Maternal and child health in Seychelles.

Services aimed at improving the health of infants, children and mothers have developed over the years since the initiation of the Seychelles Child Development Study. This paper describes the policies, procedures and facilities and how they have impacted on service provision. The utilisation of antenatal, perinatal and child health services, both in the hospital and community settings, are described. The successes and challenges are illustrated by describing fertility, abortion, teenage pregnancy and infant mortality. This overview of maternal and child services provides a perspective on an important aspect of health care development and the context in which the SCDS is conducted.

[From recommendations to practice: eight years of challenges for children's health in primary care services in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil]. / Do preconizado à prática: oito anos de desafios para a saúde da criança em serviços de atenção primária no interior de São Paulo, Brasil.

This article aims to identify changes in indicators for the organization of children's health services in primary care in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. An evaluative study was conducted with three series of cross-sectional evaluations with participation by 81 services, involving 32 municipalities (counties) in the central-west region of the state, who answered the Quali AB questionnaire in 2007, 2010, and 2014. The analysis used 74 children's health indicators and 7 services indicators. Comparison of the indicators evidenced changes in the organization of children's healthcare, with an improvement in the majority of the indicators in 2010 and maintenance or worsening in 2014, compared to 2007. In conclusion, children's health policy recommendations have not been fully realized in the organization of the supply of comprehensive care, although relevant issues such as childhood obesity and violence have been addressed by a few services.

O presente artigo tem por objetivo identificar mudanças nos indicadores de organização da atenção à saúde da criança em serviços de atenção primária do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Pesquisa avaliativa desenvolvida por três séries de avaliações transversais com a participação de 81 serviços, envolvendo 32 municípios do centro-oeste paulista, que responderam ao instrumento Quali AB nos anos de 2007, 2010 e 2014. A análise utilizou 74 indicadores de saúde da criança e 7 de caracterização dos serviços. A comparação dos indicadores evidenciou mudanças na organização de ações de saúde da criança, com melhora da maioria dos indicadores em 2010 e manutenção, ou piora, em 2014, em relação a 2007. Conclui-se que os avanços preconizados pelas políticas de atenção à saúde da criança não têm se efetivado plenamente na organização da oferta da atenção integral, ainda que temas relevantes como obesidade infantil e violência sejam abordados em um pequeno número de serviços.

El objetivo del presente artículo es identificar cambios en los indicadores de organización de la atención a la salud infantil en los servicios de atención primaria del estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Se trata de una investigación evaluativa, desarrollada por tres series de evaluaciones transversales con la participación de 81 servicios, involucrando a 32 municipios del centro-oeste paulista, que respondieron al instrumento Quali AB durante los años de 2007, 2010 y 2014. El análisis utilizó 74 indicadores de salud infantil y 7 de caracterización de los servicios. La comparación de los indicadores evidenció cambios en la organización de acciones de salud infantil, con una mejora de la mayoría de los indicadores en 2010 y un mantenimiento, o empeoramiento, en 2014, comparándolo con 2007. Se concluye que los avances preconizados por las políticas de atención a la salud infantil no se han hecho efectivos plenamente en la organización de la oferta de atención integral, aunque algunos temas relevantes como la obesidad infantil y la violencia sean abordados en un pequeño número de servicios de atención primaria.

Interventions integrating non-communicable disease prevention and reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: A systematic review.

Reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) care services could be critical entry points for preventing non-communicable diseases in women and children. In high-income countries, non-communicable diseases screening has been integrated into both the medical and public health systems. To integrate these services in low- and middle-income countries, it is necessary to closely examine its effectiveness and feasibility. In this systematic review, we evaluated the effectiveness of integrating gestational and non-gestational non-communicable diseases interventions and RMNCH care among women and children in low- and middle-income countries. This systematic review included randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials published from 2000 to 2015. Participants included reproductive-age women, children < 5 years old, and RMNCH care providers. The included interventions comprised packaged care/services that integrated RMNCH services with non-communicable disease care. The outcomes were maternal and/or infant mortality and complications, as well as health care service coverage. We analyzed six studies from 7,949 retrieved articles. Yoga exercise (p < 0.01) and nutritional improvements (p < 0.05) were effective in reducing gestational hypertension and diabetes. Additionally, integrating cervical cancer and RMNCH services was useful for identifying potential cervical cancer cases. Interventions that integrate non-communicable disease care/screening and RMNCH care may positively impact the health of women and children in low- and middle-income countries. However, as primary evidence is scarce, further research on the effectiveness of integrating non-communicable disease prevention and RMNCH care is warranted. (Review Registration: PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42015023425).).

