A comprehensive assessment of care competence and maternal experience of first antenatal care visits in Mexico: Insights from the baseline survey of an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive antenatal care (ANC) must prioritize competent, evidence-based medical attention to ensure a positive experience and value for its users. Unfortunately, there is scarce evidence of implementing this holistic approach to ANC in low- and middle-income countries, leading to gaps in quality and accountability. This study assessed care competence, women's experiences during the first ANC visit, and the factors associated with these care attributes. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The study analyzed cross-sectional baseline data from the maternal eCohort study conducted in Mexico from August to December 2023. The study adapted the Quality Evidence for Health System Transformation (QuEST) network questionnaires to the Mexican context and validated them through expert group and cognitive interviews with women. Pregnant women aged 18 to 49 who had their first ANC visit with a family physician were enrolled in 48 primary clinics of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social across 8 states. Care competence and women's experiences with care were the primary outcomes. The statistical analysis comprised descriptive statistics, multivariable linear and Poisson regressions. A total of 1,390 pregnant women were included in the study. During their first ANC visit, women received only 67.7% of necessary clinical actions on average, and 52% rated their ANC experience as fair or poor. Women with previous pregnancies (adjusted regression coefficient [aCoef.] -3.55; (95% confidence intervals [95% CIs]): -4.88, -2.22, p < 0.001), at risk of depression (aCoef. -3.02; 95% CIs: -5.61, -0.43, p = 0.023), those with warning signs (aCoef. -2.84; 95% CIs: -4.65, -1.03, p = 0.003), common pregnancy discomforts (aCoef. -1.91; 95% CIs: -3.81, -0.02, p = 0.048), or those who had a visit duration of less than 20 minutes (<15 minutes: aCoef. -7.58; 95% CIs: -10.21, -4.95, p < 0.001 and 15 to 19 minutes: aCoef. -2.73; 95% CIs: -4.79, -0.67, p = 0.010) and received ANC in the West and Southeast regions (aCoef. -5.15; 95% CIs: -7.64, -2.66, p < 0.001 and aCoef. -5.33; 95% CIs: -7.85, -2.82, p < 0.001, respectively) had a higher probability of experiencing poorer care competence. Higher care competence (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.004; 95% CIs:1.002, 1.005, p < 0.001) and receiving care in a small clinic (aPR 1.19; 95% CIs: 1.06, 1.34, p = 0.003) compared to a medium-sized clinic were associated with a better first ANC visit experience, while common pregnancy discomforts (aPR 0.94; 95% CIs: 0.89, 0.98, p = 0.005) and shorter visit length (aPR 0.94; 95% CIs: 0.88, 0.99, p = 0.039) were associated with lower women's experience. The primary limitation of the study is that participants' responses may be influenced by social desirability bias, leading them to provide socially acceptable responses. CONCLUSIONS: We found important gaps in adherence to ANC standards and that care competence during the first ANC visit is an important predictor of positive user experience. To inform quality improvement efforts, IMSS should institutionalize the routine monitoring of ANC competencies and ANC user experience. This will help identify poorly performing facilities and providers and address gaps in the provision of evidence-based and women-centered care.

Users' perception of quality as a driver of private healthcare use in Mexico: Insights from the People's Voice Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The Mexican government has pursued multiple initiatives to improve healthcare coverage and financial protection. Yet, out-of-pocket health spending and use of private sector providers in Mexico remains high. In this paper, we sought to describe the characteristics of public and private healthcare users, describe recent visit quality across provider types, and to assess whether perceiving the public healthcare sector as poor quality is associated with private health sector use. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed the cross-sectional People's Voice Survey conducted from December 2022 to January 2023. We used Chi-square tests to compare contextual, individual, and need-for-care factors and ratings of most recent visits between users of public (social security and other public providers) and private sector providers (stand-alone private providers and providers adjacent to pharmacies). We used a multivariable Poisson regression model to assess associations between low ratings of public healthcare sources and the use of private care. Among the 811 respondents with a healthcare visit in the past year, 31.2% used private sources. Private healthcare users were more educated and had higher incomes than public healthcare users. Quality of most recent visit was rated more highly in private providers (70.2% rating the visit as excellent or very good for stand-alone private providers and 54.3% for pharmacy-adjacent doctors) compared to social security (41.6%) and other public providers (46.6%). Those who perceived public health institutions as low quality had a higher probability of seeking private healthcare. CONCLUSION: Users rated public care visits poorly relative to private care; at the population level, perceptions of poor quality care may drive private care use and hence out-of-pocket costs. Improving public healthcare quality is necessary to ensure universal health coverage.

