Advancing Global Health Equity: The Role of the Liberal Arts in Health Professional Education.

Much innovation has taken place in the development of medical schools and licensure exam processes across the African continent. Still, little attention has been paid to education that enables the multidisciplinary, critical thinking needed to understand and help shape the larger social systems in which health care is delivered. Although more than half of medical schools in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States offer at least one medical humanities course, this is less common in Africa. We report on the "liberal arts approach" to medical curricula undertaken by the University of Global Health Equity beginning in 2019. The first six-month semester of the curriculum, called Foundations in Social Medicine, includes courses in critical thinking and communication, African history and global political economy, medical anthropology and social medicine, psychology and health, gender and social justice, information technology and health, and community-based training. Additionally, an inquiry-based pedagogy with relatively small classes is featured within an overall institutional culture that emphasizes health equity. We identify key competencies for physicians interested in pursuing global health equity and how such competencies relate to liberal arts integration into the African medical school curriculum and pedagogical approach. We conclude with a call for a research agenda that can better evaluate the impact of such innovations on physicians' education and subsequent practices.

Determining Critical Topics for Undergraduate Surgical Education in Rwanda: Results of a Modified Delphi Process and a Consensus Conference.

Background Developing a contextually appropriate curriculum is critical to train physicians who can address surgical challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. An innovative modified Delphi process was used to identify contextually optimized curricular content to meet sub-Saharan Africa and Rwanda's surgical needs. Methods Participants were surgeons from East, Central, Southern, and West Africa and general practitioners with surgical experience. Delphi participants excluded or prioritized surgical topic areas generated from extensive grey and formal literature review. Surgical educators first screened and condensed identified topics. Round 1 screened and prioritized identified topics, with a 75% consensus cut-off based on the content validity index and a prioritization score. Topics that reached consensus were screened again in round 2 and re-prioritized, following controlled feedback. Frequencies for aggregate prioritization scores, experts in agreement, item-level content validity index, universal agreement and scale-level content validity index based on the average method (S-CVI/Ave) using proportion relevance, and intra-class correlation (ICC) (based on a mean-rating, consistency, two-way mixed-effects model) were performed. We also used arithmetic mean values and modal frequency. Cronbach's Alpha was also calculated to ascertain reliability. Results were validated through a multi-institution consensus conference attended by Rwanda-based surgical specialists, general practitioners, medical students, surgical educators, and surgical association representatives using an inclusive, participatory, collaborative, agreement-seeking, and cooperative, a priori consensus decision-making model. Results Two-hundred and sixty-seven broad surgical content areas were identified through the initial round and presented to experts. In round 2, a total of 247 (92%) content areas reached 75% consensus among 31 experts. Topics that did not achieve consensus consisted broadly of small intestinal malignancies, rare hepatobiliary pathologies, and transplantation. In the final round, 99.6% of content areas reached 75% consensus among 31 experts. The highest prioritization was on wound healing, fluid and electrolyte management, and appendicitis, followed by metabolic response, infection, preoperative preparation, antibiotics, small bowel obstruction and perforation, breast infection, acute urinary retention, testicular torsion, hemorrhoids, and surgical ethics. Overall, the consistency and average agreement between panel experts was strong. ICC was 0.856 (95% CI: 0.83-0.87). Cronbach's Alpha for round 2 was very strong (0.985, 95% CI: 0.976-0.991) and higher than round 1, demonstrating strong reliability. All 246 topics from round 4 were verbally accepted by 40 participants in open forum discussions during the consensus conference. Conclusions A modified Delphi process and consensus were able to identify essential topics to be included within a highly contextualized, locally driven surgical clerkship curriculum delivered in rural Rwanda. Other contexts can use similar processes to develop relevant curricula.

Implementing Palliative Care Training in the Caribbean: Development and Assessment of a Basic Palliative Care Training Course in Jamaica.

