Panayota Sourtzi

• RN, BSc, MMedSc, PhD
• Professor (Full) at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Background: Working in the public healthcare sector, especially in hospitals, is widely recognized as a highly demanding job. Measuring work related quality of life is crucial, as it allows the assessment of working conditions and the level of well-being among healthcare professionals. The aim of this research was to assess the quality of working l...

Background: Individuals’ intention to accept vaccination is essential since intention usually predicts final action. Thus, recognizing the factors that influence people’s decision to accept COVID-19 booster vaccination we can improve the coverage rate. Aim: To assess the impact of COVID-19-related burnout and several socio-demographic predictors on...

Background Sarcopenia-associated lifestyle factors are not fully recognised. Community nurses could identify such factors and promote intervention strategies, mitigating the risk of sarcopenia. Aims To investigate the health indicators and lifestyle factors that have an impact on increased sarcopenia risk among older adults in the community. Meth...

Aims: A single-blinded, multicentred randomized controlled trial (RCT) was employed to examine the effectiveness of a 3-month telephone follow-up, a telephone follow-up with education before discharge, or education only before discharge on the heart failure (HF) knowledge, HF self-care management, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in pati...

Background/Objectives: Vaccination coverage status of nursing students has a pivotal role as they are in direct contact with patients. Suboptimal vaccination status poses patients at high risk of transmission as healthcare providers may serve as reservoirs of pathogens. The present study aimed to assess the immunity status of nursing students of th...

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) present a major occupational health challenge, especially among office workers. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a workplace intervention program for managing MSDs and measure its impact on presenteeism/absenteeism and health status. Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted between May 2019 and...

Introduction The prevalence of workplace bullying, job burnout, and turnover intention among nursing staff increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies that have measured the relationships among variables of interest after the pandemic. Objective Our intention is to investigate the effect of w...

Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate HPs experiences during stroke care and the way health services providing stroke care in Greece are organized. Materials and Methods This is an exploratory qualitative study with inter-professional focus groups. Nurses and physicians working in various Greek stroke care units were purposively sampled....

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may have inhibited the development of critical thinking and emotional intelligence of nursing students due to the transition from traditional to online learning environments. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the development of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the perceived learning environment...

The aim of this study was to measure the one-year total cost of strokes and to investigate the value of stroke care, defined as cost per QALY. The study population included 892 patients with first-ever acute strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, and ischemic strokes, (ICD-10 codes: I61, I63, and I64) admitted within 48 h of symptoms onset to nine public ho...

Healthy and active aging and age-friendly society frameworks attempt to address the well-documented challenges and opportunities of population aging. To meet the needs of an increasingly older society, there is a demand for professionals with appropriate age-related knowledge and skills. To this end, a master's in active aging is in development. Th...

Background: Research on the pandemic-related burnout has focused on work-related burnout especially among healthcare workers, but not in the general population. Aim: To develop a valid and reliable instrument scale to measure pandemic-related burnout in the general population. Methods: We took several steps to develop the scale items and achie...

The aim of this study was to measure one-year total cost of stroke and to investigate the value of stroke care, defined as cost per QALY. The study population included 892 patients with first ever acute stroke, hemorrhagic and ischemic, (ICD-10 codes: I61, I63 and I64) admitted within 48 hours of symptoms onset to nine public hospitals located in s...

Office workers often experience occupational musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of the current systematic review was to investigate the effectiveness of workplace exercise intervention on the oldest age group of office workers who have been reported in the literature so far, in terms of workability and well-being. Randomized Controlled Trials were...

Purpose To examine the association of critical thinking (CT) and emotional intelligence (EI) versus CT and learning environment (LE) in order to investigate which has the greatest influence EI or LE. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 340 s-year healthcare university students in two nursing and one medical schools fro...

Background: Health sciences educators should increase the critical thinking of their students as this may improve the quality of care. However, this is rarely considered as a critical point in teaching, despite studies identifying factors such as the learning environment and emotional intelligence as increasing critical thinking at an undergraduat...

To inform a new European-based online master's programme in active aging and age-friendly society, a scoping review was performed to identify previously reported learning needs and learning outcomes on this topic. Four electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCO [Academic Search Complete], Scopus, and ASSIA) were systematically searched, along with gray li...

