Short-term power load forecasting based on the CEEMDAN-TCN-ESN model.

Ensuring an adequate electric power supply while minimizing redundant generation is the main objective of power load forecasting, as this is essential for the power system to operate efficiently. Therefore, accurate power load forecasting is of great significance to save social resources and promote economic development. In the current study, a hybrid CEEMDAN-TCN-ESN forecasting model based on complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) and higher-frequency and lower-frequency component reconstruction is proposed for short-term load forecasting research. In this paper, we select the historical national electricity load data of Panama as the research subject and make hourly forecasts of its electricity load data. The results show that the RMSE and MAE predicted by the CEEMDAN-TCN-ESN model on this dataset are 15.081 and 10.944, respectively, and R2 is 0.994. Compared to the second-best model (CEEMDAN-TCN), the RMSE is reduced by 9.52%, and the MAE is reduced by 17.39%. The hybrid model proposed in this paper effectively extracts the complex features of short-term power load data and successfully merges subseries according to certain similar features. It learns the complex and varying features of higher-frequency series and the obvious regularity of the lower-frequency-trend series well, which could be applicable to real-world short-term power load forecasting work.

[Assessment of calcium intake in Costa Rica and Panama with the International Osteoporosis Foundation calcium calculator]. / Evaluación del consumo de calcio en Costa Rica y Panamá con la calculadora de calcio de la International Osteoporosis Foundation.

Introduction: Introduction: calcium intake is fundamental over the whole life cycle; despite this, the world consumption of calcium is deficient. In Central America, there is little data on calcium intake. Objective: to evaluate daily calcium intake in the adult population of Costa Rica and Panama. Methods: an adult's population (> 18) survey was conducted in both countries. A questionnaire specifically design for the study was applied to subjects that were willing to participate after they signed of the informed consent form. The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) calcium calculator was used to quantify their calcium intake. Results: the study included 1189 participants, 50 % were men. The median calcium intake was 862 mg/d (IQR, 650.5 to 1115) in Costa Rica and 825.5 mg/d (IQR, 579.75 to 1029.2) in Panama. Significant differences were found between calcium intake and age group in Costa Ricans, while in the Panamanian population differences were found in calcium intake according to educational level. Conclusion: this study is the first one conducted in Central America using the IOF calcium intake calculator. The study shows that calcium intake is deficient in Costa Rica and Panama. It is necessary to establish educational campaigns in both countries to correct this deficiency.

Introducción: Introducción: una ingesta adecuada de calcio es fundamental durante todo el curso de la vida. A pesar de esto, el consumo mundial de calcio es deficiente. En Centroamérica se tienen pocos datos sobre el tema. Objetivo: evaluar el consumo diario de calcio en la población adulta de Costa Rica y Panamá. Métodos: se realizó una encuesta a la población adulta (> 18 años) en ambos países. En aquellos sujetos que aceptaron ser encuestados, se aplicó un cuestionario específicamente diseñado para el estudio con información demográfica, estilos de vida y dieta. Se utilizó la calculadora de calcio de la International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) para cuantificar su ingesta de calcio. Resultados: el estudio incluyó a 1189 participantes, el 50 % eran hombres. La mediana de la ingesta de calcio fue de 862 mg/d (RIC: 650,5 a 1115) en Costa Rica y de 825,5 mg/d (RIC: 579,75 a 1029,2) en Panamá. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre la ingesta de calcio y el grupo de edad en los costarricenses, mientras que en la población panameña se encontraron diferencias en la ingesta de calcio de acuerdo con el nivel educativo. Conclusiones: este estudio es el primero realizado en América Central con la calculadora de calcio de la IOF. Nuestro estudio muestra que la ingesta de calcio es deficiente en Costa Rica y Panamá. Es necesario establecer campañas educativas en ambos países para corregir esta deficiencia.

