Browsing by Author "Savicka, Vita"

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    An Evaluation of Health Care Service Provider Websites in Latvia – a Medical Tourism Perspective
    (2019) Behmane, Daiga; Rutitis, Didzis; Savicka, Vita; Rīga Stradiņš University
    The prospective health care consumers are increasingly using the Internet websites for communication with potential health care service providers and decision-making regarding choice of the travel destination for receiving particular health care services. Therefore, it is important for health care providers to present themselves and their services efficiently online in order to attract foreign patients and thus facilitate medical tourism. The objective of this study is to evaluate the website content of Latvian health care providers who offer services to medical tourists in order to evaluate their status-quo and identify opportunities to improve website design. Authors used the framework by Huerta et al. (2016) as a basis to develop a modified framework suited for medical tourism-related website evaluation. 21 active websites associated with a medical tourism and provision of health care services to foreign patients were identified and selected for analysis. Each website was evaluated using a 10-factor assessment on 4 dimensions that include website accessibility, content, marketing, technology on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: Scores of 21 website evaluation ranged from 54 to 91 point across all 4 dimensions with 80 and above points being considered as excellent result. Conclusions: Study findings indicated that the main improvements should be related to accessibility dimension and enabling text resizing function for improving experience for patients with poor sight, information dimension in terms of developing a separate main level section with information exclusively for foreign patients, and marketing dimension to improve effectiveness of search engine optimization (SEO) for medical tourism related keywords.
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    Existing Health Practices in Shaping the Decision to Participate During Breast Cancer Screening Among 50–69 Years Old Women in Estonia
    (2022) Lubi, Kadi; Sildver, Kaire; Sokolova, Diana; Savicka, Vita; Nool, Irma; Mets-Oja, Silja; Tupits, Mare; Komunikācijas fakultāte
    Introduction: Breast cancer is easily detectable by mammography and many countries run national screening programs for women as a target group. Yet, the majority of these countries have screening participation rates below the recommended level of 70%. Objective: The aim of the present article was to examine a connection between existing health practices and a decision to participate during breast cancer screening. Methods: Methodologically, this research was a web panel and quantitative telephone survey. The survey was conducted among 1200 Estonian women in the age group 50–69 years. Statistical data analysis was performed with SPSS using a descriptive and logistic regression model. Results: The findings revealed that among different background variables, age and existing health practices significantly influenced the decision-making for participating in the screening. Results also highlighted that the possibility to participate in the screening increased with existing supportive health practices and with the increasing age. Other sociodemographic factors did not have a significant influence on the decision-making of participation. Conclusions: There is a need to educate people from an early age about the developments in health practices that could support a healthy lifestyle in terms of individual responsibility. Thus, public health campaigns should not only call for action but also focus on health education in terms of the role of preventive medicine and health practices.
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    Practice theoretical approach on the reasons why target group women refrain from taking breast cancer screening
    (2021-12) Lubi, Kadi; Savicka, Vita; Koor, Marilyn; Nool, Irma; Tupits, Mare; Mets-Oja, Silja; Komunikācijas fakultāte
    Objective: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Despite the availability of effective breast cancer screening programmes, there are only six countries in the European Union reaching the recommended target rate of 70% screened. In addition to the individual reasons for refraining from breast cancer screening, this research aims to follow earlier suggestions to use a practice theoretical approach. Methods: The study sites were Estonia and Latvia, where 9 and 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted, respectively. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used. The research was approved by ethics committees in both countries. The interviews passed textual analysis and coding. Results: The findings revealed that there are three major types of reasons – habitual, practical, and emotional – that influence the formation of the final decision to participate in breast cancer screening. Conclusion: The implementation of an individualistic approach is not sufficient to bring along desired health behaviour. All groups of reasons, individual and societal context are involved in the decision formation. Thus, structurally provided approaches and messages should be re-conceptualised and re-designed accordingly. Practice implications: Future screening related campaigns and public health education should address the concerns derived from different types of reasons for refraining from screening.
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    Profesors Jānis Gardovskis. Biobibliogrāfija
    (Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte, 2015) Savicka, Vita; Šauers, Edijs; Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte
    Grāmata “Profesors Jānis Gardovskis: Biobibliogrāfija” ir veltīta ievērojama Latvijas ķirurga, profesora, Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas īstenā locekļa, kas pārstāv ķīmijas, bioloģijas un medicīnas zinātņu nozares, Rīgas Stradiņa universitātes (RSU) rektora Jāņa Gardovska 60. dzimšanas dienai. Izdevumā sniegts J. Gardovska dzīves un darba apskats, galvenokārt profesora paša izklāstā, kā arī viņa pārdomas par ģimeni, studijām, ķirurga, rektora, pētniecisko un pedagoģisko darbu. Bibliogrāfijas kārtošanā izmantota RSU bibliotēkas veidotā RSU akadēmiskā personāla publikāciju datubāze, RSU darbinieku un Latvijas mediķu personāliju kartotēkas, RSU bibliotēkas alfabētiskais katalogs līdz 1996. gadam, Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas katalogi, Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas digitālās bibliotēkas kolekcija “Periodika”, bibliogrāfiskie rādītāji “Latvijas zinātniskā medicīnas literatūra” (1975–1979 un 1980–1986), kā arī informācijas avoti internetā.