Background: Epidemiological data indicate that low back pain (LBP) affected 619 million people globally in 2020, representing a significant health and economic burden. Additionally, chronic LBP (cLBP) strongly impairs quality of life and leads to disability and premature retirement, thus emphasizing the need for providing deeper insight into the factors that affect treatment outcomes and for offering thorough guidance for the assessment and management of this condition. Taking into consideration the rising prevalence of cLBP and the knowledge gap referring to the overall health benefits of balneotherapy (BT), the aim of this study was to assess the effects of BT on functional status, quality of life, and psychological symptoms in patients with cLBP. Methods: Among 220 patients from the database, two groups were retrospectively identified: patients receiving conventional pharmacological therapy (CT) and patients receiving BT. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed through a visual analog scale for pain intensity, EuroQol (EQ-5D), and the Work Ability Index Questionnaire. In order to provide deeper insight into the quality of life and also factors associated with functional status and mental health affected by BT, we also used the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire and the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Both age and treatment protocol were found to have a significant impact on all observed parameters, i.e., older patients and those receiving CT tended to report lower overall health and physical functioning. On the other hand, BT was associated with better functionality and disability perception status. Conclusions: Understanding the association between individual perceptions of functionality and its emotional and social elements provides a basis for providing comprehensive guidelines and recommendations for cLBP management.

Social restrictions and changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as a global emergency, are becoming particularly pronounced in the field of education. It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion students have experienced school and university closures during the pandemic, which has affected numerous aspects of student life and activities. The rapid transformation of the teaching process and learning methods poses a major challenge for students, teachers and the education system as a whole. During the pandemic, patterns are also changing in the implementation of clinical teaching, which has been canceled, postponed or transferred to “online” activities for the safety of students and patients. All of the above contributes to the emergence of various dimensions of the “burnout” syndrome among health science students around the world. They also become a vulnerable group with changes in their health status and behavior, work and family environment, social contacts, but also the development of work skills. This review summarizes the impact of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergence of different dimensions of burnout in nursing students and presents a brief overview of the history, consequences, prevalence and perspectives for overcoming it. The aim of this review is to assess the impact of distance learning and abrupt changes in teaching methods in the field of nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergence of burnout, as well as to analyze the predictors that influenced its development under these conditions.

Background and Objectives: Urban–rural health disparities reflect differences in health outcomes, healthcare access, and socio-economic conditions between populations. In Serbia, limited research has quantified how socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics influence settlement type and healthcare utilization. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between settlement type and socio-demographic/socio-economic factors, and to assess whether these differences are reflected in patterns of healthcare utilization. Materials and Methods: Data were drawn from the 2019 Serbian National Health Survey, a nationally representative, stratified, two-stage random sample including 12,439 adults aged ≥20 years. Settlement type (urban vs. rural) was the primary dependent variable. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and t-tests, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess associations. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Urban residence was more likely among unmarried individuals, those living in Šumadija/Central Serbia, and those with higher education. Primary or lower education reduced the odds of urban residence, and middle-income groups were less likely to live in urban areas compared to the richest. Settlement type was not significantly associated with hospital or day hospital use. However, rural residents had lower use of prescribed medicines, higher use of non-prescribed medicines, and more frequent physiotherapy visits. Private practice use was over twice as likely in urban settlements. Conclusions: To address urban–rural healthcare disparities in Serbia, targeted strategies could include enhancing health literacy in rural areas, incentivizing physicians to work in underserved regions, expanding telemedicine and mobile health services, improving access to prescribed medications, and strengthening public–private healthcare integration to ensure equitable access across all settlement types.

Background: Alarming data indicates that low back pain (LBP) affected around 619 million people globally in 2020, that presenting significant health and economic burden. Importantly, the chronic LBP (cLBP) strongly impairs quality of life and leads to disability and premature retirement thus emphasizing the urgent need for providing deeper insight into the factors that affect treatment outcomes and offer thorough guidance for the assessment and management of this disease. Taking into consideration the rising prevalence of cLBP and knowledge gap referring to the overall health benefits of balneotherapy (BT), the aim of this study was to assess the effects of BT on functional status, quality of life and psychological symptoms in patients with cLBP. Methods: A total 210 patients were recruited and divided into two groups: patients receiving conventional pharmacological therapy (CT) and receiving BT. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed on the basis of Visual Analog Scale for pain intensity, EuroQol (EQ-5D) for the patient’s self-rated health and Work Ability Index Questionnaire to evaluate functional ability. In order to provide deeper insight into the quality of life and also factors associated with the functional status and mental health affected by BT, we also used the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire and Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Our findings suggest that BT significantly contributed to reduction of pain, better functionality and disability perception status. Conclusions: Understanding the association between individual perceptions of functionality, emotional and social elements provides basis for providing comprehensive guidelines and recommendations for cLBP management.

Introduction/Aim: Knowledge and awareness of the importance of the HPV vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) can greatly contribute to the reduction of cervical cancer and other malignant tumors. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of students about HPV infection, as well as to propose measures for the better coverage of young people with the HPV vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 449 students of healthcare of the Medical College of Applied Sciences in Belgrade in the period from March to May, 2019. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact tests were used for the statistical analysis of data. Results: The average age of students was 21.02 ± 2.59 years. 86.0% of students assessed their knowledge about the HPV vaccine as satisfactory. Teachers had the greatest influence on their knowledge about the HPV vaccine (79.7%), followed by the electronic media (10.7%). Medical platforms for information about the HPV vaccine were used by only 9% of students. Students acquired the first information and a certain degree of knowledge about HPV infection and the HPV vaccine in high school (80.4% and 65.6%). Only 3.4% of students think that young people in Serbia are sufficiently informed about HPV infection and 0.4% about the HPV vaccine. Every second student believes that peer education in schools is one of the ways to better inform young people. About 94% of students know that there is an organized screening for cervical cancer in our country. Only 10.2% of students wanted to vaccinate their child with the HPV vaccine, and those who would not do so cite the insufficient information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine as their main argument (81.6%). Respondents who were for the HPV vaccine significantly less frequently underwent regular gynecological examinations. Conclusion: Students of the Medical College of Applied Sciences in Belgrade believe that there should be better education about HPV infection and the vaccine, which could be best realized by conducting peer education.