Missed nursing care: A cross-sectional and multi-centric study from Turkey.

AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the extent of missed nursing care in Turkey and identify its predictors. DESIGN: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study. METHODS: A total of 477 nurses working in seven public hospitals participated in this study from March to July 2019. The survey included two components: a personal and professional characteristics data form and the MISSCARE survey. RESULTS: The study revealed that emotional support, patient bathing and ambulation were the most frequently missed nursing care activities. An inadequate number of assistive personnel and staff, along with an unexpected increase in patient volume, were identified as the primary reasons for missed nursing care. Of the 21 missed nursing care activities, nine predictive models showed statistical significance (p < 0.05). Factors such as the type of unit, years of work experience, working hours, number of patients cared for in a shift and intention to leave the unit were found to be significant predictors of seven missed nursing care activities (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found that numerous variables influence each care activity, which suggests the need to devise more targeted and specific strategies to minimize missed nursing care. Thorough investigation into the impact of these strategies on each care activity is essential.

Estimating the economic impact of acute coronary syndrome in New Zealand over time (ANZACS-QI 64): a national registry-based cost burden study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the changes in costs associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) admissions in New Zealand (NZ) public hospitals over a 12-year period. DESIGN: A cost-burden study of ACS in NZ was conducted from the NZ healthcare system perspective. SETTING: Hospital admission costs were estimated using relevant diagnosis-related groups and their costs for publicly funded casemix hospitalisations, and applied to 190 364 patients with ACS admitted to NZ public hospitals between 2007 and 2018 identified from routine national hospital datasets. Trends in the costs of index ACS hospitalisation, hospital admissions costs, coronary revascularisation and all-cause mortality up to 1 year were evaluated. All costs were presented as 2019 NZ dollars. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Healthcare costs attributed to ACS admissions in NZ over time. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2018, there was a 42% decrease in costs attributed to ACS (NZ$7.7 million (M) to NZ$4.4 M per 100 000 per year), representing a decrease of NZ$298 827 per 100 000 population per year. Mean admission costs associated with each admission declined from NZ$18 411 in 2007 to NZ$16 898 over this period (p<0.001) after adjustment for key clinical and procedural characteristics. These reductions were against a background of increased use of coronary revascularisation (23.1% (2007) to 38.1% (2018)), declining ACS admissions (366-252 per 100 000 population) and an improvement in 1-year survival post-ACS. Nevertheless, the total ACS cost burden remained considerable at NZ$237 M in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: The economic cost of hospitalisations for ACS in NZ decreased considerably over time. Further studies are warranted to explore the association between reductions in ACS cost burden and changes in the management of ACS.

Nível de atividade física de fisioterapeutas de um hospital público / Level of physical activity of physical therapists at a public hospital

Objetivo: avaliar o nível de atividade física dos fisioterapeutas e identificar o perfil socioeconômico desses profissionais de um hospital público de grande porte em Goiânia. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo observacional, transversal e quantitativo realizado de abril a agosto de 2020. Foram incluídos fisioterapeutas de ambos os sexos, contratados há no mínimo seis meses, e que assinaram o termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido. Excluídos da pesquisa aqueles em férias ou licença médica no período da coleta de dados. Para avaliar o nível de atividade física utilizou-se o Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ), e um questionário para conhecer o perfil socioeconômico desses profissionais. As variáveis contínuas foram apresentadas como média e desvio padrão, enquanto as categóricas, em frequência absoluta e relativa. Resultados: Grande parte dos indivíduos é do sexo feminino (73,5%) com maior prevalência de inativos (76%), sendo que (49,9%) cumprem carga horária maior que 30 horas semanais. Do total da amostra (61,8%) tem pelo menos especialização na sua formação profissional. Conclusão: Os fisioterapeutas do serviço público apresentam o nível de atividade física reduzido, com maior proporção classificados como inativos, segundo a OMS.