Aplicación de la Teoría del Cuidado Cultural a la investigación: prácticas de cuidado preventivas de hantavirus / Applying Cultural Care Theory to research: hantavirus preventive care practices

INTRODUCCIÓN: La investigación en enfermería surge de las necesidades y experiencias en la práctica y debe contribuir a generar, redefinir y actualizar el conocimiento de enfermería a través de comprobación o generación de nuevas teorías de enfermería. El conocimiento nuevo generado o actualizado debe retornar y mejorar la práctica del cuidado de enfermería dirigido las personas, familia y comunidad. Sin embargo en ocasiones la interrelación investigación y teoría no es clara, afectando de esta manera la relevancia de la aplicación de las teorías de enfermería en la práctica del cuidado de enfermería. OBJETIVO: La presente reflexión responde al objetivo de ejemplificar cómo se aplicó la Teoría del Cuidado Cultural Universalidad y Diversidad de Leininger al estudio del fenómeno de las prácticas de cuidado preventivas de hantavirus. DESARROLLO: Sistematización crítica de la experiencia investigativa a través de una propuesta metodológica, que describe cómo la Teoría del Cuidado Cultural Universalidad y Diversidad de Leininger guio el proceso de investigación sobre las prácticas de cuidado preventivas de hantavirus, factores personales, sociales, modos de vida y creencias culturales. CONCLUSIONES: Un elemento fundamental en toda investigación de enfermería es mostrar de manera clara y explícita cómo la teoría se interconecta con todas las fases de la investigación y en consecuencia genera conocimiento de enfermería para la práctica del cuidado.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing research arises from needs and experiences in practice and should contribute to generate, redefine and update nursing knowledge by testing or developing new nursing theories. Such new or updated knowledge should lead to improvements in the practice of nursing care applied to persons, family, and community. However, sometimes the interrelationship between research and theory is unclear, affecting the relevance of such theories to nursing care practice. OBJECTIVE: The present reflection aims to exemplify how Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care Universality and Diversity was applied to the study of hantavirus preventive care practices. DEVELOPMENT: Critical systematization of the research experience through a proposed methodology that describes how Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care Universality and Diversity guided research related to hantavirus preventive practices, personal and social factors, lifestyles, and cultural beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: A fundamental element in all nursing research is to clearly and explicitly show how theory interfaces with all phases of research and consequently generates nursing knowledge for caring practice.

Widespread herbivory cost in tropical nitrogen-fixing tree species.

Recent observations suggest that the large carbon sink in mature and recovering forests may be strongly limited by nitrogen1-3. Nitrogen-fixing trees (fixers) in symbiosis with bacteria provide the main natural source of new nitrogen to tropical forests3,4. However, abundances of fixers are tightly constrained5-7, highlighting the fundamental unanswered question of what limits new nitrogen entering tropical ecosystems. Here we examine whether herbivory by animals is responsible for limiting symbiotic nitrogen fixation in tropical forests. We evaluate whether nitrogen-fixing trees experience more herbivory than other trees, whether herbivory carries a substantial carbon cost, and whether high herbivory is a result of herbivores targeting the nitrogen-rich leaves of fixers8,9. We analysed 1,626 leaves from 350 seedlings of 43 tropical tree species in Panama and found that: (1) although herbivory reduces the growth and survival of all seedlings, nitrogen-fixing trees undergo 26% more herbivory than non-fixers; (2) fixers have 34% higher carbon opportunity costs owing to herbivory than non-fixers, exceeding the metabolic cost of fixing nitrogen; and (3) the high herbivory of fixers is not driven by high leaf nitrogen. Our findings reveal that herbivory may be sufficient to limit tropical symbiotic nitrogen fixation and could constrain its role in alleviating nitrogen limitation on the tropical carbon sink.

Oportunidades para la transición al uso de energía limpia en Panamá. Aplicación de la herramienta de evaluación rápida de acceso a la energía – HEART

[Introducción]: El uso de combustibles sólidos para cocinar es un importante problema de salud pública en las Américas y el principal riesgo ambiental, pues afecta a casi 90 millones de personas. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha estimado que en el 2016 la quema de combustibles sólidos para cocinar y calentarse en las Américas causó la muerte de más de 82 000 personas y una pérdida de más de 2,3 millones de años de vida ajustados por discapacidad (AVAD) ... En este informe se presentan los avances, retos y oportunidades para avanzar en la transición energética al uso de combustibles modernos y limpios como el GLP y la electricidad para cocinar, y para cumplir con las directrices de calidad del aire en la vivienda recomendadas por la OMS, contribuyendo a la implementación de la Agenda 2030 de Desarrollo Sostenible.

A modified Susceptible-Infected-Recovered model for observed under-reported incidence data.

