Uneven primary healthcare supply of rural doctors and medical equipment in remote China: community impact and the moderating effect of policy intervention.

BACKGROUND: Unequal access to primary healthcare (PHC) has become a critical issue in global health inequalities, requiring governments to implement policies tailored to communities' needs and abilities. However, the place-based facility dimension of PHCs is oversimplified in current healthcare literature, and formulating the equity-oriented PHC spatial planning remains challenging without understanding the multiple impacts of community socio-spatial dynamics, particularly in remote areas. This study aims to push the boundary of PHC studies one step further by presenting a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the impact of community environments on the uneven primary healthcare supply. METHODS: Focusing on Shuicheng, a remote rural area in southwestern China, multiple data are included in this village-based study, i.e., the facility-level healthcare statistics data (2016-2019), the statistical yearbooks, WorldPop, and Chinese GDP's spatial distribution data. We evaluate villages' PHC service capacity using the number of doctors and essential equipment per capita, which are the major components of China's PHC delivery. The indicators describing community environments are selected based on extant literature and China's planning paradigms, including town- and village-level factors. Gini coefficients and local spatial autocorrelation analysis are used to present the divergences of PHC capacity, and multilevel regression model and (heterogeneous) difference in difference model are used to examine the driving role of community environments and the dynamics under the policy intervention. RESULTS: Despite the general improvement, PHC inequalities remain significant in remote rural areas. The village's location, aging, topography, ethnic autonomy, and economic conditions significantly influence village-level PHC capacity, while demographic characteristics and healthcare delivery at the town level are also important. Although it may improve the hardware setting in village clinics (coef. = 0.350), the recent equity-oriented policy attempts may accelerate the loss of rural doctors (coef. = - 0.517). Notably, the associations between PHC and community environments are affected inconsistently by this round of policy intervention. The town healthcare centers with higher inpatient service capacity (coef. = - 0.514) and more licensed doctors (coef. = - 0.587) and nurses (coef. = - 0.344) may indicate more detrimental policy effects that reduced the number of rural doctors, while the centers with more professional equipment (coef. = 0.504) and nurses (coef. = 0.184) are beneficial for the improvement of hardware setting in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the PHC inequalities are increasingly a result of joint social, economic, and institutional forces in recent years, underlining the increased complexity of the PHC resource allocation mechanism. Therefore, we claim the necessity to incorporate a broader understanding of community orientation in PHC delivery, particularly the interdisciplinary knowledge of the spatial lens of community, to support its sustainable development. Our findings also provide timely policy insights for ongoing primary healthcare reform in China.

Factors associated with medical consumable availability in level 1 facilities in Malawi: a secondary analysis of a facility census.

BACKGROUND: Medical consumable stock-outs negatively affect health outcomes not only by impeding or delaying the effective delivery of services but also by discouraging patients from seeking care. Consequently, supply chain strengthening is being adopted as a key component of national health strategies. However, evidence on the factors associated with increased consumable availability is limited. METHODS: In this study, we used the 2018-19 Harmonised Health Facility Assessment data from Malawi to identify the factors associated with the availability of consumables in level 1 facilities, ie, rural hospitals or health centres with a small number of beds and a sparsely equipped operating room for minor procedures. We estimate a multilevel logistic regression model with a binary outcome variable representing consumable availability (of 130 consumables across 940 facilities) and explanatory variables chosen based on current evidence. Further subgroup analyses are carried out to assess the presence of effect modification by level of care, facility ownership, and a categorisation of consumables by public health or disease programme, Malawi's Essential Medicine List classification, whether the consumable is a drug or not, and level of average national availability. FINDINGS: Our results suggest that the following characteristics had a positive association with consumable availability-level 1b facilities or community hospitals had 64% (odds ratio [OR] 1·64, 95% CI 1·37-1·97) higher odds of consumable availability than level 1a facilities or health centres, Christian Health Association of Malawi and private-for-profit ownership had 63% (1·63, 1·40-1·89) and 49% (1·49, 1·24-1·80) higher odds respectively than government-owned facilities, the availability of a computer had 46% (1·46, 1·32-1·62) higher odds than in its absence, pharmacists managing drug orders had 85% (1·85, 1·40-2·44) higher odds than a drug store clerk, proximity to the corresponding regional administrative office (facilities greater than 75 km away had 21% lower odds [0·79, 0·63-0·98] than facilities within 10 km of the district health office), and having three drug order fulfilments in the 3 months before the survey had 14% (1·14, 1·02-1·27) higher odds than one fulfilment in 3 months. Further, consumables categorised as vital in Malawi's Essential Medicine List performed considerably better with 235% (OR 3·35, 95% CI 1·60-7·05) higher odds than other essential or non-essential consumables and drugs performed worse with 79% (0·21, 0·08-0·51) lower odds than other medical consumables in terms of availability across facilities. INTERPRETATION: Our results provide evidence on the areas of intervention with potential to improve consumable availability. Further exploration of the health and resource consequences of the strategies discussed will be useful in guiding investments into supply chain strengthening. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (Thanzi La Onse; reference MR/P028004/1), the Wellcome Trust (Thanzi La Mawa; reference 223120/Z/21/Z), the UK Medical Research Council, the UK Department for International Development, and the EU (reference MR/R015600/1).

