Rostrum of Asclepius Vol 22, No. 4 (2023): October - December 2023

The present article is an attempt to investigate the current issue regarding to the role of the school nurse in special secondary education school units as in this level the school nurses have to face, after all, the most challenges due to the age of the students. In particular, this new institution of the Greek school is fundamental as it, firstly, contributes to the prevention of any students' problems as well as to ensuring and promoting their health, both physical and mental. Through schools nurse advice and their appropriate guidance, problems of school community and especially of a special unit can be removed or either eliminated. For all the above reasons, it is made an attempt to record, analyze and interpret the necessity of school nurses in secondary special education school units. Also, it is mentioned and interpreted the different roles to which each school nurse is called to be responded. After all, no one can dispute the fact that the school nurse is the link between the student, the family and the school structure. School nurse is a crucial factor for the normally function of the school unit and its further opening to society.

Keywords: special education, school nurse, duties, responsibilities

The concept of mindfulness in recent years has increasingly intensified the interest of healthcare professionals while finding applications in the context of counseling. Mindfulness considers thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations to be objects to be observed without judgment. Counseling based on the principles of mindfulness aims to adopt practices that will contribute to building a meaningful professional relationship. The two most widespread structured interventions based on the principles of mindfulness, which could also be basic counseling tools, are Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The first was created for the purpose of stress management, while the second is aimed at people who show a recurring form of depression. As a result of counseling based on the principles of mindfulness, the client benefits cognitively by changing thoughts and behaviors that negatively affect their daily life. It also helps to avoid experiencing anxiety and to strengthen the effort to deal with anxiety for the benefit of the individual. The limited studies on the positive or negative effects of mindfulness-based counseling leave a gap as to the extent to which incorporating mindfulness practice into counseling may or may not work, but underscore the need for future research. This article highlights the value of mindfulness in counseling.

Keywords: Counseling, mindfulness, mindfulness based stress reduction, mindfulness based cognitive therapy

The decision of the Ministry of Health to convert many hospitals in the country from general hospitals to hospitals dedicated in treating covid-19 resulted in the deterioration of the health of the chronically ill. As a result, the access to health units of patients with chronic deceases was affected, which led to neglected early diagnosis and insufficient access to the appropriate medication. The abovementioned parameters, in combination with the fear of exposure to Covid-19, led to reduced hospitalization of these patients and furthermore, to the negative development of their health. The pandemic imprint on people with severe mental disorders has been crucial. In bipolar disorder which is one of the many categories of mental disorders there are political, economic, social and technological factors that are vital and affect the management of this chronic disease. Thus, the situation created the urgent need to immediately reorganize a network of Primary Health Care, as the first point of contact of the patient with the health care system. As a service unit of P.Η.C. for the mentally ill, the Peristeri Mental Health Center, can provide the first stage of treatment for patients with bipolar decease. This could be achieved by setting goals such as the creation of mobile units, telepsychiatry and conducting training seminars..

Keywords: Primary Health Care,  chronic disease, COVID-19, chronic disease managment, PEST analisys

In recent years, the international community has been confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, an infection of the respiratory system with significant long-term implications for public health. Beyond its health dimension, the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to limit the spread of the responsible SARS-CoV2 virus caused sundry social and economic consequences, such as global economic recession and threat to the resilience of health systems. This article focuses on the analysis of health expenditure during the pandemic and its enhancement in order to protect the health of the society from COVID-19. In fact, the sources of financing the additional expenditure on health, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are identified. Furthermore, health policy decisions are proposed, which aim to contain the rapidly increasing financial costs for health systems, given the prevailing economic crisis. A decisive response to the pandemic will reduce these costs and give the opportunity for national economies to recover, so as to promote social well-being and return to the normal everyday life of the individual. Nevertheless, the development of a fund with reserve financial resources within the framework of the European Union remains a challenge, which will directly and flexibly provide the necessary funding to the national health systems, so that they can face such extreme situations without being shaken.

