Which CoHeReNt members are involved?
Jaroslav Rosenberger (jaroslav.rosenberger@upjs.sk)
Peter Kolarčik, Andrea Madarasová Gecková, Ivana Skoumalová, Aurel Zelko, Daniela Husárová, Veronika Pačutová

We closely collaborate with several clinical work-places across Slovakia, e.g. Department of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Stomatology, Fresenius Medical Care

What does the team do?
The research team conducts research activities that aim to explore how to eliminate health inequalities caused by chronic diseases and how to promote quality of life in patients with such conditions. The overall aim is to increase the efficiency of chronic disease management regarding both, patients and healthcare providers.

What methods does the team use?
The team uses cross-sectional as well as longitudinal designs to collect, analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data regarding patients´ health status.

What are the team’s most remarkable projects?

Our team participates in several research projects based on collaboration between the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice within the research program Chronic Diseases.

Health literacy and the responsiveness of the health care system

Our research in this area focused on health literacy profiles typical for various chronic diseases and their association with functional health, quality of life, and mortality. We aimed to identify the key areas to target interventions that would increase patients’ health literacy and improve the responsiveness of the healthcare system to specific health literacy-related needs of patients with various health conditions. (Research project “Utilization of the health literacy profile to improve the management of chronic diseases” was supported by the Research and Development Support Agency under Contract No. APVV-16-0490 (2017-2021).

In collaboration with the FMC dialysis services, we conducted the research focusing on the health literacy in dialyzed patients and on its association with adherence, psychological well-being, quality of life, functional health, and mortality.

In collaboration with 1^st Stomatology clinic (Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University) and the Department of Dental Hygiene (Faculty of Health Care, University of Presov) our team studied the effects of the individual level of health literacy on the oral health status of the patients from dental hygiene clinics around Slovakia.

Physical activity and the patient´s health and quality of life

Another project is focusing on physical activity and its benefits for dialyzed patients as well as on its´ applicability in the dialysis setting. We interviewed health care professionals about the benefits and barriers for such intervention and the findings of our research aim to inform future strategies for supporting patients’ health and quality of life with this chronic condition. This work “Secondary Prevention of Dialysis Patients: Aspects of Physical Activity, Quality of Life and Application of Movement Program in Dialysis Workplace Environment” was supported by the UPJS funding under the contract No. VVGS-2019-1069 (2019-2021).

Our team also collaborates with the Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry (Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice) in an exploration of micro-ribonucleic acids roles in patients´ clinical profiles and adaptation of skeletal muscle tissue on exercise and inactivity. The understanding of miRNAs functions in different conditions of patients is an important part of the future development of advanced therapies in renal care.

Health care providers in the first-line and the second victims’ phenomenon

The research team is also involved in the new project concerning COVID-19 from the perspective of health care professionals. In collaboration with the PURE consortium (Palacky University Olomouc, University of Groningen, University of Galway, University in Oxford) our research will focus on health care providers in the first line during the pandemic with the aim to explore the burden of the pandemics on their work, psychological wellbeing and trauma, second victims phenomenon and the legal, cultural and work environment contexts. This project “PURE Spreading scientific excellence to improve the health of vulnerable groups” was supported by the UPJS funding under contract No. VVGS 2020-1444 (2020 – 2021).

As one of the participating institutions, Coherent-Community Health Research Network participates in the project COST CA19113 The European Researchers’ Network Working on Second Victims (2020 – 2024). The second victim phenomenon refers to healthcare professionals who are involved in an adverse event where the patient’s health is affected negatively (first victim). Such an event brings negative consequences for the working life of the health professional but also for the health care organization. It has a negative impact on the quality of health care and patient safety. The aim of the project is to facilitate discussion, share scientific knowledge, improve legislation, and reveal the examples of good practice related to adverse events in the health care context.

More information here https://cost-ernst.eu/

Supporting emerging care economy, empowering caregivers to provide safe care at home

Our team also participates in the European Cooperation in Science and Technology project Supporting emerging care economy, empowering caregivers to provide safe care at home (BETTERCARE) on the provision of safety care at home, particularly on the consequences of caregivers’ errors and conditions that ensure an error-free care environment at home (COST CA22152; 2023-2027). The Care Economy is a groundbreaking field due to population ageing and the increase of non-communicable diseases. Caregiving at home has increased in the complexity of care and intensity, which augmented the risk of making errors impacting on both, recipients’ health and caregivers’ wellbeing. The project  will provide opportunities to re-think national and international deinstitutionalization policies, ensuring the same care safety at home as the one received in residential facilities, assessing available resources to meet the qualification threshold, and modifying the support net available for the management of the risk of caregiving and dispensing medications at home.

More information here https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA22152/

Other research projects

We also conducted research focused on biomedical and psychosocial factors related to functional status and well-being of patients with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease; development in functional status and quality of life among children with renal disease; perceived health status in patients with chronic kidney failure and after kidney transplantation; functional status and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis patients; social class and its impact on a patient’s functional status and recovery process after cardiological or cardiosurgical intervention; coronary heart disease from a psychosocial perspective: socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities among Slovak patients and others.

This work as a part of the project “Utilization of the health literacy profile to improve the management of chronic diseases” was supported by the Research and Development Support Agency under Contract No. APVV-16-0490.