In today’s increasingly interconnected globe, there continues to be a pressing need for thorough research that can shed light on the causes of HIV-related mortality and the primary factors at play in this epidemic. By using an annual dataset, this study analyzed the impact of behavioral risk factors, income, and human capital on HIV-related deaths (HIVD) across all countries and regions. The empirical findings of the panel regression demonstrate that drug use and unsafe sex have a statistically significant and positive effect on HIVD. On the other hand, mean years spent in school and gross national income per capita both have a statistically significant and negative influence on HIVD. The findings of the variance decomposition suggest that drug use should be confronted in wealthy nations to lower HIVD, but both human capital and economic development have a greater influence on the battle against HIVD in underdeveloped and developing countries. In addition, the findings of the panel Granger causality test demonstrate that factors other than unsafe sex can be used as leading indicators in the process of forecasting HIVD. According to these findings, economic variables, as well as behavioral risk factors in emerging nations, and in industrialized countries, should be taken into account when formulating strategies for preventing HIV/AIDS.

Background: Palliative care patients often do not have decision-making capacity at the end of life so this patient group is vulnerable to violations of patient safety. Aim: To determine the attitudes of nurses in palliative care centres in Turkey towards the patient safety culture and to identify factors affecting these. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional design using self-report questionnaires was used. Results: The mean Patient Safety Culture Scale points of the whole group were 2.91 ± 0.44. In the sub-dimensions of the scale, the highest points were determined in Employee Training (2.99 ± 0.51) and the lowest in Unexpected Events and Error Reporting (2.81 ± 0.54). Conclusions: Patient safety culture is related to nurses’ working conditions and the attitude of management towards errors, etc. The results of this study will provide a contribution to the development of healthcare and healthcare training policies for critical units vulnerable to patient safety violations.

Objective and Background: Lung cancer is the most common carcinoma reported worldwide. The burden of lung carcinoma on healthcare has been reported in many countries, while a real‐life report within Turkey has yet to be published. This study aims to present the available results from a tertiary center specializing in pulmonology. Methods: The study's population consisted of 199.112 patient admissions, which were reimbursed under the national healthcare system. After exclusion criteria, 4.991 patients were evaluated in the study. The patient's demographic data, malignancy types, diagnostic methods for lung carcinoma type and staging, and treatment modalities were recorded. Results: The average healthcare expenditure during the treatment duration was 4289.4 (± 3739.4) USD, and the median was 3219.9 USD. The average expenditure was higher for male patients (3260 to 2977 USD, p = 0.003). Survivors had an overall lower healthcare expenditure than the non‐survivor group (2865 to 4230 USD). Patients with locally advanced disease classification also had a higher expenditure on other stages ( p < 0.001). This was not present in SCLC, as those diagnosed with SCLC had the most expenditure at the limited stage ( p < 0.001). Carcinoid tumors had the least expenditure compared to other subtypes at limited and advanced stages ( p < 0.001). SCLC had the highest expenditure requirement at the limited stage ( p < 0.001). At the locally advanced stage, large cell carcinoma, SCC, and adenocarcinoma were the subtypes requiring the highest expenditure ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: The parameters affecting overall cost were age, gender, stage, and malignancy subtype. The healthcare expenditure was also affected by the difficulty of diagnosis, with the non‐diagnostic patient group having an overall higher cost. A longer duration of hospitalization and treatment given on an inpatient basis also contributed to a higher cost of care.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the quality of life (QoL) of earthquake survivors who experienced 2 major earthquakes in Türkiye on February 6, 2023, with different measurement tools. Methods: The study was conducted in 2 centers with a total of 467 participants. For QoL measurement, face-to-face Euroqol EQ-5D-5L, Euroqol Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS), and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) measurement tools were used. Results: On the EQ-5D-5L scale, most of the participants stated that they struggled the most with the anxiety/Depression dimension. In NHP, the highest mean score is in the Emotional Reaction section. Females and the 55+ age group were found to have worse QoL. A linear and moderate correlation was found between the EQ-5D-5L index value and the EQ-VAS score; an inverse, weak, or moderate correlation was found between the EQ-VAS score and the sections of the NHP scores; an inverse and strong correlation was found between the Nottingham Health Profile Distress (NHP-D) score and the EQ-5D-5L index value. Conclusions: The findings obtained with the measurement tools used in this study reveal various dimensions affecting the QoL of different cohorts. In addition, the study provides important evidence for policies to be developed to increase post-earthquake QoL.

Background/aim: The study aimed to contribute to the literature with a reliable and valid scale for hospitals to be used in determining the current patient safety culture and following up on its development.Materials and methods: The study was conducted with the participation of 1137 healthcare professionals selected using the convenience sampling method in 3 secondary-care state hospitals and three research and training hospitals, one of which was affiliated with a medical faculty, and two were affiliated with the Health Sciences University. To begin with, to discover the latent structure of the items on the scale, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed. Additionally, to determine the factor structure of the scale, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) method was used. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to check the reliability of the responses.Results: According to Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO = 0.924) coefficient and the result of Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2 = 9748.777, df = 770), it was determined that the data structure was suitable for factor analysis. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the total scale was found to be 0.921. According to the EFA results, the scale was determined to have seven subscales, which were 1. Organizational Learning, Development, and Communication, 2. Management Support and Leadership, 3. Reporting Patient Safety Events, 4. Number of Personnel and Working Hours, 5. Response to Error, 6. Teamwork, and 7. Working Environment. The goodness-of-fit index results of the scale showed a good model fit (χ 2/ df = 3.04, RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.97, NFI = 0.95, IFI = 0.97, SRMR = 0.06). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the subscales varied between 0.66 and 0.91.Conclusion: The results showed that the Patient Safety Scale for Hospitals is a valid and reliable measurement instrument for healthcare professionals.

Background/aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate why dementia patients (DPs) are admitted to a palliative care center (PCC) and which factors affect the length of stay (LOS) of DPs in the PCC, and to predict the course of the disease. Materials and methods: The files of DPs were scanned retrospectively in the PCC between 2013 and 2016. Data related to age, sex, LOS, symptoms, clinical conditions, comorbidities, and prognosis were recorded. Results: The study included 85 DPs with a mean age of 84.1 +/- 6.7 years. LOS was determined as a median of 15.0 days. While LOS decreased due to age and cancer, it increased due to pressure injury. Although mortality was increased by LOS, it was decreased by hypertension, mobilization, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Among the DPs who were admitted to the PCC, the death rate was 54.1% and the discharge rate was 45.9%. Conclusion: It is concluded that adopting a palliative care approach eases symptom management. While this approach decreases the burden of symptoms, it at the same time increases the quality of life of DPs and their families.