Purpose: evaluate the level of physical activity of physical therapists and identify the socioeconomic profile of these professionals in a large public hospital in Goiânia. Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional and quantitative study carried out from April to August 2020. Physical therapists of both sexes, hired for at least six months, and who signed a free and informed consent form, were included. The research excluded those on vacation or sick leave during the data collection period. In order to assess the level of physical activity, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used, as well as a questionnaire to learn about the socioeconomic profile of these professionals. Continuous variables were presented as mean and standard deviation, while categorical variables were in absolute and relative frequency. Results: Most of the individuals are female (73.5%) with a higher prevalence of inactive people (76%), and (49.9%) working more than 30 hours per week. From the total sample, 61.8% were at least specialists in their areas. Conclusion: Public service physical therapists have a reduced level of physical activity, with a greater proportion being classified as inactive, according to WHO.

Evaluation of Length of Stay, Care Volume, In-Hospital Mortality, and Emergency Readmission Rate Associated With Use of Diagnosis-Related Groups for Internal Resource Allocation in Public Hospitals in Hong Kong.

Importance: Hong Kong's internal resource allocation system for public inpatient care changed from a global budget system to one based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in 2009 and returned to a global budget system in 2012. Changes in patient and hospital outcomes associated with moving from a DRG-based system to a global budget system for inpatient care have rarely been evaluated. Objective: To examine associations between the introduction and discontinuation of DRGs and changes in length of stay, volume of care, in-hospital mortality rates, and emergency readmission rates in the inpatient population in acute care hospitals overall, stratified by age group, and across 5 medical conditions. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included data from patients aged 45 years or older who were hospitalized in public acute care settings in Hong Kong before the introduction (April 2006 to March 2009), during implementation (April 2009 to March 2012), and after discontinuation (April 2012 to November 2014) of the DRG scheme. Data analysis was conducted from January to June 2021. Exposures: Public hospitals transitioned from a global budget payment system to a DRG-based system in April 2009 and returned to a global budget system in April 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was the association of use of DRGs with patient-level length of stay, in-hospital mortality rate, 1-month emergency readmission rate, and population-level number of admissions per month. An interrupted time series design was used to estimate changes in the level and slope of outcome variables after introduction and discontinuation of DRGs, accounting for pretrends. Results: This study included 7 604 390 patient episodes. Overall, the mean (SD) age of patients was 68.97 (13.20) years, and 52.17% were male. The introduction of DRGs was associated with a 1.77% (95% CI, 1.23%-2.32%) decrease in the mean length of stay, a 2.90% (95% CI, 2.52%-3.28%) increase in the number of patients admitted, a 4.12% (95% CI, 1.89%-6.35%) reduction in in-hospital mortality, and a 2.37% (95% CI, 1.28%-3.46%) decrease in emergency readmissions. Discontinuation of the DRG scheme was associated with a 0.93% (95% CI, 0.42%-1.44%) increase in the mean length of stay and a 1.82% (95% CI, 1.47%-2.17%) reduction in the number of patients treated after adjusting for covariates; no statistically significant change was observed in in-hospital mortality (-0.14%; 95% CI, -2.29% to 2.01%) or emergency readmission rate (-0.29%; 95% CI, -1.30% to 0.71%). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, the introduction of DRGs was associated with shorter lengths of stay and increased hospital volume, and discontinuation was associated with longer lengths of stay and decreased hospital volume. In-hospital mortality and emergency readmission rates did not significantly change after discontinuation of DRGs.

