The negative effect of the pharmaceuticals presence (persistence?) in various components of the environment is a global problem today. These compounds are released into the environment as a result of, inter alia, their use and improper disposal. Therefore, it is important to reduce excessive drug consumption and to develop a system for the collection of unused/expired pharmaceuticals. The effectiveness of actions in this area is inextricably linked with the need to educate society on how to deal properly with unwanted medications. The aim of the study was to show that the inappropriate handling of unused/expired drugs by society is an important problem in waste management systems, and it impacts the state of the environment. Forty-eight scientific articles published between 2012 and 2021 were taken into account that discussed the systems in various countries for the collection of unused/expired pharmaceuticals. This literature review shows that the main method of disposing of unused/expired medications, according to respondents from different countries, is either by disposing of them in household waste or flushing them into the sewage system. This is also the case in countries with systems or programs for the return of redundant drugs, which indicates that these systems are not sufficiently effective. This may be influenced by many factors, including the lack or ineffective education of the society.

Background: E-prescribing is the most important achievement in the automation of the healthcare sector in Poland. Obligatory electronic prescribing came into force on 8 January 2020. This innovation significantly changes the work of doctors. Therefore, it is useful to identify the factors that have an impact on doctors’ acceptance levels for the new technology. Methods: This study employs a survey based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) method. Our questionnaire was completed by 144 family doctors in Poland during the technology implementation phase and the initial period of obligatory e-prescribing, between 1 December 2019 and 1 March 2020. Results: The results of the survey indicate that doctors do not believe that e-prescribing improves the effectiveness of their work. In addition, this attitude does not depend on the age of the respondent. We also found, regarding the influence of societal attitudes, that doctors only rarely consider the opinions of others in relation to their job. Conclusions: The implementation of new technologies in the healthcare system must be accompanied by consideration of how user-friendly the technologies are, and whether the users will have appropriate technical and financial support.

E-prescription is already used in many countries, improving the standard of patient care. Officially, from 8 January 2020 e-prescribing has been obligated in Poland. Physicians’ and pharmacists’ opinions on e-prescribing have been widely researched and reported in the literature. In contrast, patients’ perception has, to date, received little attention. For this reason, the aim of this study was to find the features and functionalities of e-prescribing that are desired by the public and influence the positive evaluation of this tool, according to patient opinion. In order to obtain data, a questionnaire was completed by 456 randomly selected adults. The obtained results indicated that only eight people (1.8%) did not know what e-prescription is. Of the remaining 448 individuals, 72.1% prefer e-prescription because it is more convenient for them. Most patients (62.1%) also recognize that e-prescribing makes it easier to purchase medications on behalf of another patient. Based on the study, it can be concluded that e-prescription is well evaluated by Polish patients. A large percentage of respondents were positive about obtaining prescriptions for continued treatment, without a personal doctor visit. Therefore, it is reasonable to maintain the possibility of such contact with a physician. The most popular, and preferred, method of receiving e-prescriptions is via SMS. However, it is necessary to offer different options for obtaining prescriptions, to meet the needs of different populations.

Background: Professional burnout in the medical community has been present for a long time, also among mental health professionals. The aim of the study was to examine the links between loneliness, complaining and professional burnout among medical personnel in psychiatric care during a pandemic. Loneliness and complaining of the medical staff are not documented in the literature well enough. Methods: Oldenburg Burnout Questionnaire, the Loneliness Scale, the Complaint Questionnaire and author’s questionnaire. The respondents: 265 medical employees—doctors (19.2%), nurses (69.8%), paramedics (4.9%), medical caregivers (5.7%). Results: Loneliness and complaining are significant predictors of exhaustion. The model explains 18% of exhaustion variance. Loneliness, complaining and job seniority are also predictors of disengagement; the model allows to predict 10% of the variance of disengagement. Women are more prone to complain. Complaining significantly correlates with direct support from management. A high rate of loneliness correlates, in a statistically significant way, with worse work organization, less management support, worse atmosphere in the team and with more irresponsible attitudes of colleagues. Conclusions: Loneliness and complaining can be used to predict occupational burnout. Women and people without management support complain more often. Loneliness is connected with bad work organization and bad cooperation in a team.

The study aimed to investigate the situation of nurse prescribing, introduced in Poland in 2016, by analyzing the opinions of nurses, expected to be influential on nurses’ actual practices, in response to legislative change to enable nurses to prescribe and comparing this with actual nurse prescribing behaviours during the early years of the legislation. The paper fills a knowledge gap and provides baseline data analysis for subsequent research. Nurses’ opinions were collected during the period they were preparing themselves for prescribing. That data was compared with data on the character and extent of nurses’ actual prescribing practices over the first two years of implementation. The study showed the number of nurse prescriptions increased. Comparing the first and second years of nurse prescribing, the number of nurse independent prescriptions more than doubled. Over the same period, the number of nurse supplementary prescriptions increased almost six-fold. The implementation of nurse prescribing has increased the scope of nursing care, especially in the treatment of the infections, pain and chronic conditions in the elderly.