Revista panamericana de salud pública = Pan American journal of public health
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jul 2007
Multicenter StudyControl of type 2 diabetes mellitus among general practitioners in private practice in nine countries of Latin America.
To better understand how diabetes care and control are being administered by general practitioners/nonspecialists in private practice in nine countries of Latin America, and to identify the most significant patient- and physician-related barriers to care. ⋯ Blood glucose levels are undercontrolled in T2DM patients in the private health care system in Latin America, particularly among those who have had the disease the longest (>15 years). Considering the differences between private and public health care in Latin America, especially regarding the quality of care and access to medication, further studies are called for in the public setting. Overall, a more efficient and intensive program of T2DM control is required, including effective patient education programs, adjusted to the realities of Latin America.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jul 2007
[Translation into Brazilian Portuguese and validation of the Work Limitations Questionnaire].
To translate into Brazilian Portuguese, cross-culturally adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties, reliability, and validity of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ). ⋯ The Brazilian Portuguese version of the WLQ is a reliable and valid scale to assess the impact of health problems on the productivity of Brazilian workers.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Jun 2007
Comparative Study[Timely implementation of interventions to reduce vertical HIV transmission: a successful experience in Brazil].
To describe the impact, at the public maternity facility of a university hospital in Brazil, of the rapid implementation of new guidelines recommended by national consensus panels concerning the prevention of vertical HIV transmission. ⋯ The timely adoption of up-to-date interventions recommended by national consensus panels, along with the free provision of antiretroviral drugs, was effective in reducing congenital HIV transmission in this public maternity facility. The interaction between the university hospital health service and the public health service reduced the time needed for implementation of proven, effective interventions, and this experience could serve as an example for other maternal and perinatal health situations.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Feb 2007
Reply letter utilization by secondary level specialists in a municipality in Brazil: a qualitative study.
To identify obstacles impeding the use of the reply letter by secondary level specialists in the municipality of Camaragibe, Pernambuco, Brazil, and to highlight possible solutions for improving communication at the interface between secondary level specialist care and primary care. ⋯ Despite a general understanding of its importance, specialists in Camaragibe had difficulty adopting the reply letter as a form of communication at the interface between primary and secondary care levels. The reply letter can be effective in improving communication at the interface, but the broad cultural, historical, and organizational features of secondary level specialists need to be considered in order to improve reply letter utilization.
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Rev. Panam. Salud Publica · Feb 2007
[The Vida Chile program: results and challenges with health promotion policy in Chile, 1998-2006].
The Government of Chile has placed a high priority on health promotion. This is evident in the advances made through its National Plan for Health Promotion (Plan Nacional de Promoción de la Salud) and the Vida Chile National Council for Health Promotion (Consejo Nacional para la Promoción de la Salud Vida Chile). Chaired by the minister of health, Vida Chile is made up of 28 public and private institutions from around the country. ⋯ The average per capita cost of the community health plans' activities in 2006 was US$ 6.60. The two most important factors that facilitated the operation of the local health promotion plans were participation by community and societal groups and having an adequate budget for the local activities. Hindering factors included a lack of time and/or human resources to devote to health promotion, a geographically dispersed population, and difficulty in accessing the activities.