High-risk populations are at increased risk of severe influenza-related illness, hospitalization, and death due to influenza. The aim of our study was to assess the willingness of high-risk populations to take the influenza vaccine for the 2022–2023 season, and to investigate the factors associated with such willingness. We conducted a cross-sectio...

Because an annual COVID-19 booster vaccine appears to be required to control the pandemic, identifying the factors that influence individuals’ decision to receive a booster dose is critical. Thus, our goal was to quantify the influence of COVID-19-related burnout on vaccination intention and to investigate the role of resilience in mediating the li...

COVID-19 booster doses for high-risk groups such as nurses are necessary to reduce the impacts of the pandemic and promote public health. We examined the relationship between COVID-19-related burnout and booster vaccination willingness among nurses, and we assessed whether social support can buffer this relationship. We conducted a cross-sectional...

We developed and validated a self-assessment instrument to measure COVID-19 pandemic-related burnout in the general population. We assessed the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 burnout scale (COVID-19-BS). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified three factors for the COVID-19-BS; emotional exhaustion, physical exhaustion, and...

Background: As the European population ages, it becomes increasingly important to promote and facilitate healthy and active ageing and age-friendly societies. Professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors need knowledge and skills to support both. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and map the literature on learning needs, le...

Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle strength and mass with age, is becoming more frequent among older people and is recognized as a risk factor for falls, disability, and mortality. Sarcopenia can be prevented, delayed, treated, and sometimes even reversed using effective interventions such as early detection. Available screening tools implemented by he...

The aim of this study was to investigate accessibility problems to healthcare services, especially for vulnerable groups, amid the economic crisis. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between September 2015 and September 2016 with a convenient sample of the adult Greek population (N=1,919). Data was collected via a structured questionnaire w...

The aim of this study was to calculate the average operational cost per sub-type of stroke patient and to investigate cost drivers (e.g. ALoS, NIHSS score, age) correlated to cost. Methods: Direct medical costs (diagnostic imaging and clinical laboratory exams, overheads/bed cost, pharmaceuticals, ringers and other non-durables and inpatient reha...

To assess stroke patient-reported experiences and hospital staff experiences, during hospital stay. Methods: Stroke patient-reported experiences (n=387) were recorded using the translated and culturally adapted NHS-Stroke Questionnaire into Greek and staff experiences (n=236) were investigated using the Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout subscal...

Background: Older people are projected to make up almost one third of the European population by 2060. Healthy and active ageing (HAA) is a key to maximising the opportunities that the increasingly older demographic presents. A multinational survey was conducted to inform a new online EU-based master’s programme in active ageing, and a fundamental...

Introduction: The demographic in Europe is steadily ageing. Healthy and active ageing (HAA) and age-friendly society frameworks define and attempt to address the challenges of an ageing society. To inform a new online EU-based master’s programme in active ageing, a scoping literature review attempted to identify potential students’ learning needs r...

Introduction: Healthy and active ageing (HAA) and age-friendly society frameworks may help address the challenges of an ageing European society. This study aimed to identify related learning needs, as perceived by multiple stakeholders, to inform an online multi-country master’s programme. Methods: An anonymous online survey collected data from sen...

Background Sarcopenia and polypharmacy are both prevalent conditions in the geriatric population, leading to poor quality of life and adverse outcomes. Objective To explore the evidence on the relationship between sarcopenia and polypharmacy and to summarize the findings and the gaps from the existing literature. Method A systematic scoping revie...

Objective: The investigation of intentional behavior of hospital staff to care for COVID-19 patients and the study of the factors that influences it. Method: This is a cross-sectional study, of 261 physicians and nurses working in a COVID-19 reference hospital. Data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire including demographic and professiona...

Aim The aim of the present review was to examine the evidence of the relationship between self-reported or perceived fatigue and falls among older adults. Methods A systematic review, following the PRISMA recommendations, was performed. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cinahl were searched from February 2021 until March 2021, without any limita...

Explaining the development of a fully online joint master program with six partners in europe dealing with the transdisciplinary view on the topics active ageing and age-friendly society.

Purpose In patient education, there is a need for valid and reliable instruments to assess and tailor empowering educational activities. In this study, we summarize the process of producing two parallel instruments for analyzing hospital patients’ expectations (Expected Knowledge of Hospital Patients, EKhp) and received knowledge (Received Knowledg...

Purpose: To examine the relationship between sleep quality and duration and muscle strength among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. Methods: A systematic review was conducted from March 2020 until May 2020. Searches were done for peer-reviewed and English-written articles reporting results of studies in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Coc...

