Impact of the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative on delivery care choices in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

BACKGROUND: The Salud Mesoamérica Initiative (SMI) is a public-private collaboration aimed to improve maternal and child health conditions in the poorest populations of Mesoamerica through a results-based aid mechanism. We assess the impact of SMI on the staffing and availability of equipment and supplies for delivery care, the proportion of institutional deliveries, and the proportion of women who choose a facility other than the one closest to their locality of residence for delivery. METHODS: We used a quasi-experimental design, including baseline and follow-up measurements between 2013 and 2018 in intervention and comparison areas of Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. We collected information on 8754 births linked to the health facility closest to the mother's locality of residence and the facility where the delivery took place (if attended in a health facility). We fit difference-in-difference models, adjusting for women's characteristics (age, parity, education), household characteristics, exposure to health promotion interventions, health facility level, and country. RESULTS: Equipment, inputs, and staffing of facilities improved after the Initiative in both intervention and comparison areas. After adjustment for covariates, institutional delivery increased between baseline and follow-up by 3.1 percentage points (ß = 0.031, 95% CI -0.03, 0.09) more in intervention areas than in comparison areas. The proportion of women in intervention areas who chose a facility other than their closest one to attend the delivery decreased between baseline and follow-up by 13 percentage points (ß = - 0.130, 95% CI -0.23, - 0.03) more than in the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that women in intervention areas of SMI are more likely to go to their closest facility to attend delivery after the Initiative has improved facilities' capacity, suggesting that results-based aid initiatives targeting poor populations, like SMI, can increase the use of facilities closest to the place of residence for delivery care services. This should be considered in the design of interventions after the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed health and social conditions.

Community Dermatology in Argentina.

All around the globe the population has limited access to dermatologic care, and there are too few dermatologists to accommodate the high demand for skin care. Education of the community and frontline health workers is key to obtaining long-term impact in the skin health of a population. Reaching a community as a whole is challenging for dermatologists coming from distant cities, because cross-cultural obstacles often arise. This article describes some simple and positive ways of addressing the community directly while training health care workers in the recognition of prevalent skin diseases and effective pathways of management of these conditions.

Programa educativo sobre la actividad física: repercusión en el estado neurocognitivo de las personas prejubilables / Educational program on physical activity: impact on the neurocognitive state of early retirement

RESUMEN Fundamento: las sociedades civilizadas se han propuesto estrategias para fortalecer la calidad de vida, el validismo e independencia de los adultos mayores prejubilables o con vínculo laboral activo extendido. Objetivo: determinar modificaciones en el afrontamiento a los acontecimientos vitales y en el estado neurocognitivo en personas en etapa de prejubilación al aplicar un programa educativo basado en la actividad física. Métodos: se realizó un estudio de intervención con diseño cuasiexperimental en el Policlínico Universitario "Marta Abreu", de Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba, entre abril 2017-mayo 2019. Se aplicaron métodos teóricos, empíricos, estadísticos-matemáticos y una batería de exploración neuropsicológica basada en los postulados de Luria, que permitió el diagnóstico de las alteraciones del pensamiento. Luego se procedió a la aplicación del programa educativo basado en la actividad física en el grupo estudio; y finalmente se compararon los resultados en un antes y un después en el grupo estudio, y entre este y el grupo testigo. Resultados: se observó mayor cuantificación de los procesos intelectuales eficientes, mejoría en el pensamiento lógico-verbal, práctico-constructivo y rumiativo en el grupo estudio; mientras en el grupo testigo no se reflejaron estos cambios. Conclusiones: se determinaron modificaciones positivas en el grupo estudio, evidenciadas en progresos neurocognitivos en las personas prejubilables, lo cual demostró la efectividad del programa educativo basado en la actividad física, una vez aplicado.