Keywords: health expenditure, public funding, health economics, COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The beneficial properties of sports in all areas of a person's activity is an indisputable fact, regardless of their gender or age. The active effect of sports on his mental performance can be considered as the indirect result of well-being, but the duration of playing sports before the appearance of these beneficial effects is questionable. Purpose: To investigate the effect of sports on the performance of 5th and 6th grade students. Material and method: Statistical analysis was performed with the help of the statistical program SPSS V28 at a significance level of 5% (p-level=0.05). The data were drawn from the official grades of 1st , 2nd and 3rd semester of 63 students of the 5th and 6th grade primary school in southern Attica. It was also recorded whether they participated in sports activities before the first semester, between the first and second semester and between the second and third semster 2021 – 2022. As the data collection was census no sampling technique was applied. Results: The results of the survey showed that an increase in participation is expected to increase the probability of better student performance (H = 22.922, df = 2, p < 0.001) and particularly among the participation time categories "At least 6 months" - "Not at all" and " At least 6 months” – “Up to 3 months” (p < 0.001). The significance of the simultaneous effect of gender (p<0.001) and time of participation (p=0.006) was also found. Conclusions: As expected, the beneficial effect of sports on student performance was found and proved. It was also found that an increase in the time involved in sports is expected to enhance the performance of students more and that the beneficial effects are expected to appear after at least 3 months of involvement in sports.

Keywords: Physical Education, Sports, Perfromance, Elementary School Students

Background: Adequate staffing of the National Health System increases its efficiency, and effectiveness of the health care services provided and ensures public health. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to record the staffing map of secondary and tertiary health care structures in an Administrative Health Region, during the health crisis. Material - Method: The sample of the study consists of 25,256 employees, of all specialties and educational levels, who staff the 24 hospitals of Attica. The data were drawn from the databases maintained by the 1st Administrative Health Region. The SPSS 25 program was used for the statistical analysis. Results: 27.9% of the staff consists of doctors of all specialties and 33.7% of nurses, 70.9% of the employees are women, 35.5% are university graduates, while 29.3% were technological graduates. In the years 2018 up to the first quarter of 2021, a total of 8,376 new recruitments of various specialties took place, while in the period up to the end of 2021, which coincides with the period of the health crisis, 6,130 health worker departures had taken place or were planned. Conclusions: Chronic understaffing is a characteristic of the health system in Greece. The increased needs created by the covid-19 pandemic made it imperative to recruit to cover the chronic shortages but also to deal with the extraordinary and increased health needs in the context of an already understaffed health system.

Keywords: Health Region, human resources, staffing, health crisis, Greece

Introduction: The admission and hospitalization of a child in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) creates stress and anxiety in the family. The family is called upon to make important decisions about the child's treatment, while roles within the family environment are disrupted. Aim: The investigation of the psychosocial needs of the relatives of hospitalized children in the NICU. Method: We conducted a systematic review of studies published until the end of 2020 in the Greek and English languages in the databases "Pubmed", "Scopus" and "Iatrotec" with the following keywords: "Pediatric Intensive Care Unit", "Socio-psychological Needs' and 'Parents'. Results: Of the 26 studies found, 5 studies met the inclusion-exclusion criteria and were included in the review. The most frequently mentioned psychosocial needs of the parents were: (1) the need for complete, immediate and honest information regarding the health status of their hospitalized child and the changes in their condition, (2) the need to provide comfort to the parents during duration of their child's hospitalization, (3) the parents' need for psychological support and guidance regarding the care of their hospitalized child, (4) the feeling of security regarding the care provided, and (5) the need for frequent contact with the hospitalized child. Also, it was observed that the medical and nursing staff underestimated some needs of the parents, such as the need for closeness, while there were others that we underestimated, such as the religious needs. Conclusion: Parents present increased psychosocial needs during their child's hospitalization in the PICU. Nursing staff play an important role in supporting relatives by providing family-centered care.

Keywords: Parent, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Psychosocial Needs