Health system lessons from the global fund-supported procurement and supply chain investments in Zimbabwe: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The Global Fund partnered with the Zimbabwean government to provide end-to-end support to strengthen the procurement and supply chain within the health system. This was accomplished through a series of strategic investments that included infrastructure and fleet improvement, training of personnel, modern equipment acquisition and warehouse optimisation. This assessment sought to determine the effects of the project on the health system. METHODS: This study employed a mixed methods design combining quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative part entailed a descriptive analysis of procurement and supply chain data from the Zimbabwe healthcare system covering 2018 - 2021. The qualitative part comprised key informant interviews using a structured interview guide. Informants included health system stakeholders privy to the Global Fund-supported initiatives in Zimbabwe. The data collected through the interviews were transcribed in full and subjected to thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of public health facilities were covered by the procurement and distribution system. Timeliness of order fulfillment (within 90 days) at the facility level improved from an average of 42% to over 90% within the 4-year implementation period. Stockout rates for HIV drugs and test kits declined by 14% and 49% respectively. Population coverage for HIV treatment for both adults and children remained consistently high despite the increasing prevalence of people living with HIV. The value of expired commodities was reduced by 93% over the 4-year period. Majority of the system stakeholders interviewed agreed that support from Global Fund was instrumental in improving the country's procurement and supply chain capacity. Key areas include improved infrastructure and equipment, data and information systems, health workforce and financing. Many of the participants also cited the Global Fund-supported warehouse optimization as critical to improving inventory management practices. CONCLUSION: It is imperative for governments and donors keen to strengthen health systems to pay close attention to the procurement and distribution of medicines and health commodities. There is need to collaborate through joint planning and implementation to optimize the available resources. Organizational autonomy and sharing of best practices in management while strengthening accountability systems are fundamentally important in the efforts to build institutional capacity.

Las reservas de material sanitario estratégico. Reflexiones legales y económicas / [Reserves of strategic medical supplies. Legal and economic reflections]

En este trabajo se presenta un análisis de los principales problemas que plantean las reservas de material sanitario estratégico. Entre otras cuestiones se aborda las referidas a la identificación de la agencia responsable de crear tales reservas, qué se ha de reservar, cómo se han de gestionar las reservas, la trascendencia del enfoque conjunto, así como la necesidad de establecer estrategias adecuadas para emergencias y catástrofes que puedan tener impacto en la salud pública. (AU)

This paper presents an analysis of the key issues posed by strategic healthcare material reserves. Among other matters, it addresses those related to identifying the agency responsible for creating such reserves, what should be reserved, how reserves should be managed, the significance of a collaborative approach, as well as the necessity to establish appropriate strategies for emergencies and disasters that may impact public health. (AU)

Eficacia y seguridad del espaciador intervertebral cervical con sistema de bloqueo de anclaje en pacientes adultos con enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical con mielopatía y/o radiculopatía que no responden al tratamiento conservador / Efficacy and safety of the cervical intervertebral spacer with anchor locking system in adult patients with degenerative cervical disc disease with myelopathy and/or radiculopathy who do not respond to conservative treatment