Aim: To examine the health status of immigrants living in Greece and investigate the factors that influence it. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with 1152 immigrants (response rate = 60%) was conducted during April 2013 to March 2014. Regarding the sampling method, as there is no accurate census of immigrants in Greece the snowball sampling...

Objective of this study was to evaluate psychometrics of the EKhp and the RKhp with international data to enable international use of the instruments.

As the proportion of older people in Greece grows and the need for promoting healthy aging is apparent, it becomes increasingly important to investigate the relationship between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older people in the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 451 older people living in the communit...

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2013 until March 2014 to explore the existence of inequalities in access to and utilization of health services by migrants compared to non-migrants in Greece and to test the influence of various factors on these disparities. Also, we investigated the influence of several socioeconomic and demographic...

Although schools play an important role in preventing accidents and diseases, school infrastructure often lacks safety and hygiene. This study aimed to assess the applicability of training materials in school safety and hygiene in the three-year period 2016-19. A descriptive review study was designed with a nationwide sample of the Heads of Environ...

Objective: To investigate possible correlations between stigma and burnout of nurses and non-graduate professional caregivers of elderly with dementia in nursing homes. Background: Research on dementia stigma in health care professionals as well as its relationship with their well-being is seriously lacking. Methods: This cross-sectional study...

ΣΚΟΠΟΣ Η εκτίμηση της πρόσβασης των μεταναστών στις υπηρεσίες υγείας στην Ελλάδα, καθώς και η διερεύνηση της χρήσης από αυτούς των υπηρεσιών υγείας. ΥΛΙΚΟ KAI ΜΕΘΟΔΟΣ Πραγματοποιήθηκε μια συγχρονική μελέτη με 1152 μετανάστες έπειτα από την πληροφορημένη συγκατάθεση τους. Οι μετανάστες προέρχονταν από τις εξής χώρες: Αλβανία, Πακιστάν, Μπαγκλαντές,...

Background The elderly (above 65 years) have become the leading population of our society. Their multitude of healthcare chronic problems demands palliative care and therefore Palliative Care problems and needs (PCPN) assessment. Methods A quantitative study using structured questionnaires [PNPC, Mini – Mental State Examination (MMSE), demographic...

Introduction: Schools have a great responsibility in health promotion and prevention of accidents and diseases. However, school infrastructures are often lacking in safety and hygiene. Aim: The investigation of the effectiveness of a distance learning programme in school safety and hygiene, carried out on Moodle asynchronous e-learning platform. Me...

There are big differences in how health-care and social services for older people are organized in Europe. In spite of these differences, all countries face the challenge of the growing number of older people and have to deal with the same trends, developments and challenges. The ageing population demands concerted response all over Europe as the i...

This chapter gives an overview of the most common health issues older people experience. Older persons vary in regard to their independence and economic self-sufficiency as well as their wellbeing and health. Part of the older people live independently and support themselves with their own income; some of them being still active in working life. Ho...

Εισαγωγή: Η αναπηρία, σωματική και νοητική/ψυχική, είναι μέρος της ανθρώπινης ύπαρξης και δεν αποτελεί απλώς ένα πρόβλημα υγείας αλλά ένα σύνθετο φαινόμενο, που αντανακλά την αλληλεπίδραση μεταξύ των χαρακτηριστικών του σώματος ενός ατόμου και των χαρακτηριστικών της κοινωνίας, στην οποία ζει. Σκοπός: Η διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας εκπαιδευτι...

Aims and objectives To examine the relationship between significant others' expected and received knowledge and their background characteristics in three Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Greece, Spain), all of which deal with economic restrictions, have similar social support systems with the family members acting as family caregivers, and cultural...

Μια από τις σημαντικότερες δεξιότητες του ανθρώπου αποτελεί η αυτονομία του. Στην έννοια της αυτονομίας εντάσσονται οι δεξιότητες στον τομέα της αυτοεξυπηρέτησης, που στα άτομα με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες καλλιεργούνται μέσα από αντίστοιχα εκπαιδευτικά προγράμματα. Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν η διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας ημερήσιου προγράμ...