The Neglected Problem of Obesity during Pregnancy in Mexico: Secondary Data Analysis of the 2018 National Survey of Health and Nutrition.

OBJECTIVES: To compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among obese and non-obese women in Mexico and analyze the association between obesity and pregnancy complications. METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the 2018-2019 Mexican National Survey of Health and Nutrition. We included women aged 20-49 years who had at least one live birth in the five years preceding the survey (n = 1573). We performed a double-weighted (by IP-weights and survey-weights) multilevel multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Obesity was prevalent in 32% of pregnant women. Obese and non-obese women received similar antenatal care. 42.6% of obese women, compared to 33.6% of non-obese had one or more pregnancy or labor complications. Compared with non-obese women, obese women were older and had more chronic diseases. Obesity was associated with a 48% increase in the probability of complications. CONCLUSION: Due to the high prevalence of obesity among Mexican women of reproductive age and given the independent association between obesity and complications during pregnancy and labor, the development and implementation of specific clinical guidelines on weight management before conception, during pregnancy, and post-partum for women who are obese is an unmet need in Mexico.

Challenges for Peritoneal Dialysis Centers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.

AIM: We aimed at performing a situation analysis to identify challenges that Mexico's peritoneal dialysis centers (PDCs) have faced before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: From May-August 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional nationwide online survey with the heads of 136 PDCs at the Mexican Institute of Social Security. The survey gathered information about PDCs characteristics and the adaptations and challenges they faced before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The response rate to the survey was 79.5% (136 out of 171 PDCs). We used descriptive statistics to analyze the data. RESULTS: The survey responses suggest wide variations between PDCs regarding their number of patients, healthcare staff availability, and compliance with the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis recommendations. In the pre-pandemic period, PDCs faced staff shortages (71.3%); scarcity of supplies (39.0%); catheter dysfunctions (29.4%); poor patient adherence to peritoneal dialysis (PD) (28.6%); and lack of patient support networks (25.7%). During the pandemic, PDCs faced emergent challenges, such as losing designated PDC areas within hospitals (61.0%), and staff and supply shortages (60.2%, 41.1%, respectively) because of a reallocation of human and physical resources towards the COVID-19 response. The pandemic prompted 86.7% of PDCs to implement preventive public health measures, delay non-urgent consultations and procedures (63.6%), and introduce telemedicine (37.3%). Additionally, fewer patients visited PDCs because of their fear of COVID-19 contagion (36.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Actions are urgently needed to ensure adherence to evidence-based PD guidelines and sufficient resources, including trained staff, supplies, and designated spaces to strengthen PDCs and provide safe and effective PD.

[Factors associated with a lack of postnatal care]. / Factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal materno.

Background: Postnatal care is essential to identify and treat at the appropriate time adverse health events in the puerperium. In Mexico, the factors that affect postnatal care have not been documented. Objective: To identify the factors associated with the lack of postnatal care. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study of 202 women of reproductive age affiliated with six primary care clinics of the Mexican Institute for Social Security. We analyzed these factors: (1) sociodemographic: age, education, schooling, distance between home and clinic; (2) psychosocial: social support; (3) obstetric and gynecologic: number of pregnancies, type of delivery, presence of comorbidity and suspected depression, and (4) health services: deficient prenatal control and incomplete postpartum hospital care. We performed multiple Poisson regression with a robust variance. Results: 49.5% of women had postnatal control. Factors associated with a higher probability of lack of postnatal control were: distance ≥ 5 km between home and clinic (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), poor prenatal care (aPR 1.21, 95% CI 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049), and incomplete postpartum care (aPR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The low attendance of postnatal care in primary care clinics highlights the need to seek and implement feasible healthcare alternatives, such as home care or telemedicine, to women who cannot attend to postnatal consultations.