Fitting Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) models to incidence data is problematic when not all infected individuals are reported. Assuming an underlying SIR model with general but known distribution for the time to recovery, this paper derives the implied differential-integral equations for observed incidence data when a fixed fraction of newly infected individuals are not observed. The parameters of the resulting system of differential equations are identifiable. Using these differential equations, we develop a stochastic model for the conditional distribution of current disease incidence given the entire past history of reported cases. We estimate the model parameters using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte-Carlo sampling of the posterior distribution. We use our model to estimate the transmission rate and fraction of asymptomatic individuals for the current Coronavirus 2019 outbreak in eight American Countries: the United States of America, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Panama, from January 2020 to May 2021. Our analysis reveals that the fraction of reported cases varies across all countries. For example, the reported incidence fraction for the United States of America varies from 0.3 to 0.6, while for Brazil it varies from 0.2 to 0.4.

Informe anual 2020. La salud universal y la pandemia. Sistemas de salud resilientes. Panamá

Establecida en 1902 como el organismo independiente especializado en salud del sistema interamericano, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) ha desarrollado competencias y experiencia ampliamente reconocidas al brindar cooperación técnica a sus Estados Miembros para combatir las enfermedades transmisibles y no transmisibles y sus causas, fortalecer los sistemas de salud y responder a situaciones de emergencia y desastres en toda la Región de las Américas. Asimismo, en su calidad de oficina regional de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, la OPS participa activamente en los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países, colaborando con otros organismos, fondos y programas del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para contribuir al logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) a nivel de país. En este informe anual se presenta la cooperación técnica de la OPS a nivel de país en el 2020, mediante la aplicación de la estrategia de cooperación con el país, la respuesta a las necesidades y prioridades nacionales, y el desarrollo de las actividades en el marco de los mandatos regionales y mundiales de la Organización y los ODS. En consonancia con el tema general de "la salud universal y la pandemia: sistemas de salud resilientes", se pone de relieve la respuesta de la OPS a la pandemia de COVID-19, así como sus esfuerzos continuos en esferas prioritarias como las enfermedades transmisibles, las enfermedades no transmisibles, la salud mental, la salud a lo largo del curso de vida y las emergencias de salud. También se presenta un resumen financiero del ejercicio examinado.

Environmental Surveillance for Risk Assessment in the Context of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Type 2 Novel Oral Polio Vaccine in Panama.

Environmental surveillance was recommended for risk mitigation in a novel oral polio vaccine-2 (nOPV2) clinical trial (M5-ABMG) to monitor excretion, potential circulation, and loss of attenuation of the two nOPV2 candidates. The nOPV2 candidates were developed to address the risk of poliovirus (PV) type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) as part of the global eradication strategy. Between November 2018 and January 2020, an environmental surveillance study for the clinical trial was conducted in parallel to the M5-ABMG clinical trial at five locations in Panama. The collection sites were located upstream from local treatment plant inlets, to capture the excreta from trial participants and their community. Laboratory analyses of 49 environmental samples were conducted using the two-phase separation method. Novel OPV2 strains were not detected in sewage samples collected during the study period. However, six samples were positive for Sabin-like type 3 PV, two samples were positive for Sabin-like type 1 PV, and non-polio enteroviruses NPEVs were detected in 27 samples. One of the nOPV2 candidates has been granted Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organization and initial use started in March 2021. This environmental surveillance study provided valuable risk mitigation information to support the Emergency Use Listing application.

Efficiency and Productivity Change of Public Hospitals in Panama: Do Management Schemes Matter?

In Latin American and Caribbean countries, the main concern of public health care managers has been traditionally placed on problems related to funding, payment mechanisms, and equity of access. However, more recently, there is a growing interest in improving the levels of efficiency and reducing costs in the provision of health services. In this paper we focus on measuring the technical efficiency and productivity change of public hospitals in Panama using bootstrapped Malmquist indices, which allows us to assess the statistical significance of changes in productivity, efficiency, and technology. Specifically, we are interested in comparing the performance of hospitals belonging to the two different management schemes coexisting in the country, the Social Security Fund (SSF) and the Ministry of Health (MoH). Our dataset includes data about 22 public hospitals (11 for each model) during the period between 2005 and 2015. The results showed that the productivity growth of hospitals belonging to the SSF has been much higher than that of the hospitals belonging to the Ministry of Health over the evaluated period (almost 4% compared to 1.5%, respectively). The main explanation for these divergences is the superior growth of technological change in the former hospitals, especially in the final years of the evaluated period.

