Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for various diseases in the remote areas of Changa Manga Forest, Pakistan / Usos etnomedicinais de plantas para várias doenças nas áreas remotas da Floresta Changa Manga, Paquistão

This study aims at reporting the indigenous knowledge of the medicinal flora from the inhabitants of surroundings of the World's largest artificial planted forest "Changa Manga", Pakistan. Data were collected by direct interviews and group meetings from 81 inhabitants including 32 local healers having information regarding the use of indigenous medicinal plants over a period of one year. Different statistical tools were applied to analyze the data including Frequency citation (FC), Relative frequency citation (RFC), Use Value, Factor of informants consensus and fidelity level. This study reported 73 plant species belonging to 37 plant families and 46 genera. The majority of plant species belong to compositae family. The most commonly used medicinal plants were P. hysterophorus L., P. dactylifera L., S. indicum L, P. harmala L., P. emblica L., and A. indica A.Juss. The greatest number of species was used to cure gastrointestinal disorders. The highest fidelity level (68.18%) was of E. helioscopia to cure gastrointestinal disorders. Maximum fresh uses (17) were reported by C. dactylon (L.) Pars. While the highest number of species reporting fresh uses in similar number was 13. In this study, five novel plants are being reported for the first time in Pakistan for their ethnomedicinal worth. Our data reflect unique usage of the medicinal plants in the study area. The statistical tools used in the study proved useful in pointing the most important and disease category specific plants. High use value plant and the new reported medicinal plants might prove an important source of the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds.

Este estudo tem como objetivo relatar o conhecimento indígena sobre a flora medicinal dos habitantes do entorno da maior floresta artificial plantada do mundo, a Changa Manga, no Paquistão. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas diretas e reuniões em grupo de 81 habitantes, incluindo 32 curandeiros locais, com informações sobre o uso de plantas medicinais indígenas durante o período de um ano. Diferentes ferramentas estatísticas foram aplicadas para analisar os dados, incluindo citação de frequência (FC), citação de frequência relativa (RFC), valor de uso, fator de consenso dos informantes e nível de fidelidade. Este estudo relatou 73 espécies de plantas pertencentes a 37 famílias de plantas e 46 gêneros. A maioria das espécies de plantas pertence à família Compositae. As plantas medicinais mais utilizadas foram P. hysterophorus L., P. dactylifera L., S. indicum L., P. harmala L., P. emblica L. e A. indica A. Juss. O maior número de espécies foi usado para curar distúrbios gastrointestinais. O maior nível de fidelidade (68,18%) foi de E. helioscopia para cura de distúrbios gastrointestinais. Os usos máximos em fresco (17) foram relatados por C. dactylon (L.) Pars. enquanto o maior número de espécies relatando usos frescos em número semelhante foi de 13. Neste estudo, cinco novas plantas estão sendo relatadas pela primeira vez no Paquistão por seu valor etnomedicinal. Nossos dados refletem o uso exclusivo das plantas medicinais na área de estudo. As ferramentas estatísticas utilizadas no estudo mostraram-se úteis para apontar as plantas mais importantes e específicas da categoria de doença. Plantas de alto valor de uso e as novas plantas medicinais relatadas podem ser uma importante fonte de isolamento de compostos farmacologicamente ativos.

Awareness and opinions on healthcare decommissioning in a Swedish region.

Decision-makers may have to decommission services as a response to budget deficits. The aim of this study was to investigate a case of decommissioning with regard to the public's awareness and opinions. The analysis of a survey in a Swedish region that begun the implementation of an extensive decommissioning programme in 2015 shows that the majority of respondents were well or very well informed about the programme (68 %). A large proportion of the respondents thought the decision-makers to a low or very low degree had adopted appropriate measures to solve the economic problems (43 %), but together more respondents were either indifferent (39.5 %) or positive (17.5 %). Regarding the level of satisfaction with the region's healthcare system, compared to prior to the decommissioning period, 30 % were less satisfied while together more were either indifferent (48 %) or had become more satisfied (22 %). The large share of indifferent responses opens up for various interpretations or framings of the programme outcomes. Trust in the regions' healthcare system nevertheless increased during the same period. Furthermore, self-assessed health as well as age and utilization seem to be associated with healthcare system satisfaction during decommissioning. This illustrates heterogeneity in the public's responses to decommissioning, which calls for further investigation.

