subtle increase of motivations, outcomes, need for volunteering and a greater increase of commitment and will of mobility. Greater reasons of changes were the urge to satisfy personal and social needs that crises caused and also the changes of attitude towards volunteers own giving and voluntary organizations. The obstructions that caused by the lack of proper policies and the malaise of voluntary sector, do not allow the positive attitude towards volunteer restructure to become a reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Quality of life and stress among patients with chronic renal disease affect decisively clinical outcomes and clinical course of these patients. AIM: To evaluate quality of life and stress among patients with chronic renal disease and to find their determinants. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted during January to March 2016. Study population consisted of 130 patients with chronic renal disease and 49 healthy people without this disease as the control group. Quality of life short form (SF-12) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used in order to assess quality of life and stress respectively. RESULTS: According to multivariate linear regression analyses, patients had worse quality of life versus healthy in the following domains of SF-12: physical functioning, physical role, physical pain, general health and physical health. Also, decreased age was associated with better quality of life in all domains of SF-12 except mental health, while decreased stress was associated with better quality of life in all domains of SF-12. Patients had higher stress from a specific situation than healthy people, while patients and residents in rural areas had higher permanent stress. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic renal disease had worse quality of life and more stress than healthy and so appropriate interventions are need in order to improve quality of life, decrease stress and improve clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rostrum of Asclepius / Vima tou Asklipiou is the property of Technological Educational Institute of Athens and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)