Cadernos de saúde pública
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jul 2009
Review[Interventions to solve overcrowding in hospital emergency services: a systematic review].
This review discusses interventions aimed at solving the problem of overcrowding in hospital emergency services (HES), characteristic of low organizational effectiveness. In free-access and restricted-access databases, the target descriptors were 'overcrowding; emergency; medicine; first aid'. The survey identified 66 citations of interventions, grouped in 47 related interventions. ⋯ Four were the most frequently cited: implementation of an observation unit for patients already hospitalized and awaiting diagnosis or clinical stabilization; designation of a dedicated nursing station for the patient's admission, discharge, or transfer; establishment of protocols with indicators of operational saturation and implementation of an emergency care unit. Analyzing 21 interventions that were intended to solve overcrowding in HES and with positive results for length-of-stay, 15 were related to patient stream improvement, interfering actively and positively in patient stream. Interventions that increased access barriers or that merely improved the HES structure were ineffective.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jul 2009
[Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil].
This article presents the results of the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and the test-retest reliability of a version to be used in Brazil. An instrument review committee analyzed the conceptual and item equivalence. In order to analyze semantic equivalences, three translations and three back-translations were performed; a summary version was devised and pre-tested, and a test version elaborated. ⋯ A Cronbach's +/- of 0.94 and an ICC of 0.92 were found. The reliability levels lead to the conclusion that the IQCODE-BR version is easy to comprehend. Satisfactory equivalence to the original version was observed.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jul 2009
Historical Article[Reflections on Brazilian National Health Reform after 20 years of experience with the Unified National Health System].
This article provides some reflections on the challenges that have arisen during 20 of experience with the implementation of Brazil's Unified National Health System and the significance of Constitutional provisions related to health for both academic research and health sector managers. The article discusses the main issues during these 20 years and how they are currently managed, and concludes by inquiring into the need for reconnecting health sector projects to a broader project for Brazilian society, without which the original proposals for health run the risk of becoming merely managerial ones.