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The COVID-19 virus disseminated globally at an accelerated pace, culminating in a worldwide pandemic; it engendered a proliferation of spurious information and a plethora of misinformation and conspiracy theories (CTs). While many factors contributing to the propensity for embracing conspiracy ideation have been delineated, the foremost determinant influencing individuals’ proclivity towards CT endorsement appears to be their level of educational attainment. This research aimed to assess the moderating effect of religiosity, trust in scientists, and political orientation on the impact of education level on people’s belief in COVID-19-related CTs in Europe by considering both individual-level and country-level contextual covariates of CT. We analysed data from the newest European Social Survey (ESS10) round conducted between September 2020 and September 2022 in 26 countries. We found religiosity weakens, and trust in scientists strengthens the effect of education, while the impact of political orientation is not straightforward. The result also demonstrates a significant negative correlation between the aggregate country-level data of the respondents supporting CTs and the level of vaccination and cumulative excess deaths in Europe. We concluded with a recommendation that planning effective public health strategies and campaigns are insufficient when based solely on people’s education, as individuals’ beliefs moderate the effect of education.

Caregivers of persons with rare diseases (RDs) face elevated stress levels, caregiver burden (CB), financial pressure, and decreased quality of life (QoL). Since the Polish Rare Diseases Plan for 2024–2025 does not address caregivers’ psychosocial needs, this study aimed to assess the experiences of Polish parents of persons with RD. A self-administered, anonymous, computer-assisted online survey was conducted between March and August 2024 to examine the relationship between parenting a person with RD and caregivers’ QoL, CB, and financial well-being. The survey included 942 Polish caregivers of individuals with RDs. The study demonstrated a statistically significant negative association between perceived CB and all dimensions of parents’ QoL – physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment – indicating a broad decline in QoL as CB increases. Financial well-being emerged as a consistent positive predictor of QoL and was shown to buffer the negative effects of CB, underscoring its role as a critical resource for caregivers. Additionally, CB was associated with adverse experiences related to the diagnostic odyssey and its perceived consequences. Our findings highlight that long-term caregiving for individuals with RDs imposes substantial emotional, financial, and social burdens. To effectively address these challenges, Polish health policy must move beyond the biomedical model and adopt a comprehensive approach that integrates psychological, social, and financial support for RD families. Future research should explore targeted interventions that strengthen caregiver resources and reduce systemic barriers to support.

Background While conspiracy theories cover many different themes, medical conspiracy theories (MCTs) have become particularly prevalent in modern societies. As beliefs in MCTs can become a source of “infodemics”, influence individual health behaviors and cause distrust in medical institutions and personnel, healthcare workers must find ways to overturn patients’ conspiracy thinking. However, as the medical world is not free of these beliefs, in this study, we investigated beliefs in MCTs among medical and health science students and their association with reported health behaviors. Methods Our sample was derived from a self-administered, anonymized, computer-assisted web survey conducted among 1,175 medical and health science students enrolled at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland. Results From a set of twenty different MCTs, one-third of students rejected all of them, 18% believed in one, 15% in two, 10% in three, and 24% supported four or more conspiracy theories. In addition, many students were hesitant or unsure about MCTs. We also found that nursing and midwifery students were the most likely to believe in MCTs, while medical and dental students were the least supportive. Support for MCTs was higher among students in the early years of their studies and who declared themselves religious and conservative. This study also highlights the association between students’ support for MCTs and their reported health behaviors, including avoiding vaccinations, using alternative medicine, taking vitamin C, or using social media as an essential source of health information. Conclusions As medical and health science students are prone to conspiratorial thinking, they should be trained to act as a trusted and reliable source of medical information, to mitigate conspiratorial beliefs, and to act as role models for their patients and society, effectively shaping health behaviors in the population.

