Ten years of a geriatric oncology service at a public university cancer centre in Brazil.

The implementation of a geriatric oncology service is challenging in both high-income and low-and-middle-income countries. The Octavio Frias de Oliveira Institute of Cancer of Sao Paulo (ICESP) is a tertiary healthcare complex of the Clinics Hospital of the University of Sao Paulo Medical School and is considered a model of excellence in oncology in Latin America. The objective of this manuscript is to describe 10 years of the geriatric oncology service at ICESP and the challenges for its implementation. We performed a narrative description of the ICESP's geriatric oncology service and a general retrospective descriptive analysis of data collected from routine structured medical records of patients referred to the service from 2011 to 2021. This article highlights the different settings in which the service operates (outpatient, pre-operative and hospital follow-up). In this period, 1,700 patients were assessed for preoperative evaluation (median age 83.9, SD 4.95), 468 patients were evaluated for therapeutic decision (median age 79.4, SD 7.38), 968 in general geriatric oncology care outpatient clinics from 2012 to 2021 (median age 78.7, SD 7.91) and 1,391 inpatient evaluations. In the past 10 years, our geriatric oncology team has grown exponentially and changed its characteristics in order to adjust them to the hospital demands, raising awareness among the oncology teams about the benefit of using geriatric assessment and promoting multidisciplinary discussions.

The Edmonton Obesity Staging System: assessing a potential tool to improve the management of obesity surgery in the Brazilian public health services.

BACKGROUND: Limited access to publicly funded, insurance-covered, and self-paid obesity surgery is a reality worldwide. Waiting lists for procedures are usually based on chronologic criteria and body mass index (BMI)-defined obesity categorization. Obesity classification systems assess overall health and have been proposed as an alternative. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between BMI-based classification and the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) to support current evidence that the assessment of the clinical severity of obesity could be a helpful tool to maximize access to surgery. SETTING: University hospital, Brazil. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all 2011 to 2014 adult patients who underwent obesity surgery under the public health system. Data on sex, age, presurgical BMI, and co-morbidities were extracted from hospital records. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to assess the strength and direction of the relationship between BMI classification and EOSS. RESULTS: Of 565 patients, 79% were female, mean age 44.1 ± 10.9 years and mean BMI 46.9 ± 6.2 kg/m2. The most common EOSS stage was 2 (86.5%), followed by stages 3 (8.5%) and 1 (4.9%). There was no correlation between the severity of obesity measured by BMI and EOSS (ρ = -.030, P = .475). Older patients had higher Edmonton scores (ρ = .308, P < .001). No difference was observed regarding sex. CONCLUSIONS: No correlation was found between EOSS and BMI and between these and sex. Age correlated with both obesity indicators. EOSS was reproducible in Brazilian surgical patients and may be an important tool from a health services perspective contributing to the more efficient use of limited resources for obesity surgery.

Coordenação do cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV no sistema prisional / Coordinación del cuidado a las personas que viven con el VIH en el sistema penitenciario / Coordination of care for people living with HIV in the prison system

Resumo Objetivo: Analisar a coordenação do cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV, segundo unidade prisional. Métodos: Estudo transversal, realizado em seis unidades prisionais do Estado de São Paulo. Entrevistaram-se 85 detentos vivendo com HIV e seis diretores técnicos. Indicadores de coordenação foram criados a partir de perguntas com escala de 1 a 5, classificando-os em satisfatórios (>3,5 a 5,0), regulares (>2,5 a 3,5) e insatisfatórios (1,0 a 2,5). Utilizou-se ANOVA e Kruskal Wallis. Resultados: A coordenação foi classificada como insatisfatória (média 2,49). Indicadores insatisfatórios: "Questionar efeitos colaterais da terapia antirretroviral (TARV)"; "Questionar dificuldades na tomada da TARV"; "Observar tomada da TARV"; "Solicitar fracos/embalagens da TARV para monitorar a ingesta medicamentosa"; "Pedir explicações quanto ao uso da TARV"; "Questionar condições de acondicionamento da TARV na cela"; "Informar e discutir resultados T-CD4+ e carga viral"; "Informar agendamento da consulta no serviço de referência em HIV" e "Levar para atendimento em outras especialidades médicas". Obtiveram classificação regular: "Levar para atendimento médico de urgência quando necessário" e "Não perder consulta no serviço de referência em HIV". "Questionar sobre a regularidade no uso da TARV" foi o único indicador pior avaliado na comparação entre as unidades prisionais estudadas (p<0,05). Conclusão: O desempenho das unidades prisionais não difere em relação à grande parte dos indicadores de coordenação estudados, indicando que todas precisam melhorar o desempenho no que diz respeito ao desenvolvimento de ações de monitoramento do uso da TARV, informar e discutir resultados dos exames com os detentos e levar para atendimento fora da unidade prisional.

