Metodología para la elaboración de canales endémicos y tendencia de la notificación del dengue, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, 2009-2013 / Methodology to develop endemic channels and notification trends for dengue in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, 2009-2013

Introducción. El dengue es la enfermedad de más rápida propagación en el mundo y una permanente amenaza para la salud pública mundial, con aproximadamente 2,5 millones de personas en alto riesgo de infección. Ante la gravedad del cuadro de la enfermedad a nivel nacional y mundial, es necesario generar nuevas metodologías de predicción útiles para la adopción de decisiones en salud pública. Objetivo. Caracterizar los casos notificados de dengue entre el 2009 y el 2013 en el departamento del Valle del Cauca y presentar la metodología para elaborar canales endémicos en el caso del dengue. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo, utilizando la base de datos secundaria de las fichas de notificación, y se caracterizaron los casos de dengue entre el 2009 y el 2013. Se elaboraron dos canales endémicos, uno mediante promedios móviles y el otro con suavización exponencial. Resultados. Se evidenció que la tendencia del dengue en el departamento del Valle del Cauca es positiva, lo que indica que en los últimos cinco años se ha incrementado el número de casos, aunque se observa una variación importante que podría explicarse por el ciclo de tres años que se inicia a partir del primer periodo epidemiológico del año. Conclusión. La elaboración del canal endémico del dengue en el Valle del Cauca evidenció la importancia de aplicar estas metodologías de vigilancia en las situaciones de interés en salud pública. Como se observó en los resultados, hubo años en los que el número de casos fue muy bajo y otros en los que la epidemia alcanzó cifras muy elevadas.

Introduction: Dengue is the fastest spreading disease in the world and a permanent threat to global public health. It is a viral illness for which approximately 2.5 million people are at high risk of infection. Given the severity of the disease at national and global levels, new predictive methodologies need to be generated to facilitate decision-making in public health. Objective: To characterize cases of dengue reported from 2009 to 2013 in Valle del Cauca department, Colombia, and to establish a methodology to develop endemic channels that can be applied to this event. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. Notification forms were used as a secondary database to characterize dengue cases from 2009 to 2013. Two endemic channels were developed, one using running means and the other through exponential smoothing. Results: Dengue in the department of Valle del Cauca showed a positive tendency, indicating that the number of cases had increased in the last five years. An important variation was observed that could be explained by a three-year cycle beginning in the first epidemiological period of the year. Conclusion: The development of the dengue endemic channel for Valle del Cauca illustrates the importance of applying these monitoring methodologies to events of public health interest. As can be seen from the results, there were some years in which the number of cases was very low and others in which the epidemic reached very high levels.

Perceived versus Observed Patient Safety Measures in a Critical Care Unit from a Teaching Hospital in Southern Colombia.

Introduction. Patient safety is an important topic. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived versus observed patient safety measures (PSM) in critically ill patients in a teaching hospital in Latin America. Materials and Methods. The level of perceived patient safety was evaluated with the patient safety hospital survey. Three months later, a qualitative study was conducted, including video recording of procedures, graded according to adherence to PSM. Levels of adherence were scored during patient mobilization (PM), placement of central catheters (PCC), other invasive procedures (OIP), infection control (IC), and endotracheal intubation (ETI). Results. The perceived adherence of PSM in the prestudy survey was considered fair by 89.1% of the ICU staff. After the survey, 829 ICU procedures were video-recorded. Mean observed adherence for fair patient safety measures was 20.8%. Perceived adherence was higher than the real patient safety protocol measures observed in the videos. Conclusion. Perception of PSM was higher than observed in the management of critically ill patients in a teaching hospital in southern Colombia.

Methodology to develop endemic channels and notification trends for dengue in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, 2009-2013.

INTRODUCTION: Dengue is the fastest spreading disease in the world and a permanent threat to global public health. It is a viral illness for which approximately 2.5 million people are at high risk of infection. Given the severity of the disease at national and global levels, new predictive methodologies need to be generated to facilitate decision-making in public health.  OBJECTIVE: To characterize cases of dengue reported from 2009 to 2013 in Valle del Cauca department, Colombia, and to establish a methodology to develop endemic channels that can be applied to this event.  MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective descriptive study. Notification forms were used as a secondary database to characterize dengue cases from 2009 to 2013. Two endemic channels were developed, one using running means and the other through exponential smoothing.  RESULTS: Dengue in the department of Valle del Cauca showed a positive tendency, indicating that the number of cases had increased in the last five years. An important variation was observed that could be explained by a three-year cycle beginning in the first epidemiological period of the year.  CONCLUSION: The development of the dengue endemic channel for Valle del Cauca illustrates the importance of applying these monitoring methodologies to events of public health interest. As can be seen from the results, there were some years in which the number of cases was very low and others in which the epidemic reached very high levels.

