Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among the General Public in Lithuania: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Despite the fact that for over ten years, Lithuanian consumers have been able to report adverse drug reactions (ADR) directly to the competent authority, reporting rates remain low. A comprehensive understanding of consumer perceptions and experiences regarding ADRs is needed to ascertain further factors impacting their engagement in ADR reporting. This study aimed to assess consumer knowledge of, attitude toward, and practice of reporting ADRs. Methods: A questionnaire-guided cross-sectional survey among 404 consumers between October 2021 and June 2022 was conducted. The semi-structured questionnaire comprised open-ended and closed-ended questions to explore the sociodemographic characteristics and general knowledge of ADRs and pharmacovigilance. Other question items evaluated attitudes toward ADR reporting and ADR reporting practice. The data were summarised using descriptive statistics, while the chi-square test was used to assess categorical variables at p < 0.05. The overall percent score in the knowledge and attitude domains was divided into groups of "poor", "moderate", and "good" knowledge, as well as "positive" and "negative" attitudes. Results: While having a generally poor understanding, this study demonstrates that Lithuanian consumers have a favourable attitude toward pharmacovigilance, particularly regarding issues involving the requirement for reporting. The data also revealed the justifications for reporting and not reporting ADRs. Conclusions: The current study provided the first understanding of consumer awareness and ADR reporting intentions, which can help to develop educational campaigns and interventions addressing pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.

Crisis management: the perspectives of physicians working in family physician teams in Lithuania.

AIM: To assess the opinions of physicians working in family physician teams regarding COVID-19 (threat perception, overall work satisfaction, patient satisfaction with services provided, patient access to services, and the need for new tools for service provision). METHODS: An anonymous survey of physicians (N = 191) working in family physician teams. Questionnaires were distributed among family physicians with the permission of the managers of their institutions and were collected by the lead researcher within 1-8 weeks. The quantitative study was conducted from 21 June 2021 to 17 September 2021. In total, 398 questionnaires were distributed, yielding a response rate of 48%, or 9% of the total population. Thirty-nine primary health care institutions (PHCIs) were randomly selected for the study: 11 public and 28 private. FINDINGS: Older respondents and those with more years of work experience strongly agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic threatened their lives and safety, as well as that of their colleagues. Work satisfaction decreased during the pandemic among older respondents, those with more years of work experience, and those who had been employed at their current institution for longer. Respondents with more work experience believed that patient satisfaction with the services provided by their family medical institution decreased. Older respondents with more work experience asserted that patient access to services decreased during the pandemic. Physicians working further away from urban centers indicated a greater need for new tools in the effort to provide consultations compared to city-based physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The current health care crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic is defined by the perception of threats to life and safety among physicians, an overall drop in their work satisfaction, decreased patient satisfaction with services provided, reduced patient access to services, and a greater need for new tools for providing consultations.

Consultation Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of Lithuanian Physicians.

Crises in the medicine sector such as the COVID-19 pandemic encourage the search for effective solutions for the provision of health care services, when conventional face-to-face consultations may be difficult to deliver effectively due to contact restrictions. The main objective of this study was to investigate consultation management provided by physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania. The dependence of diagnostic testing and vaccination of patients on the socio-demographic characteristics of physicians was also assessed. An anonymous survey was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, between 21 June 2021 and 17 September 2021, involving 191 physicians (9% of the total population) working in family physician teams in Lithuania. Thirty-nine Lithuanian Primary Health Care Institutions (PHCIs) were selected for this study, of which 11 were public and 28 were private. Private and public PHCIs employed 31% and 63% of the respondents, respectively, and 6% of respondents worked at both types of institutions. Concerning telemedicine, the physician-respondents frequently provided consultations over the telephone (79.6%) and in-person (63.9%), but less so via the Internet, with the latter option never being used at all by 57.1% of the respondents. Whilst telephone consultations were frequently provided by Lithuanian physicians, only half of the respondents chose to provide services over the Internet. Private, smaller, and rural-based PHCIs should more actively offer viral diagnostics and vaccination services.

An analysis of the causes of exhaustion among physicians working in family physician teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on public life around the world, influencing medicine and health, the economy, employment, science, and education. Health care specialists are key workers who faced extreme challenges posed by the pandemic, including threats to their own lives due to the rapid spread of the virus, a huge increase in workload, and professional burnout syndrome. Analysis of the factors that physicians found most exhausting during the pandemic could lay the groundwork for the effective management of future crises. OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors that physicians working in family physician (family and internal medicine) teams found most exhausting during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania and assess their causes. METHODS: An anonymous survey of physicians (n = 191) working in family physician teams was carried out from 21 June 2021 to 17 September 2021. Physicians signed an informed consent form prior to completion of the questionnaire. Mixed data analysis was performed, consisting of statistical analysis using the SPSS 27 software and a qualitative causal analysis. RESULTS: During the pandemic, physicians were most exhausted by: chaotic vaccination priorities (44.5%); unsatisfied patients (52.4%); constantly changing legislation (71.7%); the large workload (75.9%); and the malfunctioning of online systems (81.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians in family physician teams indicated the following aspects that require improvement: service provision; effective work organization for physicians; and the satisfaction of patients with decisions made during the pandemic.

Nurse's Role from Medical Students' Perspective during Their Interprofessional Clinical Practice: Evidence from Lithuania.

Background: Attitudes towards interprofessional education are key factors that shape students' behaviour during interprofessional practice. An interprofessional approach to training and practice is "unique", important, and challenging. Interprofessional education allows for a deeper understanding and analysis of problems from perspectives different to those of "us". The aim of the study was to assess medical students' attitudes toward the nurse's role during their interprofessional clinical practice. Methods: This study used a descriptive, correlational design. Results: Lithuanian medical students were statistically significantly more likely to think that the role of a nurse was clear and transparent to other professionals and that nurses exuded a high degree of professionalism, sought a high degree of involvement with the patient, and built deep relationships with the patients. Foreign medical students were statistically significantly more likely to believe that nurses worked more effectively alone than in a team and that they worked with the patients within their own professional field of knowledge rather than referring patients to other professionals. Conclusions: After 6 months of interprofessional training with nurses in the hospital, medical students gain a more clear professional picture of the role of the nurse.