Resumen Objetivo: Analizar la coordinación del cuidado a las personas que viven con el VIH, según unidad penitenciaria. Métodos: Estudio transversal realizado en seis unidades penitenciarias del estado de São Paulo. Se realizó entrevista a 85 presos que viven con el VIH y seis directores técnicos. Fueron creados indicadores de coordinación a partir de preguntas con escala de 1 a 5 y se clasificaron en satisfactorios (>3,5 a 5,0), regulares (>2,5 a 3,5) e insatisfactorios (1,0 a 2,5). Se utilizó ANOVA y Kruskal Wallis. Resultados: La coordinación fue clasificada como insatisfactoria (promedio 2,49). Indicadores insatisfactorios: "Preguntar sobre efectos secundarios del tratamiento antirretroviral (TARV)", "Preguntar sobre dificultades en la toma del TARV", "Observar toma del TARV", "Solicitar frascos/envases del TARV para monitorear la ingesta de medicamentos", "Pedir explicaciones sobre el uso del TARV", "Preguntar sobre condiciones de almacenaje del TARV en la celda", "Informar y discutir resultados T CD4+ y carga viral", "Informar consultas agendadas en el servicio de referencia en VIH" y "Llevar para recibir atención en otras especialidades médicas". Obtuvieron clasificación regular los indicadores: "Llevar para recibir atención médica de urgencia cuando es necesario" y "No perder el turno en el servicio de referencia en VIH". "Preguntar sobre la regularidad de uso del TARV" fue el único indicador peor evaluado en la comparación entre las unidades penitenciarias estudiadas (p<0,05). Conclusión: El desempeño de las unidades penitenciarias no difiere con relación a la mayoría de los indicadores de coordinación estudiados, lo que indica que todas necesitan mejorar el desempeño respecto al desarrollo de acciones de monitoreo del uso del TARV, informar y discutir resultados de los análisis con los presos y llevarlos para recibir atención fuera de la unidad penitenciaria.

Abstract Objective: To analyze the care coordination for people living with HIV according to the prison unit. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in six prison units in the state of São Paulo. Eighty-five inmates living with HIV and six technical directors were interviewed. Coordination indicators were created from questions with a 1-5 scale and classified as satisfactory (>3.5 to 5.0), regular (>2.5 to 3.5) and unsatisfactory (1.0 to 2.5). ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis were used. Results: The coordination was classified as unsatisfactory (mean 2.49). Unsatisfactory indicators: "Questioning side effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART)"; "Questioning the difficulties in ART intake"; "Observing ART intake"; "Requesting ART bottles/packages to monitor medication intake"; "Asking for explanations regarding the use of ART"; "Questioning the storage conditions of ART in the prison cell"; "Informing and discussing T-CD4 + and viral loading results"; "Informing the scheduling of consultation at the HIV reference service" and "Take to care for other medical specialties". The following obtained regular classification: "Take to emergency medical care when needed" and "Not missing an appointment at the HIV reference service". "Questioning the regularity of the use of ART" was the single worst indicator evaluated in the comparison between the prison units studied (p<0.05). Conclusion: The performance of prison units does not differ in relation to most coordination indicators studied, which shows the need for improving the performance with regard to the development of actions to monitor the use of ART, inform and discuss test results with inmates and take them to care outside the prison unit.

