Background and Objectives: Depression is a common mental problem in the older population and has a significant impact on recovery and general well-being. A comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their effects on functional outcomes is essential for improving care strategies. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in older patients undergoing geriatric rehabilitation and to assess their specific impact on their functional abilities. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in Wolhusen, Switzerland, spanning from 2015 to 2020 and including 1159 individuals aged 65 years and older. The presence of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form, while functional abilities were evaluated using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Tinetti test. Data analysis was performed using TIBCO Statistica 13.3, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Of the participants, 22.9% (N = 266) exhibited depressive symptoms, with no notable differences between genders. Although all patients showed functional improvements, the duration of rehabilitation was prolonged by two days (p = 0.012, d = 0.34) in those with depressive symptoms. Alarmingly, 76% of participants were classified as at risk of falling based on the Tinetti score. However, no significant correlation was found between the GDS and Tinetti scores at admission (p = 0.835, r = 0.211) or discharge (p = 0.336, r = 0.184). The results from the non-parametric Wilcoxon matched-pairs test provide compelling evidence of significant changes in FIM scores when comparing admission scores to those at discharge across all FIM categories. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are particularly common in geriatric rehabilitation patients, leading to prolonged recovery time and increased healthcare costs. While depressive symptoms showed no correlation with mobility impairments, improvements in functional status were directly associated with reduced GDS scores. Considering mental health during admission and planning is critical in optimizing rehabilitation outcomes.

Introduction Nutritional deficiency among the older adult is a widespread concern, significantly affecting their health. The prevalence of malnutrition increases with age, concurrent health conditions, and the level of care provided. Hospital stays can affect as 90% of the older adult. Malnutrition can hinder efforts to improve health and regain function in individuals undergoing rehabilitation. This study aims to assess the frequency of malnutrition among geriatric rehabilitation patients. Materials and methods A retrospective quantitative analysis was conducted on 357 patients admitted to the geriatric unit at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital Wolhusen in Switzerland. The patients’ nutritional status was evaluated using the standardized Mini Nutritional Assessment Long Form questionnaire. Results The initial analysis indicated a considerable prevalence of malnutrition among the geriatric population: 31.1% were identified as malnourished (MNA < 17), while an additional 35.8% were at risk of malnutrition (MNA 17–23.5), totaling 66.9% of patients. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test revealed a statistically significant difference in MNA scores among different age groups (p = 0.035). Statistical analysis also suggested a slightly higher prevalence of malnutrition among female patients. The duration of rehabilitation varied from 20.07 ± 6.93 to 22.20 ± 7.50 days, with longer durations associated with lower MNA scores. A correlation analysis between MNA values and body mass index (BMI) showed a positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.56), indicating that lower MNA scores were associated with lower BMI and vice versa. Conclusion Malnutrition is prevalent among individuals over 65 years old, highlighting the importance of regular and timely nutritional assessments for geriatric patients to mitigate the complications and enhance prognoses in both acute care and rehabilitation settings. Such assessments can also improve the efficacy of rehabilitation programs and potentially reduce the duration of rehabilitation, thus carrying significant economic implications.

Solid-state physics has important applications in the development of modern technologies. Although solid-state concepts, such as electric and thermal conductivity, are included in the curricula at all educational levels, even university students have many incorrect ideas about them. The incorrect ideas identified in previous studies are mainly related to macroscopic aspects of solid-state physics. With the aim of gaining a more comprehensive insight into students’ understanding of solid-state physics, we have developed a multiple-choice concept inventory on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity of solids (METCS). The inventory has been field-tested with a sample consisting of 233 first-year medical faculty and engineering students from the University of Rijeka (Croatia). METCS proved to have good psychometric features and it helped to uncover many incorrect ideas that have not been reported in the earlier physics education literature. The findings from this study could be a good starting point for the development of evidence-based, university-level tutorials on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity.

Knowing the causes of the shortage of physics teachers in primary and secondary schools is necessary for the development of effective educational policies because the shortage of physics teachers is a global and persistent problem with negative consequences for the quality of education, but also for the survival of the physics profession as a whole. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the opinions of Croatian physics teachers on the causes of the deficit in their profession. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using an online survey with Likert-type items and a constructed response item. A total of 390 respondents from all over Croatia participated in the survey, which is 29% of the total population of Croatian physics teachers in the 2022/2023 school year. According to their opinion, the causes of the shortage of Croatian physics teachers are related to the following: lack of incentives and support from the relevant institutions and bodies, the inadequacy of physics content in the curricula, the lack of motivation and negative attitude of students towards physics, impeded professional development, unequal opportunities, and challenges such as excessive workload. The results obtained provide a concrete basis for the development of an effective policy to solve the problem of the physics teacher shortage in Croatia and beyond by governments, universities, and schools.

Teaching the concepts of electrical and thermal transport in solids begins in elementary school through simple macroscopic models and progressively develops to microscopic quantum models within specialized university courses. Educational research has pointed to a number of misconceptions in this field, especially when it comes to understanding related phenomena at the microscopic level. This study aimed to design an appropriate open-ended version of the concept inventory to test the level of students’ understanding of microscopic models of electrical and thermal conduction in solids (METCS). The METCS concept inventory consists of 27 open-ended questions that examine the understanding of different and interrelated concepts. We used it as a tool for conducting interviews on a sample of ten students from the universities of Rijeka and Split (Croatia). The results of our research confirmed some previously discovered students’ misconceptions and revealed a wide range of new ones. These results can be used to stimulate student discussions and to design curricula and lecture plans for more efficient teaching of transport phenomena in solids. The obtained spectrum of misconceptions will serve as a reference tool for the development of a multiple-choice conceptual METCS test to allow research on larger sample.