0000000000481006
AUTHOR
Una Kojalo
Interobserver variation in assessment of gastric premalignant lesions: higher agreement for intestinal metaplasia than for atrophy.
Background Either atrophy or intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa are considered premalignant lesions. The new operative link for gastritis assessment staging system is based on the detection of atrophy, and the operative link for assessment of intestinal metaplasia staging system is based on the detection of intestinal metaplasia. Good interobserver agreement is necessary for identification of any premalignant condition. Aims The aim of this study was to compare the agreement between findings of gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia by expert and general pathologists and to analyze the possible reasons behind any possible disagreement. Methods Patients with dyspeptic symptoms, a…
Post-reproductive aged women: a lost generation in the cervical cancer screening programme
The aims of the study were to find out why some post-reproductive aged women did not participate in the organised cervical cancer screening programme in Latvia and to clarify factors that would motivate them to take part. A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and July 2017 among female patients in three general practitioner (GP) practices. GP practice nurses used the Latvian national health service database to identify women aged 25–70 who had not participated in the organised programme for the last 3 years. Participants were asked to complete a specially developed questionnaire. The results were then compared between three age groups: 25–34, 35–49 and 50–70 years. Include…
Professionals’ role in implementing a cervical cancer screening program
The objectives of this study were to investigate the awareness, motivation, and readiness of medical staff to take part in a cervi cal cancer screening program (CSP), with the ultimate aim of increasing the response rate to invitation letters and improving CSP effectiveness and coverage. Certified gynecologists (GYNs) and general practitioners (GPs) practicing in the national and private healthcare systems in Latvia were given specially designed multiple-choice questionnaires. Of 213 questionnaires distributed to GYNs, 74% were completed (32% response rate of all 486 GYNs in Latvia). GPs were sent 933 questionnaires, 24% were returned (15% response rate of all 1,455 GPs in Latvia). GPs regi…