Delays in making initial treatment contact after the first onset of mental health disorders in the Argentinean Study of Mental Health Epidemiology.

AIMS: While there are effective treatments for psychiatric disorders, many individuals with such disorders do not receive treatment and those that do often take years to get into treatment. Information regarding treatment contact failure and delay in Argentina is needed to guide public health policy and planning. Therefore, this study aimed to provide data on prompt treatment contact, lifetime treatment contact, median duration of treatment delays and socio-demographic predictors of treatment contact after the first onset of a mental disorder. METHODS: The Argentinean Study of Mental Health Epidemiology (EAESM) is a multistage probability sample representative of adults (aged 18+) living in large urban areas of Argentina. A total of 2116 participants were evaluated with the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview to assess psychiatric diagnosis, treatment contact and delay. RESULTS: Projections of cases that will make treatment contact by 50 years taken from a survival curve suggest that the majority of individuals with a mood (100%) or anxiety disorder (72.5%) in Argentina whose disorder persist for a sufficient period of time eventually make treatment contact while fewer with a substance disorder do so (41.6%). Timely treatment in the year of onset is rare (2.6% for a substance disorder, 14.6% for an anxiety disorder and 31.3% of those with a mood disorder) with mean delays between 8 years for mood disorders and 21 years for anxiety disorders. Younger cohorts are more likely to make treatment contact than older cohorts, whereas those with earlier ages of disorder onset are least likely to make treatment contact. Those with anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder are more likely to make treatment contact when they have comorbid disorders, whereas those with substance use disorders are less likely. CONCLUSIONS: Argentina needs to implement strategies to get individuals with substance use disorders into treatment, and to reduce treatment delays for all, but particularly to target early detection and treatment among children and adolescents.

Primary health care quality and hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions in the public health system in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relation of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) with the quality of public primary care health services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. METHODS: Cohort study constructed by probabilistic record linkage performed from August 2006 to December 2011 in a population ≥18 years of age that attended public primary care health services. The Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCATool-Brazil) was used for evaluation of primary care services. RESULTS: Of 1200 subjects followed, 84 were hospitalized for primary care sensitive conditions. The main causes of ACSC hospital admissions were cardiovascular (40.5%) and respiratory (16.2%) diseases. The PCATool average score was 5.3, a level considerably below that considered to represent quality care. After adjustment through Cox proportional hazard modelling for covariates, >60 years of age [hazard ratio (HR): 1.13; P = 0.001), lesser education (HR: 0.66; P = 0.02), ethnicity other than white (HR: 1.77; P = 0.01) and physical inactivity (HR: 1.65; P = 0.04) predicted hospitalization, but higher quality of primary health care did not. CONCLUSION: Better quality of health care services, in a setting of overwhelmingly low quality services not adapted to the care of chronic conditions, did not influence the rate of avoidable hospitalizations, while social and demographic characteristics, especially non-white ethnicity and lesser schooling, indicate that social inequities play a predominant role in health outcomes.

