Background. Post-traumatic craniofacial injuries associated with bone fractures lead to serious morphological, functional and aesthetic complications which may negatively affect the physical and mental condition of the patient throughout the recovery period. Objectives. The aim of this study was the evaluation of complaints and well-being in patients during the short-and long-term period following injury to the lower face, as well as an assessment of the effects of age and sex in the examined parameters. Material and methods. The research group included 42 patients with injury to the lower face. The patients' well-being and the most common functional problems following treatment were assessed using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, with significance level assumed at p < 0.05. Results. A period of 8 months following injury of the lower face was sufficient for the patients to achieve significant improvement in the quality of life. Improvement in well-being, according to OHIP-14, by approx. 11.9 points +/- 11.7 points, was highly significant (p < 0.001). The most frequent complaints included pain in the maxillofacial area, difficulties with consumption of food and dissatisfaction due to the necessary change of diet. The factors of age (p = 0.2839) and sex (p = 0.6047) did not significantly affect improvement in well-being. Conclusions. During both the short-and long-term period following injury of the lower face, the most frequent complaints included pain in the maxillofacial region, problems with eating food and dissatisfaction due to change in diet. The study has shown that during the period of 8 months after the injury, there was a significant improvement in the quality of life assessed with OHIP-14. Age and gender do not significantly affect the quality of life after injury to the lower face.

The patient safety climate is a key element of quality in healthcare. It should be a priority in the healthcare systems of all countries in the world. The goal of patient safety programs is to prevent errors and reduce the potential harm to patients when using healthcare services. A safety climate is also necessary to ensure a safe working environment for healthcare professionals. The attitudes of healthcare workers toward patient safety in various aspects of work, organization and functioning of the ward are important elements of the organization’s safety culture. The aim of this study was to determine the perception of the patient safety climate by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted in five European countries. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) short version was used for the study. A total of 1061 healthcare workers: physicians, nurses and paramedics, participated in this study. Results: All groups received the highest mean results on the stress recognition subscale (SR): nurses 98.77, paramedics 96.39 and physician 98.28. Nurses and physicians evaluated work conditions (WC) to be the lowest (47.19 and 44.99), while paramedics evaluated perceptions of management (PM) as the worst (46.44). Paramedics achieved statistically significantly lower scores compared to nurses and physicians in job satisfaction (JS), stress recognition (SR) and perception of management (PM) (p < 0.0001). Paramedics compared to nurses and physicians rank better in working conditions (WC) in relation to patient safety (16.21%). Most often, persons of lower seniority scored higher in all subscales (p = 0.001). In Poland, Spain, France, Turkey, and Greece, healthcare workers scored highest in stress recognition (SR). In Poland, Spain, France, and Turkey, they assessed working conditions (WC) as the worst, while in Greece, the perception of management (PM) had the lowest result. Conclusion: Participant perceptions about the patient safety climate were not at a particularly satisfactory level, and there is still a need for the development of patient safety culture in healthcare in Europe. Overall, positive working conditions, good management and effective teamwork can contribute to improving employees’ attitudes toward patient safety. This study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and should be repeated after its completion, and comparative studies will allow for a more precise determination of the safety climate in the assessment of employees.

Effective communication and emotional intelligence (EI) are essential to ethically grounded, patient-centred care, particularly when delivering bad news (BBN). Despite growing attention in international healthcare education, empirical data from Central and Eastern Europe remain scarce. Methods this cross-sectional study surveyed 929 Polish healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, paramedics, midwives, and physiotherapists). Standardised instruments included the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale (HP-CSS), the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE), and the Breaking Bad News Attitudes Scale (BBNAS). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regression. Results nurses, and to a lesser extent physicians, demonstrated stronger communication competencies and higher openness to breaking bad news (BBNAS Openness). Both positive (informative communication, INTE I – using emotions in reasoning) and negative predictors (Respect, INTE II – recognising emotions) were identified. Effect sizes were small (η² ≤ 0.04; adjusted R² = 0.02–0.06), indicating that, although statistically significant, the findings had a limited practical impact. Conclusions the findings underscore the significance of emotional intelligence and practical communication skills in equipping healthcare professionals to manage emotionally demanding interactions effectively. Tailored training integrated into medical education may foster more confident, ethical, and patient-centred BBN practices. However, the modest effect sizes suggest that multiple psychological and organisational factors contribute to readiness.

The profession of a paramedic involves a constant contact with traumatic events - road accidents, disasters, acts of violence and so on. As a consequence of such frequent and long-lasting exposure to traumatic events, paramedics are prone to developing PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder). This is a chronic disorder impacting cognitive, emotional, behavioral and somatic experiences. As a result of a prolonged exposure to stressful events, such condition can be life threatening. There are two ways of diagnosing PTSD: structured interviews and self-rating questionnaires (self-rating scales). The researcher should choose the best method possible relying not only on its procedure. In addition, merit based factors and psychometric parameters should be taken into consideration. The present article provides an overview of both Polish as well as foreign PTSD assessment methods, which could be incorporated into the research conducted in a group of paramedics.