Care Units In Brazil Research Articles

Comparison between systemic and intralesional meglumine antimoniate therapy in a primary health care unit

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is not a life-threatening condition. However, its treatment can cause serious adverse effects and may sometimes lead to death. Recently, safer local treatments have been included among therapies acceptable to New World CL cases, but the use of intralesional meglumine antimoniate (IL-MA) is recommended to be performed in reference centers, for patients with single cutaneous lesions <3 cm in diameter at any location except the head and periarticular regions; the volume of injected MA should not exceed 5 mL. In this study we compared two groups of patients with CL treated with MA in a primary health care unit in Brazil. Patients were treated with systemic MA (n = 76) or IL-MA (n = 30). In the IL-MA group, 93% of patients had one or more of the following lesion characteristics: two or more lesions, lesions >3 cm in diameter, lesions located in the head or in periarticular regions, or had been administered IL-MA volumes >5 mL. Patients responded well (68.4% and 66.7% for the MA and IL-MA groups, respectively). When a second cycle of treatment was necessary, the responses were 72.4% and 90%, respectively. There were no significant differences between groups. In the IL-MA group, 43% had mild to moderate adverse effects, without needing treatment discontinuation. Results suggest that the treatment of CL lesions with IL-MA is simple, efficient, and safe.

Polypharmacy in older patients at primary care units in Brazil.

Background Despite extensive studies of polypharmacy in older patients, no consensus regarding the definition ofthis practice exists in the literature. Several studies have defined polypharmacy as problematic when considering only the numbers of medications used by patients. Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy prescribing by comparing two different definitions (quantitative and qualitative)and evaluating factors associated with this practice in older patients. Setting Twenty-three basic health units. Method A cross-sectional study involving 386 older adults who received a prescription after a medical consultation. Multivariate analyses were conducted using a Poisson regression with robust variance. Main outcome measure The main outcome measures included patients with a prescription of five or more medications (quantitative polypharmacy) and those with a prescription of five or more medications including at least one drug considered potentially inappropriate for older adults (qualitative polypharmacy). Results The frequency of quantitative polypharmacy was 20.5%. The results of an adjusted analysis showed that the frequency of quantitative polypharmacy was associated with a higher number of self-reported morbidities and the prescription of potentially inappropriate drugs. The prevalence of qualitative polypharmacy was 10.4%, and after adjustment, this outcome remained significantly associated with the presence of three or more self-reported morbidities. Conclusions The presence of multiple comorbidities was identified as the main factor associated with the prescription of both quantitative and qualitative polypharmacy.

Frequência de anomalias congênitas em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal no Brasil

Frequência de anomalias congênitas em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal no Brasil

Implementation of Telehealth Resources in Primary Care in Brazil and Its Association with Quality of Care.

Background:Although several reviews on the relation between telemedicine and health care outcomes have pointed out some evidence, they have also underscored the need for further investigation.Introduction:Brazil has a national telehealth program implemented in 2007, involving teleconsulting and distance education actions in primary care.Objective:This study aims to describe the implementation of telehealth in primary care in Brazil and to identify if there is an association between telehealth and quality of care.Methods:A cross-sectional study analyzing data from interviews with 29,778 primary care team professionals in Brazil in 2014, which represents 92.5% of existing health care teams, on aspects of information technology, telehealth, and care was carried out. A multiple binary regression analysis was performed to study the associations between the extent of health care actions and using telehealth.Results:Of the 24,055 primary care units in Brazil where teams worked, only 50.1% (n: 12,055) had internet access, and 32.71% of teams claimed to be involved in telehealth actions in 2014. Between 2012 and 2014 there was an expansion in the use of telehealth resources in all regions of Brazil. The highest magnitude was observed for the association between employment of telehealth and improvement in child care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.09), followed by diabetes mellitus care (OR = 1.91), hypertension (OR = 1.89), and finally, women's health (OR = 1.86).

Role of physical therapists in the weaning and extubation procedures of pediatric and neonatal intensive care units: a survey