CONTEXT: The majority of people in need of palliative care (PC) in low- and middle-income countries lack access to it and suffer unnecessarily as a consequence. This unmet need is due, in part, to the lack of trained PC providers. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the effects of regional training in PC for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in the Caribbean through assessment of participant satisfaction, anticipated course impact on participants' clinical practice, barriers to changing practice, and perceived course impact on achievement of key PC milestones. METHODS: We created and taught a course in basic PC for clinicians from the Caribbean region and collected and analyzed postcourse quantitative and qualitative data on satisfaction and expected impact. RESULTS: Eighty-three clinicians from five Caribbean countries participated in this workshop. Thirty participants completed the post-course survey. One hundred percent of these participants ranked the quality of the course as "very high quality" or "high quality." The majority of participants anticipated changing their practice as a result of this course. Several barriers were reported, including lack of formal PC training in participants' home countries. Results of participants' retrospective pre- and postcourse self-assessment for achievement of key PC milestones showed a statistically significant mean increase of at least one point on the seven-point Likert scale for each milestone. CONCLUSION: Overall satisfaction with the course was high, and self-assessed competency in PC improved. These data suggest that an intensive training over several days is an effective format for increasing providers' perceived efficacy in delivering PC.

May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Jamaica.

There is evidence of an elevated risk of hypertension in populations that are primarily of African origin. Hypertension is predominantly asymptomatic, necessitating increased awareness. May Measurement Month was a descriptive, population-based, cross-sectional study of blood pressure (BP) screening and awareness campaign conducted in 2019 in a sample of 2550 participants (≥18 years) in Jamaica. In total, 1791 (70.2%) of the participants were female, 756 (29.6%) were male, with an average age of 49.3 years, and a body mass index (kg/m2) of 28.5 (6.2). Of all participants, 2289 (89.8%) were black and 154 (6.0%) were of mixed races. Twenty-two (0.9%) had never had their BP measured, whereas 354 (13.9%) had their measurements more than a year ago, and 2129 (83.5%) had measured within the year. Of all 2550 participants, 1055 (41.4%) had hypertension, 69.9% of our subjects with hypertension were aware, whereas only 62.5% were on antihypertensive medication and 27.8% had controlled BP (systolic <140 mmHg and diastolic BP <90 mmHg). Of 660 participants on antihypertensive medication, 44.4% had controlled BP. Two hundred and seventy-six (15.4%) of women reported hypertension in a previous pregnancy. Hypertension with previous pregnancy was positively correlated with current elevation. These results suggest a high rate of raised BP among community dwellers whose hypertension had not been previously diagnosed by a health professional and warrant proactive approaches that promote community-based awareness, and regular measurements.

A cross-sectional analysis of investigator needs for non-communicable disease research at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the needs of academic staff conducting non-communicable disease (NCD) research at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. METHODS: Utilizing a cross-sectional design an online survey was created using the research electronic data capture application (REDCap); it was disseminated via email to 708 academic staff members in the Faculties of Medical Sciences and Science & Technology between September and November 2018. Participants were asked to indicate their level of access to expertise, training and equipment for conducting research. Descriptive analysis was conducted using STATA version 14. RESULTS: Most respondents were women (74.2%), predominantly scientists (33.1%) or specialist physicians (22.6%). Less than 2/3 of respondents reported publishing research findings in peer reviewed journals, with a quarter not disseminating their research findings in any medium. Resources for field research/data collection, epidemiological methods and principles, and data management/data analysis were generally available. However, there was limited access to training, expertise and equipment in emerging techniques for NCD research such as metabolomics, bioinformatics/analysis of large-scale data sets and health economics. Additional challenges included limited access to financing for research, inadequate workspace and poor administrative support for conducting research. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for more local research seed funding, stronger administrative support for researchers, and opportunities for training in cutting edge NCD research techniques. Jamaican researchers could benefit from being part of a regional research centre of excellence with critical research skills and equipment that builds research networks and strengthens the NCD research response.