Objectives: The study describes the attitudes of Polish nursing personnel towards Jehovah’s Witnesses’ (JWs’) refusal to receive blood and blood products.Methods: We developed an online survey assessing nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards JWs’ refusal of blood transfusion in a life-threatening condition. It also examined nurses’ attitudes towards ethical and legal issues associated with JWs’ refusal of blood transfusions. These questions were explored using a sample of 202 Polish nurses.Results: Nurses’ knowledge of JWs’ stance towards blood transfusions is inadequate and they tended to be ill-disposed towards JWs’ refusal of blood transfusions. Although most nurses respected adult JW patients’ autonomy and supported their right to refuse blood, in the case of JW children they are guided by paternalism. Nurses’ attitudes were affected by whether they had children, whether they declared themselves religious, their level of education and prior experience with patients who had refused a blood transfusion.Conclusion: Since most nurses felt unprepared to care for JW patients, this study reveals an urgent need to train nurses in transcultural nursing and increase nurses’ cultural competencies, and that this should be incorporated into medical curricula .

In recent years, the issue of unconditional basic income has become both an element of a broad discussion among theoreticians and practitioners responsible for public policy and a basis for the experiments aimed at investigating social and economic consequences of introducing this programme; however, there is a lack of empirical analyses focused on public attitudes towards basic income. Based on the data from the European Social Survey Round 8 (n=41,830), we examined the level of support for introducing basic income and identified its individual-level determinants in 22 European countries. Our analysis focused on the systematic differences (both in the level of support for basic income and the strength of the impact of sociopolitical factors) between particular countries and different European regions, namely Western, Southern, Northern and Central-Eastern states. The results confirm that the support for basic income varies according to (a) the region of Europe as well as (b) the key role of the socioeconomic position of the individual.

Background The study aimed to validate the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) in a sample of 942 caregivers of patients with rare diseases (RDs) in Poland. Methods The validation process included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as an assessment of internal consistency and interpretability. Result Principal Component Analysis was conducted to determine the underlying structure of the scale, identifying a three-factor solution: Personal Sacrifice, Emotional Strain, and Caregiver Guilt and Future Worries. This model was then tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, which demonstrated superior model fit compared to a unidimensional approach (CFI = 0.942, TLI = 0.931, SRMR = 0.052, RMSEA = 0.061). Reliability analysis showed strong internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.861 for Personal Sacrifice, 0.848 for Emotional Strain, and 0.722 for Caregiver Guilt and Future Worries. Additionally, weighted scores were introduced for better interpretability, and stratified comparisons by age and sex provided normative references. Conclusions Overall, the results confirm that the three-factor model of the ZBI effectively captures caregiver burden and can serve as a reliable tool for assessing the impact of caregiving in diverse populations. The final section provides normative data for the three ZBI subscales among Polish caregivers of individuals with RDs Stratified by sex and age, these norms aid clinicians and researchers in contextualizing individual scores, identifying high-risk groups, and guiding targeted support efforts.

Caring for individuals with rare diseases (RDs) presents unique challenges that can significantly impact caregivers' quality of life (QoL). The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) is a widely used tool for assessing QoL across different populations. This study examines the QoL of caregivers of individuals with RDs and evaluates the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF in this population. A self-administered, anonymous, computer-assisted web-based survey was conducted among family caregivers of individuals with RDs in Poland between March and August 2024. Due to the lack of a national registry of patients with RDs, participants were recruited through convenience sampling via associations, foundations, and organizations of patients with RDs. Eligibility criteria included being 18 years and older of age, speaking Polish, being a caregiver of a person with a confirmed RD diagnosis, and providing informed consent. The survey included sociodemographic questions and the Polish version of the WHOQOL-BREF, which assesses QoL across 4 domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach α, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the instrument's structural validity. A total of 942 caregivers of individuals with various RDs participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 4-domain structure, with further improvement in a finally modified WHOQOL-BREF model (χ2243=1043.0; P<.001; Comparative Fit Index=0.919; Tucker-Lewis Index=0.907; root-mean-square error of approximation=0.059). Internal consistency was satisfactory, with Cronbach α values ranging from 0.70 (social relationships) to 0.84 (psychological health). Mean domain scores on a scale of 0-100 were 50.2 (SE 0.59; physical health), 54.9 (SE 0.59; psychological health), 51.3 (SE 0.67; social relationships), and 52.1 (SE 0.56; environment), with minimal floor and ceiling effects (≤1.4%) across domains. Younger female caregivers reported significantly lower psychological health (eg, mean 43.6, SE 0.59 vs mean 59.9, SE 10.0 for younger male caregivers) and social relationships (mean 39.3, SE 3.34 vs mean 55.0, SE 4.75) well-being compared to other groups. Exactly 151 (16%) of caregivers rated their overall QoL as poor or very poor, and 289 (30.7%) were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their health, with female caregivers reporting more dissatisfaction (n=263, 32.4%) than male caregivers (n=26, 20%). Overall, our findings demonstrate the robust psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF among caregivers of people with RDs and provide domain-specific normative data to guide future research and interventions. The WHOQOL-BREF is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing QoL among caregivers of individuals with RDs, though the social relationship domain may require further refinement. Caregivers experience varying QoL outcomes depending on demographic factors, highlighting the need for targeted support interventions. Future research should explore cultural adaptations and potential supplementary modules to enhance the instrument's applicability in caregiver populations.