Estado nutricional, clínico e padrão alimentar de pessoas vivendo com HIV/Aids em assistência ambulatorial no município de São Paulo / Nutritional and clinical status, and dietary patterns of people living with HIV/AIDS in ambulatory care in Sao Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUÇÃO: Atualmente, a abordagem nutricional desempenha papel essencial no tratamento de pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids, particularmente no caso de alterações metabólicas pelo uso da terapia antirretroviral (TARV) que podem estar associadas ao maior risco de doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). OBJETIVO: Caracterizar o estado nutricional, clínico e a qualidade da dieta de pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. METODOLOGIA: Trata-se de um estudo transversal envolvendo pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids em atendimento na rede de serviços especializados no município de São Paulo. Os usuários desta rede, em uso ou não de TARV, foram recrutados no período de dezembro de 2004 a maio de 2006, durante consultas de rotina. Foram coletados dados sociodemográficos, clínicos, bioquímicos, antropométricos e dietéticos. A qualidade da dieta foi avaliada segundo escores de padrão de consumo predominantemente "não protetor" e "protetor" para DCV. RESULTADOS: A amostra foi constituída por 238 pacientes em TARV e 76 sem TARV. A média dos níveis de colesterol total, triglicérides e glicemia foram maiores no grupo TARV (p < 0,001). A maior parte dos participantes do estudo, com e sem TARV, apresentava-se eutrófica, com média de índice de massa corporal 24,4 (± 4,3) e 24,3 (± 3,5) kg/m², respectivamente. A relação cintura-quadril foi maior entre homens em TARV que entre aqueles sem TARV (0,90 ± 0,06 versus 0,87 ± 0,05) (p < 0,001). O grupo em TARV apresentou média de escores indicativa de maior consumo de alimentos "não protetores" para DCV (p = 0,001). CONCLUSÃO: Foram evidenciadas condições nutricionais e metabólicas indesejáveis entre aqueles em TARV, predisponentes ao risco de DCV. É apontada a necessidade de direcionamento das intervenções em saúde a pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids, para o controle dos fatores associados a essas doenças antes do desfecho final.

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition currently plays a key role in the treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), especially in the case of metabolic alterations due to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which could be related to cardiovascular diseases (CD). OBJECTIVE: to describe the nutritional and clinical status, and the quality of diet of PLHA. METHODS: It is a cross-sectional study involving a network of ambulatory care facilities for PLHA in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Patients, in use of HAART or not, were selected from December 2004 to may 2006, through routine clinic visits. We collected: socio-demographic, clinical, biochemical, anthropometric measures and dietary data. Diet quality was evaluated according to a "protecting" or "non-protecting" pattern of consumption scores for CD. RESULTS: The sample had 238 patients on HAART and 76 without treatment. Mean serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were higher in the HAART group (p < 0.001). The majority of patients of both the treated and untreated group were eutrophic with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.4 (± 4.3) kg/m² and 24.3 (± 3.5), respectively. The waist-hip ratio was higher among men on HAART (0.90 ± 0.06 versus 0.87±0.05) (p < 0.001). The HAART group showed a mean food pattern score indicating a higher consumption of "non-protecting" foods for CD (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed undesired nutritional and metabolic conditions among patients on HAART associated with CD. It is necessary to manage health intervention programs for PLHA in order to control cardiovascular risk factors before final outcomes.

Calidad en los servicios de salud desde los marcos de sentido de diferentes actores sociales en Colombia y Brasil / Quality of health-care according to social actors' frameworks of meaning in Colombia and Brazil

Objetivo Analizar los marcos de sentido en la definición de la calidad de un servicio de salud de los diversos actores sociales en Colombia y Brasil. Método Estudio cualitativo, descriptivo-interpretativo, mediante grupos focales y entrevistas individuales en dos municipios de Colombia y Brasil. Muestra teórica de agentes sociales, buscando variedad del discurso: a. Usuarios y líderes; b. Personal de salud y; c. Formuladores de políticas. Análisis de contenido, con generación mixta de categorías y segmentación de los datos por país, informantes y temas. Resultados Los marcos de sentido desde los cuales construyen la calidad de la atención, usuarios y personal de salud en ambos países, mostraron convergencias en torno a tres grandes ejes: adecuación de la estructura, nivel técnico y humanización de la atención. Presentaron, no obstante, matices diferenciadores: los usuarios de ambos países profundizan en aspectos estructurales y organizativos como disponibilidad y accesibilidad de recursos, y en aspectos técnicos, como resolutividad y calidad técnica. El personal de salud de Colombia y Brasil mostró similitudes, pero mientras los primeros destacaban más una administración ágil y tiempo de consulta mayor; los segundos, más disposición de personal especializado, materiales e insumos suficientes. Por su parte, el marco de sentido de los formuladores emergió del conjunto de normas legales. Conclusiones Los matices aportados por los distintos marcos de sentido de calidad de los actores sociales, indican la necesidad de tenerlos en cuenta en su totalidad, ya que apuntan a diferentes debilidades del sistema. Además, muestran que los usuarios profundizan más en aspectos técnicos del servicio de lo considerado habitualmente.

