Differences in patients motivating factors influence their attitudes towards the role and quality of tourism agents’ services. This paper identified three major components (treatment-related, economic and travel-related) that explain patients motivation to travel for treatment. The study can help medical tourism agents to refine their marketing strategies and suggest the proper incentives to encourage participation in medical tourism. The research was made on the basis of a critical analysis of scientific literature, surveys and analyses.

The Medical Simulation Center at the Medical University of Białystok was created as part of a broader project. Throughout Poland there are 12 such centers, and each with a somewhat different concept. The common denominator is that they help medical, nursing, and obstetrics students test their knowledge and skills in practice. The Medical Simulation Center in Białystok boasts a sizeable set of simulation facilities, including an operating room, ambulance, emergency ward, labor ward, and nurse’s station. The technicians devise scenarios for students to enable them to practice reacting to specific cases. All the facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art audio-video equipment to record lessons for later review and analysis.

The defi nition of disease differs in various cultural and historical environments and is a part of the “vision of the world and of man”. In the modern era, one can speak about the successive changes in the ideals of science, including the medical sciences, designing subsequent modifi cations of the understanding of disease. Different possible approaches, cultural, anthropological, and medical, use distinct language and metaphors to present the concept of illness.

Objectives: Medical students are more susceptible to depression than other students. Moreover, students with the symptoms of depression statistically more often abuse drugs and have suicidal thoughts and anxiety. The level of stress and the factors that lead to in among medical students at Polish universities have not yet been measured. The aim of this study was to translate to Polish and validate the Perceived Medical School Stress Instrument (PMSS-PL) and to measure the resulting version’s psychometric abilities.

Materials and Methods: We validated the Polish translation of PMSS in accordance with the recommendations published by the Translation and Cultural Adaptation group of the Quality of Life Special Interest group of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used as an external test to validate the PMSS-PL questionnaire. A total of 430 undergraduate medical students at the Medical College of Jagiellonian University took part.

Results: The mean PMSS-PL score was 36.43 and it varied from 13 to 65. The mean PSS-10 was 21.35. The internal reliability, as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.803, which means there was internal reliability between PSS-10 and PMSS-PL. Moreover, all questions from PMSS-PL had a positive discri-mination power, so each question correlated positively with the other questions in PMSS-PL.

Conclusions: PMSS-PL may be used to psychometrically analyze the stress load on undergraduate medical students at Polish universities. The PMSS-PL may also be used as an external test for validating and calculating the reliability and accuracy of other psychometric instruments.

In this paper we describe our own construction of a tuneable light source based on a set of light emitting diodes covering the visible spectrum using a homogenizing rod instead commonly used low energy-efficient integrating spheres. The expected prime application of the source is a medical endoscopic system, however it is possible to use it also for other purposes requiring both multispectral operation and a tuneable white light source. We describe the construction of the source and include precise characterization of the output white light – distribution of CCT, Duv, Δu′ v ′ and colour rendering indexes (Ra, R9, Rf , Rg) of light in several planes located at various distances. The obtained results prove that our source is characterized by very good colour rendition according to the Ra and Rf method for various correlated colour temperatures (2700–6500) K. As an example of application images of the Macbeth colour chart registered with an RGB camera included in the laboratory measurement stand are presented. The obtained results prove that, after whole system calibration, this source can be used in many applications, where evaluation of objects requires precise analysis of their colour and multispectral procedures.

In this contribution an optical method of controlling the state of soft biological tissues in real time, exposed to laser radiation is discussed. The method is based on the assumption that the change dynamics of the amplitude of the scattered diagnostic radiation (λ = 635 nm) is compatible with the change dynamics of the tissue inner structure exposed to the Nd:YAG laser radiation (λ = 1064 nm). In this method the measurement of the tissue temperature is omitted. Exemplary results of the laboratory research on this method and an interpretation of the results are presented.

B a c k g r o u n d: The digital rectal examination (DRE) is a part of the standard physical examination and a useful diagnostic tool for detecting various lower gastrointestinal tract abnormalities. However nowadays it has been observed that medical students might not be properly prepared for performing and interpreting of DRE. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and experience of Polish medical students about DRE.

