Cadernos de saúde pública
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jan 2006
[Occupational violence problems in an emergency hospital in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil].
Workplace violence is currently a worrying factor at many hospitals. The objectives of this study were to characterize the occupational violence problems detected by health workers in an emergency hospital. The study was exploratory and transversal, with a quantitative data approach. ⋯ Data were collected through interviews with health workers and staff managers, as well as assessment of violence records from the last seven years. 100% of nurses, 88.9% of technicians, 88.2% of nurse assistants, and 85.7 % of doctors said that they had been victims of workplace violence, although not documented. The types of violence suffered included verbal assault (95.2%) and moral and sexual battery (33.3%). Preventive measures to reduce occupational violence should be applied.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Nov 2005
[Occurrence of Leptospira spp. soropositive stray dogs in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil].
This study aimed to verify Leptospira spp. serovar infections in stray dogs in Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Serum samples were collected from 590 stray dogs and tested against 25 Leptospira spp. serovars using the microscopic agglutination test. ⋯ The most frequent serovar was pyrogenes, positive in 26 (18.0%) samples, followed by canicola with 20 (13.8%) and icterohaemorragiae and copenhageni with 18 (12.5%, with antibody titers from 1:100 to 1:3,200). Significant prevalence (10.4 to 11.1%) was also detected against serovars castellonis, butembo, and grippothyphosa.
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The majority of the world's population will live in cities in the next few years and the pace of urbanization worldwide will continue to accelerate over the coming decades. While the number of megacities is projected to increase, the largest population growth is expected to be in cities of less than one million people. ⋯ Although there has been historic interest in how city living affects health, a cogent framework that enables systematic study of urban health across time and place has yet to emerge. Four alternate but complementary approaches to the study of urban health today are presented (urban health penalty, urban health advantage, urban sprawl, and an integrative urban conditions model) followed by three key questions that may help guide the study and practice of urban health in coming decades.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Mar 2004
[Chronic low back pain in a Southern Brazilian adult population: prevalence and associated factors].
To identify the prevalence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and examine factors associated with this condition in a Southern Brazilian adult population, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted, including 3,182 subjects of both sexes, aged 20 years or over, living in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State. The questionnaire included socio-demographic, behavioral, and nutritional variables, as well as characterization of exposure to ergonomic factors in daily activities. ⋯ Prevalence of CLBP is important as it limits normal activities and increases the use of health care services. There may be differences in the ergonomic risk factors for CLBP and low back pain in general.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jan 2004
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial[Waste of medical tests in preoperative evaluation for cataract surgery].
The objective of this clinical trial was to determine the frequency of medical tests considered unnecessary in routine preoperative evaluation for cataract surgery. Unnecessary costs with these tests were also evaluated. For patients assigned to the selective testing group, it was requested that no preoperative testing be performed unless the patient presented a new or worsening medical problem warranting medical evaluation with testing. ⋯ Cumulative rate of medical events was similar in the two groups (p=0.923). The selective group underwent 60.7% fewer tests. The results suggest that selective preoperative testing in cataract surgery does not harm patients in terms of peri-operative clinical complications and also represents a significant cost reduction compared to routine testing.