Revisión crítica sobre los instrumentos para la evaluación psiquiátrica en atención primaria / Critical revision of Mental health Assessment Tools in Primary Care

Antecedentes. Actualmente existen múltiples escalas y guías de entrevista en atención primaria en salud mental. Sin embargo, estas tienen limitaciones en la práctica clínica diaria. Muchas fueron creadas para realizar investigación, otras requieren gran entrenamiento de quien las aplica y en su gran mayoría cubren un rango limitado de síntomas, por ejemplo ansiedad y depresión. Escalas de gran uso clínico para síntomas ansiosos y depresivos permiten evaluar la presencia o ausencia de síntomas más que dar un diagnóstico específico y deja por fuera un espectro amplio de trastornos psiquiátricos como la demencia y la psicosis. Por estas razones, se han propuesto múltiples alternativas que permitan superar los problemas mencionados. Objetivo. Revisar de forma crítica los instrumentos utilizados para la evaluación psiquiátrica en atención primaria. Materiales y métodos. Revisión de la literatura. Resultados. Dentro de las herramientas desarrolladas y más utilizadas se encuentran la Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) y el Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Otra estrategia es la Herramienta Mundial de Evaluación en Salud Mental (GMHAT). Esta herramienta permite hacer tamizajes amplios y diagnósticos de problemas mentales por personas con poco entrenamiento en psiquiatría y en poco tiempo. Conclusiones. Se recomiendan los instrumentos breves que realizan una valoración global del estado mental sobre aquellos que son específicos para un solo trastorno.

Background. There are many instruments to use in primary care in Mental Health. However, the overall limitations found are that some instruments were developed specifically for research purposes and scales cover a limited range of symptoms and mental disorders like anxiety and depression. Scales used in clinical settings for anxiety and depressive symptoms usually assess the presence or absence of symptoms rather than give a specific diagnosis and leaves out a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders such as dementia and psychosis. For this reasons, multiple alternatives to overcome these problems have been proposed worldwide. Objective. To review in a critical way the instruments used in primary care. Materials and methods. Literatury review. Results. Among the tools developed and used are the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Another instrument is the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool (GMHAT). This tool allows broad screening and diagnosis of mental health problems for people with little training in psychiatry and in a short time. Conclusion. Short Instruments that perform an overall assessment of the mental state are preferred over those that are specific to a single disorder.

Aproximación narrativa a las intervenciones en salud para mujeres y niñas supervivientes de violencia sexual en la Red Suroccidental de Bogotá, 2003-2004 / Narrative Approaches to Health Interventions of Women and Girl Survivors of Sexual Assault in Bogotá’s “Souhwestern Network”, 2003-2004

Introducción: Esta investigación buscó dar cuenta de las características de la atención en salud a las víctimas de violencia sexual en la Red Suroccidental de Bogotá desde la perspectiva de los protagonistas, develando sus narrativas, la atención recibida y las recomendaciones para mejorar tales servicios. Métodos: Investigación social de segundo orden, con análisis narrativo y paradigmático de entrevistas en profundidad y equipos refl exivos. La muestra fue estructural y no probabilística, de 11 personas (4 pacientes, 4 terapeutas, 2 referentes de salud mental comunitaria y 1 familiar de la víctima) pertenecientes a los servicios de atención en salud de Fontibón, Bosa, Kennedy y Puente Aranda, en Bogotá. Resultados: Los lineamientos de política distrital en el tema y la calidad humana de los trabajadores de la salud involucrados son las principales fortalezas. Como aspectos negativos, la defi ciente cobertura de atención en salud mental, barreras de acceso, abandono del tratamiento, cobro por la prestación de servicios, poca intervención de redes sociales, defi ciente captación temprana del caso. Conclusiones: La riqueza conceptual sobre el tema exhibida por los entrevistados debería aprovecharse en planeación participativa de políticas y servicios sanitarios. Debe prevalecer el carácter urgente e integral de estas intervenciones sobre cualquier barrera administrativa entre la usuaria y el restablecimiento de sus derechos en salud.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of health care offered to victims of sexual violence in the Southwestern of Bogotá, Colombia. The characterization is made from the perspective of those directly involved, based on their description of their individual experiences, the quality of the services received and their recommendations for the improvement of these services. Method: We employed narrative and paradigmatic analysis of interviews and group meetings. Sampling was structural and not probabilistic. It included 11 subjects (4 patients, 4therapists, 2 community mental health providers and 1 victim’s family member) from health care institutions in the district of Fontibón, Bosa, Kennedy and Puente Aranda, in Bogotá. Results: Our analysis suggests two positive aspects: the presence of a government-based citywide policy on this subject and the humane qualities of the healthcare workers involved. Negative aspects include the lack of mental health coverage, access barriers, discontinuity of treatment, lack of intervention by social networks and defi cient early detection of cases. Conclusions: The individuals exhibited a degree of conceptual richness in the topic of sexual violence that could be used in the process of planning policies and services in this area. Interventions in sexual violence should be considered urgent and administrative barriers between victims and interventions should be overcome.

Inimputabilida yy riesgo de violencia / Insanity and the Risk of Violence

En este artículo se presenta un reporte de caso de inimputabilidad en relación con el delito de lesiones personales. El paciente se encuentra interno bajo medida de seguridad en una clínica privada. En este caso, la estimación del riesgo de violencia ha permitido que el individuo se integre progresivamente al medio social. A partir del caso, se analiza cuán difícil es evaluar el riesgo de violencia, sobre todo cuando dicha acción, en algunos casos, no sólo está en manos de los psiquiatras forenses, sino en los psiquiatras generales. La bibliografía existente, en su mayoría, procede del ámbito legal, donde aplica a pacientes que han cometido un delito; de ahí la necesidad de definir el riesgo de que el evento violento se vuelva a presentar.

This paper presents a case report of insanity defense in relation to the crime of personal injuries. The patient is interned under safety measures in a private clinic. Estimation of the risk of violence in this case, has allowed the individual to integrate progressively with the social milieu. The evaluation of the risk of violence is a difficult task that is not exclusive of forensic psychiatrists, since on occasions it must also be done by general psychiatrists. The majority of the existing literature comes from the legal arena, where it applies to patients who have previously committed a crime and is necessary to define the risk of the violent event presenting again.