ANTECEDENTES: En el marco de la metodología ad hoc para evaluar solicitudes de tecnologías sanitarias, aprobada mediante Resolución de Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación N° 111-IETSI-ESSALUD-2021 y ampliada mediante Resolución de Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación N° 97-IETSI-ESSALUD2022, se ha elaborado el presente dictamen preliminar sobre la evaluación de la eficacia y seguridad del espaciador intervertebral cervical con sistema de bloqueo de anclaje en pacientes adultos con enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical con mielopatía y/o radiculopatía que no responden al tratamiento conservador. ASPECTOS GENERALES: La enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical es una causa muy frecuente de dolor de cuello a nivel mundial (Kazeminasab et al., 2022). Su etiología es multifactorial, siendo el envejecimiento el factor más relevante, donde el proceso degenerativo puede ..comenzar desde la segunda década de vida pasando por fases conocidas como disfunción, inestabilidad y estabilización hasta llegar a la senectud (Fakhoury & Dowling, 2022). De esta forma, se han reportado prevalencias de casi 30 % en menores de 50 años y cerca de 90 % en mayores de 80 años (Teraguchi et al., 2014). La degeneración cervical puede resultar en mielopatía y/o radiculopatía cervical. La mielopatía se refiere a la compresión o afección de la médula espinal a nivel del canal espinal, mientras que la radiculopatía se traduce en la compresión o afección de una o varias de sus raíces cervicales. La compresión suele ser debido a una hernia discal, presencia de osteofitos, masas adyacentes, espondilosis o estenosis congénita del canal espinal (McCartney et al., 2018). La incidencia de ambas han sido previamente reportadas, con 4 casos de mielopatía cervical por 100 000 personas-año (Nouri et al., 2015), y 107.3 casos de radiculopatía cervical en varones y 63.5 en mujeres por 100 000 personas-año (Radhakrishnan et al., 1994). METODOLOGÍA: Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica exhaustiva con el objetivo de identificar la mejor evidencia sobre la eficacia y seguridad del espaciador intervertebral cervical con sistema de bloqueo de anclaje en pacientes adultos con enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical con mielopatía y/o radiculopatía, que no responden al tratamiento conservador. La búsqueda bibliográfica se llevó a cabo en las bases de datos PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science y LILACS. Además, se realizó una búsqueda manual en Google y dentro de las páginas web pertenecientes a grupos que realizan evaluaciones de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS) y guías de práctica clínica (GPC), incluyendo el Centro Nacional de Excelencia Tecnológica en Salud (CENETEC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), la Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), The Guidelines International Network (GIN), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Base Regional de Informes de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud de las Américas (BRISA), Comissáo Nacional de Incorporacáo de Tecnologias no Sistema Único de Saúde (CONITEC), Instituto de Evaluación Tecnológica en Salud (IETS), Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS), Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), Instituto de Calidad y Eficiencia en la Atención de la Salud (IQWiG, por sus siglas en alemán), y Hauté Autorité de Santé (HAS). Asimismo, se realizó una búsqueda de GPC en las páginas web de las principales sociedades o instituciones especializadas el manejo de patologías de la médula espinal, tales como: Spine Intervention Society (SIS), Spine Society of Australia (SSA) y la Asia Pacific Spine Society (APOA). Finalmente, se realizó una búsqueda de estudios en curso aún no publicados en las páginas web de ClinicalTrials.govy la International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. RESULTADOS: La búsqueda bibliográfica se llevó a cabo el 18 de octubre de 2022. Se incluyeron dos GPC (Fehlings et al., 2017; Latka et al., 2016) que tuvieron recomendaciones relacionadas al procedimiento, pero no al dispositivo; una RS con metaanálisis en red (NMA, por sus siglas en inglés "Network meta-analysis") (Xu et al., 2020) que realizó comparaciones indirectas de la intervención y comparador de la pregunta PICO planteada con otros dispositivos que no formaron parte la presente ETS, motivo por el que se decidió identificar ECA. Es así que también se incluyó un ECA (Zhou et al., 2020) que no evaluó todos los desenlaces planteados en la pregunta PICO (tiempo quirúrgico y eventos adversos), por lo que se decidió incluir EO que contribuyan con estos desenlaces. De esta forma se incluyeron dos EO (Wang et al., 2015; Zhou et al., 2018) que tuvieron un diseño tipo cohorte retrospectiva. CONCLUSIÓN: Por lo expuesto, el Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e InvestigaciónIETSI aprueba el uso del espaciador intervertebral cervical con sistema de bloqueo de anclaje como tratamiento para los pacientes adultos con enfermedad degenerativa del disco cervical con mielopatía y/o radiculopatía que no responden al tratamiento conservador.

