An approach to robust condition monitoring in industrial processes using pythagorean membership grades.

In this paper, a robust approach to improve the performance of a condition monitoring process in industrial plants by using Pythagorean membership grades is presented. The FCM algorithm is modified by using Pythagorean fuzzy sets, to obtain a new variant of it called Pythagorean Fuzzy C-Means (PyFCM). In addition, a kernel version of PyFCM (KPyFCM) is obtained in order to achieve greater separability among classes, and reduce classification errors. The approach proposed is validated using experimental datasets and the Tennessee Eastman (TE) process benchmark. The results are compared with the results obtained with other algorithms that use standard and non-standard membership grades. The highest performance obtained by the approach proposed indicate its feasibility.

Contact Failure Identification in Multilayered Media via Artificial Neural Networks and Autoencoders.

The estimation of defects positioning occurring in the interface between different materials is performed by using an artificial neural network modeled as an inverse heat conduction problem. Identifying contact failures in the bonding process of different materials is crucial in many engineering applications, ranging from manufacturing, preventive inspection and even failure diagnosis. This can be modeled as an inverse heat conduction problem in multilayered media, where thermography temperature measurements from an exposed surface of the media are available. This work solves this inverse problem with an artificial neural network that receives these experimental data as input and outputs the thermalphysical properties of the adhesive layer, where defects can occur. An autoencoder is used to reduce the dimension of the transient 1D thermography data, where its latent space represents the experimental data in a lower dimension, then these reduced data are used as input to a fully connected multilayer perceptron network. Results indicate that this is a promising approach due to the good accuracy and low computational cost observed. In addition, by including different noise levels within a defined range in the training process, the network can generalize the experimental data input and estimate the positioning of defects with similar quality.

How has COVID-19, lockdown and social distancing changed alcohol drinking patterns? A cross-cultural perspective between britons and spaniards.

During the early months of 2020, the world experienced a novel, violent, and relentless pandemic era. By the end of the year more than seventy-seven million cases of COVID-19 had been reported around the globe. Due to it being a highly contagious disease, the recommended measures adopted by most nations to prevent infection include social distancing and quarantine. How did these measures affect people's relationship with alcohol consumption in cultures where alcohol plays an important social role? A questionnaire-based study, designed to follow the drinking behaviour of people before and during lockdown was applied to two different cultural groups impacted by the pandemic during the strict phase of lockdown. These are the British and Spanish populations (179 participants from each country were interviewed). Considering the frequency of consumption of the alcoholic beverages evaluated (wine, beer, cider, whisky and spirits), the results showed that a significant lockdown*country interaction was observed. Overall, Spanish participants consumed alcoholic beverages less frequently during lockdown than before, while British participants reported no change in their consumption habits. Spaniards' decrease in alcohol consumption is related to the absence of a social contexts while Britons seems to have adapted their consumption to the modified context. Results suggest that, alcohol consumption is a central core of the British culture, while for the Spanish, socialization is more a cultural characteristic than the alcohol itself.

To fear the unknown: Covid-19 confinement, fear, and food choice.

The coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 completely changed the dynamic of consumption in different sectors of industry. The food and beverage industries have been profoundly affected, from production, to modifications in consumers' choices. Among the different reasons behind those modifications is confinement, which forces consumers to stay at home for an extended period and just go out to perform essential tasks, such as going to the supermarket. We hypothesized that this new dynamic of consumption could create a situation of fear that changes food choice. To test this hypothesis, two studies were conducted in three countries with a different degree of confinement: Mexico (flexible), Spain (strict), and Peru (hard). Study one consisted of a free association task with 60 participants in each country with the inductor word "coronavirus and food". The different associations served as the basis to build a structured questionnaire, which was used in the second study focused on fear and food choice. The second study was applied to 450 participants in the same three countries. Results showed that fear can be separated into nine dimensions: social, emotional, food supply, government, basic needs, food-delivery, overeating, immunity, and family conflicts. The participants could also be clustered into four different groups that differ in their country of origin and sex, but also in their food choice. Overall, the results showed that fear influenced consumer's food choices during a confinement period.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Improves Quality of Life in Women with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

