Care In Colombia Research Articles

The history of intensive care in Colombia

The history of intensive care in Colombia

Medication errors in outpatient care in Colombia, 2005-2013.

Medication errors outside the hospital have been poorly studied despite representing an important threat to patient safety. To describe the characteristics of medication errors in outpatient dispensing pharmacists reported in a pharmaco-surveillance system between 2005 and 2013 in Colombia. We conducted a descriptive study by reviewing and categorizing medication error reports from outpatient pharmacy services to a national medication dispensing company between January, 2005 and September, 2013. Variables considered included: process involved (administration, dispensing, prescription and transcription), wrong drug, time delay for the report, error type, cause and severity. The analysis was conducted in the SPSS® software, version 22.0. A total of 14,873 medication errors were reviewed, of which 67.2% in fact occurred, 15.5% reached the patient and 0.7% caused harm. Administration (OR=93.61, CI 95%: 48.510-180.655, p<0.001), dispensing (OR=21.58, CI 95%: 16.139-28.870, p<0.001), transcription errors (OR=5.64; CI 95%: 3.488-9.142, p<0.001), medicines for sensory organs (OR=2.04, CI 95%: 1.519-2.756, p<0.001), anti-infective drugs for systemic use (OR=1.99, CI 95%: 1.574-2.525, p0.001), confusion generated with the name of the drug (OR=1.28, CI 95%: 1.051-1.560, p=0.014), and trouble interpreting prescriptions (OR=1.32, CI 95%: 1.037-1.702, p=0.025) increased the risk for error reaching the patient. It is necessary to develop surveillance systems for medication errors in ambulatory care, focusing on the prescription, transcription and dispensation processes. Special strategies are needed for the prevention of medication errors related to anti-infective drugs.

Documenting good practices: scaling up the youth friendly health service model in Colombia.

BackgroundYoung people make up for 24.5 % of Latin America’s population. Inadequate supply of specific and timely sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and sexuality education for young people increases their risk of sexual and reproductive ill health. Colombia is one of the few countries in Latin America that has implemented and scaled up specific and differentiated health and SRH services-termed as its Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) Model.ObjectiveTo provide a systematic description of the crucial factors that facilitated and hindered the scale up process of the YFHS Model in Colombia.MethodsA comprehensive literature search on SRH services for young people and national efforts to improve their quality of care in Colombia and neighbouring countries was carried out along with interviews with a selection of key stakeholders. The information gathered was analysed using the World Health Organization-ExpandNet framework (WHO-ExpandNet).Results/DiscussionIn 7 years (2007–2013) of the implementation of the YFHS Model in Colombia more than 800 clinics nationally have been made youth friendly. By 2013, 536 municipalities in 32 departments had YFHS, resulting in coverage of 52 % of municipalities offering YHFS.The analysis using the WHO-ExpandNet framework identified five elements that enabled the scale up process: Clear policies and implementation guidelines on YFHS, clear attributes of the user organization and resource team, establishment and implementation of an inter-sectoral and interagency strategy, identification of and support to stakeholders and advocates of YFHS, and solid monitoring and evaluation.The elements that limited or slowed down the scale up effort were: Insufficient number of health personnel trained in youth health and SRH, a high turnover of health personnel, a decentralized health security system, inadequate supply of financial and human resources, and negative perceptions among community members about providing SRH information and services to young people.ConclusionColombia’s experience shows that for large-scale implementation of youth health programmes, clear policies and implementation guidelines, support from institutional leaders and authorities who become champions of YFHS, continuous training of health personnel, and inclusion of users in the design and monitoring of these services are key.

Delays and barriers to care in Colombia among women obtaining legal first- and second-trimester abortion.

To evaluate delays before first- or second-trimester legal abortion and barriers to care in Colombia. A secondary analysis was undertaken of data from a prospective cohort study of women undergoing first-trimester (<12 weeks) and second-trimester (12-15 weeks) abortion between February and July 2012. Participants (aged ≥18 years with access to a telephone) reported key dates in their abortion process and barriers to care. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Overall, 100 women in the first trimester and 200 in the second trimester were included. Second-trimester clients experienced longer delays in each step of the abortion process than did first-trimester clients (P<0.001 for all three intervals examined), with the largest delay being time to suspicion of pregnancy (37 days vs 17 days). Difficulty accessing care was associated with the second trimester (odds ratio 5.1, 95% CI 2.9-9.1) and low socioeconomic status (odds ratio 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.3). Financial barriers were the most common (30 [30.0%] first-trimester clients; 86 [43.0%] second-trimester clients). Despite partial decriminalization of abortion in 2006, Colombian women still face barriers to legal services that probably contribute to late presentation. Interventions promoting early pregnancy recognition and information about how to access legal abortion could reduce the need for second-trimester services.