ABSTRACT Background: civilized societies have proposed strategies to strengthen the quality of life, validity and independence of early retirement or with extended active employment relationship. Objective: to determine modifications in the coping with life events and in the neurocognitive state in people in pre-retirement stage when applying an educational program based on physical activity. Methods: an intervention study with a quasi-experimental design was carried out at the "Marta Abreu" University Polyclinic, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba, from April 2017 to May 2019. Theoretical, empirical, statistical-mathematical methods and a battery of neuropsychological examination based on Luria's postulates, which allowed the diagnosis of thought disorders. Then the educational program based on physical activity was applied in the study group; and finally the results were compared in a before and after in the study group, and between this and the control group. Results: greater quantification of efficient intellectual processes, improvement in logical-verbal, practical-constructive and ruminative thinking was observed in the study group; while in the control group these changes were not reflected. Conclusions: positive modifications were determined in the study group, evidenced in neurocognitive progress in early retirement, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the educational program based on physical activity, once applied.

[Toward a national plan to control health effects of mercury in Colombia]. / Hacia un plan nacional para el control de los efectos del mercurio en la salud en Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: The problem of mercury effects on humans and the environment is global, and it has different impacts on health. It is necessary, therefore, to address this issue from a broad overview to identify populations at risk of exposure, health effects, the production processes involved and the actions aimed at reducing exposure and mitigating the impact. OBJECTIVE: To design a conceptual and operational framework to develop strategies for prevention, control and mitigation of mercury effects on health and on the environment in Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a two-phase study: a literature review following the Cochrane methodology and forums with national and international experts using a comprehensive planning methodology to identify priority actions and establish a national research agenda. RESULTS: The results of the review were structured into four components: mercury effects on health, legal framework in Colombia, emission inventory for the country and health plans and programs. We made recommendations for the design of an intervention plan considering five lines of action: technologies for exposure management, institutional strengthening for exposure prevention and control, strategies for strengthening diagnosis and care, health education on mercury risks, and knowledge generation. CONCLUSION: We detected information gaps, technical weaknesses, and the need of administrative and other resources in this field in Colombia. We proposed priority actions to reduce the economic, social and health impact from exposure to mercury.

Integrated personal health and care services deployment: experiences in eight European countries.

OBJECTIVES: The deployment and adoption of Integrated Personal Health and Care Services in Europe has been slow and fragmented. There have been many initiatives and projects of this kind in different European regions, many of which have not gone beyond the pilot stage. We investigated the necessary conditions for mainstreaming these services into care provision. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative analysis of 27 Telehealth, Telecare and Integrated Personal Health System projects, implemented across 20 regions in eight European countries. The analysis was based on Suter's ten key principles for successful health systems integration. RESULTS: Out of the 27 cases, we focussed on 11 which continued beyond the pilot stage. The key facilitators that are necessary for successful deployment and adoption in the European regions of our study are reorganisation of services, patient focus, governance mechanisms, interoperable information systems, policy commitment, engaged professionals, national investments and funding programmes, and incentives and financing. CONCLUSION: In those cases which provided evidence of success beyond the pilot stage, we observed a promising trend: awareness and introduction of Integrated Personal Health and Care Services in European regions has increased. Further research will reveal the weight of each facilitator and which combinations of facilitators lead to rapid adoption.

La investigación científica a treinta años de la medicina familiar en atención primaria de salud / The scientific research after thirty-years of family medicine in primary health care

Fundamento: la atención primaria de salud ofrece grandes oportunidades para la investigación, es un área de conocimientos propios y necesarios de desarrollar para perfeccionar la calidad de los servicios y la salud de los pacientes. Objetivo: caracterizar el comportamiento de la productividad científica en profesionales del Policlínico Universitario "Chiqui Gómez Lubián" de Santa Clara, a treinta años de la medicina familiar en la atención primaria de salud. Métodos: se realizó una investigación descriptiva transversal en el Policlínico Universitario "Chiqui Gómez Lubián" en los años 2016 y 2017. Se emplearon métodos teóricos: análisis-síntesis, inductivo-deductivo, e histórico-lógico; y empíricos: análisis documental y la entrevista a informantes clave. Resultados: se constataron insuficiencias en la producción científica de los profesionales en cuanto a su participación en eventos, lo cual se asevera con las pocas premiaciones logradas en los forums de ciencia y técnica. De igual modo, las publicaciones científicas, a pesar de haber aumentado en el 2017, aún no revelan un incremento notable. Existen pocos investigadores categorizados y solo siete proyectos contratados en los dos años analizados. Conclusiones: la caracterización realizada expresó insuficiencias significativas en el contexto estudiado, porque sus profesionales no han mostrado resultados alentadores en los rubros explorados.