RATIONALE: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice in patients with symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). CPAP treatment improves quality of life (QoL) in men with OSA, but its role in women has not yet been assessed. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of CPAP on QoL in women with moderate to severe OSA. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled trial in 307 consecutive women diagnosed with moderate to severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, ≥15) in 19 Spanish sleep units. Women were randomized to receive effective CPAP therapy (n = 151) or conservative treatment (n = 156) for 3 months. The primary endpoint was the change in QoL based on the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire. Secondary endpoints included changes in daytime sleepiness, mood state, anxiety, and depression. Data were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis with adjustment for baseline values and other relevant clinical variables. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The women in the study had a mean (SD) age of 57.1 (10.1) years and a mean (SD) Epworth Sleepiness Scale score of 9.8 (4.4), and 77.5% were postmenopausal. Compared with the control group, the CPAP group achieved a significantly greater improvement in all QoL domains of the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire (adjusted treatment effect between 0.53 and 1.33; P < 0.001 for all domains), daytime sleepiness (-2.92; P < 0.001), mood state (-4.24; P = 0.012), anxiety (-0.89; P = 0.014), depression (-0.85; P = 0.016), and the physical component summary of the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (2.78; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: In women with moderate or severe OSA, 3 months of CPAP therapy improved QoL, mood state, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and daytime sleepiness compared with conservative treatment. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02047071).

The building blocks of drinking experience across men and women: A case study with craft and industrial beers.

In today's market, every product seems to be marked by the label of "experience". It is expected that successful products give the consumer "extraordinary experiences". The research in consumption experience is growing, but much work still needs to be done to understand the food and beverage experience. A qualitative study was conducted using contextual focus groups to explore the building blocks of consumers' drinking experience of industrial and craft beers. The results show that drinking experience is shaped by our cognitive, sensory or affective systems, especially during the core consumption experience. Elements such as attitudes, consumption habits, and individual versus social consumption, shopping experience and product benefits are also responsible for shaping the experience, but are more relevant during the pre-consumption or post-consumption experience. Gender differences occur more frequently in the affective experience, as women search more for relaxation while men for excitement and stimulation while drinking beer. When comparing industrial users versus craft, in the latter the cognitive and shopping experiences are more relevant. Overall, the results showed that the drinking experience of beers can be studied as a function of the salient human system used during product interaction, and this systems act as the building blocks of the drinking experience of beer. This information can be applied in consumer research studies to further study the experiential differences across products and consumers.

Craft vs. industrial: Habits, attitudes and motivations towards beer consumption in Mexico.

Food choices tend to be stable over time; they do not change fast, since consumers tend to act like creatures of habits. However, food habits can evolve, like currently the craft beer category. A change of habits involves a change of perception towards a product. Therefore, what is changing in the perception of beer? Two studies were conducted to address this question. First study was preliminary and aimed at exploring beer consumption habits in Mexico and a better understanding of craft beer representation among beer users. A questionnaire was administrated to 207 consumers in Mexico City during a beer festival. Results showed that respondents could be classified in: industrial beer (41.1%), occasional industrial (24.1%), and craft beer (34.8%) consumers. Craft cluster included mostly 25-35 years old men with high-income level. Among the craft beers cited by respondents from this cluster some are industrial, suggesting that the concept of craft beer might not be well defined, or defined in ideological terms. The second and main study was conducted using consumer ethnographies to understand the motivations and benefits of craft beer consumption. Opposite to industrial, craft beer emerges as an experience-based and symbolic product rather than a utilitarian one. The main motivation for drinking craft beer seems to be the quest of authenticity. Respondents' motivations to drink craft beer are generated by three important factors: desire for more knowledge, new taste experiences, and move away from the mainstream beer consumption. Craft consumers do not drink the product for its functional attributes, they consume it for what it means and as a consequence they build an identity, perceived as more authentic and unique, in comparison to the mainstream industrial beer consumption in Mexico.

Exploring food and beverage pairing from a cross-cultural projective mapping.