A cross-sectional analysis of investigator needs for non-communicable disease research at the University of the West Indies, Mona / Análisis transversal de las necesidades de los investigadores de las enfermedades no transmisibles en la Universidad de las Indias Occidentales en Mona / Uma análise transversal das carências dos pesquisadores envolvidos em pesquisa de doenças não transmissíveis na Universidade das Índias Ocidentais, Mona

ABSTRACT Objective. To describe the needs of academic staff conducting non-communicable disease (NCD) research at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. Methods. Utilizing a cross-sectional design an online survey was created using the research electronic data capture application (REDCap); it was disseminated via email to 708 academic staff members in the Faculties of Medical Sciences and Science & Technology between September and November 2018. Participants were asked to indicate their level of access to expertise, training and equipment for conducting research. Descriptive analysis was conducted using STATA version 14. Results. Most respondents were women (74.2%), predominantly scientists (33.1%) or specialist physicians (22.6%). Less than 2/3 of respondents reported publishing research findings in peer reviewed journals, with a quarter not disseminating their research findings in any medium. Resources for field research/data collection, epidemiological methods and principles, and data management/data analysis were generally available. However, there was limited access to training, expertise and equipment in emerging techniques for NCD research such as metabolomics, bioinformatics/analysis of large-scale data sets and health economics. Additional challenges included limited access to financing for research, inadequate workspace and poor administrative support for conducting research. Conclusions. There is a need for more local research seed funding, stronger administrative support for researchers, and opportunities for training in cutting edge NCD research techniques. Jamaican researchers could benefit from being part of a regional research centre of excellence with critical research skills and equipment that builds research networks and strengthens the NCD research response.

RESUMEN Objetivo. Describir las necesidades del personal académico que investiga las enfermedades no transmisibles (ENT) en el Campus de Mona de la Universidad de las Indias Occidentales, en Jamaica. Métodos. Mediante un diseño transversal, se elaboró una encuesta en línea con RedCap, una aplicación para la captura de datos electrónicos para la investigación, y se divulgó por correo electrónico a los 708 miembros del personal académico de las Facultades de Ciencias Médicas y Ciencia y Tecnología entre septiembre y noviembre del 2018. Se pidió a los participantes que indicaran su nivel de acceso a conocimientos, capacitación y equipo para llevar a cabo investigaciones. El análisis descriptivo se realizó con STATA, versión 14. Resultados. La mayoría de los entrevistados fueron mujeres (74,2%), predominantemente científicas (33,1%) o médicas especialistas (22,6%). Menos de dos terceras partes de los entrevistados informó que publicaban los resultados de sus investigaciones en revistas arbitradas y una cuarta parte declaró que no divulgaba los resultados de sus investigaciones en ningún medio. Por lo general, tenían a su disposición recursos para la investigación de campo o la recopilación de datos, métodos y principios epidemiológicos, así como para la gestión y el análisis de datos. Sin embargo, tenían poco acceso a conocimientos, capacitación y equipo en las técnicas emergentes para la investigación sobre ENT como la metabolómica, la bioinformática o el análisis de conjuntos de datos a gran escala y economía de la salud. Otros retos incluyeron poco acceso al financiamiento para la investigación, espacios de trabajo inadecuados y un apoyo administrativo deficiente para investigar. Conclusiones. Se necesita más capital inicial destinado a la investigación local, un mayor respaldo administrativo a los investigadores y oportunidades de capacitación en las técnicas más recientes de investigación de ENT. Los investigadores jamaiquinos podrían sacar provecho de formar parte de un centro regional de excelencia para la investigación con el equipo y las capacidades de investigación fundamentales para contribuir a la formación de redes de investigación y fortalecer la respuesta investigadora a las ENT.