Background: primary health care offers great researching opportunities; it is an area of own and necessary knowledge to develop to improve the quality of services and the patients´ health. Objective: to characterize the behavior of scientific productivity in professionals of the Chiqui Gómez Lubián University Polyclinic of Santa Clara, after thirty years of family medicine in primary health care. Methods: a cross-sectional descriptive research was carried out in the "Chiqui Gómez Lubián" University Polyclinic in the years 2016 and 2017. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis, inductive-deductive, and historical-logical; and empirical ones: documentary analysis and the interview to key informants. Results: there were insufficiencies in the scientific production of the professionals in terms of their participation in events, which is confirmed by the few awards obtained in the science and technical forums. Similarly, scientific publications, despite having increased in 2017, still do not reveal a notable increase. There are few ranked researchers and only seven projects have been contracted in the two years analyzed. Conclusions: the characterization made expressed significant shortcomings in the context studied, because their professionals have not shown encouraging results in the explored areas.

Hacia un plan nacional para el control de los efectos del mercurio en la salud en Colombia / Toward a national plan to control health effects of mercury in Colombia

Introducción. La problemática del uso del mercurio es global y afecta tanto a los humanos como al ambiente. Los efectos del mercurio en la salud son diversos, por eso es necesario abordar el problema desde una perspectiva amplia, identificando las poblaciones en riesgo de exposición, sus efectos en la salud, los procesos productivos involucrados y las acciones para disminuir la exposición y mitigar el impacto. Objetivo. Diseñar un marco conceptual y operativo para desarrollar estrategias de prevención, control y mitigación de los efectos del mercurio sobre la salud y el ambiente en Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio en dos fases: una revisión de la literatura científica siguiendo la metodología Cochrane, y foros con expertos nacionales e internacionales orientados a la planificación integral para identificar las acciones prioritarias y construir la agenda de investigación nacional . Resultados. Los resultados de la revisión se estructuraron en cuatro componentes: efectos del mercurio en la salud, marco legal en Colombia, inventario de emisiones en el país, y planes y programas existentes en el sector de la salud. Se presentaron recomendaciones para diseñar un plan de intervenciones considerando cinco líneas de acción: gestión tecnológica para la prevención de la exposición, fortalecimiento institucional para la prevención y el control de la exposición, fortalecimiento de estrategias de diagnóstico y atención, educación en salud sobre los riesgos del mercurio y generación de conocimiento . Conclusiones. Se visibilizaron vacíos de información, así como debilidades técnicas, administrativas y necesidad de recursos en Colombia, y se propusieron acciones prioritarias para disminuir el impacto económico, social y en salud de la exposición al mercurio.

Introduction: The problem of mercury effects on humans and the environment is global, and it has different impacts on health. It is necessary, therefore, to address this issue from a broad overview to identify populations at risk of exposure, health effects, the production processes involved and the actions aimed at reducing exposure and mitigating the impact. Objective: To design a conceptual and operational framework to develop strategies for prevention, control and mitigation of mercury effects on health and on the environment in Colombia. Materials and methods: We conducted a two-phase study: a literature review following the Cochrane methodology and forums with national and international experts using a comprehensive planning methodology to identify priority actions and establish a national research agenda. Results: The results of the review were structured into four components: mercury effects on health, legal framework in Colombia, emission inventory for the country and health plans and programs. We made recommendations for the design of an intervention plan considering five lines of action: technologies for exposure management, institutional strengthening for exposure prevention and control, strategies for strengthening diagnosis and care, health education on mercury risks, and knowledge generation. Conclusion: We detected information gaps, technical weaknesses, and the need of administrative and other resources in this field in Colombia. We proposed priority actions to reduce the economic, social and health impact from exposure to mercury.