Culture is a well-known driver of food choices, and therefore, it could also impact food pairing preferences. Food pairing has been studied from different approaches; however, little cross-cultural research has been done. This work explored food and beverage pairing using projective mapping (PM) to create maps of food-beverage combinations. Four countries (Mexico, Argentina, France, and Norway), thirty foods, and six beverages were selected. PM was carried out through an online study in each country. Participants were asked to map foods together with beverages following the instruction that foods and beverages closer together represented a good combination. The coordinates of each product were analyzed through Multiple Factorial Analyses (MFA) by countries. The first four factors of each MFA were used to perform RV coefficients to test similarities in food-beverage pairings between the countries. Finally, a k-means clustering was performed on the beverage coordinates of each MFA. PM provided maps representing food and beverage pairings for each country in which the proximity between food-beverages represented a good combination according to consumers. RV coefficients between countries were low, showing that food-beverage pairings were not similar across countries, evidencing the cultural effect in food-drink combinations. Results from the k-means clustering showed some similarities and differences between countries. In general, the food-beverage pairing was effectively explored with PM, from which several differences and similarities were found within cultures.

Spectrophotometric and nucleic acid-binding properties of halloysite clay nanotubes and kaolinite.

Halloysite particles (HNTs) are naturally occurring aluminosilicate nanotubes of low toxicity that have shown great promise for drug and biomolecule delivery into human and animal cells. Kaolinite particles retain the same layered structure as HNT, but do not form nanotubes. In this study, the spectrophotometric and sedimentation properties of the two clays in aqueous solutions and their abilities to associate with both small and large nucleic acids have been investigated. Both clays scattered ultraviolet light strongly and this characteristic of HNT was not affected by either vacuum treatment to remove trapped gases or by sonication. Vacuum treatment increased the binding of small nucleic acids to HNT and this association was further enhanced by addition of divalent metal ions. By contrast, only small RNAs were bound efficiently by kaolinite in the presence of Mg2+ ions. Large linear double-stranded DNAs and circular plasmid DNAs bound poorly to kaolinite under all conditions, but these nucleic acids could form strong associations with HNT. Differences in binding data were largely consistent with measurements of the available surface areas of each clay. These results demonstrate that interactions with each clay are critically dependent on both the type and the conformation of each nucleic acid.

A Model of Depression in University Faculty, Staff, and Health Care Workers Using an Automated Mental Health Screening Tool.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine relationships among worked hours, stress, sleep hours, burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression reported by academic medical center employees. METHODS: Employees completed an anonymous electronic mental health survey with automated feedback that included self-help and professional local resources. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Eighty percent of participants reported ( n = 693) medium/high stress, 58% reported burnout, 37%/26% screened positive for anxiety/depression, and 14% reported PTSD. Structural equation modeling attained highly significant coefficients ( P < 0.05) and excellent goodness of fit, with strong stress and PTSD positive direct associations with anxiety, burnout, and depression. The model explained 58% of variation in depression scores. A clinician only model demonstrated stronger PTSD effects, but no work hours effects. CONCLUSION: Workplace self-screening tools can guide employee mental health self-assessment, self-help programs, and professional resources, while also informing targets for employer programs.

Criteria for optimizing kernel methods in fault monitoring process: A survey.

Nowadays, how to select the kernel function and their parameters for ensuring high-performance indicators in fault diagnosis applications remains as two open research issues. This paper provides a comprehensive literature survey of kernel-preprocessing methods in condition monitoring tasks, with emphasis on the procedures for selecting their parameters. Accordingly, twenty kernel optimization criteria and sixteen kernel functions are analyzed. A kernel evaluation framework is further provided for helping in the selection and adjustment of kernel functions. The proposal is validated via a KPCA-based monitoring scheme and two well-known benchmark processes.

Connecting flavors in social media: A cross cultural study with beer pairing.

Culture is an important driver of food preferences and largely determines exposure to ingredients combinations. The cultural variety in culinary practices across countries raises the question of how flavor combinations are built and how they transcend individual differences in consumers' preferences. For example, in Latin America, despite having similar cultures and language, the diversity in culinary practices leads to different flavor combinations across nations. Therefore, we hypothesize that each country will show different preferences in flavor combinations that could be understood by social media exploration as an innovative approach. One study was conducted exploring social media in four countries (Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico) on a one-year basis, using a list of fifty-seven keywords associated with beer flavors. In a first analysis, the list of mentions from consumers was categorized in frequencies of flavors per country and analyzed using correspondence analysis (CA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC). Results showed that the countries could be clustered in three groups. Cluster 1 with Mexico and Peru, and the rest of the countries in different clusters. The co-occurrence of paired flavors in social media was used to build a similarity matrix that was analyzed using multidimensional scaling (MDS) in order to find a pattern of pairing per country. The obtained map was useful to understand the cultural differences in flavor paring per country. Overall, the analysis of flavor pairing through social media was an effective technique to access the structure of flavor pairing for beer in different countries.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment Does not Reduce Uric Acid Levels in OSA Women.

