Plėtros tarnyba (02.18)

Brain health is gaining growing attention in both the healthcare and broader society, prompting significant and wellfounded debate. Recognizing the central role of the brain in overall health, WHO has prioritized brain health, defining it as the ability to function across various domains throughout lifespan. Critical elements for maintaining optimal brain health include proactive assessment of genetic and modifiable risks, implementation of targeted risk reduction strategies, and cognitive enhancement through physical and mental training. These elements are essential for preventing cognitive decline and promoting neurological well-being, especially in high-risk populations, and underscore the need for integrated health care approaches that actively address these factors. With aging populations brain health becomes crucial not only from preventive perspective, but also from the perspective of health and social care providers. Recently, the European Commission in the framework of the Eu4Health programme supported the JADE Health Joint Action (Joint Action for DEmentia Health project) as a significant EU initiative dedicated to mitigating the burden and stigma associated with dementia and other neurological disorders. This project aims to achieve this through enhanced prevention, early detection, and holistic care strategies. During the presentation JADE work packages, focusing on care pathways of people with neurodegenerative diseases, timely recognition of neurocognitive disorders, person centered care and prevention will be discussed. We hope that JADE Health project will gain valuable insights into the global impact of dementia, encompassing its influence on society, the environment, families, and broader social spheres.

Socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care are important challenges for public health. In terms of health inequalities, Lithuania is among the most unfavourable countries in the European Union. In 2014, the Lithuanian Parliament approved its “Health Programme 2014-2025”. One strategic goal of this programme is to reduce health and health care inequalities in Lithuania. Between 2014 and 2016 the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, Klaipeda University and the Institute of Hygiene implemented a project called “Development of a Model for Strengthening Capacities to Identify and Reduce Health Inequalities”. This project was financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 Programme “Public Health Initiatives” and implemented in 2014-2016. The purpose of the project was to develop an evidence-based platform for health and health care inequalities to monitor and strengthen the administrative capacities of personnel involved in policy making at national and municipal levels. It included four main actions: 1) analysis of the present situation in monitoring and reducing health inequalities; 2) development of a sustainable health inequalities monitoring system; 3) development of a set of recommendations for public health professionals for health inequalities reduction; and 4) capacity development of public health professionals and health policy makers in the area of health inequalities. We expect that recommendations coming from this project will contribute to change practices in the target groups, thereby improving public health and reducing health and health care inequalities in Lithuania. Moreover, this model could serve as an example relevant for other countries confronted with the task of tackling health inequalities. Socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care are major challenges for public health in most countries. However, the vast majority of scie. [...].

The issue presents both theoretical and empirical data illustrating that distance learning may play an important role for continuous professional development of physicians. However, there are challenges and paradoxes that have to be overcome, and sometimes this is quite a difficult process. The purpose of this issue is to analyze and present theoretical and empirical findings about the ways that physicians interpret the distance learning for their continuous professional development. The concept of the distance learning is introduced in the first part of the article. The characteristics of research participants are revealed in the second part. The third part of the article describes the results of empiric research (aimed at finding out physician’s attitude to distance learning of continuous professional development. Introduction In the health sector, and especially medicine, odontology and nursing, distance learning was implemented later than in other fields due to their particularity and the set objectives in them. Great advancement of technologies and the increased need caused the fact that distance learning turned to be one of most significant alternatives for traditional learning methods, allocated to health care workers in order to renew information continuously [1]. Problem question of the research: Is continuous professional development acceptable for physicians’ contemporary distance learning (internet based courses)? The object of the study is distance education (internet based) courses for physicians’ continuous professional development. The study aims at revealing physician’s attitude to distance learning of continuous professional development. Methodology. Structuralism; it states that for the purpose of studying a complex object, it is possible to divide it into elements and functions, and, having analyzed those separately, the entire object may be interpreted through joining the analyzed parts... [...].