Manual de biossegurança e bioprotecção 2ª edição, 2022 / Biosafety and bioprotection 2nd edition, 2022

A Biossegurança e Bioprotecção em Laboratórios de Saúde Pública, Laboratórios de Análises Clínicas e instituções de pesquisa em saúde são áreas do conhecimento relativamente novas, reguladas em vários países por um conjunto de leis, normas, directrizes e procedimentos específicos. Actualmente, a Biossegurança e a Bioprotecção são vistas como disciplinas científicas que requerem um domínio de conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes (CHA) multi-disciplinares. A aplicação dos princípios de Biossegurança e Bioprotecção é essencial para conter, prevenir, reduzir e eliminar os riscos de exposição por agentes microbiológicos, químicos, físicos, ergonómicos, acidentais e entre outros perigos que podem ou poderiam causar doenças de âmbito ocupacional. A Biossegurança e a Bioprotecção são também importantes para prevenir a exposição a riscos aos familiares de profissionais de saúde, utentes dos serviços de saúde, e para garantir a protecção do meio ambiente e da vida selvagem

Pharmaceutical services in primary health care: dissatisfaction among users, managers and pharmacists

Abstract To assess the performance indicators for pharmaceutical services (PS) in primary health care (PHC), the level of satisfaction with pharmacy services among users and managers / pharmacists' impressions in relation to the findings were evaluated. The study used mixed methods, including a retrospective and descriptive study of the performance indicators for PS in PHC, an observational study on the level of satisfaction and a qualitative study of users' perception of pharmacy services at Health Units. Managers and pharmacists' impressions of the study results were also collected. Only 44.4% of pharmacies had a full-time pharmacist. From the establishments visited, 5.3% did not have an air-conditioned environment, and only 33.3% of the items essential to the Good Practices of Storage of Medicines and Supplies criteria were fulfilled. Although 77.9% of the prescribed medicines were dispensed, it did not reach the 80% standard. The satisfaction level of users was 3.2±0.6, indicating dissatisfaction with pharmacies' services. By means of an evaluation of each item within the questionnaire, it was possible to observe that variables related to pharmaceutical care presented low scores in relation to other domains, thus evidencing the fragility of the pharmaceutical- patient relationship in users' perception. Managers and pharmacists suggested that these results were related to the inadequate physical infrastructure of pharmacies, work overload, lack of recognition and undervaluation of pharmacists, lack of interaction within the PHC team, high turnover of pharmacists, and lack of PS prioritization by the administration. PS in PHC has structural and organizational weaknesses that require changes. In general, users are dissatisfied with pharmacies' services, especially with pharmaceutical care.

Remote monitoring in telehealth care delivery across the U.S. cystic fibrosis care network.

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) programs and people with CF (PwCF) employed various monitoring methods for virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper characterizes experiences with remote monitoring across the U.S. CF community. METHODS: The CF Foundation (CFF) sponsored distribution of home spirometers (April 2020 to May 2021), surveys to PwCF and CF programs (July to September 2020), and a second program survey (April to May 2021). We used mixed methods to explore access, use, and perspectives regarding the use of remote monitoring in future care. RESULTS: By October 2020, 13,345 spirometers had been distributed, and 19,271 spirometers by May 2021. Programs (n=286) estimated proportions of PwCF with home devices increased over seven months: spirometers (30% to 70%), scales (50% to 70%), oximeters (5% to 10%) with higher estimates in adult programs for spirometers and oximeters. PwCF (n=378) had access to scales (89%), followed by oximeters (48%) and spirometers (47%), often using scales and oximeters weekly, and spirometers monthly. Over both surveys, some programs had no method to collect respiratory specimens for cultures associated with telehealth visits (47%, n=132; 41%, n=118). Most programs (81%) had a process for phlebotomy associated with a telehealth visit, primarily through off-site labs. Both PwCF and programs felt future care should advance remote monitoring and recommended improvements for access, training, and data collection systems. CONCLUSIONS: PwCF and programs experienced unprecedented access to remote monitoring and raised its importance for future care. Improvements to current systems may leverage these shared experiences to augment future care models.