BackgroundWeaning a patient from mechanical ventilation is a complex procedure that involves clinical and contextual aspects. Mechanical ventilation also depends on the characteristics of health professionals who work in intensive care. ObjectiveThis study described the organizational aspects associated with the physical therapist's performance in the weaning procedure from mechanical ventilation and extubation in neonatal, pediatric and mixed (neonatal and pediatric) intensive care units in Brazil. MethodsIn order to identify the existing intensive care units in Brazil, data from the National Health Facilities Census was used to enable the researchers to obtain information about registered units. A cross-sectional survey was carried out by sending an electronic questionnaire to 298 neonatal, pediatric and mixed intensive care units in Brazil. ResultsThis study assessed questionnaires from 146 intensive care units (49.3% neonatal, 35.6% pediatric and 15.1% mixed). A total of 57.5% of these units applied mechanical ventilation weaning protocols, and a physical therapist frequently conducted this procedure (66.7%). However, the clinician responsible for conducting the weaning and deciding when to do extubation varied regardless of ICU patient age profile. Regardless of the type of hospital or the type of units, most of these had a dedicated physical therapist. However, physical therapy care 24h/7 days per week was predominantly in pediatric intensive care units (56.0%), and in public hospitals (45.9%). Moreover, when the physical therapist was available 24h/7 days per week, (s)he was responsible for the mechanical ventilation extubation decision and patients were successfully extubated on the first attempt. ConclusionIn this survey, intensive care units using physical therapy assistance 24h/7 days per week were associated with the use of a mechanical ventilation weaning protocol, an extubation decision and success commonly on the first attempt of extubation.

THE TRANSMUTED GENERALIZED LINDLEY DISTRIBUTION: PROPERTIES AND AN APPLICATION TO A DATA SET ON TIME-UP-TO-CURE OF PATIENTS TREATED WITH A TRIAZOLE ANTIFUNGAL DRUG IN AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

In this paper, we consider transmuted generalized Lindley distribution, obtained via the quadratic rank transmutation map under the Lindley distribution. This distribution exhibits, in addition to decreasing, increasing and bathtub hazard rates, depending on its parameters, also unimodal hazard rate shape. A comprehensive mathematical treatment of this distribution is provided. Expressions for the moment generating function, moments, order statistics, residual life and reversed failure rate function are derived. The model parameters are estimated by the maximum likelihood method. A simulation study is performed to verify the behavior of the estimation procedure in terms of mean square errors and coverage probability. Global and local influence diagnostic procedures are provided. We then analyse a real data set on time-up-to-cure of patients treated with a triazole antifungal drug in an intensive care unit in Brazil.

Conhecimento de profissionais que atuam em Unidades Básicas de Saúde no Brasil sobre a associação entre inatividade física e morbidades

Avaliar o conhecimento de profissionais de saúde sobre a existência ou não de associação entre inatividade física e oito morbidades (diabetes, hipertensão arterial, aids, osteoporose, câncer de pulmão, depressão, cirrose hepática e infarto agudo do miocárdio). Foi realizado um estudo transversal em uma amostra representativa de 1.600 unidades básicas de saúde do Brasil; a população elegível incluía 1/3 de médicos, 1/3 de enfermeiros e 1/3 de agentes comunitários de saúde. A média de acertos observada foi de 6,3 questões. A proporção de profissionais que acertaram sete ou oito questões foi de 68% (IC95%: 60-75) entre os médicos, 54% (IC95%: 48-59) entre enfermeiros e 43% (IC95%: 40-55) entre agentes comunitários de saúde. O percentual de acertos dos médicos foi estatisticamente superior (p&lt;0,001) ao dos enfermeiros e agentes comunitários de saúde, mas a proporção de acertos não diferiu entre enfermeiros e agentes comunitários (p=0,16). O percentual de acertos não variou significativamente conforme sexo, idade e nível de atividade física. Políticas públicas voltadas à educação são indispensáveis para instrumentalizar profissionais que trabalham em unidades básicas de saúde no Brasil sobre os efeitos da inatividade física sobre a saúde.&#x0D;

Association of Colistin-Resistant KPC Clonal Strains with Subsequent Infections and Colonization and Biofilm Production.

Carbapenemase-producing organisms are pandemic and a significant threat to public health. We investigated the clonal relatedness of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing KPC-type carbapenemase (KPC-KP) causing subsequent infections or colonization. Moreover, we aimed to gain insight into the ability of biofilm production in K. pneumoniae strains producing carbapenemase. Twenty-two consecutive KPC-KP and one KPC-negative strain was identified from an adult intensive care unit in Brazil. Seventy-five percent of isolates that harbored the blaKPC gene exhibited genetic relatedness by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and none presented the plasmid-mediated mcr-1 and blaNDM genes. This study showed that the majority of repeated KPC infections in adults were caused by a clone that caused the previous infections/colonizations even after a long period of time and illustrates the capacity of multiple clones producing biofilms to coexist in the same patient at the same time, becoming a reservoir of KPC-KP in the hospital environment.

