Development of the Health Atlas of Jalisco: A New Web-Based Service for the Ministry of Health and the Community in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Maps have been widely used to provide a visual representation of information of a geographic area. Health atlases are collections of maps related to conditions, infrastructure or services provided. Various countries have put resources towards producing health atlases that support health decision makers to enhance their services to the communities. Latin America, as well as Spain, have produced several atlases of importance such as the interactive mortality atlas of Andalucía, which is very similar to the one that is presented in this paper. In Mexico, the National Institute of Public Health produced the only health atlas found that is of relevance. It was published online in 2003 and is currently still active. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is to describe the methods used to develop the Health Atlas of Jalisco (HAJ), and show its characteristics and how it interactively works with the user as a Web-based service. METHODS: This work has an ecological design in which the analysis units are the 125 municipalities (counties) of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. We created and published online a geographic health atlas displaying a system based on input from official health database of the Health Ministry of Jalisco (HMJ), and some databases from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (NISGI). The atlas displays 256 different variables as health-direct or health-related indicators. Instant Atlas software was used to generate the online application. The atlas was developed using these procedures: (1) datasheet processing and base maps generation, (2) software arrangements, and (3) website creation. RESULTS: The HAJ is a Web-based service that allows users to interact with health and general data, regions, and categories according to their information needs and generates thematic maps (eg, the total population of the state or of a single municipality grouped by age or sex). The atlas is capable of displaying more than 32,000 different maps by combining categories, indicators, municipalities, and regions. Users can select the entire province, one or several municipalities, and the indicator they require. The atlas then generates and displays the requested map. CONCLUSIONS: This atlas is a Web-based service that interactively allows users to review health indicators such as structure, supplies, processes, and the impact on public health and related sectors in Jalisco, Mexico. One of the main interests is to reduce the number of information requests that the Ministry of Health receives every week from the general public, media reporters, and other government sectors. The atlas will support transparency, information diffusion, health decision-making, and the formulation of new public policies. Furthermore, the research team intends to promote research and education in public health.

El Campus Virtual de Salud Pública: seis años de formar recursos humanos en México / Virtual Campus of Public Health: six years of human resources education in Mexico

Este trabajo muestra, desde el punto de vista de la normatividad de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS), el proceso de gestación, la metodología de implementación y los resultados obtenidos de la iniciativa de formación de recursos humanos en salud vía e-learning a través del Campus Virtual de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Guadalajara, México, a seis años de su inicio. Se trata de un informe especial del trabajo realizado por el comité institucional del campus virtual en la región occidental de México para generar un portal de Internet que se ajustara a los lineamientos del Modelo Estratégico establecido por el Nodo México y la OPS para la Región de las Américas. Este Campus Virtual inició sus actividades en el año 2007. Su filosofía es el uso de software libre y la colaboración entre instituciones. El nodo fue implementado en un año y ha logrado capacitar a más de 500 profesionales de la salud a través de cursos virtuales, su plataforma educativa y un repositorio de recursos virtuales de aprendizaje con interoperabilidad con los repositorios de México y de la Región de las Américas. El comité del Campus Virtual de la Universidad de Guadalajara ha intentado respetar lo más posible al modelo propuesto, lo que ha permitido cumplir la mayoría de los objetivos fijados en el plan de trabajo inicial, aunque ha enfrentado una serie de dificultades administrativas y de motivación de sus integrantes.

This paper discusses the gestation process, implementation methodology, and results obtained from the initiative to use e-learning to train human resources for health, six years after the launch of the Virtual Campus of Public Health of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico); the discussion is framed by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) standards and practices. This is a special report on the work done by the institutional committee of the Virtual Campus in western Mexico to create an Internet portal that follows the guidelines of the strategic model established by Nodo México and PAHO for the Region of the Americas. This Virtual Campus began its activities in 2007, on the basis of the use of free software and institutional collaboration. Since the initial year of implementation of the node, over 500 health professionals have been trained using virtual courses, the node's educational platform, and a repository of virtual learning resources that are interoperable with other repositories in Mexico and the Region of the Americas. The University of Guadalajara Virtual Campus committee has followed the proposed model as much as possible, thereby achieving most of the goals set in the initial work plan, despite a number of administrative challenges and the difficulty of motivating committee members.

[Virtual Campus of Public Health: six years of human resources education in Mexico]. / El Campus Virtual de Salud Pública: seis años de formar recursos humanos en México.

This paper discusses the gestation process, implementation methodology, and results obtained from the initiative to use e-learning to train human resources for health, six years after the launch of the Virtual Campus of Public Health of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico); the discussion is framed by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) standards and practices. This is a special report on the work done by the institutional committee of the Virtual Campus in western Mexico to create an Internet portal that follows the guidelines of the strategic model established by Nodo México and PAHO for the Region of the Americas. This Virtual Campus began its activities in 2007, on the basis of the use of free software and institutional collaboration. Since the initial year of implementation of the node, over 500 health professionals have been trained using virtual courses, the node's educational platform, and a repository of virtual learning resources that are interoperable with other repositories in Mexico and the Region of the Americas. The University of Guadalajara Virtual Campus committee has followed the proposed model as much as possible, thereby achieving most of the goals set in the initial work plan, despite a number of administrative challenges and the difficulty of motivating committee members.

[Research in adolescence and youth at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social]. / Investigación en adolescencia y juventud en el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.

Objective: to determine the proportions, types and research areas of studies on young people by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) from 1997 to 2006. Methods: we reviewed 4299 published summaries of health national forums sponsored by the IMSS. Results: a total of 274 (6.4 %) studies were found to deal with young people. Their distribution in research areas was as follows: 43 % focused on epidemiology, 33 % clinical medicine, 14 % social issues, 8 % health services, 1 % basic research, and 1 % work and education-related. The study design most often used were: descriptive, 40 %; correlational, 17 %; comparative, 12 %; qualitative, 8.5 %; case- control, 5.5 %; cohort, 5 % and quasiexperimental, 5 %. Of the studies, 57 % were conducted in a research center, and the rest at the hospital or family medicine clinic. In terms of topic areas, the studies were highly varied, with the most frequent ones being: reproductive health, 14 %; oncology, 10 %; addictions, 9 %; and mental health, 7 %. Conclusions: the proportion of research projects carried out by the IMSS involving young people from 1997 to 2006 was 6.3 %. The most frequent style of study was descriptive, and the most common focus was on epidemiological questions.

Objetivo: determinar proporción, tipo y campo de investigación de los estudios que incluyen adolescentes y jóvenes en Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social entre 1997 y 2006. Métodos: se revisaron 4299 resúmenes publicados en las memorias de los foros nacionales de investigación en salud del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social en la década señalada. Resultados: se encontraron 274 (6.3 %) estudios relacionados con niños y adolescentes: 43 % de investigación epidemiológica, 33 % investigación clínica, 14 % investigación social, 8 % servicios de salud, 1 % básica y 1 % laboral y educativa. En cuanto al diseño, 40 % fue descriptivo, 17 % correlacional, 12 % comparativo, 8.5 % cualitativo, 5.5 % casos y controles, 5 % cohorte, 5 % cuasiexperimental y 7 % de otro tipo; 57 % se realizó en unidades y centros de investigación y el resto en unidades hospitalarias y de medicina familiar. En cuanto a la temática, 14 % de salud reproductiva, 10 % oncología, 9 % adicciones y 7 % salud mental. Conclusiones: en el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, la proporción de trabajos de investigación que incluyó adolescentes y jóvenes entre 1997 y 2006 fue de 6.3 %. Los estudios descriptivos y el campo epidemiológico fueron los más comunes.