Resultados del embarazo en mujeres con y sin COVID-19 en un hospital nacional de nivel III de Perú / Pregnancy outcomes among women with and without COVID-19 in a national level III hospital in Peru

OBJETIVO: Comparar los resultados del embarazo entre mujeres con y sin COVID-19 atendidas en un hospital nacional de nivel III de Perú. MÉTODO: Estudio observacional, retrospectivo y comparativo. Participaron gestantes con RT-PCR positiva y negativa en razón 1:1, y 1:2 con gestantes del año 2019. Se recogió información materna y perinatal. Se usó la prueba exacta de Fisher con significancia de 0,05 y razones de prevalencia (RP) con intervalo de confianza del 95% (IC95%). RESULTADOS: Participaron 51 gestantes con RT-PCR positiva, 51 gestantes con RT-PCR negativa y 102 gestantes del año 2019. Se observó asociación entre los resultados de la RT-PCR y el parto pretérmino (p < 0,05). La RP de parto pretérmino en las gestantes con RT-PCR positiva fue de 3,14 (IC95%: 1,29-7,64) veces en comparación con las gestantes de 2019 y de 4,0 (IC95%: 1,13-14,17) veces en comparación con las gestantes con RT-PCR negativa. CONCLUSIONES: Los hallazgos sugieren que puede existir asociación entre COVID-19 y parto pretérmino. Sin embargo, se requieren estudios más amplios para analizar el papel de otros factores maternos en esta asociación.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pregnancy outcomes among women with and without COVID-19 infection attended in a national level III hospital in Peru. METHOD: Observational, retrospective and comparative study. RT-PCR positive pregnant women participated in a 1:1 ratio with negative RT-PCR, and 1:2 with pregnant women of 2019. Maternal and perinatal information was collected. Fishers exact test was used with a significance level of 0.05 and prevalence ratios (PR) with their confidence interval of 95% (CI95%). RESULTS: 51 pregnant women with positive RT-PCR, 51 with negative RT-PCR and 102 pregnant women in 2019 participated. RT-PCR test were associated to preterm delivery (p < 0.05). The PR for preterm delivery in women with positive RT-PCR compared to pregnant women in 2019 was 3.14 (CI95%: 1.29-7.64); and compared to women with negative RT-PCR was 4.0 (CI95%: 1.13-14.17). CONCLUSIONS: The studys findings suggest the existence of an association between maternal COVID-19 and preterm birth. However, more studies are required to analyze the role of maternal factors.

Patients' satisfaction with outpatient pharmacy services and associated factors in Debre Tabor comprehensive specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: By measuring patients' satisfaction, providers can gain insight into several elements of health care services, including the effectiveness of their care and the level of empathy they exhibit. The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical services and associated factors in public hospitals located in Northwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based quantitative cross-sectional study was used. The study was carried out in an outpatient pharmacy from January 1-June 30, 2021. Participants were selected by a systematic sampling technique. The IBM SPSS statistical package (version 23) was used to enter and analyze the collected data. The findings were presented using descriptive statistical methods. To find factors linked to satisfaction, binary logistic regression was used. RESULTS: The final analysis included a total of 401 samples. More than half of the participants (229, or 55.1%) were female. The overall mean score of satisfaction was 30.6 out of a maximum of 100 scores. By taking this mean score as a cut-off point, 204 (50.9%) of the study participants had satisfaction with the outpatient pharmacists' service. Participants' responses scored on the uncomfortable and inconvenient waiting areas [AOR = 0.31; 95%CI, (0.13, 0.49)] were found to be negatively associated with the level of patients' satisfaction. Also, the unavailability of medications [AOR = 0.12; 95%CI, (0.02, 0.37)] was negatively associated with the respondent satisfaction. Uncomfortable and inconvenient private counseling areas [AOR = 1.37; 95%CI, (0.79, 4.42)] showed a negative association with their satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Patients' satisfaction levels with pharmacy service were found to be greater than 50%. The socio-demographic characteristics of patients have no association with their level of satisfaction, but their perception of uncomfortable private counseling areas and waiting areas was negatively associated with their satisfaction.