Τα παιδιά είναι πιθανότερο να έρχονται σε επαφή με μικροοργανισμούς, που προκαλούν μεταδοτικές ασθένειες, όταν βρίσκονται σε χώρους συνάθροισης παρά στο περιβάλλον του σπιτιού τους. Στα σχολεία οι λοιμώξειςαπό άτομο σε άτομο είναι πολύ συχνές και η μετάδοσή τους ευνοείται, καθώς οι μαθητές εκεί βρίσκονται σε στενή επαφήκαι μοιράζονται υλικά και εξο...

Η συνεκπαίδευση προβληματίζει τα τελευταία χρόνια τις περισσότερες χώρες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, όπου επικρατεί η τάση τα παιδιά με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες να εντάσσονται στα γενικά σχολεία, αφού η σχολική και κοινωνική συνύπαρξη επηρεάζει θετικά και τις δυο ομάδες μαθητών. Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν η διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας προγράμμ...

Η συνεκπαίδευση προβληματίζει τα τελευταία χρόνια τις περισσότερες χώρες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, όπου επικρατεί η τάση τα παιδιά με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες να εντάσσονται στα γενικά σχολεία, αφού η σχολική και κοινωνική συνύπαρξη επηρεάζει θετικά και τις δυο ομάδες μαθητών. Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν η διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας προγράμμ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate formal carers’ training needs from 4 Εuropean countries participating in the i-Care project (Greece, France, Italy and Cyprus), with regard to their basic and soft skills, by reporting selfcompetency evaluation, as well as the perspective of the patients regarding their own carers’ competence. METHODS: The study sample wa...

Aims and objectives: To examine and compare undergraduate healthcare students' attitudes toward people with physical or intellectual disabilities in Greece. Background: The experience that people with disabilities have with health care is a complex interaction between their medical condition and the social and physical environment. Attitudes of...

Background We followed up, in 2013, the subjects who lived near the Athens International Airport and had participated in the cross-sectional multicountry HYENA study in 2004–2006. Objective To evaluate the association of exposure to aircraft and road traffic noise with the incidence of hypertension and other cardiovascular outcomes. Methods From...

Introduction: During the last decade more and more people are educated on transcultural health care issues. Although there is relevant content in the Greek nursing academic curricula, there is no recent evaluation of its impact. Aim: To modulate and pilot validate a questionnaire in order to evaluate knowledge, competencies, skills and attitudes re...

Η τακτική φοίτηση είναι σημαντική για τη σχολική επιτυχία των μαθητών. Ανησυχία όμως προκαλεί η διαπίστωση πως οι μαθητές ειδικών σχολείων, έχουν υψηλότερο ποσοστό απουσιών σε σχέση με εκείνους στα γενικά. Σκοπός: Η διερεύνηση και καταγραφή των απουσιών μαθητών και των αιτίων τους σε ένα σχολικό έτος. Μεθοδολογία: Περιγραφική μελέτη επισκόπησης με...

Το σχολείο, εκτός από το ρόλο του να μεταδίδει πολιτιστικά αγαθά και γνώσεις, έχει ευθύνη να παρέχει ένα ασφαλές και υγιεινό περιβάλλον, όπου η προαγωγή της ψυχικής και σωματικής υγείας, η εξάλειψη των παραγόντων κινδύνου και η πρόληψη των ατυχημάτων και ασθενειών θα αποτελούν αδιαμφισβήτητες προτεραιότητες. Σκοπός: H ενημέρωση και η ενεργός συμμετ...

INTRODUCTION: Social networks usually affect the health status and self-esteem of groups and individuals positively. The higher the degree of social networking, the higher the influence. The impact on older people is of particular interest. AIM: This systematic review examines whether perceived social support by older people receive from various gr...

Background: Occupational stress affects professionals’ quality of life and causes reduction in productivity, even leaving work. Educational interventions for support may reduce stress. Aim: To review research studies regarding the effect of educational interventions for the prevention or reduction of nursing staff’s occupational stress. Method: Ele...

Aims and objectives: To describe and compare the quality of recovery on discharge from hospital among patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement. The study will also attempt to identify any predicting factors. Background: Arthroplasty is commonly used for an increasing population of patients with osteoarthritis, and the recovery proces...

The ELLAN project promotes European cooperation and exchange of innovation and good practice related to the ageing population and to the educational preparation of those professionals in health and social care that work with older people. The consortium conducted analyses of competences required by professionals working with older people from the v...

Background: Various sleeping problems and coping mechanisms have been presented in the bibliography by researchers in order the negative effects of shiftworking to be minimized. The aim of this study was to examine if physical activity and daily short nap are two of the strategies that could help nurses cope with sleep problems. Methods: A pilot cr...