Low birth weight and prenatal care in Colombia: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundLow birth weight (LBW) is one of the most important factors affecting child morbidity and mortality worldwide; approximately one third of neonatal deaths are attributable to it. Most research and public health policy on LBW arise from developed nations, despite that most cases (96.5%) take place in developing countries. The specific features of prenatal care that prevent LBW in developing countries are unclear. This study aims to identify the characteristics of prenatal care associated with LBW in a developing country as Colombia.MethodsObservational cross-sectional study using data from the Colombian Demographic and Health Survey 2010. A total of 10,692 children were included. Descriptive statistics were calculated, followed by bivariate regressions of LBW with all other study variables. Finally, stepwise logistic binomial regression analyses were done.ResultsA LBW prevalence of 8.7% was found. Quality of prenatal care (95%CI: 0.33, 0.92; OR = 0.55), number of prenatal visits (95%CI: 0.92, 0.93; OR = 0.92), and first prenatal visits during pregnancy (95%CI: 1.02, 1.07; OR = 1.08) were associated with LBW even after controlling for all the studied variables. The health care provider conducting prenatal checkup, and insurance coverage, were not associated with LBW.ConclusionThis research provides information on the characteristics of prenatal care (quality, number of visits, and gestational age at first prenatal visit) which may strengthen LBW prevention in Colombia and possibly in countries with similar socioeconomic characteristics.

Neoliberal Justice and the Transformation of the Moral: The Privatization of the Right to Health Care in Colombia.

Neoliberal reforms have transformed the legislative scope and everyday dynamics around the right to health care from welfare state social contracts to insurance markets administered by transnational financial capital. This article presents experiences of health care-seeking treatment, judicial rulings about the right to health care, and market-based health care legislation in Colombia. When insurance companies deny services, citizens petition the judiciary to issue a writ affirming their right to health care. The judiciary evaluates the finances of all relevant parties to rule whether a service should be provided and who should be responsible for the costs. A 2011 law claimed that citizens who demand, physicians who prescribe, and judges who grant uncovered services use the system's limited economic resources and undermine the state's capacity to expand coverage to the poor. This article shows how the consolidation of neoliberal ideology in health care requires the transformation of moral values around life.

Medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration for legal abortion protect women’s health and reduce costs to the health system: findings from Colombia

The majority of abortions in Colombia continue to take place outside the formal health system under a range of conditions, with the majority of women obtaining misoprostol from a thriving black market for the drug and self-administering the medication. We conducted a cost analysis to compare the costs to the health system of three approaches to the provision of abortion care in Colombia: post-abortion care for complications of unsafe abortions, and for legal abortions in a health facility, misoprostol-only medical abortion and vacuum aspiration abortion. Hospital billing records from three institutions, two large maternity hospitals and one specialist reproductive health clinic, were analysed for procedure and complication rates, and costs by diagnosis. The majority of visits (94%) were to the two hospitals for post-abortion care; the other 6% were for legal abortions. Only one minor complication was found among the women having legal abortions, a complication rate of less than 1%. Among the women presenting for post-abortion care, 5% had complications during their treatment, mainly from infection or haemorrhage. Legal abortions were associated not only with far fewer complications for women, but also lower costs for the health system than for post-abortion care. We calculated based on our findings that for every 1,000 women receiving post-abortion care instead of a legal abortion within the health system, 16 women experienced avoidable complications, and the health system spent US $48,000 managing them. Increasing women’s access to safe abortion care would not only reduce complications for women, but would also be a cost-saving strategy for the health system.

Determinantes del uso de distintos niveles asistenciales en el Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud y Sistema Único de Salud en Colombia y Brasil

