scholarly journals Information and communication technology use in asthmatic patients: a cross-sectional study in Latin America

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 00005-2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Calderón ◽  
Annia Cherrez ◽  
Germán Darío Ramón ◽  
Orlando Lopez Jove ◽  
Alan Baptist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Asthmatic Patients ◽  
Asthma Patients ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
E Mail

Rapid diffusion, low cost and broad availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) make them an attractive platform for managing care, communication and interventions in asthma. There is little information in Latin America about usage frequency of ICTs in asthmatic patients.The analysis undertaken consisted of an observational, cross-sectional study that aimed to identify the frequency and type of ICTs most often used by asthmatics. The Spanish version of the Michigan questionnaire was employed in five Latin American countries. Age and educational level was categorised. Logistic regression was performed among these groups concerning the frequency of ICT usage and the level of interest shown in seeking and receiving information about asthma.In total, 673 asthma patients were surveyed. The mean age was 43.44 years. Over two-thirds of the participants were female (68.4%). The most used ICT was the short message service (SMS) (69.9%). SMS and E-mail are useful tools for communicating (i.e.receiving and seeking information) with all asthma patients, irrespective of their age. WhatsApp (61.5%) and Facebook (32.0%) were rated as being the most interesting channels of communication for receiving information. Regression analysis showed that younger asthmatics and asthmatics with higher educational levels were most likely to use almost all forms of ICTs.ICTs are generally an attractive platform for managing care, communication and interventions to improve asthma care. SMS and E-mail were found to be the preferred ICT forms among users. However, social media forms such as WhatsApp and Facebook may also be appropriate for certain types of patient.

scholarly journals Survey of knowledge for diagnosing and managing prediabetes in Latin-America: cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Garay ◽  
Paul A. Camacho ◽  
Jose Lopez-Lopez ◽  
Juliana Alvernia ◽  
Marcela Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Prediabetes has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite the clinical importance of prediabetes, little is known about the level of knowledge, beliefs and barriers to screening and treating prediabetes amongst care health providers in Latin America. The aim of the present survey was to evaluate the knowledge and beliefs about prediabetes amongst in Latin American health care providers. Methodology In a cross-sectional study, we adapted the written survey designed by the Johns Hopkins University group, and applied it to health care providers across Latin America during three meetings, in 2017, and with physicians from primary care centers in Bucaramanga, Colombia convened in 2017. The survey consisted of questions under four headings, diabetes screening, management of prediabetes, pharmacological treatment—metformin use, and demographic information. We perform a descriptive analysis to determine the differences in responses between different medical specialties. Results The majority of the care providers that answered the survey were Colombian physicians, 54.5% of respondents had 10 years or more since completing their training and more women responded. Only 9.5% identified the 12 prediabetes risk factors described in the literature. The most common risk factor identified was a family history of diabetes, followed by overweight, a sedentary lifestyle and dyslipidemia, while ethnicity was the risk factor least commonly. 47.1% answered that laboratory tests to detect prediabetes are fasting glucose and HbA1C, 82.5% correctly identified fasting plasma glucose as the best test, 35.9% correctly responded that to the recommended weight loss goal is 5 to 7% and 49.1% that 150 min is considered the minimum level of physical activity per week. 78% agreed that the identification and treatment of prediabetes is important. 56% believed that patients with prediabetes progress more rapidly to diabetes and 40.6% considered that metformin could reduce the risk of diabetes in patients already diagnosed with prediabetes. Conclusion These results demonstrate that there are important gaps in the knowledge of the diagnosis, clinical implications and management of prediabetes amongst Latin America health providers.

Patients’ participation in government-sponsored guidelines in Latin America: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjebm-2020-111530
Author(s):  
Luis Ignacio Garegnani ◽  
Nicolás Meza ◽  
Pablo Rosón-Rodriguez ◽  
Camila Micaela Escobar-Liquitay ◽  
Marcelo Arancibia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hand Search ◽  
Latin American Region ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
Grade Approach

BackgroundIt is recommended that patients actively participate in clinical practice guideline (CPG) development, which allows consideration of their values and preferences and improves adherence to recommendations. The development of CPGs throughout Latin America is variable and diverse, and the inclusion of patients’ participation is unknown.ObjectivesTo evaluate the methods of patients’ participation in government-sponsored CPGs in Latin America, the type of CPG development and the use of Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methods.DesignCross-sectional study. We included CPGs developed over the last 10 years through a comprehensive hand search in official national government websites and biomedical databases.Main outcome measureThe type of patients’ participation was coded according to five predefined categories. We also report the proportion of application of GRADE methods.ResultsWe included 408 CPGs from 10 countries: 74% (n=303) were de novo development, 13%(n=55) used an adaptation method and 10%(n=41) used both adaptation and de novo methods. Only 45% (n=185) applied the GRADE approach, ranging from 14% (n=12) of CPGs in Brazil to 89% (n=56) of CPGs in Colombia. Only 23% (n=95) of CPGs included at least one method of patients’ participation. Mexico was one of the largest CPG producers (100 CPGs), but none included methods of patients’ participation; in turn, in countries with lower production of government-sponsored CPGs, patients’ participation was found in almost 88%. Guidelines using the GRADE approach were more likely to use methods of patients’ participation. These methods were highly variable: 46% (n=44) incorporated patients in the panel, 81% (n=77) searched for evidence about patients’ values and preferences, 43% (n=39) used an external review of the draft recommendations by patients, 38% (n=36) used public comments, and 2% included other methods for stakeholders’ participation.ConclusionOnly one quarter of government-sponsored CPGs in the Latin American region incorporated a method for patients’ participation, which varied considerably across the selected countries. These findings highlight the need to improve CPG development methods to systematically incorporate patients’ values and preferences when drafting recommendations.