Multi-hospital point prevalence study of healthcare-associated infections in 28 adult intensive care units in Brazil

Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) represents a major problem for patient safety worldwide. To provide an up-to-date picture of the extent, aetiology, risk factors and patterns of infections in intensive care units (ICUs) in 28 Brazilian hospitals of different sizes. A one-day point prevalence survey in 2016 enrolled the ICUs of hospitals from the 12 meso-regions in Minas Gerais state, south-east Brazil. Hospitals were classified as university or non-university hospitals. All patients with >48 h of admission to the study ICUs at the time of the survey were included. In total, 303 patients were studied; of these, 155 (51.2%) were infected and 123 (79.4%) had at least one ICU-acquired infection. The most common ICU-acquired infections were pneumonia (53.0%) and bloodstream infection (27.6%). One hundred and nineteen bacterial isolates were cultured; the most common were Acinetobacter baumannii (27.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27.1%) and Staphylococcus aureus (39.0%). According to type of infection, the most common pathogens were P.aeruginosa (30.4%) in pneumonia, coagulase-negative staphylococci (23.4%) and Enterobacteriaceae (23.4%) in bloodstream infections, and Enterobacteriaceae (47.6%) in urinary tract infections. This study found that the overall prevalence of ICU-acquired infections in surveyed Brazilian hospitals was higher than that reported in most European countries and the USA. A greater proportion of infections were caused by non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria. These observations, along with a high rate of antimicrobial use, illustrate the urgent need for HAIs to be a priority in the public health agenda of Brazil.

Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance for Tobacco Dependence Treatment: implementing evidence-based smoking cessation treatment in mental health and addiction care units in Brazil and Portugal

Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance for Tobacco Dependence Treatment: implementing evidence-based smoking cessation treatment in mental health and addiction care units in Brazil and Portugal

The practice of dentistry in intensive care units in Brazil.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the practice of dentistry in intensive care units.MethodsAn observational survey study was conducted in which questionnaires were sent via the online platform for collaboration in intensive care research in Brazil (AMIBnet). The study was carried out from June to October 2017. The questionnaires, which contained 26 closed questions about hospitals and dentistry practices in the intensive care units, were sent to 4,569 professionals from different specialties practicing in the units.ResultsIn total, 203 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate of 4.44%. Most of the responses were from intensive care units in the Southeast region of the country (46.8%). Public hospitals (37.9%) and private hospitals (36.4%) had similar participation rates. Of the respondents, 55% indicated that a bedside dentistry service was present, and they were provided in different ways.ConclusionThe presence of dentistry services and oral health service delivery training and protocols were correlated. The oral care methods varied greatly among the intensive care units surveyed.

Impact of a provider training program on the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder at psychosocial care units in Brazil.

Objective:To develop, implement, and verify the impact of a training program for health care providers working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in psychosocial care centers for children and adolescents (Centro de Atenção Psicossocial à Infância e à Adolescência – CAPSi) in São Paulo, Brazil.Methods:This quasi-experimental study was conducted with 14 professionals from four CAPSi units. The training program consisted of six phases: 1) pre-intervention observation; 2) meeting with staff to assess the main needs of the training program; 3) developing materials for training and evaluation; 4) meetings to discuss program implementation; 5) a final meeting for case discussion and evaluation; and 6) distance supervision. Three measures were used to evaluate the training program: i) the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) questionnaire; ii) videos containing questions designed to assess program comprehension; and iii) a satisfaction survey.Results:Thirteen videos were produced to as visual aids for use during the training program, and a further 26 videos were developed to evaluate it. The program was well evaluated by the participants. The video responses and KAP questionnaire scores suggest that staff knowledge and attitudes improved after training.Conclusion:The positive findings of this study suggest that the tested training program is feasible for use with multidisciplinary teams working in the CAPSi environment.

The process of implementation of emergency care units in Brazil.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo analyze the process of implementation of emergency care units in Brazil.METHODSWe have carried out a documentary analysis, with interviews with twenty-four state urgency coordinators and a panel of experts. We have analyzed issues related to policy background and trajectory, players involved in the implementation, expansion process, advances, limits, and implementation difficulties, and state coordination capacity. We have used the theoretical framework of the analysis of the strategic conduct of the Giddens theory of structuration.RESULTSEmergency care units have been implemented after 2007, initially in the Southeast region, and 446 emergency care units were present in all Brazilian regions in 2016. Currently, 620 emergency care units are under construction, which indicates expectation of expansion. Federal funding was a strong driver for the implementation. The states have planned their emergency care units, but the existence of direct negotiation between municipalities and the Union has contributed with the significant number of emergency care units that have been built but that do not work. In relation to the urgency network, there is tension with the hospital because of the lack of beds in the country, which generates hospitalizations in the emergency care unit. The management of emergency care units is predominantly municipal, and most of the emergency care units are located outside the capitals and classified as Size III. The main challenges identified were: under-funding and difficulty in recruiting physicians.CONCLUSIONSThe emergency care unit has the merit of having technological resources and being architecturally differentiated, but it will only succeed within an urgency network. Federal induction has generated contradictory responses, since not all states consider the emergency care unit a priority. The strengthening of the state management has been identified as a challenge for the implementation of the urgency network.