Do preconizado à prática: oito anos de desafios para a saúde da criança em serviços de atenção primária no interior de São Paulo, Brasil / From recommendations to practice: eight years of challenges for children's health in primary care services in the interior of São Paulo State, Brazil / De lo preconizado a la práctica: ocho años de desafíos para la salud infantil en los servicios de atención primaria en la zona interior de São Paulo, Brasil

O presente artigo tem por objetivo identificar mudanças nos indicadores de organização da atenção à saúde da criança em serviços de atenção primária do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Pesquisa avaliativa desenvolvida por três séries de avaliações transversais com a participação de 81 serviços, envolvendo 32 municípios do centro-oeste paulista, que responderam ao instrumento Quali AB nos anos de 2007, 2010 e 2014. A análise utilizou 74 indicadores de saúde da criança e 7 de caracterização dos serviços. A comparação dos indicadores evidenciou mudanças na organização de ações de saúde da criança, com melhora da maioria dos indicadores em 2010 e manutenção, ou piora, em 2014, em relação a 2007. Conclui-se que os avanços preconizados pelas políticas de atenção à saúde da criança não têm se efetivado plenamente na organização da oferta da atenção integral, ainda que temas relevantes como obesidade infantil e violência sejam abordados em um pequeno número de serviços.

This article aims to identify changes in indicators for the organization of children's health services in primary care in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. An evaluative study was conducted with three series of cross-sectional evaluations with participation by 81 services, involving 32 municipalities (counties) in the central-west region of the state, who answered the Quali AB questionnaire in 2007, 2010, and 2014. The analysis used 74 children's health indicators and 7 services indicators. Comparison of the indicators evidenced changes in the organization of children's healthcare, with an improvement in the majority of the indicators in 2010 and maintenance or worsening in 2014, compared to 2007. In conclusion, children's health policy recommendations have not been fully realized in the organization of the supply of comprehensive care, although relevant issues such as childhood obesity and violence have been addressed by a few services.

El objetivo del presente artículo es identificar cambios en los indicadores de organización de la atención a la salud infantil en los servicios de atención primaria del estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Se trata de una investigación evaluativa, desarrollada por tres series de evaluaciones transversales con la participación de 81 servicios, involucrando a 32 municipios del centro-oeste paulista, que respondieron al instrumento Quali AB durante los años de 2007, 2010 y 2014. El análisis utilizó 74 indicadores de salud infantil y 7 de caracterización de los servicios. La comparación de los indicadores evidenció cambios en la organización de acciones de salud infantil, con una mejora de la mayoría de los indicadores en 2010 y un mantenimiento, o empeoramiento, en 2014, comparándolo con 2007. Se concluye que los avances preconizados por las políticas de atención a la salud infantil no se han hecho efectivos plenamente en la organización de la oferta de atención integral, aunque algunos temas relevantes como la obesidad infantil y la violencia sean abordados en un pequeño número de servicios de atención primaria.

The added value of a mobile application of Community Case Management on referral, re-consultation and hospitalization rates of children aged under 5 years in two districts in Northern Malawi: study protocol for a pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence to suggest that frontline community health workers in Malawi are under-referring children to higher-level facilities. Integrating a digitized version of paper-based methods of Community Case Management (CCM) could strengthen delivery, increasing urgent referral rates and preventing unnecessary re-consultations and hospital admissions. This trial aims to evaluate the added value of the Supporting LIFE electronic Community Case Management Application (SL eCCM App) compared to paper-based CCM on urgent referral, re-consultation and hospitalization rates, in two districts in Northern Malawi. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial assessing the added value of the SL eCCM App on urgent referral, re-consultation and hospitalization rates of children aged 2 months and older to up to 5 years, within 7 days of the index visit. One hundred and two health surveillance assistants (HSAs) were stratified into six clusters based on geographical location, and clusters randomized to the timing of crossover to the intervention using simple, computer-generated randomization. Training workshops were conducted prior to the control (paper-CCM) and intervention (paper-CCM + SL eCCM App) in assigned clusters. Neither participants nor study personnel were blinded to allocation. Outcome measures were determined by abstraction of clinical data from patient records 2 weeks after recruitment. A nested qualitative study explored perceptions of adherence to urgent referral recommendations and a cost evaluation determined the financial and time-related costs to caregivers of subsequent health care utilization. The trial was conducted between July 2016 and February 2017. DISCUSSION: This is the first large-scale trial evaluating the value of adding a mobile application of CCM to the assessment of children aged under 5 years. The trial will generate evidence on the potential use of mobile health for CCM in Malawi, and more widely in other low- and middle-income countries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02763345 . Registered on 3 May 2016.

