An overview of occupational accidents notification systems within the enlarged EU

This paper describes a comparative analysis of the official forms used for reporting occupational accidents within the EU-27 member states. The comparison is based on two analysis grids (coding schedule) created to that effect, which incorporate a set of evaluation criteria and an interpretation key. The results obtained in the analysis allowed for attention to be drawn to the relevant attributes of such forms in terms of their content and format/structure. It also revealed the main similarities and differences between each country, providing a complete assessment of the 27 member states. The discussion gives account of the level of implementation of the "new" Eurostat variables within the European Statistics of Accidents at Work (ESAW). Furthermore, the study shows that certain formats (structure of information fields) appear to facilitate completeness of the information collected. It has also demonstrated that the European harmonisation process is still far from completion, although the newcomer states seem to be adjusting quickly to the process. The findings of this study may bring useful insights to national authorities and European policy-makers, or to employers/enterprises wishing to implement their internal procedures aligned with the ESAW methodology. The scientific community is another interest group, whose research relies on official statistics, preferably comparable across all countries.     

Gender differences in psychosocial predictors of self-perceived health status in the elderly: Evidence from a Brazilian community study

ABSTRACT

This article aims to identify the psychosocial factors associated with self-perceived health status in the Brazilian elderly population and to present differences related to gender. The data were collected by questionnaire, including sociodemographic and behavioral questions, and scales for psychological dimensions. Self-perceived health status is related to level of education, physical activity, and self-efficacy in the total population. Regarding gender differences, self-rated health status among men is related to education level and self-efficacy and in women to level of education, physical activity, social support, and self-efficacy. These results can inform future health promotion interventions.     

The LORS-enabled dialogue: improving insight in psychotic illnesses

Patients often underestimate the degree of their psychiatric illness and consequently have difficulty effectively participating in interventions to optimize recovery. This problem of insight may be connected with neurological difficulties resulting in poor explicit memory; however, most interventions nurses use to help patients improve their understanding of illness rely on explicit memory. The discrepancy between clinician and patient scores on the Levels of Recovery from Psychotic Disorders Scale (LORS) has been correlated with measures of insight and psychopathology. This difference can be used in a therapeutic dialogue, the LORS-Enabled Dialogue (LED). This intervention engages patients' implicit memory, asking a series of open-ended questions and using motivational interviewing to help promote patients' attainment of life goals. Large-scale studies of this intervention are currently underway and should help better define questions about the effectiveness of the LED.