Resultados del programa nacional de implantes cocleares y garantías explícitas en salud en beneficiarios pertenecientes al servicio de salud Aconcagua / Results of the national program of cochlear implants and explicit health guarantees in beneficiaries belonging to the Aconcagua health service

Resumen Introducción: En Chile, desde la ejecución de políticas públicas vinculadas a la implementación de implantes cocleares, sólo existen estudios elaborados y publicados en la Región Metropolitana que han buscado describir los resultados que estas han alcanzado en la población. Objetivo: Describir los resultados del Programa Nacional de Implantes Cocleares y Garantías Explícitas en Salud en pacientes beneficiados pertenecientes al Servicio de Salud Aconcagua. Material y Método: Estudio de corte transversal. Se reportan los resultados de la totalidad de pacientes beneficiados implantados en el período 2003-2016 del Servicio de Salud Aconcagua. Resultados: Del total de personas postuladas a nivel nacional, el 3% (n = 17) fueron postuladas desde el Servicio de Salud Aconcagua, de las cuales, el 58,8% (n = 10), fueron beneficiadas con implante coclear. La totalidad de los beneficiados fueron pesquisados a través de consulta en policlínico de Otorrinolaringología. La mediana de diagnóstico auditivo fue 22 meses (Q1-Q3:16-24), implementación de audífonos 24 meses (Q1-Q3:17-25), implementación de implante coclear 50 meses (Q1-Q3:29-56) y encendido de 52 (Q1-Q3:33-57). La mediana de ganancia funcional con implante fue 58,4 dB (Q1-Q3:46-65); estadísticamente significativa (p < 0,05). Conclusión: Los resultados en pacientes usuarios de implante coclear son satisfactorios. Es necesario ampliar la cobertura de estas políticas en el valle del Aconcagua, en coherencia con la mejora de procesos vinculados al diagnóstico oportuno de hipoacusia y posterior implementación de ayudas auditivas en tiempos que la evidencia sugiere pertinentes.

Abstract Introduction: In Chile, since the implementation of public policies linked to the program of cochlear implants, the only published studies were prepared in the Metropolitan Region, that have sought to describe the results that these responses have obtained in the population. Aim: Describe the results of the National Cochlear Implants Program and explicit health guarantees in beneficiary patients belonging to Aconcagua health service. Material and Method: Cross-sectional study. The results of all the patients benefited implanted in the period 2003-2016 are reported. Results: Of the total number of people nominated nationwide, 3% (n = 17) were chosen from the Aconcagua health service, of which 58.8% (n = 10) were benefited with cochlear implants. All the benefited patients were investigated through consultation in the Otolaryngology polyclinic. The median auditory diagnosis was 22 months (Q1-Q3: 16-24), hearing aid implementation 24 months (Q1-Q3: 17-25), cochlear implant implementation 50-month (Q1-Q3: 29-56) and on of cochlear implant 52 months (Q1-Q3: 33-57). The median functional gain with implant was 58.4 dB (Q1-Q3: 46-65); statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results in patients using cochlear implants are satisfactory. It is necessary to expand the coverage of these public policies in the Aconcagua valley, consistent with the improvement of the processes related to the timely diagnosis of hearing loss and subsequent implementation of hearing aids in the times that the relevant evidence.

Estudio de prevalencia de síndrome de apneas obstructivas del sueño en la población adulta chilena. Subestudio de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud, 2016/17 / Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in Chilean adults. A sub-study of the national health survey, 2016/17

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects approximately 10%-20% of adults and is associated with obesity, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Aim: To assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with OSAS in Chilean adults. Material and Methods: A standardized sleep questionnaire and respiratory polygraphy at home were conducted on adults aged 18 years or more, residing in the Metropolitan Region and enrolled in the 2016/17 National Health Survey. Results: Two-hundred and five people between 18 and 84 years old (46% men, mean age 50 years) underwent overnight respiratory polygraphy at home. The estimated obstructive sleep apnea prevalence was 49% (62% men, 31% women) considering an apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 5 respiratory events/hour, and 16% (21% men, 13% women) considering an apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 15 respiratory events/hour. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea continuously increased along with age for men and women, with a later onset for women. Age, gender, body mass index, cervical and waist circumference, snoring, reporting of apnea by proxies, self-reported cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia, were significantly associated with OSAS. No association was found with insomnia and daytime sleepiness. Conclusions: The prevalence and risk factors associated to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were high among these adults.

Access to healthcare for deaf people: a model from a middle-income country in Latin America

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To determine if there are existing healthcare access inequities among the deaf Chilean population when compared to the general Chilean population. METHODS Data were obtained from a population-based national survey in Chile. In total, 745 prelingually deaf individuals were identified. The number of times the person used the healthcare system was dichotomized and analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS Prelingually deaf people had lower incomes, fewer years of education, and greater rates of unemployment and poverty when compared with the general population. Moreover, they visited more general practitioners, mental health specialists, and other medical specialists. On average, they attended more appointments for depression but had fewer general checkups and gynecological appointments than the general population. CONCLUSIONS Deaf people in Chile have a lower socioeconomic status than the rest of the Chilean population. The results from this study are similar to the findings reported for high-income countries, despite differences in the magnitude of the associations between being deaf and healthcare access. Further studies should be conducted to determine the health status of deaf people in Chile and other Latin American countries and what factors are associated with a significantly lower prevalence of gynecological appointments among deaf women when compared with non-deaf women.

Rendimiento de los cuestionarios de sueño en el diagnóstico de síndrome de apneas obstructivas del sueño en población chilena. Subestudio de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud, 2016/17 / Performance of sleep questionnaires for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Background The diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is based on nocturnal records: polysomnography or respiratory polygraphy. However, their high costs limit their use. Aim To examine the predictive value of three sleep questionnaires (STOP, STOP-Bang, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in the screening of OSAS in Chilean adults. Material and Methods During the National Health Survey 2016/17, 205 adults aged 50.7 ± 15.0 years (46% males) living in the Metropolitan Region answered sleep questionnaires and underwent an ambulatory respiratory polygraphy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and receiver operating characteristic curves of sleep questionnaires were calculated. Results Fifty nine percent of participants had OSAS which was moderate to severe in 26%. The clinical variables associated with OSAS were age, male gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia, overweight, cervical and waist circumferences, history of regular snoring and witnessed apneas. Daytime somnolence, insomnia and unrefreshing sleep were not associated to OSAS risk. STOP, STOP-Bang and ESS questionnaires classified 64%, 71% and 12% of cases as high risk for OSAS, respectively. The STOP and STOP-Bang questionnaires had the highest sensitivity to predict OSAS (76% and 89%, respectively) while the ESS had the highest specificity (91%). Conclusions The sleep questionnaires allowed to identify the subjects at high risk for OSAS in this sample of adults from the Metropolitan Region.