Denúncias da enfermagem brasileira sobre a exposição a riscos laborais durante a pandemia de COVID-19 / Complaints of Brazilian Nursing about exposure to occupational risks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objetivo: Refletir sobre os aspectos relacionados ao trabalho da equipe de Enfermagem, durante a pandemia da COVID-19 no Brasil. Métodos: Trata-se de uma reflexão sobre alguns aspectos das condições de trabalho e a exposição aos riscos à saúde dos profissionais de Enfermagem no Brasil, fundamentada nas informações do Observatório de Enfermagem e dos relatórios de fiscalização do Conselho Federal de Enfermagem (COFEN), e da Pesquisa Perfil da Enfermagem no Brasil. Resultados: Os profissionais de Enfermagem brasileiros tem enfrentado duras condições de trabalho, a exemplo da insuficiência e a inadequação dos Equipamentos de Proteção Individual (EPI) e o subdimensionamento das equipes, com isso aumentando os riscos à saúde dos trabalhadores. Conclusões: A pandemia exacerbou problemas enfrentados pelos profissionais de Enfermagem, e o déficit de EPI com o subdimensionamento das equipes e a sobrecarga de trabalho podem estar associados ao elevado número de óbitos de profissionais durante o período analisado.(AU)

Objective: To reflect on aspects related to the work of the Nursing team, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Methods: This is a reflection on some aspects of working conditions and the exposure to health risks of nursing professionals in Brazil, based on information from the Nursing Observatory and inspection reports from the Federal Nursing Council (COFEN), and the Nursing Profile Survey in Brazil. Results: Brazilian Nursing professionals have faced harsh working conditions, such as the insufficiency and inadequacy of the Equipment of Individual Protection (EIP) and the undersizing of teams, thereby increasing the risks to workers' health. Conclusions: The pandemic has exacerbated problems faced by nursing professionals, and the deficit in EIP with the undersizing of teams and work overload may be associated with the high number of deaths of professionals during the analyzed period.(AU)

Objetivo: Reflexionar sobre los aspectos relacionados al trabajo del equipo de Enfermería, durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Brasil. Métodos: Se trata de una reflexión sobre algunos aspectos de las condiciones de trabajo y la exposición a los riesgos a la salud de los profesionales de Enfermería en Brasil, basada en las informaciones del Observatorio de Enfermería, los informes de fiscalización del Consejo Federal de Enfermería (COFEN), y de la Investigación Perfil de la Enfermería en Brasil. Resultados: Los profesionales de Enfermería brasileños han enfrentado duras condiciones de trabajo, como la insuficiencia y la inadecuación de los Equipos de Protección Individual (EPI) y el tamaño insuficiente de los equipos de Enfermería, aumentando con esto los riesgos a la salud de los trabajadores. Conclusiones: La pandemia exacerbó problemas enfrentados por los profesionales de Enfermería, y el déficit de EPI con el tamaño insuficiente de los equipos de Enfermería y la sobrecarga de trabajo pueden estar asociados al elevado número de óbitos de profesionales durante el período analizado.(AU)

O olhar de enfermeiros assistenciais frente a implantação do programa Lean nas emergências hospitalares / The assistant nurses' perspective facing the implementation of the Lean program in hospital emergencies

Objetivo: analisar o impacto na implantação do Projeto Lean, sob ótica de enfermeiros assistenciais. Método: estudo descritivo, exploratório, retrospectivo, documental, de abordagem qualitativa, com enfermeiros assistenciais lotados em um Hospital de Ensino. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, no ano de 2019. Utilizou-se Análise de Conteúdo na modalidade Temática. Resultados: Evidenciaram-se problemas como aumento da carga de trabalho e dimensionamento de pessoal incipiente. A equipe de enfermagem, durante a realização da assistência enfrenta limitações quando se refere ao dimensionamento inadequado e quantitativo insuficiente de profissionais e recursos materiais disponíveis, tornando o trabalho desgastante. Conclusão: O estudo mostrou a necessidade de dimensionamento de pessoal de enfermagem adequado bem como previsão e provisão de materiais médico-hospitalares para uma assistência de qualidade, buscando agregar valor ao paciente bem como sua satisfação com o atendimento na Instituição.(AU)