Objective To analyse social actors' frameworks of meaning regarding the definition of health-care quality in Colombia and Brazil. Method This was a descriptive, interpretative, qualitative study which used focus-groups and individual indepth interviews in two municipalities in Colombia and Brazil. The following social actors were theoretical sampled to represent the variety of views: users and leaders, health-care personnel and policy-makers. Content was analysed with mixed generation of categories and segmentation by country, actors and themes. Results The frameworks of meaning regarding health-care quality for users and health personnel in both countries revealed coincidences concerning three main topics: structural suitability, technical level and humanisation of care. However, they had differentiated meanings; users from both countries highlighted structural and organisational aspects, together with technical aspects such as resolution level and quality of care. Colombian and Brazilian health-care personnel shared some views but whilst the former highlighted non-bureaucratic and consultation time, the latter singled out the availability of specialised personnel, materials and equipment. Policy-makers' framework of meanings emerge from the legal framework. Conclusions Features provided by the social actors' frameworks of meaning indicated the need to take them all into consideration as they all pointed out different system weaknesses. They also showed that users valued technical quality more than is generally considered.

Práticas de ensino-aprendizagem com base em cenários reais / Teaching-learning practices based on real scenarios / Prácticas en la enseñanza-aprendizaje con base en escenarios reales

O processo ensino-pesquisa-extensão realizado com a imersão dos sujeitos em cenários reais possibilita a integração universidade-comunidade, ampliando a inserção social. O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar a experiência de um projeto conduzido em cinco municípios brasileiros, com a participação de docentes, pós-graduandos e acadêmicos, em parceria com prefeituras municipais e trabalhadores de saúde como cenário de ensino-pesquisa no SUS. Foram realizadas oficinas e cursos de capacitação com as equipes de saúde, gestores e conselheiros de saúde, visitas técnicas aos municípios para avaliação situacional e supervisão das atividades, avaliação da satisfação dos usuários e formação de lideranças populares. Observou-se a melhoria na organização dos serviços e estímulo ao fortalecimento do vínculo entre os usuários e prestadores de serviços. Essa experiência serviu como laboratório de aprendizagem e pesquisa, fazendo-se ciência a partir da vivência in loco da realidade do SUS e contribuindo para uma formação professional mais humanitária baseada em cenários reais.

The teaching-research-extension process carried out with immersion of subjects in real scenarios enables university-community integration, thereby increasing social insertion. The aim of this study was to present the experience from a project conducted in five Brazilian municipalities, with participation of teachers and postgraduate and undergraduate students, in partnership with municipal authorities and healthcare workers as a scenario for teaching-research within the Brazilian health system. Workshops and training courses were conducted among healthcare teams, managers and health counselors, and technical visits were made to the municipalities for situational assessments, activity supervision, user satisfaction evaluations and formation of popular leaderships. Improvements in service organization and stimulation of strengthened links between users and service providers were observed. This experience served as a learning and research laboratory: science was conducted from in situ experience of health system realities, thereby contributing towards better humanitarian professional training based on real scenarios.

