Search results for "health organization"

Policy on palliative care in the WHO European region: an overview of progress since the Council of Europe’s (2003) recommendation 24

2015

Background: With the goal of achieving greater unity and coherence, the Council of Europe developed a national palliative care (PC) policy framework—Recommendation (2003) 24. Although directed at member states, the policy spread to the wider World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region. This article aims to present the current situation relating to national PC health policies in European countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 53 European countries of the WHO European Region. Relevant data reported (i) the existence of official documents concerning the provision of PC; (ii) the role of health departments and policymakers in the evaluation of PC provision and (iii) t…

Quality of life (QOL) of older adult community choral singers in Finland.

2013

ABSTRACTBackground: Enhancing quality of life (QOL) of older adults is an international area of focus. Identifying factors and experiences that contribute to QOL of older adults helps promote optimal levels of functioning. This study examines the relationship between perceived benefits associated with choral singing and QOL among community-dwelling older adults.Methods: One hundred seventeen older adults who sing in community choirs in Jyväskylä, Finland, completed self-report measures of QOL (WHOQOL-Bref), depressive symptoms, and a questionnaire about the benefits of singing in choir. Correlational analyses and linear regression models were used to examine the association between the bene…

The state of stroke services across the globe: Report of World Stroke Organization–World Health Organization surveys

2021

Background Improving stroke services is critical for reducing the global stroke burden. The World Stroke Organization–World Health Organization– Lancet Neurology Commission on Stroke conducted a survey of the status of stroke services in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries. Methods Using a validated World Stroke Organization comprehensive questionnaire, we collected and compared data on stroke services along four pillars of the stroke quadrangle (surveillance, prevention, acute stroke, and rehabilitation) in 84 countries across World Health Organization regions and economic strata. The World Health Organization also conducted a survey of non-communicabl…

Forecasting Hepatitis C liver disease burden on real-life data. Does the hidden iceberg matter to reach the elimination goals?

2018

Abstract Background & Aims Advances in direct‐acting antiviral treatment of HCV have reinvigorated public health initiatives aimed at identifying affected individuals. We evaluated the possible impact of only diagnosed and linked‐to‐care individuals on overall HCV burden estimates and identified a possible strategy to achieve the WHO targets by 2030. Methods Using a modelling approach grounded in Italian real‐life data of diagnosed and treated patients, different linkage‐to‐care scenarios were built to evaluate potential strategies in achieving the HCV elimination goals. Results Under the 40% linked‐to‐care scenario, viraemic burden would decline (60%); however, eligible patients to treat w…

Prevalence and 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Covid-19 and Prior Lung Diseases.

2021

Patients with pre-existing respiratory diseases in the setting of COVID-19 may have a greater risk of severe complications and even death.A retrospective, multicenter, cohort study with 5847 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals. Patients were separated in two groups, with/without previous lung disease. Evaluation of factors associated with survival and secondary composite end-point such as ICU admission and respiratory support, were explored.1,271 patients (22%) had a previous lung disease, mostly COPD. All-cause mortality occurred in 376 patients with lung disease (29.5%) and in 819 patients without (17.9%) (Previous lung disease is a risk factor for mortality in patients with COVID-19.…

Disease awareness campaigns in printed and online media in Latvia: cross-sectional study on consistency with WHO ethical criteria for medicinal drug …

2018

Background European legislation prohibits direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, but allows drug manufacturers to provide information to the public on health and diseases. Our aim was to measure the frequency of disease awareness campaigns in Latvian media and assess their compliance with international and European standards. Methods Materials on health/disease and treatments were collected between April and September 2015 from 12 newspapers and magazines and six online portals. Disease awareness campaigns were assessed using a previously developed instrument based on the WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug promotion and European standards (EU law and pharmaceutical i…

Viral hepatitis in 2021: The challenges remaining and how we should tackle them

2022

Viral hepatitis results in 1.4 million deaths annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) set an ambitious target to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, but significant challenges remain. These include inequalities in access to healthcare, reaching at risk populations and providing access to screening and effective treatment. Stigma around viral hepatitis persists and must be addressed. The WHO goal of global elimination by 2030 is a worthy aim, but remains ambitious and the coronavirus 2019 pandemic undoubtedly has set back progress. This review article will focus on hepatitis A to E, highlighting problems that have been resolved in the field over the past decade, those that remain to be …

The international Ebola response: heroes and bystanders in the chronicle of an epidemic foretold.

2014

Update I. A systematic review on the efficacy and safety of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

2020

Purpose To assess efficacy and safety of chloroquine (CQ)/hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for treatment or prophylaxis of COVID-19 in adult humans. Materials and methods MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE and two pre-print repositories (bioRxiv, medRxiv) were searched from inception to 8th June 2020 for RCTs and nonrandomized studies (retrospective and prospective, including single-arm, studies) addressing the use of CQ/HCQ in any dose or combination for COVID-19. Results Thirty-two studies were included (6 RCTs, 26 nonrandomized, 29,192 participants). Two RCTs had high risk, two ‘some concerns’ and two low risk of bias (Rob2). Among nonrandomized studies with comparators, nine had high risk and five moderat…

Integrating theoretical and experimental permeability estimations for provisional biopharmaceutical classification: Application to the WHO essential …

2018

The accuracy of the provisional estimation of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) is heavily influenced by the permeability measurement. In this study, several theoretical and experimental models currently employed for BCS permeability classification have been analysed. The experimental models included the in situ rat intestinal perfusion, the ex vivo rat intestinal tissue in an Ussing chamber, the MDCK and Caco-2 cell monolayers, and the parallel artificial membrane (PAMPA). The theoretical models included the octanol-water partition coefficient and the QSPeR (Quantitative Structure-Permeability Relationship) model recently developed. For model validation, a dataset of 43 comp…