Risk factors of preeclampsia among pregnant women admitted at labor ward of public hospitals, low income country of Ethiopia; case control study.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific, multisystem disorder of unknown etiology, which characterized by new onset of high blood pressure & proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. Globally, it contributes 76,000 maternal deaths, 500,000 infant deaths annually, and the second common cause of maternal deaths. In Ethiopia, 19% of maternal deaths result from hypertensive disorder of Pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk factors of preeclampsia among pregnant women admitted in labor ward of Public hospitals, Amhara Region Ethiopia, METHODS: A facility based unmatched case-control study design was conducted in two public hospitals of North Wollo Zone. Cases were pregnant women, who had confirmed diagnosis of preeclampsia, controls were those who had no evidence of preeclampsia, and 65 cases and 195 controls were selected by convenience and systematic random sampling techniques respectively. The collected data was interred in to in EPI INFO version 7.1, transferred, and analyzed using SPSS version 20.00 statistical software. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent variables. Factors with P-value < 0.05 were taken as statistically significant of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women. RESULT: All of the respondents of cases and controls were participated in the study. Factors associated with preeclampsia were respondents who had read and write (AOR = 3.22, 95% CI: (1.05-9.84)) and attended primary school [AOR = 7.02, 95% CI: (1.57-31.45)]. Those pregnant women, who had at least two ANC visit [AOR = 8.69, 95%CI: (1.43-52.85)] and those who had three visit [AOR = 12.59, 95%CI: (3.06-56.05)]. In addition to these, birth Interval less than 24 month [AOR = 4.09, 95% CI: (1.33-12.61)]. Birth Interval 24-35 month [AOR = 2.53, 95% CI: (1.38-11.87], respondents with family history of HPN (AOR = 5.93, 95%CI: (2.39-14.67), family history of DM [AOR = 2.15, 95%CI: (1.12-6.98)], and respondents with previous history of preeclampsia (AOR = 4.14 95%CI: (1.66-10.33) were identified significant factors of preeclampsia among pregnant women attended in labour ward. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Educational status, antenatal care, lower birth interval, having family history of chronic HPN and DM, and history of preeclampsia were identified as major risk factors for occurrence of preeclampsia. Early detection of cases and intensive screening of pregnant women in every visit should be done and large-scale study will be done to identify other risk factors of preeclampsia.

Analysis of prevalence and sociodemographic conditions among women in labor with and without COVID-19 in public hospitals in Chile.

OBJECTIVES: The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues wreaking worldwide havoc on health and between March and August 2020, the first outbreak of COVID-19 hit Chile. The pregnant population is especially vulnerable to infection. Studies have been published that associate socioeconomic status, overcrowding, and poverty with a higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are few studies about the development of this pandemic in Latin American countries so far. This study seeks to show the prevalence and sociodemographic and perinatal characteristics in pregnant women at the time of delivery, comparing both groups with positive and negative COVID-19 PCR results. METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional study of pregnant women who delivered at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santiago between April 15, 2020 and June 15, 2020. Analysis of epidemiological, sociodemographic, obstetric, perinatal and sociodemographic data of patients with positive and negative COVID-19 PCR results. RESULTS: There were 701 patients included in the study. The prevalence of those with a positive COVID-19 PCR was 9.7% and 67.7% being asymptomatic. Pre-term delivery was significantly higher in the group of positive patients (23.5%) vs. negative patients (8.7%), which was not the same rate as with cesarean sections (C-sections). A 13.2% of patients required management of the pathology in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) and there were no cases of maternal or fetal deaths. We found no significant difference between both groups when analyzing socioeconomic variables, though we noted a trend of greater overcrowding among the group of patients with infection. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pregnant patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are asymptomatic. COVID-19 increases the rate of premature births, but this rate is not same with C-sections. Sociodemographic conditions and overcrowding do not show a higher infection rate in a homogeneous population in relation to the economic, social and demographic level.

Charges, length of stay, and complication associations with trauma center ownership in adult patients with mild to moderate trauma.