While beliefs in conspiracy theories related to medical procedures proliferated in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, previous research has focussed on such predictors of conspiracy as age, gender, educational status, political orientation, and trust in science. By analysing the data from the Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2021 in 37 European countries, this study describes the association between beliefs in medical conspiracy theories and religiosity. It reports three significant findings: first, medical conspiracy theories are more prevalent in the Baltic, Balkan, Southern, Central, and Eastern European countries; second, people who declare themselves to be religious are more willing to believe in medical conspiracy theories; and third, Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians demonstrated stronger support for medical conspiracy theories than other faith groups and non-believers. Analysing data at both the individual and country level sheds light on the role of religion as a predictor of a conspiracy belief, which may influence people’s medical and health behaviours.

While the doctors’ role in immunization is essential, their lack of knowledge or vaccine hesitancy may affect their ability to communicate effectively and educate patients about vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine conspiracy theories. This, in turn, may hinder health policy aimed at fighting infectious diseases. Vaccine hesitancy is prevalent not only among the general population but also among healthcare workers; thus, this study is aimed at assessing future doctors’ attitudes towards anti-vax conspiracy theories. A total of 441 medical students at Poznan University of Medical Sciences completed a web-based survey designed to explore their attitudes toward the six most prevalent anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. The survey showed that although over 97% of future doctors support vaccinations as an effective form of fighting infectious diseases, and 80% did not believe in any anti-vax conspiracy theory, a significant fraction of 20% of medical students either believed in at least one such theory or were unsure. It has also shown that male and younger students who had not received a flu vaccination and defined themselves as politically right-wing or conservative and religious were more likely to believe in anti-vax conspiracy theories. Our data suggest that, in order to overcome medical students’ ambivalent attitudes towards anti-vax conspiracy theories, they should receive more education about the importance of vaccination in preventing disease and about effective ways to combat vaccine hesitancy and anti-vax conspiracy theories.

Background Transcultural nursing recognises the significance of cultural backgrounds in providing patients with quality care. This study investigates the opinions of master’s students in nursing and midwifery regarding the attitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses towards refusing blood transfusions. Methods 349 master’s students in nursing and midwifery participated in a quantitative study and were surveyed via the Web to evaluate their awareness of the stance of Jehovah’s Witnesses on blood transfusions and the ethical and legal dilemmas associated with caring for Jehovah’s Witness (JW) patients. Results The study yielded three significant findings. It unequivocally demonstrates that nursing and midwifery students possess inadequate knowledge regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses’ stance on blood transfusions and their acceptance of specific blood products and medical procedures. Despite being cognisant of the ethical and legal dilemmas of caring for JW patients, students lack an understanding of patients’ autonomy to reject blood transfusions and their need for bloodless medicine. Students also articulated educational needs regarding cultural competencies regarding the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs on blood transfusions and non-blood management techniques. Conclusions Healthcare professionals need the knowledge and skills necessary to provide holistic, patient-centred and culturally sensitive care. This study emphasises the urgent need for university curricula and nursing postgraduate training to include modules on transcultural nursing and strategies for minimising blood loss.