The use of the National Health Fund databases as a source of real-world evidence

Patient medical records and administrative healthcare databases are possible sources of real-world evidence (RWE), i.e., evidence on the potential benefits and risks of a medical product. RWE can complement the evidence from randomized clinical trials. The wide range of information collected by the National Health Fund (NFZ) and the Ministry of Health in Poland ensures the versatility of the data that cover almost all patients treated in Poland. In addition to administrative data (without detailed information about patients and their disease), electronic medical records of some patient groups can be obtained from special programs (e.g., KOS-Zawał) or the System of Monitoring Drug Programs (SMPT). Low usage (only 37 studies) but high usability of NFZ databases as a source of RWE were identified. Joint analysis of data from administrative databases and SMPT can increase the credibility of the study, but limits the study to only patients treated within the Drug Programs.

Methods and tools of Lean Management in hospital management – case studies

Lean Management is a management concept whose main goal is to support the management and employees in improving the entity. The concept of Lean Management is of particular importance in the healthcare sector. Its importance in the improvement of health care units resulted in the creation of a subdiscipline of management called Lean Healthcare. The main goal of the empirical research undertaken is to show the role and importance of selected Lean Management methods and tools in health care units. The main research method used in the research procedure was a case study of selected health care units that implemented Lean Management methods and tools in their facilities. The method of analyzing the content of documents of the surveyed units was also used. The most frequently used Lean Management methods and tools in the surveyed healthcare units include: Kaizen, Kanban, Just-in-Time, 5S, A3, Takt Time, Value Streams Mapping, Visual Management, Gemba, Pull system. The surveyed entities decided to implement them mainly due to the desire to eliminate the phenomenon of waste, improve the quality of services and improve the area of services provided. The research also showed that the LM methods and tools implemented by the surveyed units brought measurable organizational, operational, logistic, financial and image benefits. Lean Management in healthcare units brings measurable benefits and multi-range benefits. However, special attention should be paid to the barriers and difficulties that individuals in this sector may encounter in implementing LM methods and tools. The health care sector is specific, so implementing changes in the units representing it should take into account counteracting possible, identified implementation barriers.

Malnutrition among result from inappropriate eating behavior that leads to changes in body weight. Consuming excessive amounts of salt, sugar, carbonated drinks, alcohol or inactivity causes overweight or obesity. To prevent malnutrition, it is necessary to prevent nutrition and to motivate prohealth behaviors that should be targeted at a given group of society. Thanks to this, it may limit or even exclude the emergence of eating disorders, which intensify the increase in the incidence of civilization diseases. The aim of the article is an attempt to present selected elements of lifestyle. The survey was addressed to 3rd grade students from 2 public secondary schools (189 boys and 178 girls). A proprietary questionnaire entitled “My health – I care for them” was used for the study. The questionnaire included questions about the diet, forms of spending free time and participation in physical education classes at school. Watching TV is the most common form of spending free time (37% boys and 32% girls). Only 7% of girls and 18% of boys chose participation in sports as a form of spending their free time. 28% of boys and as much as 31% of girls admitted that they do not participate in physical education classes. The type of drinks consumed by students was significantly dependent on their gender. The sandwich is chosen by 31% of boys and 23% of girls. Fruit is declared by 28% of the surveyed girls and only 2% of boys. Research has shown that there are many abnormalities in the diet of adolescents. The widespread belief that a slim figure is an asset nowadays prompts many people to use many slimming diets or fasting, which when used excessively can pose a threat to the developing organism. The respondents also show insufficient physical activity. Students more and more often choose passive recreation, because physical activity does not give them as much satisfaction as playing on a computer.

Selected practical aspects of General Data Protection Regulation in public health

This article presents the characteristics of selected practical aspects related to the need to apply the provisions of the so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in institutions classified as public health. The basic element of the considerations is the presentation of examples of violations of the provisions of the GDPR, and more broadly the provisions relating to the protection of personal data, which, observed in the daily functioning of selected public health institutions, may be an incentive to take preventive measures in all such institutions. At the same time, this paper presents potential remedies that may also take the form of so-called good practices. Being aware of the difficulties in applying the provisions of the GDPR, the authors, by presenting their observations, want to contribute to the discussion on the practical aspects of personal data protection in the area of public health, both in its practical and scientific terms.

The Dutch guaranteed Benefit Health Basket – an example for reformers

In the process of searching for nearly half a century of new possibly effective forms of satisfying the health needs of societies, which have been undertaken with limited success in all countries of the world, an exceptional position should be attributed to the experience in the Netherlands. There are many reasons: not only the success of the changes carried out, not only the concept of a guaranteed health benefits basket confirmed by practice, not only the rarely used mechanism of competition between payers, but above all the consistency in the long-term preparation of a comprehensive change in the health system. At the same time, the constant dialogue with the society was not neglected, which allowed it to treat the introduced changes as its own.