Health literacy interventions in the hospital setting: an overview.

Health Literacy (HL) is the degree to which an individual has the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions. These decisions and actions take place mainly in hospitals, so in this setting, HL has a higher impact on the health status and prognosis of patients. The objective of this study was to identify HL interventions implemented in the hospital care setting and describe the characteristics of their implementation, as well as their impact on health outcomes and care processes of these patients. An overview of systematic reviews published from 2015 to 2020 in MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database (Ovid), PsyArticles, LILACS (Bvs) and Epistemonikos was conducted. The synthesis of the results was carried out narratively and the methodological quality of the reviews was evaluated using the AMSTAR II tool. A total of 16 reviews were included for full analysis, of which 68.5% were assessed as having high or moderate quality. HL interventions were based on single or multifaceted strategies, including the use of brochures, visual aids, digital tools, multimedia resources (videos) and group and personalized counseling sessions. Despite the high heterogeneity of data, HL interventions seem to have a positive impact on improving health-related knowledge levels and some health-related behaviors and attitudes. In conclusion, it was evidenced that HL interventions implemented in the hospital setting are widely varied. These interventions can be used to improve health-related knowledge levels and promote health-related behavioral changes in inpatients. However, it is necessary to standardize the reporting of both the characteristics and outcomes of these interventions to favor their replicability.

Evaluation of the implementation of the Clinical Practice Guidelines. A pending assignment in Colombia / Evaluación de la implementación de las Guías de Práctica Clínica. Una tarea pendiente en Colombia

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A systematic review of the prevalence of selected sexually transmitted infections in young people in Latin America.

Objective: To estimate the burden of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Treponema pallidum (TP), and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections among people aged 10 to 25 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS databases were searched, as well as documents from regional organizations or national health Institutions. Population-based studies that reported prevalence or incidence of CT, NG, TP, and HPV detected through confirmatory tests in adolescents and young people were included. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled estimators were calculated in cases where heterogeneity was <70%; when not feasible, prevalence ranges were reported. Results: Out of a total of 3 583 references, 15 prevalence studies complied with the inclusion criteria. Due to substantial heterogeneity (>70%), it was not possible to pool frequency estimators. Among the general population, the prevalence of CT infection ranged between 2.1% and 30.1% (9 studies, 5 670 participants); for NG, prevalence ranged between 0% and 2.9% (8 studies, 5 855 participants); for TP, prevalence varied between 0% and 0.7% (3 studies, 11 208 participants), and for HPV infection, prevalence ranged between 25.1% and 55.6% (8 studies, 3 831 participants). Conclusions: Reliable, population-based data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in adolescents and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean are limited. Additional studies are needed to better understand the burden of STIs in this population. However, given the substantial prevalence of STIs detected, countries need public health policies for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of STIs in young people.