Objective: analyze the impact on the implementation of the Lean Program, on the perspective of assistant nurses. Method: descriptive, exploratory, retrospective, and documental study, of qualitative approach, with assistant nurses from a Teaching Hospital. The data was collected by semi structured interviews, in the year 2019. Content Analysis was used in the Thematic modality. Results: Problems such as the increase of working hours and incipient staff sizing were evidenced. The nursing staff, during the assistancefaces limitations when it is related to the inadequate sizing and insufficient qualitative of professionals and material resources available, making it an exhausting work. Conclusion: the study has shown the necessity of adequate nursing staff sizing as well as prediction and provision of medical and hospital materials for good quality assistance, seekingto add value to the patient as well as their satisfaction with the care provided at the institution.(AU)

Objetivo: analizar el impacto en la implementación del Proyecto Lean, desde la perspectiva de los enfermeros clínicos. Método: estudio descriptivo, exploratorio, retrospectivo, documental, con abordaje cualitativo, con enfermeros clínicos que en un Hospital Docente. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas, en el año 2019. Se utilizó Análisis de Contenido en la modalidad Temática. Resultados: Se evidenciaron problemas como aumento de la carga de trabajo y dimensionamiento del personal incipiente. El equipo de enfermería, durante la atención, se enfrenta a limitaciones en cuanto a dimensionamiento inadecuado y cantidad insuficiente de profesionales y recursos materiales disponibles, lo que hace que el trabajo sea agotador. Conclusión: El estudio mostró la necesidad de un adecuado dimensionamiento del personal de enfermería, así como la previsión y provisión de materiales médico-hospitalarios para una atención de calidad, buscando agregar valor al paciente, así como su satisfacción con la atención en la institución.(AU)

A Statewide Voluntary Movement Addressing the Shortage of Medical Supplies During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment compromised efficient patient care and provider safety. Volunteers from many different backgrounds worked to meet these demands. Additive manufacturing, laser cutting, and alternative supply chains were used to produce, test, and deliver essential equipment for health care workers and first responders. Distributed equipment included ear guards, face shields, and masks. Contingent designs were created for powered air-purifying respirator hoods, filtered air pumps, intubation shields, and N95 masks.

COVID-19, Workforce Autonomy and the Health Supply Chain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid surge in demand for critical supplies and public health efforts needed to guard against virus transmission have placed enormous pressure on health systems worldwide. These pressures and the uncertainty they have created have impacted the health workforce in a substantial way. This paper examines the relationship between health supply chain capacity and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canada's health workforce. The findings of this research also highlight the impact of the pandemic on health workers, specifically the relationship between the health supply chain and the autonomy of the health workforce.

Dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada / Voice generating devices gaze controlled