Malaria among migrants in a university hospital in Colombia during 2018: A case series

2020 ◽  
pp. 004947552098130
Author(s):  
Fabián R Carreño-Almánzar ◽  
Adán Coronado-Galán ◽  
Sonia A Cala-Gómez ◽  
Agustín Vega-Vera
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Imported Malaria ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
History Of ◽  
Clinical Profiles

Imported malaria has increased in Colombia since 2015 and has been attributed to migrants coming from Venezuela. We present a series of malaria cases, nested in a retrospective cross-sectional study between 2017 and 2018, aimed at calculating the prevalence of medical diseases among immigrants in a University Hospital in Colombia. Among 154 immigrants admitted for medical causes between 2017 and 2018, 8 were diagnosed with malaria, all due to Plasmodium vivax. Of these, seven had uncomplicated malaria, five had a previous history of malaria, one was critically ill, but none died. We highlight that, similar to other case series of imported malaria, Latin American migrants were young, with similar clinical profiles, having a low proportion of severe cases, and P. vivax was the most frequent cause.

scholarly journals Assistive technology use is associated with reduced capability poverty: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Borg ◽  
Per-Olof Östergren ◽  
Stig Larsson ◽  
ASM Atiqur Rahman ◽  
Nazmul Bari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Capability Poverty

scholarly journals A "miracle" cancer drug in the era of social media: A survey of Brazilian oncologists' opinions and experience with phosphoethanolamine

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Juliana Florinda M. Rêgo ◽  
◽  
Gilberto Lopes ◽  
Rachel P. Riechelmann ◽  
Cinthya Sternberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Alternative Therapy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cancer Drug ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Summary Introduction: Patients who are treating cancer have often used alternative therapies. In the internet era, information can be broadcasted widely, and this happened with phosphoethanolamine in Brazil, where this substance was claimed by the population to be the "cure for cancer." Method: This is a cross-sectional study developed by the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC). An objectively structured questionnaire was sent by e-mail and SMS to active MDs members of the SBOC. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the data. Statistical significance between the variables was tested by Pearson's Chi-squared test (p<0.05 was considered significance). Results: The survey was sent to 1,072 oncologists, and 398 (37.1%) answered at least part of it. One hundred and fifteen (28.9%) had followed patients who had used phosphoethanolamine. Among these, 14 (12.2%) observed adverse events and four (3.5%) attributed clinical benefit to the substance. Most of the oncologists (n=331; 83.2%) believe that it should only be used as part of a clinical trial protocol. Most physicians did not recommend this drug to their patients (n=311; 78.1%). Oncologists in Southeast, South and Midwest Brazil were more likely to have patients taking the drug compared to the Northern and Northeastern regions. Conclusion: This is the first survey to assess the opinion and experience of oncologists about this alternative therapy. Most oncologists in Brazil do not believe that synthetic phosphoethanolamine is active in cancer treatment, do not recommend its use without proper evaluation, and state that it should only be available to patients in the context of clinical trials.

scholarly journals Predictors of COVID-19 Fatality: A Worldwide Analysis of the Pandemic over Time and in Latin America

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayana Rojas ◽  
Jorge Saavedra ◽  
Mariya Petrova ◽  
Yue Pan ◽  
José Szapocznik
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Latin American Countries ◽  
Risk Ratios

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 has infected over one hundred million people worldwide and has affected Latin America particularly severely in terms of both cases and deaths. This study aims to determine the association between SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 fatality rate worldwide over 8 months and to examine how this relationship differs between Latin America and all other countries. This cross-sectional study used March 2021 data from 169 countries. Multivariate regressions predicted COVID-19 fatality (outcome) from the number of SARS-CoV-2 tests (exposure), while controlling for other predictors. Results for March 2021 were compared to results from June 2020. Additionally, results for Latin America were also compared to all other countries except Latin American for March 2021. SARS-CoV-2 testing was associated with a significant decrease in COVID-19 fatality rate in both June 2020 and March 2021 (RR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.87–0.96 and RR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.74–1.00, respectively). SARS-CoV-2 testing was associated with a significant decrease in COVID-19 fatality rate in Latin American countries but not in all other countries (RR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.23–0.89 and RR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.82–1.11, respectively). However, the difference between the risk ratios for June 2020 and March 2021 and between the risk ratios for Latin America and all other countries were not statistically significant. Increased SARS-CoV-2 testing may be a significant predictor of lower COVID-19 case fatality rate, specifically in Latin American countries, due to the existence of a strong association, which may have driven the worldwide results.

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