ObjectiveTo compare the use of different healthcare levels, and its determinants, in two different health systems, the General System of Social Security in Health (GSSSH) and the Unified Health System (UHS) in municipalities in Colombia and Brazil. MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out, based on a population survey in two municipalities in Colombia (n=2163) and two in Brazil (n=2155). Outcome variables consisted of the use of primary care services, outpatient secondary care services, and emergency care in the previous 3 months. Explanatory variables were need and predisposing and enabling factors. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed by healthcare level and country. ResultsThe determinants of use differed by healthcare level and country: having a chronic disease was associated with a greater use of primary and outpatient secondary care in Colombia, and was also associated with the use of emergency care in Brazil. In Colombia, persons enrolled in the contributory scheme more frequently used the services of the GSSSH than persons enrolled with subsidized contributions in primary and outpatient secondary care and more than persons without insurance in any healthcare level. In Brazil, the low-income population and those without private insurance more frequently used the UHS at any level. In both countries, the use of primary care was increased when persons knew the healthcare center to which they were assigned and if they had a regular source of care. Knowledge of the referral hospital increased the use of outpatient secondary care and emergency care. ConclusionsIn both countries, the influence of the determinants of use differed according to the level of care used, emphasizing the need to analyze healthcare use by disaggregating it by level of care.

Guía de práctica clínica para la prevención y el manejo de la hemorragia posparto y complicaciones del choque hemorrágico

Objetivo: formular recomendaciones basadas en la mejor evidencia disponible que sirvan como guía para los profesionales de salud en la prevención, detección y el manejo de la hemorragia posparto y de las complicaciones asociadas a la misma con el fin de homogeneizar las conductas clínicas y contribuir a la reducción de la morbi-mortalidad materna.&#x0D; Materiales y métodos: el grupo desarrollador de la Guía (GDG) elaboró esta GPC durante 2011-2012 acorde con la Guía Metodológica para la elaboración de Guías de Atención Integral en el Sistema Generalde Seguridad Social en Salud colombiano, basándose en la evidencia científica disponible y sumando la participación activa de grupos de pacientes, sociedades científicas y grupos de interés. En particular, la evidencia de esta Guía fue adaptada de las GPC del Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) “Prevention and management of postpartum haemorrhage” (2009) y de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), “WHO guidelines for the management of postpartum haemorrhage and retained placenta” (2009), y actualizada por medio de procedimientos sistemáticos, tanto para la búsqueda y la valoración de la evidencia, como para la generación de recomendaciones. El nivel de evidencia y la fuerza de las recomendaciones fueron expresadas por medio del sistema del Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).&#x0D; Resultados: se presentan recomendaciones para la prevención, detección y el tratamiento de la hemorragia posparto a partir de 17 preguntas clínicas.&#x0D; Conclusión: se presenta una versión resumida de las recomendaciones y evidencia de esta Guía, que se espera sea adoptada por los profesionales de la salud encargados de la atención del embarazo en el país para disminuir la morbilidad y mortalidad asociada a la gestación.

Equity in access to healthcare in two different health systems: a study in municipalities of central Colombia and north-eastern Brazil

Introduction Most studies examining inequities in access to health care in Colombia and Brazil consider the country as a whole, despite the existing internal inequalities; moreover, they do not distinguish between levels of the continuum of care. The aim is to analyze, in a comparative way, the degree of inequity in access to the different levels of the continuum of care in Colombia and Brazil. Methods Cross-sectional study by means of a questionnaire among people who have had at …

Guía de Práctica Clínica para la prevención y detección temprana de las alteraciones del embarazo

Objetivo: realizar recomendaciones para la prevención, detección temprana y tratamiento de las complicaciones del embarazo en Colombia.Materiales y métodos: el grupo desarrollador de la Guía (GDG) elaboró esta GPC durante 2011-2012 acorde con la Guía Metodológica para la elaboración de Guías de Atención Integral en el Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud colombiano, basándose en la evidencia científica disponible y sumando la participación activa de grupos de pacientes, sociedades científicas y grupos de interés. En particular, la evidencia de esta guía fue adaptada de la GPC “Antenatal care: routine care for the healthy pregnant woman” (National Institute of Care and Health Excellence -NICE -2008) y actualizada por medio de procedimientos sistemáticos, tanto para la búsqueda y valoración de la evidencia como para la generación de recomendaciones. El nivel de evidencia y la fuerza de las recomendaciones fueron expresadas por medio del sistema del Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).Resultados: se priorizaron 30 preguntas clínicas, las cuales generaron diversas recomendaciones relacionadas con la organización administrativa del control prenatal, el manejo de las molestias más frecuentes, las actividades para garantizar el bienestar materno-fetal e indicaciones para detectar precozmente aquellas patologías que pueden alterar el embarazo de curso normal, entre otras.Conclusión: se presenta una versión resumida de las recomendaciones y evidencia de esta sección, que se espera sea adoptada por los profesionales de la salud encargados de la atención del embarazo en el país para disminuir la morbilidad y mortalidad asociada a la gestación. Palabras clave: guías de práctica clínica, práctica clínica basada en la evidencia, embarazo, atención prenatal, Colombia.