Integration of Mental and Behavioral Health in Pediatric Health Care Clinics.

OBJECTIVE: Integrating behavioral health services into primary and pediatric health care settings is important to increase availability and access to quality mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents. The Mental and Behavioral Health Capacity Project implemented models of pediatric integrated health care at Federally Qualified Health Clinics covering largely rural communities in Louisiana and impacted communities on the Florida Panhandle. The objectives of this article are to describe the programs and demonstrate sustainability and effectiveness of services provided. DESIGN: A subsample from the Louisiana clinics collected data at intake and follow-up at 1, 3, and 6-month intervals. The hypotheses were that child behavior problems and parenting stress would significantly decrease over the course of treatment. SETTING: This study was conducted at 2 Federally Qualified Health Clinics in rural southeast Louisiana that provide pediatric primary health care. PARTICIPANTS: Sample parameters were child patients younger than 18 years presenting at primary health care clinics in Southeast Louisiana (N = 177); the mean age was 9.8 years (standard deviation = 4.3 years). INTERVENTION: Brief behavioral health services included parental education, medication management, stress management, empowerment, and psychodynamic interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measures were the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and the Parenting Stress Index. RESULTS: Statistically significant decreases in child behavior problems and parenting stress were revealed, with 87% reporting satisfaction with services. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing community-based and culturally sensitive approaches, mental and behavioral health integrated into pediatric health care clinics can be sustainable and effective at improving child behavior problems, parenting stress, and overall family functioning.

Identifying Social Determinants of Health and Legal Needs for Children With Special Health Care Needs.

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) require comprehensive care with high levels of community and government assistance. Medical-legal partnerships may be particularly suited to address needs for this population. To explore this, we conducted in-depth telephone interviews of families of CSHCN cared for in the primary care practice of our tertiary care children's hospital. The majority of the sample (N = 46) had been late on housing payments and 17% of homeowners had been threatened with foreclosure. Families frequently reported denial of public benefits. Approximately 10% had executed advance planning documents such as guardianship plans for the children or wills for the parents. A minority of families had sought help from community agencies or lawyers. Less than one third had ever discussed any of the issues with health care providers, but two thirds were likely or very likely to in the future. CSHCN may especially benefit from the social support of a medical-legal partnership.

Reduction in child mortality in Niger: a Countdown to 2015 country case study.

BACKGROUND: The Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) is to reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate of children younger than 5 years, between 1990 and 2015. The 2012 Countdown profile shows that Niger has achieved far greater reductions in child mortality and gains in coverage for interventions in child survival than neighbouring countries in west Africa. Countdown therefore invited Niger to do an in-depth analysis of their child survival programme between 1998 and 2009. METHODS: We developed new estimates of child and neonatal mortality for 1998-2009 using a 2010 household survey. We recalculated coverage indicators using eight nationally-representative surveys for that period, and documented maternal, newborn, and child health programmes and policies since 1995. We used the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to estimate the child lives saved in 2009. FINDINGS: The mortality rate in children younger than 5 years declined significantly from 226 deaths per 1000 livebirths (95% CI 207-246) in 1998 to 128 deaths (117-140) in 2009, an annual rate of decline of 5·1%. Stunting prevalence decreased slightly in children aged 24-35 months, and wasting declined by about 50% with the largest decreases in children younger than 2 years. Coverage increased greatly for most child survival interventions in this period. Results from LiST show that about 59,000 lives were saved in children younger than 5 years in 2009, attributable to the introduction of insecticide-treated bednets (25%); improvements in nutritional status (19%); vitamin A supplementation (9%); treatment of diarrhoea with oral rehydration salts and zinc, and careseeking for fever, malaria, or childhood pneumonia (22%); and vaccinations (11%). INTERPRETATION: Government policies supporting universal access, provision of free health care for pregnant women and children, and decentralised nutrition programmes permitted Niger to decrease child mortality at a pace that exceeds that needed to meet the MDG 4. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; World Bank; Governments of Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and the UK; and UNICEF.