RESUMO Objetivo. Descrever as carências enfrentadas pelo grupo acadêmico que realiza pesquisa em doenças não transmissíveis (DNT) na Universidade das Índias Ocidentais, campus de Mona, Jamaica. Métodos. Uma pesquisa transversal online foi desenvolvida com o uso da plataforma de captura eletrônica de dados de pesquisa (RedCap) e distribuída por e-mail a 708 integrantes dos grupos acadêmicos nas Faculdades de Ciências Médicas e de Ciência e Tecnologia entre setembro e novembro de 2018. Foi pedido aos participantes que informassem o grau de acesso a conhecimento especializado, capacitação e equipamentos para a realização de pesquisa. Uma análise descritiva foi realizada com o uso do software STATA versão 14. Resultados. Participaram, na sua maioria, mulheres (74,2%), com o predomínio de pesquisadores científicos (33,1%) ou médicos especialistas (22,6%). Menos de 2/3 informaram publicar os resultados de suas pesquisas em periódicos científicos com avaliação por pares e 25% disseram que não divulgavam seus resultados em nenhum veículo. Afirmaram que, em geral, havia recursos para realizar pesquisa de campo/coleta de dados, métodos e procedimentos básicos epidemiológicos e gerenciamento/análise de dados. Porém, era limitado o acesso a capacitação, conhecimentos especializados e equipamentos para empregar métodos emergentes de pesquisa de DNT como metabolômica, bioinformática/processamento em larga escala de grandes conjuntos de dados e economia da saúde. Outras dificuldades citadas foram limitação de financiamento para pesquisa, inadequação dos locais de trabalho e apoio administrativo deficiente à realização de pesquisas. Conclusões. Faz-se necessário mais financiamento para projetos iniciantes locais, firme apoio administrativo aos pesquisadores e oportunidades para capacitação em métodos de ponta de pesquisa de DNT. A situação dos pesquisadores jamaicanos poderia melhorar se fizessem parte de um centro de excelência regional com recursos e equipamentos essenciais para a realização de pesquisa que lhes permitisse formar redes de pesquisadores e fortalecer a resposta da pesquisa de DNT.

Introducing medical students to pharmacovigilance through a Basic Research Skills Special Study Module.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacovigilance is an important aspect of clinical practice; however, there is limited evidence that it exists as a theme in medical education curricula. OBJECTIVE: We developed and used a Basic Research Skill Special Study Module to introduce pharmacovigilance to medical students in the early years of their programme. METHODS: Students completing year one or two of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery programme at The University of the West Indies, Jamaica participated in the four week experience from May 16th to June 12th 2019 to complete structured content sessions and self-directed activity. Sessions focused on the importance of pharmacovigilance and guided steps to complete a secondary data research project on an adverse reaction reported for a drug of personal interest. The final output was a poster mini-symposium at which each student held a five minute oral presentation. Posters were assessed for compliance with content guidelines, quality and presentation. RESULTS: Ten students participated in this experience and nine students produced posters of greater than 80% compliance with the content guidelines that were provided. The points awarded also reflected high scores for the required elements, relevant graphics, attractiveness/neatness and oral presentation. Students expressed overall satisfaction with the learning experience of the module. CONCLUSION: Moving forward, the authors will continue using this innovative active learning methodology to increase student exposure to pharmacovigilance, conducting and sharing research. Quantitative outcome assessment tools will be developed and long term goals will focus on its utility in curriculum improvement.

The potential of saponin from Jamaica's Blighia sapida (ackee) as a substitute for sodium lauryl sulphate in toothpaste.

Discovering novel means of protection from harmful substances in toothpaste is essential due to its mass production, and frequent exposure to its ingredients by consumers. This method of safeguarding through discovery demonstrates toothpaste safety, which is at risk of being stifled by other commercial priorities. Among the ingredients in toothpaste that cause adverse effects is sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). An understanding of this source and its effects therefore allows for investigating preventative strategies through the use of safer alternatives. Saponin, a naturally occurring chemical in several plant species was discovered to be an alternative compound that may parallel the effects of sodium lauryl sulphate, yet exude less ill effects. This article highlights the benefits of saponin and its presence in a heavily consumed and exported fruit in Jamaica (ackee, Blighia sapida). The possibility of extracting saponin from ackee, and its use in the toothpaste industry as an alternative to sodium lauryl sulphate are discussed. Through consideration of this alternative, the potential exists to improve the safety of toothpastes and consequently improve oral health.