Guía de Práctica Clínica para el abordaje de las complicaciones hipertensivas asociadas al embarazo

Objetivo: realizar recomendaciones para la atención de las complicaciones hipertensivas en el embarazo como parte integral de la “Guía de Práctica Clínica (GPC) para la prevención, detección temprana y tratamiento de las complicaciones del embarazo en Colombia”.Materiales y métodos: el grupo desarrollador de la Guía (GDG) elaboró esta GPC durante 2011-2012 acorde con la Guía Metodológica para la elaboración de Guías de Atención Integral en el Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud colombiano, basándose en la evidencia científica disponible y sumando la participación activa de grupos de pacientes, sociedades científicas y grupos de interés. En particular, la evidencia de esta sección fue adaptada de la GPC “Hypertension in pregnancy: the management of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy” (National Institute of Care and Health Excellence - NICE - 2010) y actualizada por medio de procedimientos sistemáticos, tanto para la búsqueda y valoración de la evidencia como para la generación de recomendaciones. El nivel de evidencia y la fuerza de las recomendaciones fueron expresados por medio del sistema del Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).Resultados: se presentan las recomendaciones para la atención de las complicaciones hipertensivas en el embarazo. Estas incluyen cambios en la conducta del personal de salud y las instituciones para aumentar la probabilidad de obtener un resultado materno-fetal exitoso en las gestaciones con estas condiciones.Conclusiones: se presenta una versión resumida de las recomendaciones y evidencia para la atención de las complicaciones hipertensivas en el embarazo, la cual se espera sea adoptada por los profesionales de salud encargados de la atención del embarazo en el país para disminuir la morbilidad y mortalidad asociada a la gestación.

Evaluación de la calidad metodológica de la literatura en evaluación económica en salud en Colombia: una revisión sistemática

Economic evaluation is a tool that can provide useful information to decision-makers in health. The methodological quality of Colombian studies has not been assessed in a systematic way. To assess the methodological quality of economic evaluations in health care in Colombia. Systematic review of economic studies that assessed both costs and effectiveness of at least two technologies related to a decision problem in Colombia. Search was performed in international and Colombian databases and was completed with manual searches and contact with authors. Data was synthesized in tables that included relevant information about the studies. Methodological quality was evaluated using a predefined instrument. Searches were performed between January and February. 48 studies were included in the review. Perspective of the study, incremental analyzes and description of alternatives were usually well specified. However, more than half of the articles did not state clearly the time horizon or discount rate and most studies did not address equity and implementation issues. Management of uncertainty was also problematic. Economic evaluation in health care in Colombia has grown considerably in recent years. However, methods vary considerably between studies and therefore their usefulness for decisionmaking in health is limited. It is necessary to standardize methods in order to generate evidence of higher quality to support decisions within the Colombian health care system.

Patterns and trends in cancer mortality in Colombia 1984–2008

BackgroundCancer has become increasingly acknowledged as a public health issue in Colombia. Rates of the most common malignancies have been generally increasing. We update an evaluation of mortality trends in the major cancers in Colombia one decade ago, discussing the trends in the context of cancer control. MethodsWe calculated the annual age-standardized mortality rates for the major cancer sites by sex between 1984 and 2008; we also present the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) for the entire period and for the last decade. ResultsThere was an average of 32,000 cancer deaths annually in Colombia in the period studied. Overall cancer mortality rates decreased slightly in both men and women. The four most common sites of cancer death among men were stomach (17.6%), prostate (15.0%), lung (14.8%) and colorectum (6.5%). In women, the most common cancer sites were breast (12.3%), cervix (12.1%), stomach (11.5%) and lung (9.2%). Colorectal and CNS cancers exhibited the greatest increases (EAPC of 2.0% and 3.4% respectively) while the largest declines were seen for cancers of the larynx, stomach and oesophagus (EAPC between −3% and −4%). In the last decade, the greatest declines were seen in cervical cancer mortality rates (EAPC=−3.2). ConclusionsThe slight decrease in mortality trends from all cancers combined is partially driven by the strong declines in mortality of stomach and cervical cancer. It may be still too early to properly evaluate trends in mortality due to other cancers and the relative impact of changing access to health care in Colombia.