Primary dental care evaluation in Brazil: an item response theory approach.

Item response theory (IRT) is a method used to design, analyze, and score tests, questionnaires, and similar instruments measuring abilities, attitudes, or other variables. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of dental care questions in the "Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e Qualidade da Atenção Básica-PMAQ-AB," Brazil, using IRT. Dentists in primary health care units in Brazil (n = 12,403) were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. The questions were primarily dichotomous, with a no answer/do not know option. The items about dental care from a Brazilian national evaluation survey were analyzed using the IRT model (20 items). Oral health teams (OHTs) received scores that varied from the lowest performance level to the highest performance level. Scores for the Brazilian states and the Federal District were calculated to evaluate the regional distribution of OHT performance. The questions about dental care exhibited higher discrimination power for OHTs with below average performance. In general, the teams, including those with low performance, performed the actions, and procedures included in the questionnaire. Actions such as making prostheses and tracking and monitoring oral cancer cases characterized the high-performing teams. The performance of the teams distributed throughout the Brazilian states indicated that OHTs in the south and southeast performed better than OHTs in the rest of the country. Although the analyzed items are insufficient to determine the performance of OHTs, the items related to prosthesis and oral cancer tend to discriminate high-performing OHTs from other OHTs.

Health promoting practices and personal lifestyle behaviors of Brazilian health professionals.

BackgroundThis study was conducted to examine the lifestyle behaviors and health promoting practices of physicians, nurses, and community health workers in Brazil.MethodsA random sample of primary health care units in Brazil was selected, and a pretested questionnaire was administered via phone interviews, in 2011, to 182 physicians, 347 nurses, and 269 community health workers, totaling 798 health professionals. The total initial sample included 1600 eligible health professionals. Variables measured included physical activity, alcohol intake, hours of sleep, diet, and perceived self-efficacy to provide preventive counseling on related lifestyle behaviors.ResultsMore than 25 % of physicians, nurses, and community health workers reported eating 0–2 portions of fruits and vegetables per day. In terms of cervical and breast cancer, nurses reported to be ‘very prepared’ to advise patients on these topics more frequently than physicians. The prevalence of smoking ranged from 4.9 % among nurses to 7.4 % among community health workers. The proportion of physical inactivity ranged from 40.3 % among nurses to 52.1 % among community health workers.ConclusionA reasonably high proportion of physicians, nurses, and community health workers report not engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors that impact chronic diseases, thus, they may be less likely to encourage such behaviors in their patients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3778-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Adherence to Psychotropic Medications and Associated Factors in Primary Health Care

The study aims were to analyze patients’ adherence to psychotropic medications and its association with sociodemographic factors, therapeutic regimen, presence of common mental disorders, and illness factors. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in ten Primary Health Care units in Brazil. The tools were the Measurement of Treatment Adherence Test and the Self Reporting Questionnaire. Nonadherence to psychotropic drugs was 88.9%. There was association between adherence and age and among patients positive for Common Mental Disorders (97.8%). In the multivariate analysis this association was not maintained. Findings indicate strategies are needed to improve medication adherence in the Primary Health Care services. However, no strategy will be effective if patients and their families are not involved in the process.

Epidemiological profile of ICU patients at Faculdade de Medicina de Marília.

To characterize the epidemiological profile of the hospitalized population in the ICU of Hospital das Clínicas de Marília (Famema). A retrospective, descriptive and quantitative study. Data regarding patients admitted to the ICU Famema was obtained from the Technical Information Center (Núcleo Técnico de Informações, NTI, Famema). For data analysis, we used the distribution of absolute and relative frequencies with simple statistical treatment. 2,022 ICU admissions were recorded from June 2010 to July 2012 with 1,936 being coded according to the ICD-10. The epidemiological profile comprised mostly males (57.91%), predominantly seniors ≥ 60 years (48.89%), at an average age of 56.64 years (±19.18), with limited formal education (63.3% complete primary school), mostly white (77.10%), Catholic (75.12%), from the city of Marília, state of São Paulo, Brazil (53.81%). The average occupancy rate was 94.42%. The predominant cause of morbidity was diseases of the circulatory system with 494 admissions (25.5%), followed by traumas and external causes with 446 admissions (23.03%) and neoplasms with 213 admissions (11.00%). The average stay was 8.09 days (±10.73). The longest average stay was due to skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases, with average stay of 12.77 days (±17.07). There were 471 deaths (24.32%), mainly caused by diseases of the circulatory system (30.99%). The age group with the highest mortality was the range from 70 to 79 years with 102 deaths (21.65%). The ICU Famema presents an epidemiological profile similar to other intensive care units in Brazil and worldwide, despite the few studies available in the literature. Thus, we feel in tune with the treatment of critical care patients.