Blood Pressure Screening Campaign in Jamaica: May Measurement Month 2017.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is responsible for a significant disease burden in Jamaica. We are reporting the results of the 2017 blood pressure (BP) screening campaign May Measurement Month in Jamaica that aimed to increase the awareness of HTN. METHODS: Adults, 18 years old and older, from different parishes of Jamaica were invited to participate during May to June 2017. Demographic data were collected. BP, weight, and height were measured and recorded. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-six participants (n = 566) were enrolled, 91.6% (519) from urban areas, and 72.6% (410) were females. The average age was 53.7 (18-95) years old and body mass index was 28.2 ± 6.6 kg/m2. The prevalence of HTN was 47.3% (267/566), without gender or living areas differences (both P > 0.1). Prevalence of HTN was lower in those who self-identified as Interracial ethnicity, in comparison with Afro-Caribbean (33% vs. 48.3%; P = 0.04). About third of the hypertensive patients were not aware of the high BP (89/267; 35.6%). Between hypertensive patients, 64.4% (172/267) were receiving antihypertensive drugs. The rate of BP control was 32% of the hypertensive patients and 50% of those receiving antihypertensive medication. Significant lower BP control was observed between diabetic vs. nondiabetic patients (34.3% vs. 60%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence of HTN in this population, especially in patients with diabetes or previous cardiovascular diseases. We report an increase in HTN awareness in Jamaica but more advances need to be performed to increase HTN treatment and control.

Associations of whole-blood fatty acids and dietary intakes with prostate cancer in Jamaica.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of whole-blood fatty acids and reported intakes of fats with risk of prostate cancer (PCa). DESIGN: Case-control study of 209 men 40-80 years old with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 226 cancer-free men attending the same urology clinics. Whole-blood fatty acid composition (mol%) was measured by gas chromatography and diet assessed by food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: High whole-blood oleic acid composition (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 0.37; CI, 0.14-0.0.98) and moderate palmitic acid proportions (tertile 2: OR, 0.29; CI, 0.12-0.70) (tertile 3: OR, 0.53; CI, 0.19-1.54) were inversely related to risk of PCa, whereas men with high linolenic acid proportions were at increased likelihood of PCa (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 2.06; 1.29-3.27). Blood myristic, stearic and palmitoleic acids were not associated with PCa. Higher intakes of dietary MUFA were inversely related to prostate cancer (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: OR, 0.39; CI 0.16-0.92). The principal source of dietary MUFA was avocado intake. Dietary intakes of other fats were not associated with PCa. CONCLUSIONS: Whole-blood and dietary MUFA reduced the risk of prostate cancer. The association may be related to avocado intakes. High blood linolenic acid was directly related to prostate cancer. These associations warrant further investigation.

Body size and risk of prostate cancer in Jamaican men.

We investigated the associations between body size and risk of prostate cancer in a hospital-based case-control study in Jamaica. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured at enrollment, and data collected on medical and lifestyle factors for newly diagnosed cases (n = 243) and controls (n = 275). Compared with men in the normal range of waist-hip ratio (WHR), men with WHR > or =0.95 were at greater risk of total prostate cancer (OR,1.72; CI, 1.01-3.00) and high-grade cancer (OR, 2.02; CI, 1.03-3.96). With additional control for BMI, the association with WHR remained significant for total prostate cancer (OR, 1.90; CI, 1.01-3.53) and high-grade disease (OR, 2.94; CI, 1.34-6.38). There was no association between waist circumference and cancer without control for BMI but after controlling for BMI, waist circumference >90 cm (OR, 2.45; CI, 1.01-5.94) and >102 cm (OR, 5.57; CI, 1.43-18.63) showed a dose-response relationship with high-grade disease. Height and BMI were not associated with risk of prostate cancer. Abdominal obesity may be associated with risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Risk may be greater in those with higher abdominal obesity relative to overall size. The results further highlight the importance of investigating relationships by characteristics of the tumor.

Public and private health care utilization differences between socioeconomic strata in Jamaica.

OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in the use of private and public health care services among Jamaicans over a 15-year period (1991-2007). DESIGN AND METHODS: Statistics on the use of health care services were taken from the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) for the 15-year period 1993 to 2007. Use of hospital services were represented in income quintiles and compared for private and public facilities. The difference in percentage use between public and private was compared by quintiles over the period and the variability in those differentials assessed. RESULTS: This study highlights the increasing use of private services by increasing wealth, exaggerated for the wealthiest quintile. There is a widening of the differences in utilization between public and private centers as income level increases (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Internal and external economic conditions influence the use of private and public health care services in Jamaica. Although the relative increase in the cost (to the user) of public health care is more than that for private health care, the actual cost to use the public health care system is still significantly cheaper than using the private system. Lower income health care users tend to take the lesser cost option.

Teaching medical students in their last leg of the undergraduate journey.

BACKGROUND: This short biographical piece provides a brief description of the experience of a medical teacher at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. It traces his initial response to being chosen as a teacher and shows movement from self-doubt to assertive thinking about the role of the teacher. The development of the teacher, though buttressed by a formal training intervention, is couched within a sensitive understanding of the whole student.

Health sector challenges and responses beyond the Alma-Ata Declaration: a Caribbean perspective

Al igual que el resto del mundo, el Caribe ha sido testigo del drástico paso de las enfermedades nutricionales y transmisibles a las enfermedades no transmisibles y crónicas. No obstante, en el Caribe este cambio ha coincidido con una nueva dinámica, creada por la emergencia de enfermedades transmisibles -como la infección por el VIH/sida- junto con los problemas relacionados con el envejecimiento, las enfermedades cardiovasculares, la violencia y las lesiones, entre otros. En este artículo se hace una revisión de la historia de la atención sanitaria en el Caribe, los retos y enfoques del sector salud y la nueva orientación en la atención primaria de salud (APS). Las observaciones se basan en trabajos publicados. En el Caribe, la Declaración de Alma-Ata sirvió como importante punto de giro y ofreció orientación, apoyo y dirección a medida que los países perfilaban sus servicios de salud para satisfacer sus necesidades. La creatividad y el ingenio surgieron como rasgos distintivos del enfoque caribeño en la reestructuración de la APS, ante los retos económicos, sociales, culturales, de recursos humanos y de políticas que enfrentaban. El fortalecimiento de de la capacidad institucional, la extensión de los programas sociales, los esquemas nacionales de seguros de salud, los programas específicos de promoción de salud y la ampliación de la investigación en apoyo al desarrollo de políticas continúan evidenciando el esfuerzo caribeño para responder a los cruciales retos epidemiológicos. A pesar de esos retos, se han establecido alianzas dentro y fuera del Caribe. Además, la Carta del Caribe para la Promoción de la Salud ha servido como elemento crítico para el desarrollo de la APS.(AU)

Health sector challenges and responses beyond the Alma-Ata Declaration: a Caribbean perspective

Al igual que el resto del mundo, el Caribe ha sido testigo del drástico paso de las enfermedades nutricionales y transmisibles a las enfermedades no transmisibles y crónicas. No obstante, en el Caribe este cambio ha coincidido con una nueva dinámica, creada por la emergencia de enfermedades transmisibles -como la infección por el VIH/sida- junto con los problemas relacionados con el envejecimiento, las enfermedades cardiovasculares, la violencia y las lesiones, entre otros. En este artículo se hace una revisión de la historia de la atención sanitaria en el Caribe, los retos y enfoques del sector salud y la nueva orientación en la atención primaria de salud (APS). Las observaciones se basan en trabajos publicados. En el Caribe, la Declaración de Alma-Ata sirvió como importante punto de giro y ofreció orientación, apoyo y dirección a medida que los países perfilaban sus servicios de salud para satisfacer sus necesidades. La creatividad y el ingenio surgieron como rasgos distintivos del enfoque caribeño en la reestructuración de la APS, ante los retos económicos, sociales, culturales, de recursos humanos y de políticas que enfrentaban. El fortalecimiento de de la capacidad institucional, la extensión de los programas sociales, los esquemas nacionales de seguros de salud, los programas específicos de promoción de salud y la ampliación de la investigación en apoyo al desarrollo de políticas continúan evidenciando el esfuerzo caribeño para responder a los cruciales retos epidemiológicos. A pesar de esos retos, se han establecido alianzas dentro y fuera del Caribe. Además, la Carta del Caribe para la Promoción de la Salud ha servido como elemento crítico para el desarrollo de la APS.

