Background: Midwives are globally recognized as health professionals who specialize in the care of women in labor with a vital role in maternal and newborn health care. Midwives specialize in the care of women in labor and play a key role globally in managing normal vaginal birth, caring for pregnant women including supporting women and their families, providing consultations, managing normal birth for low-risk pregnant women and helping them maintain a healthy pregnancy. Despite the fact that the midwifery profession is an autonomous profession, in some countries there are many struggles to achieve recognition within its formal scope of work. The role of the midwife/midwife remains unclear in many countries due to poorly articulated policies and a lack of regulatory frameworks, which results in a lack of public clarity regarding the role of the midwife. Objective: The purpose of this expert report is to present the role of the midwife in protecting the health of mothers before, during and after childbirth, to clearly define their role and importance, and the need to improve midwifery as a profession in order to reduce the number of caesarean sections. Methods: This systematic review includes a comprehensive literature search of published scientific articles, in English, from 2020 to 2024, using electronic databases considered most relevant to the topics; CINAHL, EMBASE and PubMed. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we included studies on the role of midwives in different countries, including Thailand, the United States, Australia, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, to arrive at results on what the role of midwives is in these countries. Citations without abstracts and/or full text, anonymous reports, editorials, case reports, case series and qualitative studies were excluded. Results: In the Law on Health Care of the FBiH, and the Law on Nursing and Midwifery of the FBiH, the role of the midwife is insufficiently defined and she is not given sufficient authority to work. For childbirth in BiH, in addition to midwives, a doctor must always be present. In European and foreign countries, the role of the midwife is put in the foreground during childbirth, so there are also hospitals where women give birth and are cared for by midwives. Midwife-led care, an approach that is already widely practiced in developed countries; however, it is a relatively new approach in lower-income countries. In midwife-led care, a midwife who is well known to the mother provides care for the low-risk pregnant woman during antenatal care, delivery and the postnatal period, rather than being cared for by different medical staff led by an obstetrician. The primary focus of care led by midwives is to support a healthy physiological pregnancy and birth and to empower women to give birth naturally with little or no regular intervention. Conclusion: It is very worrying for midwifery as a profession that there is currently a lack of visibility of midwives in practice within their scope of practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. More research is needed on demonstrating the value of midwives as a primary role in the context of midwifery practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Introduction: The early adolescence period represents a phase of turbulent physical development, characterized by disproportion in the musculoskeletal system, where the muscular system's inability to maintain a normal relationship between certain body segments results in poor posture among adolescents. Back pain is an increasing health problem among children and adolescents. Postural deviations and back pain are common issues among children, caused by the long-term effects of various risk factors associated with modern lifestyles. Methods: This study is a non-experimental (qualitative) research, specifically a scientific literature review. For the purposes of this paper, a search of relevant databases including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Med-Line was conducted for articles published between 2011 and 2024. Results: A significant number of articles were published between 2011 and 2024 in relevant scientific databases. After removing duplicates and irrelevant studies, 13 studies were included in the research. The studies used in this paper were published in Poland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Tunisia, China, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Brazil, Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Conclusion: Based on the review of scientific literature, it can be concluded that early identification of risk factors is essential, as it will reduce the frequency of postural deviations and back pain in children during early adolescence. Timely implementation of educational preventive programs on exercises, education about proper posture, sitting techniques, correct school bag carrying, the use of ergonomically adjusted school furniture, and promoting an active lifestyle at home and school, along with regular physical activity, is necessary.

The psychophysical preparation program for pregnant women includes physical exercises and theoretical lectures aimed at preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth and that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Exercise is an essential element of pregnancy, and OB-GYNs and other obstetric care providers should encourage their patients to continue or begin exercise. The aim of this work is to understand the impact of psychophysical preparation of pregnant women on health during and after pregnancy, birth outcomes and postpartum recovery. Twenty scientific research papers/articles including 5517 respondents were reviewed, based on databases: Web of Science, EBSCO, Scopus, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and others. Works published from 2017-2022 were reviewed. The results of this study show that pregnant women who attended the program of psychophysical preparation for childbirth had a chance to experience childbirth in a more beautiful light, to be prepared, so that they would go to the maternity hospital with less fear, how to use breathing techniques during childbirth, and how to have the easiest and most beautiful childbirth without the use of drugs and interventions. Pregnant women had significantly more positive outcomes of childbirth as well as postpartum recovery and mental health. Psychological support and education have positive outcomes on the mental health of pregnant women because they reduce fear of the unknown and reduce the risk of postpartum depression. Higher rates of intact perineum, reduction of episiotomy and less damage of perineal tears are recorded. The preparation itself significantly affects the outcome of the test subjects’ births, where vaginal births are much more common, and the rate of instrumental methods of birth and caesarean section is reduced. A positive outcome was recorded during postpartum recovery.

Introduction: The basic postulate of the lean concept is that greater efficiency of the work process can be achieved through a process of continuous improvement,which aims to eliminate waste and maximize activities that add value.The Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy and the United States were examples of healthcare systems that implemented the lean concept.Aim: To examine the opinion of health workers of a public hospital in the Sarajevo area about the possibilities of improving business processes by implementing thelean concept.Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to the e-mail addresses of health workers of public health organizations. 91 respondents of both sexes (doctors ofmedicine, residents, registered nurses, nurses and administrative staff) were included.Results: A positive correlation was establishedin the attitude toward the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes. According to the participant’s opinion, the greater effectiveness of business processes contributes to greater efficiency (r=0.846; p<0,05). Spearman’s coefficient rs=0.81 shows a strong connection between the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes.Conclusion: The study showed that there is a positive attitude towards the impact of the lean concept on improving the efficiency of business processes. The reducexpected positive effects of the implementation of the lean concept are manifested through faster provision of services to patients, reduction of service waiting times and general improvement of business processes.

Introduction. Lean principles have been successfully adapted to the healthcare environment, enabling hospitals and clinics to streamline their operations and focus on value as perceived by their patients. Many healthcare facilities have implemented lean principles to improve their efficiency. The subject of this paper is the lean concept, the essence of which is implementation of methods that affect the efficiency and quality of providing health services. Our aim was to point out the necessity of applying modern concepts in healthcare. Material and Methods. The primary sources of data were obtained through research on the opinions and possibility of applying the lean concept in hospitals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We presented the results on the effectiveness of the lean concept in hospitals that apply it. Results. After implementation of the lean concept in an Italian hospital, the results showed a positive impact on the waiting time for admission, faster discharge, and faster flow of information. The results of the research in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed that there were positive attitudes towards the effects that would be achieved by implementing the lean concept. Conclusion. The implementation of the lean concept would reduce medical waste, which would positively affect the quality of health care services.