The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ perceptions and preferences of their participation in nursing care during hospitalisation in Greece. The sample consisted of medical and surgical patients (n = 300). A questionnaire was developed to measure patients’ perception of participation, including an open question and the control preference...

OBJECTIVE The aging of the population leads to an increase in the incidence of “wear and tear” diseases such as arthritis and, consequently, to an increase in the number of planned orthopedic surgical procedures, including total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The empowering education of patients, which is an essential aspect of nursing care, has been as...

INTRODUCTION: With empowering patient education, patients and their significant others can be supported to self-manage their condition better. PURPOSE: The investigation of knowledge that significant others of patients undergoing total arthroplasty expect to receive, their preferences about information and control, and their preoperative emotions,...

INTRODUCTION: Although schools have a great responsibility in health promotion, they often become dangerous places for accidents and infectious diseases for the school population. PURPOSE: The investigation of research data on knowledge and perceptions of school staff about structures, needs, practices and policies for a safe and healthy physical s...

The main purpose of schools is education, learning and health promotion in the school population. The school nurse's role is important mainly in health education and health promotion. The aim of this study was the development, implementation and evaluation of a health education program on school hygiene and safety implemented by a school nurse to s...

INTRODUCTION: Professionals working in healthcare settings are often exposed to possibly contagious biological hazards due to the nature of their work. PURPOSE: The investigation of the effects of educational interventions regarding the biological risk factors on professionals’ knowledge, compliance with the appropriate precautionary measures, and...

INTRODUCTION: Current nursing care focuses on the patient, on self-management of the disease, and on empowerment. Involving patients in the decision making process is a topic of major interest during the provision of health care. PURPOSE: Investigation of total joint replacement patients’ preferences about the information and the control over their...

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is common in the elderly and the pain reduces their functional capacity. Total Joint Arthroplasty (TJA) is a common surgery, with beneficial effects for the patient. PURPOSE: To investigate the patients’ quality of life regarding the surgical treatment for arthritis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, correlational, lon...

Background: Employee job satisfaction and its relationship with health and quality of life has been an issue of major concern over the past decades. Nurses experience difficult working conditions that affect their job satisfaction, health, and quality of life. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in three general hospitals and their r...

In the recovery process of arthroplasty patients, their family members play an important role due to short hospital stay and increased age of patients. Family members need to have knowledge to be able to support the patient. The aim of this study was to explore expected and received knowledge in family members of arthroplasty patients and describe...

The main purpose of schools is education, learning and healthpromotion in the school population. The school nurse’s role isimportant mainly in health education and health promotion. The aim ofthis study was the development, implementation and evaluation of ahealth education program on school hygiene and safety implemented bya school nurse to school...

Sperm dysfunction is the single most common cause of worldwide infertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of exogenous (environmental, lifestyle and occupational) factors on male fertility. Based on semen analysis, a retrospective case-control study was conducted among 140 males, 70 of them were dyspermic (cases) and 70 wer...

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the burden experienced by nursing personnel working irregular shifts in Greece and to conduct the first test of a Greek version of the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI). Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out. The SSI was completed by 365 nurses and nursing assistants working shifts, inclu...

The aim was to investigate nursing staff's perceptions related to patient participation and the parameters affecting it during nursing care. A cross-sectional study with both a quantitative and qualitative orientation was conducted. The sample consisted of all nursing staff working in medical and surgical wards in three Greek hospitals. A questionn...

To describe patient participation in decision making during nursing care from patients' and nursing staff' perspectives. The sample consisted of medical and surgical patients (n = 300) and the nursing staff (n = 118) working in the respective wards in three general hospitals. A questionnaire was used for the study; data were collected from April 20...

Objectives To investigate the reasons for refusal of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and to explore participants' perceptions and attitudes about Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy) among a sample of female university st...

Background Training efforts in disaster education need to provide updated knowledge, skills and expertise to nurses through evidence-based interventions. Aim The purpose of the study was the development, implementation and evaluation of an educational programme for nurses regarding the provision of health care during disasters. Methods A randomiz...

The recording, identification, coding and classification of clinical decisions by intensive care nurses. Clinical decision-making is an essential dimension of nursing practice as through this process nurses make choices to meet the goals of patient care. Intensive care nurses' decision-making has received attention because of the complexity and urg...