BACKGROUND: For-profit (FP) trauma centers (TCs) charge more for trauma care than not-for-profit (NFP) centers. We sought to determine charges, length of stay (LOS), and complications associations with TC ownership status (FP, NFP, and government) for three diagnoses among patients with overall low injury severity. METHODS: Adult patients treated at TCs with an International Classification of Diseases-based injury severity score (ICISS) survival probability ≥ 0.85 were identified. Only those who with a principal diagnosis of femur, tibial or rib fractures were included. RESULTS: Total charges were significantly higher at FP centers than NFP and lower at government centers (89.6% and -12.8%, respectively). FP TCs had a 12.5% longer LOS and government TCs had a 20.4% longer LOS than NFP TCs. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting to FP TCs with mild/moderate femur, tibial, or rib fractures experienced higher charges and increased LOS compared with government or NFP centers. There was no difference in overall complication rates.

Blood product utilisation for coronary artery bypass graft surgery at a public and a private hospital in Western Cape Province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have documented variation in transfusion practice for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, despite the widespread availability of clinical guidelines. Blood management systems seek to streamline utilisation, with key indicators being patient care and outcome as well as reduction of waste and cost. OBJECTIVES: To facilitate this view, this study sought to audit blood product utilisation for CABG surgery at a private and a public sector hospital in Western Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS: A retrospective audit of 100 consecutive patients undergoing CABG surgery at a private and a public hospital during 2017 was performed. Blood product use was compared between the two hospitals, and the influence of confounding factors such as gender, weight, age, pre- and intraoperative medications, type and complexity of the procedure, and patient comorbidities was analysed. RESULTS: The proportion of patients receiving red cell concentrates (RCCs) at the public hospital was significantly higher than at the private hospital (92% v. 56%; p<0.001), which resulted in significantly higher postoperative haemoglobin concentrations (p<0.001). Although the increased proportion of RCC transfusion observed at the public hospital may have been influenced by decreased body mass (p<0.001), the patient population at the private hospital was older (p<0.05) and had higher rates of ischaemia (p<0.001), increased numbers of grafts (p<0.001) and higher preoperative use of aspirin (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated increased use of blood products at the public hospital, despite performing fewer grafts. Although this study had limitations, which included low patient numbers and the inclusion of only two hospitals, we concluded that there is a significant variation in the use of blood products despite the risks associated with blood transfusion. These findings could be used to employ systems that will lead to improved blood usage practices.

Rates of Low-Value Service in Australian Public Hospitals and the Association With Patient Insurance Status.

Importance: Low-value services have limited or no benefit to patients. Rates of low-value service in public hospitals may vary by patient insurance status, given that there may be different financial incentives for treatment of privately insured patients. Objective: To assess the variation in rates of 5 low-value services performed in Australian public hospitals according to patient funding status (ie, private or public). Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed New South Wales public hospital data from January 2013 to June 2018. Patients included in the sample were over age 18 years and eligible to receive low-value services based on diagnoses and concomitant procedures. Data analysis was conducted from June to December 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: Hospital-specific rates of low-value knee arthroscopic debridement, vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal fractures, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, oophorectomy with hysterectomy, and laparoscopic uterine nerve ablation for chronic pelvic pain were measured. For each measure, rates within each public hospital were compared by patient funding status descriptively and using multilevel models. Results: A total of 219 862 inpatients were included in analysis from 58 public hospitals across the 5 measures. A total of 38 365 (22 904 [59.7%] women; 12 448 [32.4%] aged 71-80 years) were eligible for knee arthroscopic debridement for osteoarthritis; 2520 (1924 [76.3%] women; 662 [26.3%] aged 71-80 years), vertebroplasty for osteoporotic spinal fractures; 162 285 (82 046 [50.6%] women; 28 255 [17.4%] aged 61-70 years), hyperbaric oxygen therapy; 15 916 (7126 [44.8%] aged 41-50 years), oophorectomy with hysterectomy; and 776 (327 [42.1%] aged 18-30 years), uterine nerve ablation for chronic pelvic pain. Overall rates of low-value services varied considerably between measures, with the lowest rate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (0.3 procedures per 1000 inpatients [47 of 158 220 eligible inpatients]) and the highest for vertebroplasty (30.8 procedures per 1000 eligible patients [77 of 2501 eligible inpatients]). There was significant variation in rates between hospitals, with a few outlying hospitals (ie, <10), particularly for knee arthroscopy (range from 1.8 to 21.0 per 1000 eligible patients) and vertebroplasty (range from 13.1 to 70.4 per 1000 eligible patients), with higher numerical rates of low-value services among patients with private insurance than for those without. However, there was no association overall between patient insurance status and low-value services. Overall differences in rates among those with and without private insurance by individual procedure type were not statistically significant. Conclusions and Relevance: There was significant variation in rates of low-value services in public hospitals. While there was no overall association between private insurance and rate of low-value services, private insurance may be associated with low-value service rates in some hospitals. Further exploration of factors specific to local hospitals and practices are needed to reduce this unnecessary care.