Patient Perspectives on Barriers to Surgical Care and the Impact of Mobile Surgery in Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: An estimated 5 billion people worldwide lack access to timely safe surgical care (Gawande in Lancet 386(9993):523-525, 2015). A mere 6% of all surgical procedures occur in the poorest countries where over a third of the world's population lives (Meara et al. in Surgery 158(1):3-6, 2015). Mobile surgical units like the Cinterandes Foundation endeavor to bring surgical care directly to these communities who otherwise would lack access to safe surgery. This study examines the barriers patients encounter in seeking surgical care in rural communities of Ecuador and their impressions on how mobile surgery addresses such barriers. METHODS: Open interviews were conducted with Cinterandes' patients who had undergone an operation in the mobile surgical unit between 06/25/2013 and 06/25/2014 (n = 101). Interviews were structured to explore two main domains: (1) examining barriers patients have in accessing surgery, (2) assessing patients' opinion of how mobile surgery helped in overcoming such barriers. RESULTS: Patient inconvenience (70%), cost (21%), and lack of trust in local hospitals (24%) were the main cited barriers to surgical access. Increased patient convenience (53%), cheaper surgical care (34%), and trust in Cinterandes (47%) were the main cited benefits to mobile surgery. CONCLUSION: Mobile surgery provided by Cinterandes effectively overcomes many barriers patients encounter when seeking surgical care in rural Ecuador: decreased patient wait times, limited number of referrals to multiple locations, and decreased cost. Partnering with local clinics within the communities and bringing care much closer to patients' homes may provide a better patient friendly health care delivery system for rural Ecuador.

Construção da integralidade no cuidar de pessoas com diabetes mellitus em um centro de saúde em Feira de Santana (BA) / Integrality-building in the care of people with diabetes mellitus in a healthcare unit of Feira de Santana, Bahia State

Este estudo analisa o cuidado de pessoas com diabetes mellitus (DM) sob a ótica da integralidade, através do acesso, do vínculo-responsabilização e da formação da equipe em um centro de saúde de Feira de Santana (BA). É um estudo qualitativo, numa aproximação crítico-reflexiva. Os sujeitos foram os trabalhadores de saúde (Grupo I) e usuários cadastrados no Programa de Atenção ao Diabético (Grupo II). A entrevista estruturada e a observação sistemática foram utilizadas como técnicas de coleta de dados e a análise de conteúdo e o fluxograma analisador de Merhy, como técnicas de análise dos dados. Os resultados revelam que a atenção básica é pouco estruturada, com um modelo de organização dos serviços esgotado, um processo de cuidar construído no cotidiano do serviço de forma fragmentada, superficial, médico-centrado, e que a municipalização como vem se desenvolvendo em Feira de Santana provocou (des)estruturação e (des)continuidade da atenção à saúde das pessoas com DM. O acesso é restrito, focalizado e direcionado a ações de baixa complexidade. O acolhimento e o vínculo, distantes da corresponsabilização, e ainda há carência de formação e de autonomia. Conclui-se que é necessário ampliar o debate sobre o cuidado integral e gestão do trabalho, valorizando a práxis cotidiana dos sujeitos envolvidos no cuidado.

This study analyses the care of people with diabetes mellitus (DM), under the light of integrality, through access, bond-accountability, and team formation in a healthcare unit of Feira de Santana, Bahia State. It is a qualitative study adopting a critical and reflexive approach. The subjects were healthcare workers (Group I) and users registered in the diabetes program (Group 2). Data collection techniques included a structured interview and systematic observations, while the data analysis was based on content analysis and Merhy's analyzer flowchart. The results reveal that basic attention has little structure, an ineffective organization model, and a healthcare process built on the everyday of the service in a fragmented and shallow way, centered on the figure of the doctor. They also reveal that municipalization of health, as it has been done in Feira de Santana, caused the dismantling and discontinuation of healthcare attention to people with DM. Access is restricted, focused on and directed to low-complexity actions. Hosting and bond with the user are still distant from co-responsabilization, and there is a lack of autonomy and education in the process. In conclusion, it is necessary to widen the debate on whole care and work management, and valuate the everyday praxis of those involved with care.