Search

Driven by competition amongst higher education institutions, increasing recognition of the benefits of international academic mobility, and the global pandemic, transnational distance education has accelerated in recent years. Despite its many advantages, quality assurance issues can pose significant obstacles to success. Using a collaborative autoethnography approach, this study aimed to conceptualize quality dimensions from the perspectives of three Greek graduate students shaped by their collective experience at an open university in Canada. The findings suggest that quality encompasses accessibility, learnercentred instructional design, social-emotional support, and applying acquired knowledge and skills in local contexts. The significance of this study further illustrates the emerging transnational distance student population and highlights their experiences to inform quality internationalization practices in higher education for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an initial study of teachers' perspectives and practices on students' assessment methods regarding the subject of Geology-Geography taught in junior secondary education in Greece. While the application of descriptive assessment is recorded in other European countries, the main focus of the research is the current situation in Greece, as well as the willingness of science teachers to adopt an alternative form of evaluation and the definition of the respective circumstances. The methodology that was followed in this research included questionnaires that were sent to science teachers. Their answers were processed with the IBM SPSS 23 statistical software. The results reveal that most teaching staff surveyed positively acknowledge the need for an effective appraisal system. Their views and opinions on how student assessment contributes to the overall educational procedure were also recorded during the survey. Statistical analysis of the raw data shows that the views and opinions of teaching staff were not differentiated due to their level of experience or their level of education but only due to their field of specialization. The analysis also points to a range of additional factors that impact teaching staff's preferences and perceptions of the effectiveness of different student appraisal and evaluation approaches. Such factors create skepticism among teachers towards alternative assessment methods, such as descriptive assessment. While this is preliminary research, it raises important issues regarding effective evaluation methods that would promote students' development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Informal care is common in many countries, especially in Greece, where families provide care in hospitals. Health education and informational needs are important factors for family members which are often underestimated by nursing staff. The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions of the nurses and the in-hospital informal caregivers about the in-hospital informal caregivers' knowledge and informational needs, as well as the factors that influence these perceptions. Methods This was a non-experimental descriptive study conducted in three general hospitals in Greece. The sample consisted of 320 nurses and 370 in-hospital informal caregivers who completed questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using t-tests; group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA. Results The score of the questionnaire for health education and informational needs was significantly greater for informal caregivers (57.1 ± 6.9 and 26.6 ± 2.8) than for nurses (53.4 ± 5.7 and 22.4 ± 3.1) (p < 0.001). For the nursing staff, the factors that influence the informational needs of patients' caregivers were level of education and working experience, while for the caregivers the level of education was independently associated with the score for the health education needs. Finally, age, marital status, and level of education of informal caregivers' were independently associated with informational needs. Conclusions The in-hospital informal caregivers perceived that they have more educational and informational needs than the nurses did. The findings of this study also show that the nursing staff has to identify the needs of in-hospital informal caregivers in order to be able to meet these needs.

Background: Caring represents an essential human need and, although it is difficult to define and is not unique to nursing, it is supported that it is central to nursing. Aims: The current study aims to explore nursing students’ perception of caring and provide useful information for nursing education. Methodology: A qualitative approach was used. Questionnaires were distributed to students of all four study years of a Nursing Department of a Cypriot University. Data were analysed by content analysis. Results: Participants provided a description of their perception of caring which included the meaning of care as help, offer, heath maintenance, disease prevention and health promotion, provision of services as well as, biological and psychological support. Conclusions: Clarifying the meaning of caring can contribute to better provision of nursing care. Therefore, educators may use the results of the current study in order to find the proper interventions in education, which should include not only the theoretical background, but also the professional tools, which will help students to care in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Care is a basic concept of nursing. Despite the universality of the phenomenon of care, a worldwide accepted definition does not exist. There is also a dispute about the perception of the carer's role within the framework of personal and professional relationships. Caring for people embraces moral norms and values, a desire, and a dedication to this purpose. Aim: To explore and understand nursing students' perceptions regarding the concept of care. Method: A focus group approach was implemented. An especially designed instrument was used which included questions for eliciting the participants' social and demographic characteristics as well as open-ended questions for capturing the students' understanding of the concept of care. Results: The categories and subcategories that emerged from the data are: “Care as an emotional offer”, “Care as a service”, “Care as a bodily and psychological support”, “Care of an individual or a group”, “Care as a constant phenomenon”. Conclusions: All aspects of care are necessary in order to cover the full range of human needs for care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aims at investigating which factors are related to the diabetic patients' compliance to their hygiene, dietary and pharmaceutical treatment, which are able to influence the disease' progress. Methodology: The sample consisted of 15 diabetic patients recruited at a private doctor's office in a suburb of Athens, Greece. Data collection was done using participant-completed diaries, in which they described their perceptions. Qualitative analysis was performed. A list of categories and subclasses was created which were grouped and became the essential categories included in the final list. Then the diaries were re-read, but this time alongside the final list. In this way the degree to which the categories covered the diaries' content was checked, and adjustments were made when necessary. Results: Passivity, un-readiness, weakness to accept the disease, ignorance about the illness and its complications, poor doctor-patient relations, insufficient family supporting environment, insufficient variety of tasty foods, chronic exhaustion, and complexity of illness are shown to be detrimental for the patients' progress. Health education can help diabetic patients address issues such as