CONTEXTO CLÍNICO: Un trastorno en la comunicación es un deterioro en la capacidad de recibir, transmitir, procesar y comprender conceptos o sistemas de símbolos verbales, no verbales y gráficos. Estos trastornos pueden ser evidentes en los procesos de audición, lenguaje o habla, y podrían variar en su severidad de leve a profunda y tener su origen en el desarrollo o ser adquiridos. Los individuos pueden presentar una o cualquier combinación, y dichos trastornos a su vez pueden ser primarios o secundarios a otras condiciones. Un trastorno en el lenguaje es el deterioro de la comprensión y/o el uso del lenguaje hablado, escrito o simbólico.2 Dicho trastorno puede incluir la forma del lenguaje (fonación, morfología y sintaxis), el contenido (semántica), y la función del lenguaje en la comunicación (habilidades pragmáticas) en cualquier combinación. Hay múltiples condiciones que se asocian a trastornos del lenguaje en niños y adolescentes. Entre estas se encuentran el retardo mental, los trastornos del aprendizaje, el trastorno de déficit de atención por hiperactividad, los trastornos del espectro autista, los desórdenes neurológicos degenerativos, la parálisis cerebral, síndrome de Rett y los traumatismos del sistema nervioso central entre otras. En los adultos las causas más frecuentes son, el accidente cerebrovascular, la esclerosis lateral amiotrófica (ELA), la enfermedad de Parkinson y también las lesiones traumáticas del sistema nervioso central (SNC). TECNOLOGÍA: Los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada son sistemas de comunicación alternativa y aumentativa de alta tecnología que en general forman parte sistemas de tecnología de apoyo que incluyen otras funciones como control ambiental, el acceso informático a Internet, realizar llamadas telefónicas y enviar mensajes de texto.10 Existen los rastreadores oculares (PCEye Mini, PCEye Explore y EyeMobile, Irisbond®, myGAZE, PRC's LookTM, entre otros) que se pueden acoplar a diferentes dispositivos electrónicos como computadoras o tablets y los dispositivos generadores de voz con pantalla táctil y rastreo ocular incorporado (Tobii Dynavox I-Series+, Eyegaze Edge®, ComLink ST3G Enable Eyes II®). OBJETIVO: El objetivo del presente informe es evaluar la evidencia disponible acerca de la eficacia, seguridad y aspectos relacionados a las políticas de cobertura del uso de los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada para patologías que afectan el lenguaje, el habla y las habilidades motrices. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una búsqueda en las principales bases de datos bibliográficas, en buscadores genéricos de internet, y financiadores de salud. Se priorizó la inclusión de revisiones sistemáticas (RS), ensayos clínicos controlados aleatorizados (ECAs), evaluaciones de tecnologías sanitarias (ETS), evaluaciones económicas, guías de práctica clínica (GPC) y políticas de cobertura de diferentes sistemas de salud. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron una RS de estudios observacionales, siete estudios observacionales adicionales, cuatro GPC y diez informes de políticas de cobertura de los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada para patologías que afectan el lenguaje, el habla y las habilidades motrices. Las definiciones de los desenlaces y las escalas utilizadas en los estudios se describen en el Anexo II. No se hallaron estudios que comparen los distintos tipos de dispositivos generadores de voz con rastreo ocular entre sí o frente al cuidado usual. Tampoco se hallaron estudios que compararan los dispositivos generadores de voz operados mediante movimiento ocular con otros dispositivos generadores de voz operados de diferentes maneras. CONCLUSIONES: No se hallaron estudios que comparen los distintos tipos de dispositivos generadores de voz controlados por la mirada entre sí, u operados de diferentes maneras. Tampoco se hallaron estudios que comparen su uso frente al cuidado usual. Evidencia de baja calidad, proveniente de estudios de serie de casos, sugiere que la implementación de los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada mejoraría algunos aspectos de la comunicación en personas con discapacidades motoras y del habla complejas (como parálisis cerebral, esclerosis lateral amiotrófica y síndrome de Rett). Estas mejoras se evidenciaron respecto al estado basal, a los seis meses de seguimiento, en el contexto de clínicas de rehabilitación y con un equipo tratante multidisciplinario especializado. Resultados similares fueron reportados por la familia o cuidadores. La mayoría de los estudios reportaron una alta tasa de aceptación de la tecnología, aunque algunos también identificaron dificultades para establecer una comunicación en personas con episodios de epilepsia y temblores. También se reportaron dificultades como incomodidad, cansancio y aburrimiento en los usuarios. Las guías de práctica clínicas relevadas establecen que la comunicación alternativa y aumentativa, donde mencionan a los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada, es necesaria en aquellos pacientes con afectación del lenguaje y del habla. Estos dispositivos no están mencionados explícitamente en el Programa Médico Obligatorio, el Sistema Único de Reintegro de la Superintendencia de Servicios de Salud o la Ley de discapacidad de Argentina, ni en ninguna de las políticas de cobertura de los países de Latinoamérica relevadas. De las políticas de cobertura de países de altos ingresos relevadas, solo Estados Unidos y Reino Unido mencionan los dispositivos generadores de voz controlados con la mirada para las indicaciones evaluadas. No se hallaron estudios económicos (ni para Argentina ni para otros países) por lo que su costo-efectividad o impacto presupuestario resulta incierta.

An Implementation Research Approach to Re-orient Health Supply Chains Toward an Equity Agenda in the COVID-19 Era.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed critical inequities in global healthcare supply chains and the need for these systems to be analyzed and reoriented with an equity lens. Implementation research methodology can guide the use of evidence-based interventions to re-orient health supply chains towards equity and optimize health outcomes. Using this approach, private and public sector entities can adapt their strategies to focus not just on efficiency and cost savings but ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to essential medications, vaccines, and supplies. Findings can inform regulations that address supply chain inequities at the global level, strengthen existing systems to fill structural gaps at the national level, and address contextual challenges at the subnational level. This methodology can help account for historical practices from prior health initiatives, identify contemporary barriers and facilitators for positive change, and have applicability to the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing vaccine distribution efforts. An implementation research approach is critical in equipping health supply chains with a path for more resilient and equitable distribution of necessary supplies, vaccines, and delivery of care.