OBJECTIVES: Although an association between uric acid (UA) levels and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been reported, the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on this measure is yet unclear. We aimed to investigate the effect of CPAP therapy on serum UA levels in patients with OSA. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial in 307 women diagnosed with moderate-to-severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]≥15) in 19 Spanish Sleep Units. Women were randomized to CPAP (n=151) or conservative treatment (n=156) for 12 weeks. Changes in serum UA measures were assessed on an intention-to-treat basis. Additional analyses were conducted in the subgroup of women with CPAP adherence ≥4h/night and those with UA levels ≥6mg/dl. RESULTS: Women had a mean (SD) age of 57.1 (10.1) years, median (first-third quartile) body mass index of 33.7 (29.0-38.5) mg/kg2 and AHI of 32.0 (22.6-48.5). The average serum UA measure was 5.11 (1.26) mg/dl, and 80 (26.1%) participants had UA≥6mg/dl. Compared with the control group, the CPAP group did not achieve any reduction in UA levels (non-adjusted intergroup difference -0.03mg/dl, 95%CI -0.20 to 0.13; p=0.702) after 12 weeks of follow-up. These results did not change when the analysis was restricted to women with CPAP adherence ≥4h/night, or the subgroup of women with hyperuricemia. CONCLUSIONS: Twelve weeks of CPAP therapy does not reduce UA levels compared to conservative treatment in women with moderate-to-severe OSA.

Undergraduate research experiences: mentoring, awareness, and perceptions-a case study at a Hispanic-serving institution.

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been proposed as means to increase the retention and engagement of minority-and more specifically Hispanic-college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. This study explores the impact of student characteristics such as gender, classification, ethnicity, and first-generation status on UREs of STEM students through four specific constructs that current literature deem particularly important: (1) research experiences, (2) mentoring experiences, (3) awareness of research opportunities and activities, and (4) perceptions on research. These constructs are here forth referred to as Experiences, Mentoring, Awareness, and Perceptions. The study was conducted at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in Texas, United States (U.S.), where the overall increase in enrollment has been driven by growth in Hispanic student numbers, reflecting the demographic shift of the state and the nation. RESULTS: Participants were recruited to be part of a STEM open house. Thirty-five students participated in the Undergraduate Research Experiences: Mentoring, Awareness, and Perceptions Survey (URE MAPS). This exploratory case study sought to look at student characteristics such as gender, classification, ethnicity, and first-generation status as predictors of UREs. Results show that classification and ethnicity student characteristics are statistically significant predictors of UREs. Although gender and first-generation status regression analysis did not show statistically significant results, crosstabulations looking at correlation among variables yield interesting results. Seven percent of the female respondents responded that they "somewhat agree" with the statement that research is a lonely activity in comparison with 23% of males. The majority (60%) of all respondents who "strongly agreed" with the statement that "research is only for future scientists" were Hispanic, indicating a need to clarify such misconceptions to encourage Hispanic student participation. Most self-identified first-generation participants, of whom 80% were female, reported awareness of faculty research activities, again pointing out gender as an important factor among students' relationship with their professors. Although less than 23% of students noted current participation in mentorship, most of those did report positive impact of this relationship on their attitude and perspective toward their major. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size and inherent bias in the characteristics of the STEM open house participants, regression analysis informed by crosstabs analysis revealed some important findings. The research suggested higher-than-expected awareness of Latinos and first-generation students of institutional research activities; however, this awareness has not translated in engagement in research activities. The data also indicates the critical need for high-impact UREs and mentorship relationships, as well as for efforts to battle student preconceptions of who can benefit from such experiences. Although this case study focused on LatinX students (LatinX is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American heritage used in the U.S.) in the U.S., retention of historically underrepresented students in STEM disciplines is a concern shared by many countries around the world. The successful recruitment, retention, and eventual success of students in STEM degrees depend greatly on the type of pathways and support that are offered. UREs might be one of those pathways.

Electroacupuncture improves gait locomotion, H-reflex and ventral root potentials of spinal compression injured rats.

This study explored the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation (EA) on alterations in the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex) response and gait locomotion provoked by spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rat. A compression lesion of the spinal cord was evoked by insufflating a Fogarty balloon located in the epidural space at the T8-9 spinal level of adult Wistar male rats (200-250 gr; n=60). In different groups of SCI rats, EA (frequencies: 2, 50 and 100Hz) was applied simultaneously to Huantiao (GB30), Yinmen (BL37), Jizhong (GV6) and Zhiyang (GV9) acupoints from the third post-injury day until the experimental session. At 1, 2, 3 and 4 post-injury weeks, the BBB scores of the SCI group of rats treated with EA at 50Hz showed a gradual but greater enhancement of locomotor activity than the other groups of rats. Unrestrained gait kinematic analysis of SCI rats treated with EA-50Hz stimulation showed a significant improvement in stride duration, length and speed (p<0.05), whereas a discrete recovery of gait locomotion was observed in the other groups of animals. After four post-injury weeks, the H-reflex amplitude and H-reflex/M wave amplitude ratio obtained in SCI rats had a noticeable enhancement (217%) compared to sham rats (n=10). Meanwhile, SCI rats treated with EA at 50Hz manifested a decreased facilitation of the H-reflex amplitude and H/M amplitude ratio (154%) and a reduced frequency-dependent amplitude depression of the H-reflex (66%). In addition, 50 Hz-EA treatment induced a recovery of the presynaptic depression of the Gs-VRP evoked by PBSt conditioning stimulation in the SCI rat (63.2±8.1%; n=9). In concordance with the latter, it could be suggested that 50 Hz-EA stimulation reduced the hyper-excitability of motoneurons and provokes a partial improvement of the locomotive performance and H reflex responses by a possible recovery of presynaptic mechanisms in the spinal cord of experimentally injured rats.

Características de la violencia en residentes de dos instituciones formadoras de pediatras en el estado de Sonora / Violence epidemiological profile inside two pediatricians schools in Sonora state

Introducción. El fenómeno de la violencia en la educación médica se manifiesta con patrones consistentes, afectando el desarrollo de los cursos de especialización. Material y métodos. Mediante un censo, se aplicó un instrumento validado a residentes de pediatría de 2 hospitales-escuela, indagando la posibilidad de haber sido víctima de violencia física, psicológica, verbal o sexual, por 4 fuentes potenciales, en circunstancias o situaciones académico-laborales y por su apariencia personal, ser o pensar. Para el análisis de los datos utilizamos estadística no paramétrica. Resultados. Participaron 45 residentes, 11 (25%) de la sede A y 34 (75%) de la sede B; 93% refirió haber sido víctima de alguna forma de violencia, 9 (20%) en niveles de máxima a extrema. Predominó la violencia física, la fuente más común fueron los propios residentes durante las guardias. Existió diferencia significativa (P =0.0001) entre ambas sedes, determinada por una mayor violencia en la sede A. Conclusiones. La violencia en los cursos de pediatría que se imparten en estas instituciones, tiene un perfil predominantemente físico, durante las guardias y entre compañeros, contemplando características específicas dependientes de cada contexto.

Introduction. The phenomenon of the violence in the medical education programs ranging from verbal, psychological, physical, and sexual follows different patterns and has a negative influence on training. Material and methods. A validated questionnaire was applied to a 2 pediatrics residency training programs, to investigate whether during the course training a resident had been a victim of physical, psychological, verbal or sexual harassment. In academic-work situations due to their personal appearance, how they behaved or the expression of their personal views. For the analysis of the data we used nonparametric statistics. Results. Forty five residents, 11 in hospital A and 34 in hospital B participated. The 93% referred to have been victim of some form of harassment, 9 in levels of maximal to extreme. The physical harassment predominated, the commonest setting was while being on call. Significant difference (P =0.0001) was found between both hospitals, as determined by a greater harassment in hospital A. Conclusions. Harassment between fellow residents during the course of pediatric residency training is not uncommon and in this study had a predominantly physical profile.