Trends in health worker performance after implementing the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy in Benin.

OBJECTIVE: Training health workers to use Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines can improve care for ill children in outpatient settings in developing countries. However, even after IMCI training, important performance gaps exist. One potential reason is that the effect of training can rapidly wane. Our aim was to determine if the performance of IMCI-trained health workers deteriorated over 3 years. METHODS: We studied two departments in Benin. First, we performed a record review of 32 IMCI-trained health workers during the first year of IMCI implementation (2001-2002). Second, we analysed data from cross-sectional health facility surveys from 2001 to 2004 that represented the entire study area. Primary outcomes were the proportion of children under 5 years old with potentially life-threatening illnesses who received either recommended or adequate treatment, and among all children, an index of overall guideline adherence. Secondary outcomes reflected the treatment of individual diseases. Outcomes were calculated monthly, and time trends were evaluated with regression modelling. RESULTS: The record review included 9393 consultations, and the surveys included 411 consultations performed by 105 health workers. For both data sources, performance trends were essentially flat for nearly all outcomes. Absolute levels of performance revealed substantial performance gaps. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that performance declined over 3 years after IMCI training. However, important performance gaps found immediately after IMCI training persisted and should be addressed.

Pediatric hospital medicine: historical perspectives, inspired future.

Pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) is in an accelerated growth phase. Multiple elements have combined to affect the current state of the field. PHM is similar to other geographic specialties such as pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric critical care that deliver general, comprehensive care to patients based on hospital site. Pediatric hospitalists have been molded by changes in medicine, consumer expectations, and training program modifications. The history of PHM dates back for more than 3 decades, when unwitting pediatricians began to focus on delivering care for the hospitalized child. The ensuing years allowed for natural responses to external pressures that resulted in much of the field's initial development. In more recent years, however, pediatric hospitalists have been catalysts for change and driving forces for health care systems' improvements. Simultaneous with this has been the nearly exponential surge of energy focused on targeted initiatives, which have further defined the field and brought attention on a national level. PHM is at a critical but brilliant juncture in development. Further decisions regarding scope and demonstration of competencies are important to make with clarity of purpose. Pediatric hospitalists are advancing child health in the inpatient setting through evidence-based care, research, education, clinical excellence, advocacy, and health care business acumen. With a strong community sense and leadership evident, PHM has a bright future.

Pediatric hospital medicine and children with medical complexity: past, present, and future.

Children with medical complexity, regardless of underlying diagnoses, share similar functional and resource use consequences, including: intensive service needs, reliance on technology, polypharmacy, and/or home care or congregate care to maintain a basic quality of life, high health resource utilization, and, an elevated need for care coordination. The emerging field of complex care is focused on the holistic medical care of these children, which requires both broad general pediatrics skills and specific expertise in care coordination and communication with patients, families, and other medical and non-medical care providers. Many pediatric hospitalists have developed an interest in care coordination for CMC, and pediatric hospitalists are in an ideal location to embrace complex care. As a result of these factors, complex care has emerged as a field with many pediatric hospitalists at the helm, in arenas ranging from clinical care of these patients, research into their care, and education of future providers. The objective of this section of the review article is to outline the past, present, and possible future of children with medical complexity within several arenas in the field of pediatric hospital medicine, including practice management, clinical care, research, education, and quality improvement.

Integrated management of childhood illness: what have we learned and how can it be improved?

Integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) was developed by the WHO and UNICEF in the mid-1990s as a strategy to reduce under-five mortality. Aimed at countries with mortalities >40/1000 live births, it has been adopted by more than 100 countries. Repeated evaluations have demonstrated that IMCI can improve the quality of clinical care for sick children, but coverage has rarely reached high enough levels to achieve the expected reductions in mortality. In this paper, we discuss the reasons why IMCI has fallen short of its full potential, what has already been done to address some of these issues, and how it could be repositioned to achieve its original goals.