Liquid vs Solid Culture Medium to Evaluate Proportion and Time to Change in Management of Suspects of Tuberculosis-A Pragmatic Randomized Trial in Secondary and Tertiary Health Care Units in Brazil.

BackgroundThe use of liquid medium (MGIT960) for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis was recommended by WHO in 2007. However, there has been no evaluation of its effectiveness on clinically important outcomes.Methods and FindingsA pragmatic trial was carried out in a tertiary hospital and a secondary health care unit in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil. Participants were 16 years or older, suspected of having TB. They were excluded if only cerebral spinal fluid or blood specimens were available for analysis. MGIT960 technique was compared with the Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) method for laboratory diagnosis of active TB. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients who had their initial medical management changed within 2 months after randomisation. Secondary outcomes were: mean time for changing the procedure, patient satisfaction with the overall treatment and adverse events. Data were analysed by intention-to-treat. Between April 2008 and September 2011, 693 patients were enrolled (348 to MGIT, 345 to LJ). Smear and culture results were positive for 10% and 15.7% of participants, respectively. Patients in the MGIT arm had their initial medical management changed more frequently than those in the LJ group (10.1% MGIT vs 3.8% LJ, RR 2.67 95% CI 1.44–.96, p = 0.002, NNT 16, 95% CI 10–39). Mean time for changing the initial procedure was greater in LJ group at both sites: 20.0 and 29.6 days in MGIT group and 52.2 and 64.3 in LJ group (MD 33.5, 95% CI 30.6–36.4, p = 0.0001). No other important differences were observed.ConclusionsThis study suggests that opting for the MGIT960 system for TB diagnosis provides a promising case management model for improving the quality of care and control of TB.Trial RegistrationControlled-Trials.com ISRCTN79888843

Anxiety, depression, and satisfaction in close relatives of patients in an open visiting policy intensive care unit in Brazil

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to evaluate the satisfaction and symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members in an open visiting intensive care unit (ICU). Material and methodsA prospective study conducted in a 22-bed mixed ICU in a tertiary hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Family members were enrolled 2 days after admission, and they completed a modified version of Critical Care Family Needs Inventory and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). ResultsA total of 471 families were interviewed between March 2011 and 2013. Prevalence of anxiety and depression were of 34% and 17%, respectively. We found a high satisfaction score, median of 13 (12-14), and 5% of families were dissatisfied. The daily visiting time was 12 (8-22) hours, and until 10 hours per day, there was a positive association between visiting hours and satisfaction (P = .004). Dissatisfied families reported higher rates of anxiety and depression (P < .001). Visiting hours presented negative interaction between HADS and Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. Patients' severity had a trend toward dissatisfaction (P = .08) and affected emotional disorders (P < .001). ConclusionsFamily members in an open visit ICU reported low rates of symptoms of anxiety and depression and high satisfaction. Visiting hours were associated with the satisfaction score and were a protective factor for family members with higher HADS score.

Prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE Assessment of prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units within Brazil’s health system.METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study based on telephone interviews with managers of primary care units. Of a total 42,486 primary health care units listed in the Brazilian Unified Health System directory, 1,600 were randomly selected. Care units from all five Brazilian macroregions were selected proportionally to the number of units in each region. We examined whether any of the following five different types of health promotion programs was available: physical activity; smoking cessation; cessation of alcohol and illicit drug use; healthy eating; and healthy environment. Information was collected on the kinds of activities offered and the status of implementation of the Family Health Strategy at the units.RESULTS Most units (62.0%) reported having in place three health promotion programs or more and only 3.0% reported having none. Healthy environment (77.0%) and healthy eating (72.0%) programs were the most widely available; smoking and alcohol use cessation were reported in 54.0% and 42.0% of the units. Physical activity programs were offered in less than 40.0% of the units and their availability varied greatly nationwide, from 51.0% in the Southeast to as low as 21.0% in the North. The Family Health Strategy was implemented in most units (61.0%); however, they did not offer more health promotion programs than others did.CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that most primary care units have in place health promotion programs. Public policies are needed to strengthen primary care services and improve training of health providers to meet the goals of the agenda for health promotion in Brazil.