Advancing adolescent capacity to consent to transgender-related health care in Colombia and the USA

Many sexual and reproductive health care services, including gender reassignment treatment, facilitate reproductive autonomy and self-determination of gender identity. Individuals who are unable to refuse or consent to these services on their own behalf, such as adolescents, are at risk of violations of their rights to privacy and self-determination. This paper explores the issue of adolescent capacity to consent to transgender-related health care in Colombia and the United States (USA), focusing on the two countries' struggles to balance the rights of adolescents to make autonomous and confidential decisions with the rights of their parents. Unfortunately, many countries, including Colombia and the USA, have been slow to develop jurisprudence and legislation that explicitly protect transgender adolescents' capacity to consent to gender assignment treatment. Courts in Colombia, however, have developed jurisprudence that restricts parents' ability to make medical decisions on behalf of their infant intersex children, which lays a strong normative foundation for advancing adolescent capacity to consent to transgender-related health care. It is a strategy that may prove effective in other countries in the Americas, even those with different frameworks for adolescent medical decision-making capacity, such as the USA.

Strategies and obstacles to research development in anesthesiology programs: Consensus document in Colombia

Perioperative clinical practice in Latin America is influenced by research developed and published in developed countries. Fortunately, the increasingly favorable economic conditions for science in the developing countries, in addition to the heightened visibility of our scientific publications has triggered greater interest in improving the quality standards of local research and of the graduate theses generated in the course of graduate studies in anesthesiology. This document is the result of the active participation and discussion among the speakers attending the “Symposium on Research in Anesthesia: the path to participation in the society of knowledge”, organized by the Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation of Antioquia (SADEA) and the Colombian Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (SCARE) in 2011. The purpose of the document is to discuss the strategies to adjust, plan and improve the research processes, as well as the creation and dissemination of knowledge generated in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care in Colombia and other developing countries. Recommendations have been included for graduate programs, health care providers and the societies of anesthesiology.

Estrategias y obstáculos para el desarrollo de la investigación en programas de anestesiología: documento de consenso en Colombia

Perioperative clinical practice in Latin America is influenced by research developed and published in developed countries. Fortunately, the increasingly favorable economic conditions for science in the developing countries, in addition to the heightened visibility of our scientific publications has triggered greater interest in improving the quality standards of local research and of the graduate theses generated in the course of graduate studies in anesthesiology. This document is the result of the active participation and discussion among the speakers attending the «Symposium on Research in Anesthesia: the path to participation in the society of knowledge», organized by the Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation of Antioquia (SADEA) and the Colombian Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (SCARE) in 2011. The purpose of the document is to discuss the strategies to adjust, plan and improve the research processes, as well as the creation and dissemination of knowledge generated in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care in Colombia and other developing countries. Recommendations have been included for graduate programs, health care providers and the societies of anesthesiology.

Critical care in Colombia: Differences between teaching and nonteaching intensive care units. A prospective cohort observational study

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the differences in the efficacy and efficiency in providing critical care to hospitalized patients in teaching vs nonteaching intensive care units (ICUs) in Colombia. MethodsA prospective cohort observational study was conducted. LocationThis study was conducted in 11 teaching and 8 nonteaching ICUs. From June 1 until December 31, 2005, data on 826 patients admitted consecutively to teaching ICUs and 825 patients admitted to nonteaching ICUs were analyzed. MeasurementsAcute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System, ICU discharge status (dead or alive) and ICU length of stay, and standardized mortality ratios were considered in this study. A logistic regression and robust linear regression were performed. ResultsThere were no differences in mortality (P = .25). Standardized mortality was less than 1 for both types of units. The teaching ICUs length of stay was 1 day longer (P < .01). Resource use is 25% higher in teaching units (P = .01). When the Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System score on the last day was from 21 to 35, a higher ratio of patients from the nonteaching ICUs was observed going floor or home when discharged from the ICU (P < .01). ConclusionsNonteaching ICUs discharge patients earlier than do teaching ICUs, but the effect of it remains to be clarified with further studies addressing questions as what happens after ICU discharge.

End-of-Life Care in Colombia and the United States: A Personal Perspective

End-of-Life Care in Colombia and the United States: A Personal Perspective

Social Security Reforms in Colombia: Striking Demographic and Fiscal Balances

This paper analyzes the economic rationale for adopting parametric pension reforms and reforms broadening the coverage of public health care in Colombia during 1993-2008. Parametric pension reforms have focused on increasing the retirement age and moderating replacement rates. The health system reforms aimed at reaching universal coverage by 2012, while providing a more homogenous level of services. Our results indicate that the Net Present Value of the debt of the social security system in Colombia is roughly 160 percent of GDP for pensions and about 97 percent of GDP for the health system.