Health sector challenges and responses beyond the Alma-Ata Declaration: a Caribbean perspective / Retos y respuestas del sector salud más allá de la declaración de Alma-Ata: una perspectiva Caribeña

Al igual que el resto del mundo, el Caribe ha sido testigo del drástico paso de las enfermedades nutricionales y transmisibles a las enfermedades no transmisibles y crónicas. No obstante, en el Caribe este cambio ha coincidido con una nueva dinámica, creada por la emergencia de enfermedades transmisibles -como la infección por el VIH/sida- junto con los problemas relacionados con el envejecimiento, las enfermedades cardiovasculares, la violencia y las lesiones, entre otros. En este artículo se hace una revisión de la historia de la atención sanitaria en el Caribe, los retos y enfoques del sector salud y la nueva orientación en la atención primaria de salud (APS). Las observaciones se basan en trabajos publicados. En el Caribe, la Declaración de Alma-Ata sirvió como importante punto de giro y ofreció orientación, apoyo y dirección a medida que los países perfilaban sus servicios de salud para satisfacer sus necesidades. La creatividad y el ingenio surgieron como rasgos distintivos del enfoque caribeño en la reestructuración de la APS, ante los retos económicos, sociales, culturales, de recursos humanos y de políticas que enfrentaban. El fortalecimiento de de la capacidad institucional, la extensión de los programas sociales, los esquemas nacionales de seguros de salud, los programas específicos de promoción de salud y la ampliación de la investigación en apoyo al desarrollo de políticas continúan evidenciando el esfuerzo caribeño para responder a los cruciales retos epidemiológicos. A pesar de esos retos, se han establecido alianzas dentro y fuera del Caribe. Además, la Carta del Caribe para la Promoción de la Salud ha servido como elemento crítico para el desarrollo de la APS.

Recent developments in low-cost screening and assessment of childhood disabilities in Jamaica. Part 2: Assessment

This paper summarise the requirements and criteria for assessment of childhood disabilities. It reviews recent research carried out in Jamaica and outlines procedures for medical and psychological assessment used in the International Epidemiological Study of Childhood and Disability as well as local experience in community-based rehabilitation. While the medical assessment procedures were considered to be validated, there is an urgent need for local research and development in psychological assessment. These approaches, while not perfect as yet, bring the possibility of local community capability closer. They will require changes in professional attitudes, training of health and educational personnel, and changes in the service systems, so that screening and assessment can be integrated into existing services. However, although this will obviate the need for new, specialised administrations, improved linkages and lines of referral will be necessary.

Changes in material resource levels in Jamaica's primary health care services between 1984 and 1991/1992

Jamaica's primary health-care services have been in a process of development since the 1970s. In 1984, a large management study collected data on levels of material resources (basic facilities, utilities, furniture, equipment and supplies items). Since 1984, serious staff shortages have affected the services, and there have been economic constraints, as well as a major huuricane. In order to measure changes over subsequent years, data on material resources weere again collected in 1991/1992, using the same sample of 65 types 2 and 3 health centres as in 1984. Data were collected by interview with health centre staff. Results, whilst showing various changes item-by-item, showed constancy or minor improvements overall in levels of resources. Type 2 health centres continued to have lower resource levels than type 3s, even though the methodology allowed for their different needs where appropriate. Staff members' opinions of condition and adequacy of resources had become more positive than before. It was concluded that, in terms of material resources, activities within the primary health-care sector have offset the adverse effects of the macro-environmental conditions affecting the health centres. This method of material resource monitoring has implications for quality assessment of health facilities in primary health-care.