Contaminación atmosférica en América Latina: impacto en la salud Y regulación actual - reporte del grupo del Comité de Aerobiología de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Asma, Alergia e Inmunología / Atmospheric pollution in Latin America: impact on health and current regulation - report of the Aerobiology Committee of the Latin American Society of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology

La contaminación ambiental, en todas sus vertientes, tiene un efecto de enormes dimensiones no sólo sobre la existencia del planeta, sino también sobre la salud de la humanidad. América Latina es una región privilegiada ambientalmente, debido a su gran acervo de patrimonio natural, biodiversidad y posibilidades de provisión de servicios ambientales. Pero, a su vez, es una de las regiones más urbanizadas del orbe, con las afectaciones y presión al medio ambiente que esto implica, principalmente en la calidad del aire que se respira, derivadas de antiguos patrones productivos y de ocupación territorial, que se han agudizado como consecuencia del modelo de desarrollo predominante. Los efectos sobre la salud humana de diversas sustancias contaminantes están relacionados a procesos inflamatorios sobre mucosas y al aumento de la morbimortalidad en personas con enfermedades preexistentes, principalmente de los sistemas neurológico, cardiaco y respiratorio, en particular las enfermedades alérgicas respiratorias. La región latinoamericana enfrenta importantes problemas ambientales, determinados por los patrones de uso de sus recursos naturales, los sistemas de producción, los hábitos de consumo de las poblaciones humanas y la regulación gubernamental ambiental, que en muchos casos es laxa o pobremente implementada por los gobiernos en turno.

Air quality, in all its dimensions, has a major effect not only on the existence of the planet, but also on human health. Latin America is an environmentally privileged region, due to its great wealth of natural heritage, biodiversity and possibilities of provision of environmental services. But, at the same time, it is one of the most urbanized regions in the world, with the effects and pressure on the environment that this implies, mainly in the air quality, due to patterns of production and of territorial occupation, which they have exacerbated as a result of the predominant development model. The effects of diverse pollutant substances on the human health are related to inflammatory processes on mucous membranes and to increased morbidity and mortality in people with pre-existing diseases, especially of the neurological, cardiac and respiratory systems, in particular respiratory allergic illnesses. The Latin American region faces important environmental problems determined by the patterns of use of its natural resources, systems of production, habits of consumption of the human populations, and environmental governmental regulation, which is often lax or poorly implemented by the local authorities.

Moving up the Sanitation Ladder while Considering Function: An Assessment of Indigenous Communities, Pit Latrine Users, and Their Perceptions of Resource Recovery Sanitation Technology in Panama.

As households move up the sanitation ladder, health risks presumably decline but the corresponding technologies may require increasing operation and maintenance costs. One critique of the ladder is that it prioritizes technology and could be improved if it included a functional approach to monitoring, such as including aspects of environmental sustainability that consider resource recovery. Using analyses of data obtained from semi-structured interviews, surveys, and field observations, this study examines the functional transition toward improved sanitation technology as a household moves up the sanitation ladder with the added function of resource recovery (from pit latrines to composting latrines). The study took place in six indigenous Ngäbe communities in Panama. The results reveal that of 103 pit latrines studied, 88% were completed and in use, but only 35% were operated appropriately. Approximately 60% of pit latrine owners reported that they would use composting latrines, with compost as the primary perceived benefit. Barriers to adoption include lack of prior experience, user disgust of working with excrement, and the perceived amount of work required for operation. Overall, these findings indicate the importance of establishing demonstration projects and culturally aligned training for more complex sanitation technologies that enable resource recovery. The results have broad implications for understanding sanitation technology transitions in rural and indigenous settlements in other world regions.

[Impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program in a pediatric third level hospital in Panama]. / Impacto de un programa de optimización de uso de antimicrobianos en un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel en Panamá.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) focus in the appropriate use of antimicrobials to improve clinical results and minimize risk of adverse events. AIMS: To compare consumption and costs of antimicrobials before and after the establishment of an antimicrobial stewardship program and to describe the resistance proportion of priority bacteria. METHODS: Quasi-experimental, retrospective and prospective, descriptive and analytical study, to compare consumption and costs of antimicrobials in a pre- intervention period (2007-2010) and a post- intervention period (2011-2017). Additionally, a descriptive analysis of bacterial resistance from 2010 was performed. RESULTS: Gentamicin, vancomycin, meropenem, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and imipenem consumption decreased significantly in the post-intervention period compared to the pre-intervention period (p < 0.05) while consumption of amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime and levofloxacin increased significantly in the post-intervention period. The reduction in costs was not significant for gentamicin, vancomycin, meropenem, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and imipenem, meanwhile, costs increased for amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime and levofloxacin, but this was not significant. The isolation of Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis decreased during the post-intervention period. CONCLUSION: The ASP showed a decrease in consumption and costs of some antimicrobials.