El proceso enseñanza-investigación-extensión realizado con la inmersión de los sujetos en escenarios reales posibilita la integración universidad-comunidad ampliando la inserción social. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido de presentar la experiencia de un proyecto conducido en cinco municipios brasileños con la participación de docentes, pos-graduandos y académicos con la cooperación de alcaldías y trabajadores de salud como escenario de enseñanza-investigación del Sistema Único de Salud. Se han realizado talleres y cursos de capacitación con los equipos de salud, gestores y consejeros de salud, visitas técnicas a los municipios para evaluación de situación y supervisión de actividades, evaluación de la satisfacción de los usuarios y formación de jefaturas populares. Se observa mejoría en la organización de los servicios y estímulo al fortalecimiento del vínculo entre los usuarios y los prestadores de servicios. Esta experiencia ha servido como laboratorio para aprendizaje y investigación, haciéndose ciencia a partir de la vivencia in loco de la realidad del Sistema Único de Salud y contribuyendo para una formación profesional más humanitaria basada en escenarios reales.

Notas para el estudio de la Atención Primaria en contextos de sistemas de salud segmentados / Notes for studying primary care within the context of segmented health systems

En este artículo se discute la contribución del concepto de gobernanza, articulado con abordajes más tradicionales de análisis de la APS, en un estudio multicéntrico que involucra Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay. Teniendo en cuenta la variabilidad de configuraciones y el contexto de segmentación de los sistemas, se pretende comparar las características de la implantación y desempeño de la APS en cada país, entenderlas a partir de los diversos determinantes y, confrontarlas con los modos de gobernanza. Se presentan los contextos de segmentación en los países, caracterizando los diferentes arreglos de los sub-sectores público, privado y del seguro social. Se discute el concepto de APS abarcadora y su rol potencial para el reordenamiento de los sistemas de salud apuntando a la equidad en el acceso e integralidad del cuidado. En fin, se definen cinco dimensiones para el estudio de la APS: conducción, financiamiento, recursos, integralidad e intersectorialidad. El análisis de gobernanza explicita las relaciones Estado-sociedad y se propone como una herramienta para comprender las relaciones dinámicas entre estas dimensiones.

This paper discusses the contribution of the concept of governance, combined with traditional approaches to primary health care (PHC) analysis, in a multicentre study covering Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Considering health systems’ variety of configurations and their segmented context, it aims to compare PHC implementation and performance characteristics in each country so as to explain them according to different determinants and compare them to governance models. Each country’s segmented context is presented, identifying public, private and social insurance sub-sectors’ arrangements. The PHC concept and its potential role in reorganizing equity- and access-based health systems are discussed. Five dimensions for PHC study are then defined: stewardship, financing, resources, comprehensiveness and intersectorality. Governance analysis revealed state-society relationships and is thus proposed as a tool for understanding such dimensions’ dynamic relationships.

Pessoas com deficiência na atenção primária: discurso e prática de profissionais em um centro de saúde-escola / Disabled people in primary healthcare: professionals' discourse and practice in a healthcare teaching center / Personas con deficiencia en la atención primaria: discurso y práctica de profesionales en un centro de salud-escuela

Na atenção primária, as ações voltadas à saúde da pessoa com deficiência devem visar à promoção da interação social, à construção de direitos e à transformação do lugar da deficiência. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi compreender qual é a representação de profissionais de um centro de saúde do município de São Paulo sobre a deficiência e o papel da atenção primária no seu cuidado. Foi utilizada metodologia qualitativa baseada em entrevistas com profissionais e análise de prontuários. Identificou-se que os profissionais avaliam a vida da pessoa com deficiência como difícil, evidenciando-se situações de dependência. Os principais focos da atenção estão no corpo, nos cuidadores e nas condições de moradia; direitos e participação social têm menor destaque. A família e pequena rede social são referências para a organização do cuidado. Com este estudo, busca-se ampliar a reflexão sobre práticas em saúde, contribuindo para a implementação daquelas baseadas na integralidade do cuidado.

En la atención primaria las acciones dirigidas a la salud de la persona con deficiencia deben visar la promoción de la interacción social, la construcción de derechos y la transformación del lugar de la deficiencia. El objetivo de esta pesquisa ha sido comprender cual es la representación de profesionales de un centro de salud del municipio de São Paulo, Brasil, sobre la deficiencia y el papel de la atención primaria en su cuidado. Se utilizó metodología cualitativa basada en entrevistas con profesionales evaluan la vida de la persona con deficiencia como difícil, evidenciándose situaciones de dependencia. Los principales focos de la atención están en el cuerpo, en los cuidadores y en las condiciones de vivienda; derechos y participación social tienen menor destaque. La familia y la pequeña red social son referencias para la organización del cuidado. Con este estudio se trata de ampliar la reflexión sobre prácticas en salud, para la implementación de las que se basan en la integralidad del cuidado.