Prevalencia y características de objetores de conciencia a la Ley 21. 030 en instituciones públicas / Prevalence and characteristics of conscientious objectors to Law 21. 030 in public institutions

INTRODUCCIÓN: La Ley 21.030 permite la objeción de conciencia al personal de salud al interior del pabellón y a las instituciones privadas. Ha sido considerada conflicto de intereses no monetario, al anteponer los valores personales, afectando el cumplimiento del deber profesional. OBJETIVOS: Establecer la prevalencia de funcionarios/as objetores/as en los hospitales de la red pública del país y caracterizarles según edad, género y nacionalidad. MÉTODO: Estudio cuantitativo, analítico y transversal. Se utilizaron medidas de tendencia central y dispersión. Para medir la asociación entre variables sociodemográficas, profesión y causal objetada, se utilizaron las pruebas de χ2, exacta de Fisher y de Kruskal-Wallis. RESULTADOS: En 57 hospitales, se observa una mayor frecuencia de objetores en causal 3. En 443 objetores, la mediana de edad fue de 43 años, el 64,8% mujeres y el 87,4% de nacionalidad chilena. En las zonas centro y sur del país se concentra la mayor proporción de hospitales con más del 50% de objetores. CONCLUSIONES: La dificultad para obtener información impide conocer cabalmente la magnitud de la objeción de conciencia. Resulta preocupante la alta prevalencia de objetores, específicamente en la causal violación. La objeción no puede operar como barrera que vulnere los derechos y la dignidad de las mujeres.

INTRODUCTION: Law 21.030 incorporates conscientious objection for health personnel inside the surgical ward and allows its invocation by private institutions. It has been considered a conflict of interest, not monetary, by putting personal values first, affecting the fulfillment of professional duty. OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of objectors in the countrys public network hospitals and characterize them according to age, gender, and nationality. METHOD: Quantitative, analytical, and cross-sectional study. Central and dispersion trend measures were used. For measuring the association between sociodemographic variables, profession and causal objected, test χ2, Fisher exact and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. RESULTS: In 57 hospitals, a higher frequency of objectors were observed in the third causal. In 443 objectors, the median age was 43 years, 64.8% are women, and 87.4% are Chilean. The central and southern areas of the country have the highest proportion of hospitals, with more than 50% objectors. CONCLUSIONS: The difficulty for obtaining the information prevents fully knowing the magnitude of conscientious objection in Chile. The high prevalence of objectors, specifically in the causal violation is worrying. The conscientious objection cannot operate as a barrier that violates the rights and dignity of women.

Cambios epidemiológicos en urgencia infantil durante la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 en Hospital Regional de Talca / Epidemiolocal changes in childrens emergency consultations during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at Hospital Regional de Talca