Long-term transmission patterns and public health policies leading to malaria elimination in Panamá.

BACKGROUND: The present study provides a countrywide perspective of the malaria situation in Panamá over a long-term framework, with the purpose of identifying historical malaria resurgence events and their potential causes. METHODS: A descriptive-ecological study was conducted by analysing demographic and epidemiological annual malaria time series data in Panamá (1884-2019) using several data sources. Malaria intensity indicators were calculated during the study period. The effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation on malaria transmission were also analysed using a retrospective analysis of malaria cases between 1957 and 2019. RESULTS: Several factors were identified responsible for malaria resurgence in Panamá, mostly related with Malaria Control Programme weakening. During the past 20 years (2000-2019) malaria has progressively increased in prevalence within indigenous settlements, with a predominance of male cases and a high proportion (15% of total cases) in children less than 5 years old. During this period, a significant and increasing proportion of the Plasmodium falciparum cases were imported. Retrospective analysis (1957-2019) evidenced that ENSO had a significant impact on malaria transmission dynamics in Panamá. CONCLUSIONS: Data analysis confirmed that although authorities have been successful in focalizing malaria transmission in the country, there are still neglected issues to be solved and important intercultural barriers that need to be addressed in order to achieve elimination of the disease by 2022. This information will be useful for targeting strategies by the National Malaria Elimination Programme.

Effects of signalling tax evasion on redistribution and voting preferences: Evidence from the Panama Papers.

This paper provides empirical evidence that individuals substantially revise their stated wealth redistribution preferences after fiscal scandals. The 2016 Panama Papers scandal revealed top-income tax evasion behaviour simultaneously worldwide. The empirical investigation exploits this event as a quasi-natural experiment. I rely on two original datasets, a UK household longitudinal dataset and a survey conducted in 22 European countries. I use a difference-in-differences strategy and find that pro-redistribution statements increased between 2% and 3.3% after the scandal. Responses are heterogeneous and larger for right-wing individuals and low-income individuals. This change in wealth redistribution preferences is likely to have been translated into a slight change in votes. The results suggest an increase in stated voting intentions for the left and a decrease for the right. Complementary estimations reveal that more media coverage and more individuals involved by country increase the magnitude of the response.

Distance as a barrier to obstetric care among indigenous women in Panama: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: We assess the relationship between distance to a woman's assigned health clinic and obstetric care utilisation. DESIGN: We employ a cross-sectional study design using baseline data from the evaluation of a conditional cash transfer programme to promote greater utilisation of maternal and infant health services. Data were collected between December 2016 and January 2017. SETTING: The study is conducted in Ngäbe Buglé, the largest of Panama's three indigenous territories, where maternal mortality is three times the national average. PARTICIPANTS: We analyse a representative sample of 1336 indigenous women with a birth in the 12 months prior to the survey. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes include obstetric care utilisation measures for prenatal, childbirth and postpartum events. Secondary outcomes include reasons for not receiving prenatal care, alarming symptoms, child weight at birth and stillbirths or miscarriages. RESULTS: Compared with women in closest geographic proximity to a health centre (top quintile, Q1), women who lived farthest from a health centre (bottom quintile, Q5) had significantly lower obstetric care utilisation outcomes for critical prenatal, childbirth and postpartum events. Mothers in Q5 were 36 percentage points less likely to have had at least one prenatal care appointment in a hospital, health centre or clinic compared with mothers in Q1 (p<0.01), and 52 percentage points less likely to attend an institutional first appointment (p<0.01). The gap in institutional delivery and postnatal care between mothers in Q1 and Q5 was about 35 percentage points (p<0.01). All utilisation outcomes were negatively correlated with distance, and differences in obstetric care utilisation persisted even when controlling for household wealth, maternal age and maternal education. CONCLUSION: Distance is an important barrier to obstetric care utilisation, with women in more distant locations suffering significantly lower use of prenatal, childbirth and postpartum care compared with women in closer vicinity to a health establishment. Expanding the supply of healthcare and implementing demand side incentives to promote the use of health services in remote communities are relevant policies to reduce disparities in obstetric care utilisation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: AEA Registry (RCT ID AEARCTR-0001751).