In primary healthcare, actions for disabled people's healthcare should aim to promote social interaction, construct rights and transform the position of disablement. The objective of this study was to understand the representations of professionals at a healthcare center in the municipality of São Paulo regarding disablement and the role of the primary care for this. Qualitative methodology was used, based on interviews with professionals and analysis of patient records. It was found that the professionals' assessment was that the disabled patients' lives were difficult, thus showing situations of dependence. The main focus of care was on the body, on caregivers and on housing conditions; rights and social participation had less emphasis. The family and the small social network were the reference points for organizing care. Through this study, it is sought to expand the reflections on healthcare practices, thereby contributing towards implementing practices based on comprehensive care.

El cuidado familiar: una revisión crítica / Family Care: a critical review

El cuidado de familiares dependientes en casa es un fenómeno cada vez más extendido que se ha depositado en el ámbito de la privacidad y caracterizado por ser femenino. Quizás por ello sea una asignatura pendiente en las políticas públicas de algunos países. Objetivo: explorar la bibliografía sobre cuidado familiar para destacar vacíos significativos alrededor de tres cuestiones: la naturaleza del cuidado, la carga del cuidado y la respuesta para aliviar esta carga. Con ello se pretende reunir y visibilizar un área de interés en Salud Pública y en Enfermería. Resultados: se argumenta que el cuidado familiar tiene elementos intangibles y, por lo tanto, susceptibles de ser investigados con métodos cualitativos; por otro lado, la carga del cuidado se debe considerar un asunto de desigualdad en salud. Conclusión: el cuidado familiar requiere hoy en día de mayor investigación y pluralidad en los enfoques investigativos, ya que sin una comprensión amplia de lo que implica no puede haber intervenciones efectivas; además, la salud colectiva, entendida como un campo de estudio, se beneficiará de las construcciones subjetivas y sociales que aportan los estudios de investigación cualitativa.

Family care is an increasingly common phenomenon that is situated in the private domain and characterized as a feminine domain. Because of this, it is a pending issue in the public policy of some countries. Objetive: the paper explores the family care literature to highlight significant gaps in three issues: the nature of care, the burden of care and t responses to alleviate this burden. The aim is to make visible an area of interest in Public Health and Nursing. Results: it is argued that family care has intangible features and therefore it is amenable to research using qualitative methods. It is also argued that the burden of care must be considered as an issue of inequity in health. Conclusions: the area of family care requires today more research and diverse approaches as without a wide understanding of family care there cannot be effective intervention; in addition, collective health, understood as a study area, would benefit from the subjective and social constructions of qualitative research studies.

Acceso a los Servicios de Urgencias en Medellín, 2006 / Access to medical emergency services in Medellín during 2006

Objetivos: Describir el acceso y la oportunidad de la atención de las urgencias médicas en Medellín, 2006. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en 27 servicios de urgencias de Instituciones Prestadoras de Servicios de Salud de tercero, segundo y primer nivel de atención durante una semana continua. A todas las personas admitidas se les realizó seguimiento hasta el egreso del servicio. Las siguientes variables fueron descritas: cacterísticas de persona, tiempos espera, presencia de trauma, consulta previa a un servicio de urgencias en las últimas 48 horas por la misma causa, referencia y egreso. En aquellas personas no admitidas se estudiaron las causas de no admisión. Resultados: De 9 703 pacientes que visitaron los servicios de urgencias, 8 703 (89,4 por ciento) fueron admitidos, 13,8 por ciento habían consultado en las últimas 48 horas a un servicio de urgencias por la misma causa y el 10,5 por ciento tuvieron remisión previa. Fue superior el tiempo espera en los servicios de urgencias de primer nivel (40,2 minutos). De las 1 027 (10,6 por ciento) personas que no fueron admitidas, el 62,6 por ciento fue debido a que la consulta no fue considerada urgente por el personal hospitalario, seguido del 16 por ciento por no pertenecer a la red a la cual cotizaba. Conclusiones: En los servicios de urgencias de Medellín existen barreras de acceso. El acceso inadecuado de acuerdo al tipo y gravedad de la urgencia y la deficiente la articulación de los niveles de atención, soporta la necesidad una red de urgencias en la ciudad.

