The Project

Scientific Support of the Project "Creation of the Interregional Public Health Centre in Kilkis Prefecture"

 

Project Aims

Areas of action

Implementing Body

Development of electronic citizen information systems (infokiosks)

Use of infokiosks

Useful e-addresses

Bibliography

 

Project Aims

 

It aims to support the development and implementation of information systems of intervention and the interregional cooperation and the sharing and exchange of expertise for the protection of public health.

 

Areas of action

The project’s areas of action are the frontier regions of Greece and FYROM and specifically in Greece, the areas of coverage of Polikastro Health Centre in Kilkis and Arnissa Health Centre in Pella.

 

Implementing Body

 

The implementer of subproject 10 is the National School of Public Health.

The National School of Public Health is a research and educational institution focusing on Public Health, Health Service Administration and the like.

The School is involved in a) the postgraduate education, continual training and specialization of health professionals, b) scientific research and c) implementation of scientific programmes on public health, social medicine, health services administration and environmental protection.

Due to its reporting and monitoring of health indicators, the National School of Public Heath has assumed the role of main consultant to public and private organisations on matters pertaining to public health and health services administration.

 

Development of electronic citizen information systems (infokiosks)

 

One of the main aims of the current project is the development of electronic citizen information systems called infokiosks. Infokiosks are designed to provide users with a great deal of information in a simple and communicable fashion. Users have access to:

·         Information material on the existing health establishments (i.e., Hospital, Health Centers,Department/Specialty) in the greater area.

·         Information on various subject matters pertaining to health education and prevention and management of illness. These subject matters are divided into five categories including valuable information about child development, diseases and morbid conditions, health promotion, vaccinations and accidents.

The scientist in charge of the project is the professor of Health Economics in the National School of Public Health, John Kyriopoulos.

 

Participants in the text production process were the editors of the National School of Public Health, Elpida Pavi, Yiorgos Dounias and Manolis Papadogiannakis, as well as the fellow scientists of National School of Public Health, Antonia Vasilakou, Aggeliki Voskaki, Eleni Kornarou, Anna Maina, Polina Pantziou, Eftihios Trakakis and Areti Tsoga.

Various international web pages of similar material, especially the page of the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control), were used as information sources.

The scientific editors were Apostolos Dolgeras and Elpida Pavi, the linguistic editor and proofreader was Natassa Papadopoulou and the translator was Kostas Dolgeras.

Finally, the information gathering on health and care services of Kilkis and Pella prefectures was carried out by Lemonia Gaki.

 

Use of infokiosks

 

Public health matters have always been in the forefront of human societies, while dealing effectively with them reflects the level of culture and well being of each society. In the near past, diseases that afflicted human societies were dealt with effectively, especially through public health measures concerning clean water, sewers, house hygiene, healthy working conditions, drainage of swamps, widespread vaccinations for epidemic diseases etc. Greece was particularly successful in handling these matters and as a result infant, child and premature mortality rates dropped while life expectancy increased. Due to this fact, new problems emerged, such as degenerative diseases, especially the cardiovascular diseases, responsible for approximately half the deaths worldwide, and cancers. Thus public health came to include matters we got used to call “major health risks”, lifestyle problems (smoking, alcohol abuse etc.), social environment (safety and health at work, poverty and social exclusion) and natural environment problems (chemical, biological and radioactive pollution). At the same time, certain problems of communicable diseases and zoonoses not only persist, but some of them have exacerbated over the past years due to intense population and goods movement.

Raising awareness among citizens about these matters is considered of utmost importance internationally, therefore the selection of topics and information included in infokiosk was based on criteria of functionality, i.e. to what extent knowledge can help the users improve their health through lifestyle changes and better management of illness both on personal and familial level.

The health topics of infokiosk are divided into five major categories: "Child Development”, “Diseases and Conditions”, “Health Promotion”, “Immunisations” and “Accidents”. Each category is further divided into subcategories.

Information is provided in the form of simple questions that the user would possibly like to ask and the corresponding answers.

To facilitate the search, diseases and conditions were classified alphabetically so a user can find the requiring information about e.g. hypertension either following this path:

 

Health Issues – Diseases and Conditions – Cardiovascular Diseases – Hypertension

or this path:

 

A-Z of diseases and conditions – Hypertension

 

Particular focus was given to employ plain language on the one hand and maintain scientific accuracy on the other.

It has to be noted that the information provided is complimentary and not a substitute for doctors.

 

Useful e-addresses

• American Heart Association *
• American Stroke Association *
• Brain Attack Coalition *
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• National Stroke Association *
• www.arthritis.org
• apha.org
• diabetes-in-greece.gr
• www.diabetes.org
• Coronary Disease (Medline Plus)
• Angina: Interactive Tutorial (Medline Plus)
• Heart Attack (Medline Plus)
• "Recovering from Heart Problem Through Cardiac Rehabilitation: Patient Guide" (U.S. Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research)  Heart Attack: Interactive Tutorial (Medline Plus)
• NIOSHTIC-2 search results on Occupational Heart Disease

  Bibliography

 

Athanasiou, K. (1994) Health promotion for educators. Thessaloniki.

Greek Cancer Society (1992) Health and Smoking . Athens.

Guvra, M. et al (2001) Health promotion at school. Athens:Typothito.

UMHRI (2002) Greek bibliography on alcohol. Ed. Vasiou. Athens.

UMHRI (2004 ) Annual report of the Focal Point on the drug and alcohol situation in Greece in 2003 . Athens.

Trichopoulou, A., Trichopoulos D. (1986) Preventitive Medicine. Athens: Parisianos.