Ciência & saúde coletiva
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Ciência & saúde coletiva · Apr 2014
Clinical and epidemiological aspects of scorpion stings in the northeast region of Brazil.
Scorpion stings are a serious public health issue in tropical and subtropical countries. This is a descriptive and retrospective study of the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of scorpion sting cases registered in the Health System in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba state, from 2007 to 2012. Data was collected from the Injury Notification Information System data banks of the Ministry of Health. ⋯ The most prevalent clinical manifestations were pain, edema and paresthesias. Most cases were classified as mild, though seven deaths were reported. The high incidence rate suggests that this town may be an endemic area of scorpion stings, supporting the need to develop strategies to control and prevent scorpion stings.
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Ciência & saúde coletiva · Jan 2014
Toothache and social and economic conditions among adolescents in Northeastern Brazil.
The scope of this study was to correlate toothache with social and economic conditions, access to oral health facilities and the lifestyle of adolescents in Sobral in the state of Ceará. It was conducted as a cross-sectional analytical study with a sample composed of 688 adolescents. The prevalence of toothache in the study group was 31.8%. ⋯ The factors that demonstrated the closest relationship with toothache were cavity severity, the reason for dental treatment being related to urgency, frequency of dental appointments and the distribution of toothbrushes at school. It was observed that the high prevalence of dental pain in adolescents is directly linked to the access conditions, as well as the characteristics of the actions developed by the health services. Just as there is a need for the deployment of services related to health promotion, based on equity and integration, it is necessary to introduce emergency services to intervene not just to curtail crippling pain, but also as a mechanism to stimulate the development of procedures for the prevention of oral diseases.
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Ciência & saúde coletiva · Dec 2013
[The discourse of managers on equity: a challenge for Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS)].
Equity is one of the pillars of Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS). However, analysis of the scientific literature shows that the concept of equity is polysemic and open to many interpretations. The scope of this article is to identify the meanings conferred upon equity in the discourse of SUS managers. ⋯ In the analysis of the results, three core categories were identified: Treat everyone in an egalitarian manner; treat the unequal in an unequal manner, prioritizing the most needy in accordance with their social and economic status; and treating the unequal in an unequal manner, prioritizing specific groups in accordance with risk criteria. The managers acknowledge equity as being a SUS principle and seek prudent clinical and epidemiological criteria to justify their choices in allocating resources. There is a need for further research into the concept and operationalization of equity and the need to hear the other actors of SUS who are involved in the actions and are jointly responsible for decisions on healthcare.
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This is a study conducted in the palliative care unit of the INCA National Cancer Institute, in an attempt to understand the nature of the work and its effects on the health of the professionals. A qualitative approach is adopted, based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews with professionals from the hospital. Most of the professionals are female and were unaware of the concept of palliative care when they started their careers in the Unit. ⋯ The study revealed that there are many professionals on leave of absence due to musculoskeletal problems and psychiatric disorders. There is a pressing need for health support programs for these professionals and awareness of daily care measures for their own health. However, their suggestions for improvement of working and health conditions are merely passed on to be implemented by the institutions themselves.
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Ciência & saúde coletiva · May 2013
Epidemiology of snakebite accidents in the municipalities of the state of Paraíba, Brazil.
Accidents involving venomous animals represent an important, albeit neglected, public health issue worldwide. A descriptive study was made of snakebite cases attended and recorded between 2007 and 2010 in the health units of the municipalities of Cariri, State of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Data was collected from the Injury Notification Information System data banks of the Health Ministry and a total of 351 records of snakebite victims were reviewed. ⋯ Two deaths were reported. It was concluded that there is a significant impact of seasonality in snakebites, the prevalence of attacks caused by Bothrops, affecting the lower limbs of adult male farmers in rural areas. The findings of this study may contribute to identify the conditions that increase the risk of snake attacks in the northeastern region.