Paediatric palliative medicine in the UK: past, present, future.

Like any new specialty, paediatric palliative medicine is facing challenges as it establishes itself. While many of the required core skills have their roots in adult palliative medicine, its practitioners come from a range of paediatric backgrounds that include oncology, community paediatrics, neurodisability and acute pain. Such heterogeneity has been invaluable in bringing together the diverse set of skills and competencies needed by children and families facing life-limiting illness. At the same time, it brings its own challenges in establishing consistent standards of clinical expertise, education and research--essential if children are to have access to the same degree of medical expertise in palliative care already available to most adults. This article traces the origins of palliative care in children, examines its current strengths and challenges, and considers how those might shape its future.

Estado actual de los cuidados paliativos pediátricos en España / No disponible

La muerte prematura en la infancia y adolescencia es una realidad y vivimos un aumento del número de pacientes pediátricos que conviven con una enfermedad incurable o en condiciones de alta vulnerabilidad y fragilidad para las que nuestra moderna medicina no tiene una adecuada respuesta. Los Cuidados Paliativos Pediátricos constituyen la asistencia activa y total del cuerpo, la mente y el espíritu del niño e incluyen la atención a la familia. Pretenden mejorar la atención y la calidad de vida de los pacientes pediátricos en situación terminal o con una enfermedad de pronóstico letal y la de sus familias, de forma integral, garantizando el respeto a su dignidad y el derecho a su autonomía, mediante una atención continuada e individualizada. En nuestro país existen actualmente tresUnidades de Cuidados Paliativos Pediátricos establecidas como tal, de forma que la cobertura asistencial a estos pacientes sigue siendo muy limitada. El desarrollo de redes adecuadas de cuidados paliativos pediátricos es un reto para las familias, profesionales sanitarios y la sociedad en genera (AU)

Premature death in children and adolescents is a fact, and there are increasing numbers of pediatric patients living with incurable diseases or under conditions of extreme vulnerability and fragility for which our modern medicine is not an adequate response. Pediatric palliative care is a proactive, total measure involving the body, mind and spirit of the child, and includes family care. The aim is to improve care and quality of life in pediatric patients with terminal illness or a fatal prognosis and their families in a holistic way, ensuring respect for their dignity and their right to independence through continued, individualized care. In our country there are now three Pediatric Palliative Care Units, so the healthcare coverage of these patients remains very limited. The development of appropriate pediatric palliative care networks is a challenge for families, health professionals, and society as a whole (AU)

Alma-Ata 30 years on: revolutionary, relevant, and time to revitalise.

In this paper, we revisit the revolutionary principles-equity, social justice, and health for all; community participation; health promotion; appropriate use of resources; and intersectoral action-raised by the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration, a historic event for health and primary health care. Old health challenges remain and new priorities have emerged (eg, HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, and mental health), ensuring that the tenets of Alma-Ata remain relevant. We examine 30 years of changes in global policy to identify the lessons learned that are of relevance today, particularly for accelerated scale-up of primary health-care services necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the modern iteration of the "health for all" goals. Health has moved from under-investment, to single disease focus, and now to increased funding and multiple new initiatives. For primary health care, the debate of the past two decades focused on selective (or vertical) versus comprehensive (horizontal) delivery, but is now shifting towards combining the strengths of both approaches in health systems. Debates of community versus facility-based health care are starting to shift towards building integrated health systems. Achievement of high and equitable coverage of integrated primary health-care services requires consistent political and financial commitment, incremental implementation based on local epidemiology, use of data to direct priorities and assess progress, especially at district level, and effective linkages with communities and non-health sectors. Community participation and intersectoral engagement seem to be the weakest strands in primary health care. Burgeoning task lists for primary health-care workers require long-term human resource planning and better training and supportive supervision. Essential drugs policies have made an important contribution to primary health care, but other appropriate technology lags behind. Revitalisng Alma-Ata and learning from three decades of experience is crucial to reach the ambitious goal of health for all in all countries, both rich and poor.