Ma t e r i a l a n d M e t h o d s: A prospective study was carried out using a questionnaire accessible via internet platform. The survey consisted of 12 questions and considered experience as well as practical and theoretical knowledge about DRE. 976 responses from nine Polish medical universities were included in the study.

R e s u l t s: 38.68% of students have never performed DRE with “lack of opportunity during courses” (71.09%) as the most common reason. Among responders who performed this examination only 12.72% had done it more than two times. Usefulness of DRE was mostly assessed as high and very high (55.63%). Students in the self-assessment part indicated low and very low (18.72% and 39.61%) technical abilities and also low (25.34%) interpretation skills.

C on c l u s i o n: The knowledge of Polish medical students about DRE is insuffi cient. Medical universities should pay particular attention to this fi eld of examination to improve theoretical as well as practical skills of future doctors.

Every part of the human body goes beyond the anatomy-physiology limits to reach deep contents and symbolic meanings.

We can identify a range of verbs (which constitute a part of idiomatic expressions) that indicate different alterations of the body’s integrity. As for their figurative use, they serve to describe a mental state. The parts of the body linked to the sensory, motor and intellectual spheres tend to be accompanied by adjectives that are part of the terminology of the psychiatric past.

We come to the conclusion that some medical terms (in this case the parts of the body) have entered into everyday speech and have assumed symbolic meanings. From the interlingual point of view, it is whereas possible to see considerable differences between Italian and Polish. It follows that the linguistic picture of the world helps to understand the generally accepted statements in a certain community.

Results from anthropometric measurements and examinations of physical fitness of the candidates for the Polish Polar Expeditions from 1976 till 1980 are presented. The authors suggest the necessity of introducing fixed norms of physical fitness in medical qualification of the candidates for polar expeditions.

The aim of the paper is to identify trends in the development of health and active tourism. In order to meet the above mentioned objective, a method of critical analysis of desk research was implemented, mainly a synthetic analysis of relevant scientific publications and reports. Against the background of globalization, the development of tourism is determined by, among others, demographic, economic and technological factors. The microtrends referring to contemporary consumers are of the utmost importance. The lifestyle significantly reflects the need for pro-health services. Health and active tourism are an antidote against the worries of everyday life. That is why the tourism market needs a profiled product consisting of wellness, with particular emphasis on motor recreation, healthy food and the possibility of establishing/maintaining social and/or family relationships. Creating, refreshing or diversifying such a tourist product is not a simple task. It requires the use of expertise and experience of representatives of science and practitioners, taking into account the tourism potential of a given region/country.

The paper describes an integrated laser absorption system as a potential tool for breath analysis for clinical diagnostics, online therapy monitoring and metabolic disorder control. The sensors operate basing on cavity enhanced spectroscopy and multi-pass spectroscopy supported by wavelength modulation spectroscopy. The aspects concerning selection of operational spectral range and minimization of interference are also discussed. Tests results of the constructed devices collected with reference samples of biomarkers are also presented. The obtained data provide an opportunity to analyse applicability of optoelectronic sensors in medical screening.

This paper proposes a new approach to the processing and analysis of medical images. We introduce the term and methodology of medical data understanding, as a new step in the way of starting from image processing, and followed by analysis and classification (recognition). The general view of the situation of the new technology of machine perception and image understanding in the context of the more well known and classic techniques of image processing, analysis, segmentation and classification is shown below

The project called “Polish Cardiosurgical Robot” has been developed by Foundation for Cardiac Surgery Development since year 2000. Within the project the telemanipulator to perform the endoscopic cardiosurgical operations has been designed, manufactured and examined. In the following paper the development of construction of arms for RobIn Heart 0, RobIn Heart 1, RobIn Heart 3 versions of the robot as well as the fixing system has been presented. In the preliminary phase of the project the requirements for mechanical construction were analyzed. Additional requirements enhancing functionality of the construction were also defined. Analyses of the planned development of the construction and ways of its possible applications were performed.