Palliative medicine specialist and general practitioner interactions: national survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to investigate the collaboration between primary care and palliative care physicians, which is key to providing comprehensive care, and to identify potential difficulties and needs in referring patients to palliative care. METHODS: The study was conducted as an online survey, available to primary care and palliative care physicians. The data collected during the survey were used to compare perceptions of different specialty physicians' perspectives on various aspects regarding palliative care. RESULTS: The results of the study showed significant differences in the assessment of the palliative care services availability (73% of primary care physicians rate it poorly comparing to high rating of 60% by palliative care specialists), as well as disparities between the declarations regarding the criteria used to decide on referral to palliative care (achieving the best quality of life) and the actual referral of patients (primary care physicians are third on the list of specialists referring patients to palliative care). Despite the need for adequate cooperation between family physicians and palliative care physicians, some difficulties were identified, such as primary care physicians' lack of knowledge of the patient palliative care referral criteria, and financial as well as personnel and palliative care facilities' limitations, were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms the need for better cooperation between primary care physicians and palliative care specialists in Poland. It suggests that educating primary care physicians about palliative care referral criteria can improve the patient referrals accuracy.

Opioid Treatment in Primary Care: Knowledge and Practical Use of Opioid Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians play a key role in initiating opioid therapy. However, knowledge gaps in opioid use and pain management are significant barriers to providing optimal care. This research study aims to investigate the educational needs of primary care physicians regarding opioid therapy and opioid use in pain management. METHODS: A computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) protocol was used to collect data from primary care physicians. Drug selection criteria, knowledge of opioid substitutes and dosage, and practical use of opioid therapy were evaluated. RESULTS: While 84% of participating physicians (724 respondents) reported initiating opioid treatment, only a minority demonstrated accurate opioid dosage calculations. Significant discrepancies between physicians' self-perceived knowledge and their clinical skills in opioid prescribing and pain management were observed. In total, 41% of physicians incorrectly indicated dose conversion rates for tramadol (the most frequently used drug according to 65% of responders). CONCLUSIONS: Targeted educational programs are essential to bridge the knowledge gap and increase physicians' competence in pain management. The proper self-assessment of one's own skills may be the key to improvement. Further research should focus on developing specialized educational courses and decision-support tools for primary care physicians and examining the impact of interprofessional pain management teams on patient outcomes.

Response to provide key health services to Ukrainian refugees: The overview and implementation studies.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of war in Ukraine has contributed to the largest migration crisis in this part of Europe since the Second World War. In a short period of time, several million refugees of different ages and with different health needs have arrived in Poland. This study aims to assess the health problems of Ukrainian refugees, evaluate the barriers faced by primary care physicians (PCPs), and analyse and evaluate the system solutions available (including the use of modern information technology) to address them. METHODOLOGY: For this purpose, an original questionnaire distributed to PCPs in Poland was created and a literature review of implemented system solutions was conducted. The survey was conducted between the 3rd-10th April 2022-45 days after the outbreak of the war. The survey was repeated between 20th January and February 15, 2023. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 402 physicians who provided health care to refugees at that time. There were 252 respondents in the first stage of the study while 150 PCPs took part in the repeat survey. The findings of the survey revealed that the most common health problems among refugees were infections, regardless of age. The biggest barrier to providing care to refugees was the lack of available medical records and language difficulties. During the first months of the refugee influx in Poland, many - both systemic and grassroot - solutions were implemented to improve the quality of health care for refugees. CONCLUSIONS: According to PCPs, the language barrier and the lack of previous medical records are key constraints when providing medical care to refugees. The health needs of refugees and the difficulties in providing care for them require constant monitoring and implementation of appropriate systemic solutions that can reduce the limitations in the daily work of medical staff.