Background. Attitudes towards conventional and complementary medicine among future healthcare professionals can impact their future pharmacotherapy practice. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predisposing factors related to self-medication among medical and pharmacy students. Methods. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, on first- and final-year students of medicine and pharmacy. The multivariate Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to identify the main predictors of self-medication. Results. The overall self-medication prevalence in the past year was 81.3%. Independent risk factors for self-medication identified in the regression analysis were the final study year, housing condition, i.e., living in a leased apartment or in a student dormitory in comparison to living with parents, and cigarette consumption. The conventional drugs were the most frequently used, mostly for the symptoms of cold and pain. Final-year students had more confidence in conventional medicines than in herbal drugs and were more aware of the risks of their concomitant use. Conclusion. Self-medication is highly prevalent among students of medical sciences, especially among final-year students. Increased medical knowledge led to the higher awareness of the drug interaction risks.

The aim of this study was to determine and describe trends in antibiotics utilization in Serbia over a ten-year period. Data were retrieved from publicly available annual reports (2010–2019). The results were expressed as Defined Daily Dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID). All calculations were performed using the DDD values for the 2020 Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) version for each year of the study, to account for the DDD changes during the study period. Antibiotics were classified using the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) classification. Total utilization of antibacterials for systemic use increased from 17.25 DID in 2010 to 28.65 DID in 2019. A statistically significant increasing trend in the use of the Watch category antibiotics was observed. A tendency towards use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, apparent by a statistically significant increase in the rate of utilization of broad-spectrum macrolides, quinolones and third-generation cephalosporins vs. narrow-spectrum ones, as well as a significant increasing trend in the use of quinolones was identified. Total antibiotic utilization was found to be well above the European average. Several specific problem areas were identified, which requires further efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing. The present study provides the information needed to facilitate antibiotic stewardship in Serbia further and proposes specific interventions to optimize antibiotic use in Serbia.

One Health, as a multi-disciplinary approach, considers animal, human, and environmental health. Serbia continuously records high rates of antimicrobial resistance, with a knowledge gap on practices regarding veterinary antibiotic use, as no standardized data regarding veterinary consumption of antibiotics that would allow for temporal or spatial comparison are available in Serbia. This study aimed to describe the sales of veterinary antibiotics in Serbia. Aggregated wholesale data on veterinary drug sales were retrieved from the annual reports available from the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of the Republic of Serbia for a period between 2017 and 2020. Veterinary use was analyzed using standard European Medicines Agency proposed methodology and expressed in milligrams of active substance per population correction unit (mg/PCU). Overall, there has been a 13% increase in aggregated sales, in mg/PCU, of antibiotic veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) for food-producing animals in Serbia between 2017 and 2020. With sales of around 110 mg/PCU in 2020, Serbia would have ranked ninth in Europe. In 2020, the overall highest-selling antibiotic classes were penicillins (27.62 mg/PCU), tetracyclines (27.54 mg/PCU), and aminoglycosides (12.8 mg/PCU), accounting for 61.9% of the total sales of antibiotic VMPs for food-producing animals, in mg/PCU. An increase in the use of macrolides and lincosamides and a decrease in the use of penicillins and the group classified as “other antibacterials” was noted. The current study identified an increase in the sales of veterinary antibiotics in Serbia and pointed out several potential problem areas.

Background/Objectives: Adequate knowledge and correct attitudes about the HPV vaccine influence awareness of the importance of preventing HPV-related diseases, which is particularly important for future healthcare professionals. We aim to examine the share of correct answers and the prevalence of different attitudes about the HPV vaccine among active regular students of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 November 2023 using a structured survey questionnaire. Results: A total of 1760 students were included, of which 78% were female, with an average age of 21 years. Students who participated in prior HPV education) demonstrated significantly higher knowledge (81.92% vs. 65.60%, p < 0.001) and were more likely to recommend the vaccine to patients (89.91% vs. 82.99%, p < 0.001). Almost all vaccinated students (99.41%) would recommend the vaccine, compared to 82.91% of unvaccinated students (p < 0.001). Students who actively sought HPV information also showed a higher likelihood of recommending the vaccine (93.05% vs. 83.02%, p < 0.001). Moreover, those with sufficient self-assessed knowledge were more inclined to recommend the vaccine (89.88%) than those with insufficient knowledge (81.66%, p < 0.001). The analysis demonstrated that an increase in the number of correct answers in the knowledge evaluation corresponds to higher odds of recommending the HPV vaccine to patients (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.17–1.28). Positive attitudes prevailed, with 68.89% supporting more education on HPV vaccination. Conclusions: Students who previously attended education on HPV infection/vaccination and those who would recommend the vaccine have significantly higher levels of knowledge. The study highlights the importance of HPV-related education in shaping future healthcare professionals’ attitudes and knowledge.

Background and Objectives: Burden of cervical cancer in Central and Eastern Europe is higher than in other parts of Europe. We analyzed cervical cancer epidemiology in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska) from January 2016 to December 2020, exploring the role of available sociodemographic factors and healthcare service parameters on incidence and mortality rates, using an ecological approach based on aggregated data. Materials and Methods: Incidence and mortality rates are standardized using the method of direct standardization with the World-ASR-W. Administrative units are grouped by tertiles of incidence and mortality to explore sociodemographic factors and healthcare parameters across these groups. Results: Average age-standardized incidence rates of cervical cancer per 100,000 females were 19.28 in Serbia, 12.48 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 22.44 in the Republic of Srpska. Mortality rates per 100,000 females were 6.67, 5.22, and 4.56 in Serbia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Srpska, respectively. Several parameters of sociodemographics and health service usage differed significantly across units grouped by tertiles based on incidence level, i.e., female population ≥ 15 years old (p = 0.028), population density (p = 0.046), percent of gynecologists in the primary healthcare (p = 0.041), number of gynecologists per 10,000 females ≥ 15 years (p = 0.007), and the area-to-gynecologist ratio (p = 0.010). A moderate negative correlation was found between incidence and population density (rho = −0.465, p = 0.017), and a moderate positive correlation between incidence and area-to-gynecologist ratio (rho = 0.534, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer among women in developing countries. Implementing tailored activities, such as educational programs, preventive services, and investments in healthcare infrastructure, particularly at the administrative units’ level, can help in reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine the efficacy of tapentadol immediate release (IR) and morphine hydrochloride in the treatment of acute postoperative pain after total abdominal hysterectomy, as well as to examine the frequency of opioid-related side effects in observed patients. Materials and Methods: The prospective observational study was conducted over five months, and it included a total number of 100 patients. The two cohorts had different types of postoperative analgesia, and the effects were observed for 24 h postoperatively, by following the pain scores on NRS (Numerical Pain Scale), contentment with analgesia, and opioid-related side effects. Results: Statistical significance was found when assessing pain 24 h after surgery while coughing, where patients in the tapentadol IR group had significantly higher mean pain scores (p < 0.01). The subjective feeling of satisfaction with postoperative analgesia was statistically significant in the tapentadol IR group (p = 0.005). Vertigo appeared significantly more in patients from the morphine group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Tapentadol IR (immediate release) and morphine hydrochloride are both effective analgesics used in the first 24 h after total transabdominal hysterectomy. Overall satisfaction of patients with analgesia was good. The frequency of side effects was higher in the morphine group, with statistical significance regarding the vertigo.