Seguridad social en Centroamérica y República Dominicana: situación actual y desafíos

El informe Seguridad social en Centroamérica y República Dominicana: situación actual y desafíos ofrece una descripción general de los principales regímenes vigentes en los sistemas y las instituciones de seguridad social de Centroamérica y el Caribe, realiza un análisis comparativo de esos regímenes, y presenta los desafíos regionales en materia de seguridad social, junto con las metas y los indicadores conexos para el decenio 2018-2028. Más allá de la diversidad en cuanto a la madurez y el desarrollo de los arreglos institucionales de seguridad social de la región, es posible distinguir una serie de desafíos comunes que pueden abordarse utilizando como marco de referencia la Estrategia para el acceso universal a la salud y la cobertura universal de salud de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud del 2014. Algunos de ellos se relacionan con temas estructurales que requieren importantes transformaciones en términos de rectoría y gobernanza —como la segmentación de los sistemas y la fragmentación de los servicios, la ampliación del número de contribuyentes y un financiamiento adecuado a las necesidades de la población— y otros con la prestación de los servicios de salud —un aspecto que requiere la transición a una atención integral y el fomento de la articulación de los distintos niveles de atención a través de redes integradas—. Para la elaboración de este documento se han consultado documentos oficiales de las instituciones de seguridad social de los países miembros del CISSCAD, la legislación vigente en los países y normas de cada institución, y se ha recurrido a bases de datos y publicaciones de organismos internacionales. Este informe está dirigido a profesionales, académicos y expertos del sector de la salud y la protección social interesados en la evolución de los sistemas de seguridad social en la Región de las Américas. Brinda información y análisis de datos que representan aportes técnicos útiles para debatir y formular propuestas de mejoras en los institutos de seguridad social de toda la Región.

Impacto de un programa de optimización de uso de antimicrobianos en un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel en Panamá / Impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program in a pediatric third level hospital in Panama

Resumen Introducción: Los programas de optimización de uso de antimicrobianos (PROA) se enfocan en el uso apropiado de antimicrobianos para ofrecer mejores resultados clínicos y menores riesgos de eventos adversos. Objetivos: Comparar consumo y costos de antimicrobianos antes y después de instauración de un programa de regulación de antimicrobianos y describir la proporción de resistencia de bacterias prioritarias. Métodos: Estudio cuasi-experimental, retrospectivo y prospectivo, descriptivo y analítico, que comparó el consumo y costo de antimicrobianos en un período pre- intervención (2007-2010) y un período post-intervención (2011-2017). Se realizó análisis descriptivo de resistencias bacterianas prioritarias. Resultados: El consumo de gentamicina, vancomicina, meropenem, cefotaxima, ceftazidima e imipenem disminuyó significativamente en el período post-intervención comparado con el período pre-intervención (p < 0,05), mientras que el consumo de amikacina, piperacilina/tazobactam, cefepime y levofloxacina en el período post-intervención mostró un aumento significativo. La reducción de costos no fue significativa para gentamicina, vancomicina, meropenem, cefotaxima, ceftazidima e imipenem. Para amikacina, cefepime, piperacilina/tazobactam y levofloxacina el aumento de costos no fue significativo. Los aislamientos de Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus y Enterococcus faecalis disminuyeron durante el período post-intervención. Conclusión: el PROA demostró disminución en consumo y costos de algunos antimicrobianos.

Abstract Background: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) focus in the appropriate use of antimicrobials to improve clinical results and minimize risk of adverse events. Aims: To compare consumption and costs of antimicrobials before and after the establishment of an antimicrobial stewardship program and to describe the resistance proportion of priority bacteria. Methods: Quasi-experimental, retrospective and prospective, descriptive and analytical study, to compare consumption and costs of antimicrobials in a pre- intervention period (2007-2010) and a post- intervention period (2011-2017). Additionally, a descriptive analysis of bacterial resistance from 2010 was performed. Results: Gentamicin, vancomycin, meropenem, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and imipenem consumption decreased significantly in the post-intervention period compared to the pre-intervention period (p < 0.05) while consumption of amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime and levofloxacin increased significantly in the post-intervention period. The reduction in costs was not significant for gentamicin, vancomycin, meropenem, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and imipenem, meanwhile, costs increased for amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime and levofloxacin, but this was not significant. The isolation of Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis decreased during the post-intervention period. Conclusion: The ASP showed a decrease in consumption and costs of some antimicrobials.