Objectives: Describing access to and availability of emergency medical assistance in Medellín in 2006. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive survey-based study conducted in 27 emergency services from institutions providing tertiary, secondary and primary level health care services carried out over one full week. All patients participating in the survey were followed-up from being admitted to the emergency department to being discharged. The following parameters were described: a patient's characteristics, waiting time, presence of trauma, previous emergency department visit during the previous 48 hours for the same condition, transfer and discharge. The reasons for non-admission were studied in the case of patients who were not admitted by the emergency service. Results: 8 703 (89,4 percent) out of the 9 730 patients attending the emergency department were then admitted; 13,8 percent had visited an emergency department during the previous 48 hours for the same condition and 10,5 percent were early transfers. The highest mean waiting time observed for primary level was 40,2 minutes. Reasons for non-admission for the 1 027 non-admitted patients (10,6 percent) included hospital staff classifying a case as not being an emergency (62,6 percent) and lack of social security service coverage (16 percent). Conclusions: Barriers were found to emergency service access in Medellín. Inadequate access according to the type of emergency and its seriousness and deficient coordination of attention levels support the need for an emergency network in the city.

Aten-pre. Simulador de atención prenatal / A simulator of prenatal care

Se realizó una investigación del tipo innovación tecnológica en el Policlínico Universitario Pedro Borrás Astorga de Pinar del Río, de septiembre de 2005 a junio del 2006, decidiéndose confeccionar un software para mostrar rápidamente los principales parámetros de la consulta de Atención Prenatal, según el tiempo de gestación de la embarazada. El universo estuvo constituido por todos los estudiantes de Ciencias Médicas que asistieron en este período a la Biblioteca del Policlínico mencionado. La muestra fueron aquellos estudiantes (214) que utilizaron el simulador por algún motivo y decidieron voluntariamente responder la encuesta aplicada. En la realización de este medio se utilizó una microcomputadora Celerón a 600Mhz con el sistema operativo Windows XP y el Software Macro media Flash 5, utilizando el español como lenguaje y creando un simulador de consultas de Atención Prenatal (ATENPRE) con secuencias multimedia, que a través de una serie de enlaces llevan al usuario a reconocer la consulta buscada. Dentro de los principales resultados se encuentra más de 90% de aceptabilidad, eficiencia y utilidad, llegando a la conclusión de que el software educativo (ATEN-PRE) es una herramienta más a utilizar por los estudiantes de pregrado en la búsqueda activa de información.

A research on technological innovation at "Pedro Borrás Astorga" Outpatient Clinic in Pinar del Río was carried out from September 2005 to July 2006, where a software to show the main parameters in the consult of Prenatal Care considering time of pregnancy was created. The sample was constituted by all the medical students attending the library of the outpatient clinic during the period mentioned. In the final sample, 214 students using the simulator by any reasons decided voluntarily to answer the survey applied .To create this teaching aid a Celeron (600Mhz) microcomputer with Windows XP operative system and the Software Flash 5 Macromedia (in Spanish Language) were used, the simulator for the Prenatal Consults was created having sequences of multimedia, which by means of a series of links, make the user recognise the consulting room sought. The percentage of acceptability, efficiency and usefulness is more than 90%; concluding that the educative software (ATEN-PRE) is another teaching aid to be used by undergraduate students when seeking active information out.