Introduction: Tobacco tax policies have been proven to be effective in reducing tobacco consumption, but their impact can be mitigated through price-minimizing behaviours among smokers. This study explored the purchase sources of tobacco products and the price paid for tobacco products in six EU member states. Methods: Data from Wave 1 of the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Survey collected from nationally representative samples of adult smokers in Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain (ITC 6E Survey) were used. The ITC 6E Survey sample, conducted in 2016, randomly sampled 6011 adult cigarette smokers aged 18 years or older. Information on purchase sources of tobacco was examined by country. The difference in reported purchase price by purchase location (store vs non-store/other) was analysed using linear regression for each country. Results: Tobacco purchasing patterns and sources varied widely between countries. Non-store/other purchases were very rare in Hungary (0.1%) while these types of purchases were more common in Germany (5.1%) and Poland (8.6%). Reported prices of one standard pack of 20 cigarettes were highest in Germany (4.80€) and lowest in Hungary (2.45€). While nonstore purchases were only made by a minority of smokers (>10% in all countries), the price differential was considerable between store and non-store/other sources, up to 2€ per pack in Greece and in Germany. Conclusions: The results suggest a huge variation of purchasing sources and price differentials between store and non-store purchasing sources across the six EU member states examined. While the cross-sectional data precludes any causal inference, supply chain control through licensing as introduced in Hungary and the lack of such measures in the other countries might nevertheless be a plausible explanation for the large differences in the frequency of non-store purchases observed in this study.
Background. Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission processes and promote voluntary care. Methods. The survey focused on legislation of involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well as most common reasons for involuntary admissions. Results. We analyzed the survey categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are involved in involuntary admission procedures. Conclusions. We conclude that legal reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population, and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions.
Background. Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission processes and promote voluntary care. Methods. The survey focused on legislation of involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well as most common reasons for involuntary admissions. Results. We analyzed the survey categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are involved in involuntary admission procedures. Conclusions. We conclude that legal reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population, and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions. ; Peer reviewed
In: Wasserman , D , Apter , G , Baeken , C , Bailey , S , Balazs , J , Bec , C , Bienkowski , P , Bobes , J , Ortiz , M F B , Brunn , H , Bôke , Camilleri , N , Carpiniello , B , Chihai , J , Chkonia , E , Courtet , P , Cozman , D , David , M , Dom , G , Esanu , A , Falkai , P , Flannery , W , Gasparyan , K , Gerlinger , G , Gorwood , P , Gudmundsson , O , Hanon , C , Heinz , A , Dos Santos , M J H , Hedlund , A , Ismayilov , F , Ismayilov , N , Isometsä , E T , Izakova , L , Kleinberg , A , Kurimay , T , Reitan , S K , Lecic-Tosevski , D , Lehmets , A , Lindberg , N , Lundblad , K A , Lynch , G , Maddock , C , Malt , U F , Martin , L , Martynikhin , I , Maruta , N O , Matthys , F , Mazaliauskiene , R , Mihajlovic , G , Peles , A M , Miklavic , V , Mohr , P , Ferrandis , M M , Musalek , M , Neznanov , N , Ostorharics-Horvath , G , Pajević , I , Popova , A , Pregelj , P , Prinsen , E , Rados , C , Roig , A , Kuzman , M R , Samochowiec , J , Sartorius , N , Savenko , Y , Skugarevsky , O , Slodecki , E , Soghoyan , A , Stone , D S , Taylor-East , R , Terauds , E , Tsopelas , C , Tudose , C , Tyano , S , Vallon , P , Van der Gaag , R J , Varandas , P , Vavrusova , L , Voloshyn , P , Wancata , J , Wise , J , Zemishlany , Z , Öncü , F & Vahip , S 2020 , ' Compulsory admissions of patients with mental disorders : State of the art on ethical and legislative aspects in 40 European countries ' , European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists , vol. 63 , no. 1 , pp. e82 . https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.79
BACKGROUND.: Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission processes and promote voluntary care. METHODS.: The survey focused on legislation of involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well as most common reasons for involuntary admissions. RESULTS.: We analyzed the survey categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are involved in involuntary admission procedures. CONCLUSIONS.: We conclude that legal reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population, and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions.