In her latest article, CISeAL researcher Ana Lucia Moncayo makes an essential contribution to research into the effects of social programs on public health in Brazil. Ana Lucia and her team study the impact of conditional cash transfer programs, social pensions and primary health care on mortality and hospitalization rates in Brazil between 2000 and 2030.
Using a longitudinal ecological model with multivariate negative binomial regression models, the study integrated a retrospective analysis from 2000 to 2019 with dynamic microsimulation models to forecast possible infant mortality scenarios to 2030.
Results revealed that consolidated coverage of the programs studied was associated with reductions in overall mortality and hospitalization rates. Specifically, these programs are estimated to have prevented around 1,462,626 deaths over the period 2004-2019. Furthermore, it is predicted that a mitigation strategy that increases coverage of these programs could prevent 1,305,359 deaths and 6,593,224 hospitalizations through to 2030, compared to budget austerity scenarios that would reduce coverage of these interventions.
We are pleased to share the results of a study in which our CISeAL Research Associate José Villacís took part, which sheds light on the molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli in Ecuador. This study arises in response to the growing global concern about antimicrobial resistance and its impact on public health.
During the study, 95 clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli were collected from six Ecuadorian hospitals. A high prevalence of carbapenemase production was observed in 96.84% of the isolates. The blaKPC, blaNDM and blaOXA-48 genes predominated in Enterobacterales, with blaKPC being the most prevalent. On the other hand, the blaVIM gene was detected in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while blaOXA-24/40 was the most common in Acinetobacter baumannii.
Most isolates showed co-resistance to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. However, both ceftazidime/avibactam and meropenem/vaborbactam demonstrated activity against carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli that produce serine-carbapenemases.
In the last decade, the world has witnessed a worrying transformation in eating patterns, causing an alarming increase in overweight and obesity (OW/OB) rates not only in rich countries but also in low- and middle-income nations. Ecuador is no exception to this trend, facing a reality where one in three children is affected by this problem.
In order to better understand the socioeconomic, demographic and behavioral determinants of overweight and obesity among Ecuadorian children aged 5 to 11 years, our CISeAL researcher, Betzabé Tello, took part in a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey.
This study involved our CISeAL researchers, Hugo Pereira and Erika Quishpe, who played a key role in the design and implementation of the research methodology.
Comprehensive care for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes includes self-care training to recognize warning signs. People with diabetes and cognitive deficits may find it difficult to care for themselves, so different educational strategies may prove useful, particularly in small towns. The aim of this study was to evaluate learning about diabetes and associated foot care using conversation cards in people with diabetes and cognitive deficits.
A quasi-experimental study was conducted before and after three years, approved by the research ethics board. Participants, people with type 2 diabetes and cognitive deficits, were randomly selected from a list of health centers and trained in small groups. The educational sessions were divided into two parts: the first dealt with diabetes and diabetes care, while the second focused on foot care. Conversation cards were accompanied by question cards and theme cards. A survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices was conducted before and after the educational intervention to assess learning.
In healthcare, the well-being of professionals is not only crucial to their own quality of life, it also has a direct impact on patient safety and satisfaction. In a recent study, our CISeAL Research Associate Christian F. Juna looks at the challenges faced by nurses in emergency situations, highlighting the intrinsic relationship between emotional exhaustion and the quality of care delivered.This comprehensive analysis reveals how the work environment, the emotional and physical demands of the profession, and the management of interactions with patients and their families can lead to emotional exhaustion. This condition not only harms nurses' health, but can also affect patient safety, by increasing the risk of errors, lowering the quality of care and negatively affecting the nurse-patient relationship.
Workplace violence is a global problem in the healthcare sector, with nurses and healthcare professionals most at risk. Join our CISeAL researchers Jaqueline Arellano Verdezoto Elsa and Venus Medina-Maldonado, and PhD student Katherine Lisbeth Almeida Cisneros, as they explore this issue from the perspective of nursing professionals in a pediatric emergency department.
Healthcare professionals are at increased risk of physical, sexual or psychological injury due to workplace violence in their role as healthcare providers to pediatric patients in emergency departments. Incidents in which the professional is abused, threatened or assaulted in work-related circumstances involve an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or health.
Cervical cancer (CC) screening is a public health concern, and social conditions partially explain the individual’s ability to respond to the preventive aspect of the disease. This study aims to design an explanatory model of self-efficacy (SE) for CC screening.
This study was conducted on 969 women aged 25–64 years who used the public health care system in Santiago, Chile. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to generate the explanatory model for global SE index and for each of their components as function of sociodemographic factors, factors related to interaction with the health system, risk factors for CC, family functioning, and the knowledge and beliefs of women regarding the disease and its prevention.
The factors that explain high levels of SE are low levels of education and knowledge of the risk factors of CC, better beliefs about the barriers to and benefits of a Papanicolaou (Pap) test, participation in breast cancer screening, and highly functional family Apgar.