Infection by SARS-COV-2, was first described in November 2019 in Wuhan, China. First chilean cases where reported in March 2020.Our objective was to identify epidemiological changes in the pediatric population in the emergency service of the Hospital Regional de Talca (HRT). We carried out an observational and retrospective study. The reason and number of consultations in pediatric patients in the emergency room was analyzed during the periods defined as "Pre-pandemic" and "Pandemic". The target population was all consulting patients between 0-15 years of age. We separated the cases according to the reason of consultation. We obtained the data from the HRT statistics department. The number of consultations decreased by 67.6% per month, while the number of patients who consulted in pediatric emergencies for respiratory symptoms decreased by 75.4% per month. Within the pandemic period, 15,101 COVID PCR samples were performed in pediatric patients, with 13.7% positivity. This allows us to see the epidemiological impact that this new disease has had on pediatric patients in the Maule región

Pain as the fifth vital sign-A comparison between public and private healthcare systems.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of pain as the fifth vital sign (P5VS) is of paramount importance since it leads to the management of undertreated pain, consequently reducing suffering, readmissions and emergency department visits after hospital discharge. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation of P5VS in public and private hospitals. METHODS: Data analysis on validated questionnaires was sent to all 171 Portuguese hospitals via an official letter. RESULTS: When compared to private hospitals, public hospitals presented a higher adherence to the process related to the P5VS. It has demonstrated superiority in the charts properly placed to record P5VS, in the number of emergency departments recording P5VS, in the regularity of audits, and in the existence of guidelines and staff training on pain assessment and management. CONCLUSION: The standardization of both evaluation and recording of pain intensity constitutes a measure of good clinical practice. Public hospitals demonstrated better commitment to these procedures that should be properly carried out in all health care institutions.

Pharmaceuticals wastage and pharmaceuticals waste management in public health facilities of Dessie town, North East Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Pharmaceuticals wastes are drugs and medicines that can no longer be used. The improper disposal of unused medicines is a growing problem throughout the world. This study assessed the pharmaceutical wastage rate and pharmaceutical waste management for the year 2015 to 2017 in the public health facility of Dessie, Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY: A cross-section study design was used to review logistic data retrospectively from health commodity management information systems and manual records in 8 health facilities. Health professionals' (135) pharmaceutical waste management practices were assessed using the world health organization waste management checklist. Descriptive and inferential statistics were made using a statistical package for social sciences version 20. RESULT: Supplies were the leading class of pharmaceuticals with an overall wastage rate of 37.1%. Tablet and injectable constituted the highest class of pharmaceuticals dosage form with the overall wastage rate of 20.78% and 16.49%. The overall pharmaceutical wastage rate was 3.68% amounting to USD 159,762.66 and expiry (92.05%) was the major reason for wastage. The pharmaceutical wastage rate of health centers was nearly twofold higher than hospitals. Pharmaceutical waste management was practiced by 105 (77%; 95% CI; 69.9%, 84.9%) health professionals. Determinants of pharmaceutical waste management were being male (P value = 0.08, AOR = 3.72), receiving training (P value = 0.01, AOR = 4.34), writing label (P value = 0.02, AOR = 5.04), storage of segregated waste in dispensing unit (P value = 0.01, AOR = 0.72) and the presence of disposal plan (P value = 0.002, AOR = 16.93). CONCLUSIONS: Supplies and tablets constituted the highest wastage class of pharmaceuticals and dosage form. The pharmaceutical wastage rate was higher than the standard and increasing in successive years. Pharmaceutical waste management was not fully practiced. Appropriate inventory control and waste management are recommended.