diet or exercise, and to recommend a healthy dietary programme which regulates glucose levels and avoids complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the epidemiological profile of the spinal cord injured population living on the Greek island Chios. Methods: We interviewed the regional spinal cord injured population. Participants were recruited from the island's capital and its 52 villages. The target population was all the SCI individuals living on Chios Island (n=38), out of which 34 (response rate was 89%) patients were interviewed in their homes using an especially designed questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the subjects at the time of the injury was 43 and the majority (n=23, 67.6%) were male. The employment status of the participants changed after the injury from 64.7% (n=22) to 32.4% (n=11). Traffic accidents were the cause of the SCI for 44.8%, with a significant difference from the other causes of injury (p<0.004). The most common level of injury was thoracic-lumbar (23.5%, n=8). The duration of hospitalization was on average 4.6 ± 3.9 months followed by treatment in rehabilitation centres. Most participants faced secondary complications which correlated significantly with age (r=0.372 p=0.03).Conclusions: The findings revealed that traffic accidents were the main reason for SCI. More research is needed on SCIs in Greece and the development of a surveillance system for SCIs is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of health care services during pregnancy assists in decreasing neonatal deaths and improves the quality of life of pregnant women and their newborn children. Aim: To investigate the perceptions of new mothers in a prefecture of Northern Greece regarding the maternity services provided during pregnancy and childbirth. Methodology: The sample consists of 133 mothers of newborn babies who were hospitalised, after in-hospital delivery, between April and June 2008 in a prefecture of Northern Greece. The instrument used for the data collection was the Kuopio Instrument for Mothers (KIM). Results: 97% of participants were married, 42.2% had higher education and 23.3% were full-time employees. 42.9% of the mothers were primiparous and 57.1% were multiparous. 56.8% had vaginal delivery, while 42.9% had caesarean section. 84.2% of the participants stated that they would prefer to have their next delivery in a private maternity clinic, and 3% stated that they would prefer to give birth at home. 15.3% had participated in childbirth preparatory courses. Finally, the participants considered that maternity services, such as pregnancy monitoring, preventative examinations for foetal abnormalities, PAP-test and preventative examinations for breast cancer, should be provided by the state free of charge. Conclusions: It is necessary to further develop and modernize maternity services in such a way that they will correspond to pregnant women's needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore aspects of maternity care regarding mode of delivery, preferred mode and place for next delivery, number of abortions, and the discrepancy between perceived importance and adequacy in discussing topics related to pregnancy and birth in maternity services. Background: Childbearing has been highly medicalized in Greece; deliveries are taking place in hospitals under the supervision of obstetricians. Methods: A convenience sample of 607 mothers (mean age 33.1±5.8) who had given birth one week to one year prior to the study participated and completed the Kuopio Instrument for Mothers. Results: Out of 607 eligible subjects, 46.8% (n=284) completed the KIM after first delivery and 52.7% (n=320) after second or multiple deliveries; 9.1% (n=55) reported preterm delivery and 22.7% (n=138) one or more abortions. The majority, 66.3 % (n=403), had vaginal delivery, while 32.9% (n=200) had caesarean section (CS). A total of 485 mothers (81.5%) reported that they preferred to have their next delivery in a hospital, and 298 (49.8%) visited private obstetricians for pregnancy monitoring. The discussion of CS in maternity clinics (p=0.001) was rated as more important by women who had undergone CS, while recovery after delivery (p=0.050) and normal course of pregnancy (p=0.014) were rated as not adequately discussed during their last pregnancy. Conclusions: there is a need for further research in order to obtain information on these important issues at a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revisit the notion of climate, along with its historical evolution, tracing the origin of the modern concerns about climate. The notion (and the scientific term) of climate was established during the Greek antiquity in a geographical context and it acquired its statistical content (average weather) in modern times after meteorological measurements had become common. Yet the modern definitions of climate are seriously affected by the wrong perception of the previous two centuries that climate should regularly be constant, unless an external agent acts upon it. Therefore, we attempt to give a more rigorous definition of climate, consistent with the modern body of stochastics. We illustrate the definition by real-world data, which also exemplify the large climatic variability. Given this variability, the term "climate change" turns out to be scientifically unjustified. Specifically, it is a pleonasm as climate, like weather, has been ever-changing. Indeed, a historical investigation reveals that the aim in using that term is not scientific but political. Within the political aims, water issues have been greatly promoted by projecting future catastrophes while reversing true roles and causality directions. For this reason, we provide arguments that water is the main element that drives climate, and not the opposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mindfulness, originating from ancient meditation practices, has garnered substantial scientific interest in recent decades due to its potential to enhance various aspects of well-being. The rise of scientific interest in mindfulness has led to the development of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which have demonstrated positive effects on stress reduction, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility., Objective: This study aimed to explore the characteristics and applications of mindfulness, investigate its impact on mental health, and assess the potential benefits of combining mindfulness with nature-based interventions in promoting the well-being of children and adolescents., Methods: This review draws from existing literature, scholarly articles, and empirical studies related to mindfulness, nature exposure, and their effects on mental health., Results: The results highlight the manifold benefits of mindfulness in different populations, including health professionals, patients, children, adolescents, and the general public. Mindfulness practice has been associated with notable reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, and has shown positive effects on brain plasticity and cognitive functioning. Furthermore, the integration of mindfulness with exposure to natural environments holds potential for enhanced stress reduction and cognitive restoration., Conclusion: The findings underscore the potential of mindfulness as a cost-effective and accessible intervention to promote mental health across diverse age groups and settings. Further research should explore the specific mechanisms and long-term effects of this integrated approach to optimize its benefits., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 Alexandros Argyriadis, Emmanuel Kopanakis, Panagiotis Koutras, Konstantinos Louvaris, Antonia-Zoi Mammi, Maria Psychogiou, Dimitra Katsarou, Isabel Vieira, Olga Drakopoulou, Agathi Argyriadii.)