Maltrato hospitalario a escolares y adolescentes con padecimientos crónicos / Hospital mistreatment of children and adolescents with chronic illness

Introducción. El maltrato infantil en cualquiera de sus manifestaciones, e independientemente del lugar donde se presente, debe ser considerado un problema complejo y tratado como una urgencia. Material y métodos. A través de un método por conveniencia se aplicó durante la hospitalización a escolares y adolescentes con padecimientos crónicos, un instrumento validado para indagar la probabilidad de haber sido víctima de maltrato físico, psicológico, verbal o sexual, a lo largo del proceso de atención médica, y evaluar su calidad de vida. El análisis de los datos se realizó con estadística descriptiva. Resultados. Participaron 30 escolares y 23 adolescentes (29 mujeres y 24 hombres); 27 refirieron haber sido víctimas de alguna forma de maltrato, y solo 4% con una calidad de vida mala. Se encontró diferencia (P =0.01) de acuerdo al género de los participantes, con mayor maltrato en mujeres. En 1 038 episodios reportados, predominó el maltrato psicológico y verbal (597) en las áreas de hospitalización y urgencias (409); la fuente más común fueron las asistentes médicas. Conclusiones. El maltrato infantil existe al interior de esta unidad médica y es predominantemente psicológico y verbal. Deben establecerse estrategias educativas y legales para evitar su presentación.

Introduction. The mistreatment of children, independent of where it takes place, is a complex problem that must be addressed in an urgent manner. Material and methods. We explored the possibility of children and adolescent with chronic illness to undergo physical, psychological, verbal or sexual mistreatment during hospitalization using a validated instrument to explore process, furthermore evaluate life quality. Non parametric statistics were used for data analysis. Results. Thirty children and 23 adolescents were interviewed; 27 related be some type of mistreatment while hospitalized; only 4% expressed bad quality of life. There was a significant difference according to gender, with females being more likely to being mistreated (P =0.01). In 1 038 reported episodes, psychological and verbal mistreatment dominated (597) in the emergency room and hospital area (409), medical assistants were identified as being the more common source. Conclusions. Mistreatment of children and adolescents was found to be commonplace in this medical unit, psychological and verbal mistreatment predominated. The implementation of educational and legal interventions is potential strategies to eliminate this practice.

Tendencia iatrogénica de un grupo de pediatras a través del uso de los recursos diagnósticos de laboratorio / Patient safety: iatrogenic of pediatricians due to the injudicious use of laboratory tests

Introducción. La problemática que representan las enfermedades iatrogénicas realmente ha sido soslayada, en su prevalencia, incidencia, curso clínico o pronóstico. Material y métodos. Tres pediatras revisaron diariamente los expedientes clínicos de los pacientes hospitalizados en diferentes departamentos del Servicio de Pediatría, de un hospital de tercer nivel. Se consideraron 4 situaciones derivadas de la solicitud de exámenes de laboratorio, estableciendo iatrogenias individuales e institucionales. Los datos se analizaron con un sistema computarizado. Resultados. Se incluyeron 91 expedientes clínicos. El índice de iatrogenicidad global fue de 57%; 4% atribuible a iatrogenia institucional y 53% a individual. No existió diferencia estadística entre los índices de iatrogenicidad mostrada por los departamentos. Conclusión. El índice de iatrogenicidad del grupo de pediatras estudiado es muy alto; de 10 decisiones tomadas, en 5 se equivocan.

Introduction. Iatrogenic diseases represents a serious problem in the prevalence, incidence, clinic course and prognosis. Material and methods. Every day clinic records from hospitalized patients in a pediatric department of a third level care unit were review by 3 staff pediatricians who evaluated 4 laboratory requests derivative situations, to establish institutional and individual iatrogenic index. Computer data analysis was applied. Results. Clinic records from 91 patients were evaluated for this study.We observed 57% global iatrogenic index, 4% institutional and 53% individual. No significant differences were found in the interdepartmental comparison. Conclusion. The iatrogenic index in this evaluation was very high, from 10 medical decisions pediatricians commit an error in 5.