Job Satisfaction and Associated Factors among Health Professionals Working at Public and Private Hospitals in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from evaluating one's job or job experiences. However, knowledge of workplace factors that either satisfy employees to keep working or dissatisfy them making them leave their jobs or working places is essential for decision-making. Thus, this study is aimed at assessing job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at public and private hospitals in Bahir Dar city, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based comparative cross-sectional study design was conducted from 10 February 2020 to 29 May 2020. A total of 520 health professionals were selected from public and private health facilities using stratified systematic random sampling techniques. Data were collected using structured pretested self-administered questionnaires. A binary logistic regression model with Huber-White robust standard error was fitted to identify job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at public and private hospitals. A less than 0.05 p value and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were considered to have a statistically significant association with the outcome variable. RESULTS: The overall magnitude of job satisfaction was 55.2% (95% CI: 51.0, 59.4%). At public and private hospitals, the provider's satisfaction was 29.0% (95% CI: 23.2, 35.1%) and 81.23% (95% CI: 76.6, 85.8%), respectively. Working at private hospital (AOR: 8.89; 95% CI: 5.14, 15.35), pleasant nature of work (AOR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.05, 3.15), autonomy (AOR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.29, 4.33), adequate supportive supervision (AOR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.33, 4.40), good reward and recognition (AOR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.37, 6.75), and high normative commitment (AOR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.48, 4.43) were factors affecting the overall job satisfaction of health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of job satisfaction was relatively low in private and public hospital health professionals and severe among health professionals working in public hospitals. Healthcare policy-makers and hospital managers need to develop and institutionalize evidence-based satisfaction strategies considering the predictors of health professional's job satisfaction.

Prevalence of the five newborn screening tests.

Neonatal screening is essential for child health and has the following purposes: (1) pulse oximetry screening to evaluate congenital heart diseases; (2) red reflex examination to investigate eye diseases; (3) newborn hearing screening test to evaluate congenital hearing diseases; (4) tongue test to evaluate the lingual frenulum and identify communication and feeding problems; (5) the Guthrie test to screen for metabolic diseases. This study investigated the prevalence of the five neonatal screening tests and its associated institutional and socio-cultural factors using a cross-sectional study with 415 mother and baby binomials from public maternity hospitals in Natal, RN, Brazil in 2019. Pearson's chi-squared, Mann-Whitney and Poisson regression tests were used, with a significance of p ≤ 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. The sample loss was 71 mothers (17%). The prevalence in the first week and at the end of 28 days was 93% and 99.5% (pulse oximetry screening), 60% and 97.6% (red reflex examination), 71.9% and 93.6% (Guthrie test), 35.5% and 68.2% (hearing screening test), and 19% and 48.9% (tongue test). Only 152 newborns (36.6%) underwent all five tests. The performance of the tests was associated in the final model (p ≤ 0.05) with the residence of the mothers in the state capital (PR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.18-1.56) and the provision of guidance for mothers about the five tests in maternity hospitals (PR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.08-1.67). None of the tests met full coverage, and regional inequities were identified indicating the need to restructure the institutions, training and qualification procedures to improve of the work processes and longitudinal care.

Trends in COVID-19 case-fatality rates in Brazilian public hospitals: A longitudinal cohort of 398,063 hospital admissions from 1st March to 3rd October 2020.

BACKGROUND: Almost 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Brazil in 2020. The case fatality rate of a new infectious disease can vary by different risk factors and over time. We analysed the trends and associated factors of COVID-19 case fatality rates in Brazilian public hospital admissions during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of all COVID-19-related admissions between epidemiological weeks 10-40 in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) was delimited from available reimbursement records. Smoothing time series and survival analyses were conducted to evaluate the trends of hospital case fatality rates (CFR) and the probability of death according to factors such as sex, age, ethnicity, comorbidities, length of stay and ICU use. RESULTS: With 398,063 admissions and 86,452 (21.7%) deaths, the overall age-standardized hospital CFR trend decreased throughout the period, varying from 31.8% (95%CI: 31.2 to 32.5%) in week 10 to 18.2% (95%CI: 17.6 to 18.8%) in week 40. This decreasing trend was observed in all sex, age, ethnic groups, length of stay and ICU admissions. Consistently, later admission (from July to September) was an independent protective factor. Patients 80+ year old had a hazard ratio of 8.18 (95% CI: 7.51 to 8.91). Ethnicity, comorbidities, and ICU need were also associated with the death risk. Although also decreasing, the CFR was always around 40-50% in people who needed an ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: The overall hospital CFR of COVID-19 has decreased in Brazilian public hospitals during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Nevertheless, during the entire period, the CFR was still very high, suggesting the need for improving COVID-19 hospital care in Brazil.