Introducción: el control posnatal es esencial para identificar y tratar oportunamente las afecciones de salud de la mujer en el puerperio. En México no se han documentado los factores que limitan la atención posnatal. Objetivo: identificar los factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal. Material y métodos: estudio transversal con 202 mujeres en edad reproductiva adscritas a seis clínicas de atención primaria del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Analizamos los siguientes factores: (1) sociodemográficos: edad, escolaridad, distancia entre domicilio y clínica de atención; (2) psicosociales: apoyo social; (3) ginecoobstétricos: número de embarazos, tipo de parto, presencia de comorbilidad y sospecha de depresión; (4) servicios de salud: control prenatal deficiente y atención hospitalaria posparto incompleta. El análisis incluyó regresión múltiple de Poisson con varianza robusta. Resultados: 49.5% de las mujeres acudieron a control posnatal. Los factores asociados con mayor probabilidad de falta de control prenatal fueron: distancia ≥ 5 km entre domicilio y clínica de atención (razones de prevalencia ajustadas [RPa] 1.48, intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), control prenatal deficiente (RPa 1.21, IC 95% 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049) y atención posparto incompleta (RPa 1.42, IC 95% 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusiones: la baja asistencia a control posnatal en las clínicas de atención primaria destaca la necesidad de buscar e implementar alternativas factibles, como teleasistencia y consultas a domicilio, para facilitar que las mujeres que viven lejos de su clínica de atención primaria reciban atención posnatal.

Factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal materno / Factors associated with a lack of postnatal care

Introducción: el control posnatal es esencial para identificar y tratar oportunamente las afecciones de salud de la mujer en el puerperio. En México no se han documentado los factores que limitan la atención posnatal. Objetivo: identificar los factores asociados a la falta de control posnatal. Material y métodos: estudio transversal con 202 mujeres en edad reproductiva adscritas a seis clínicas de atención primaria del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Analizamos los siguientes factores: (1) sociodemográficos: edad, escolaridad, distancia entre domicilio y clínica de atención; (2) psicosociales: apoyo social; (3) ginecoobstétricos: número de embarazos, tipo de parto, presencia de comorbilidad y sospecha de depresión; (4) servicios de salud: control prenatal deficiente y atención hospitalaria posparto incompleta. El análisis incluyó regresión múltiple de Poisson con varianza robusta. Resultados: 49.5% de las mujeres acudieron a control posnatal. Los factores asociados con mayor probabilidad de falta de control prenatal fueron: distancia ≥ 5 km entre domicilio y clínica de atención (razones de prevalencia ajustadas [RPa] 1.48, intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), control prenatal deficiente (RPa 1.21, IC 95% 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049) y atención posparto incompleta (RPa 1.42, IC 95% 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusiones: la baja asistencia a control posnatal en las clínicas de atención primaria destaca la necesidad de buscar e implementar alternativas factibles, como teleasistencia y consultas a domicilio, para facilitar que las mujeres que viven lejos de su clínica de atención primaria reciban atención posnatal

Background: Postnatal care is essential to identify and treat at the appropriate time adverse health events in the puerperium. In Mexico, the factors that affect postnatal care have not been documented. Objective: To identify the factors associated with the lack of postnatal care. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study of 202 women of reproductive age affiliated with six primary care clinics of the Mexican Institute for Social Security. We analyzed these factors: (1) sociodemographic: age, education, schooling, distance between home and clinic; (2) psychosocial: social support; (3) obstetric and gynecologic: number of pregnancies, type of delivery, presence of comorbidity and suspected depression, and (4) health services: deficient prenatal control and incomplete postpartum hospital care. We performed multiple Poisson regression with a robust variance. Results: 49.5% of women had postnatal control. Factors associated with a higher probability of lack of postnatal control were: distance ≥ 5 km between home and clinic (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.16-1.88, p = 0.001), poor prenatal care (aPR 1.21, 95% CI 1.001-1.46, p = 0.049), and incomplete postpartum care (aPR 1.42, 95% CI 1.23-1.63, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The low attendance of postnatal care in primary care clinics highlights the need to seek and implement feasible healthcare alternatives, such as home care or telemedicine, to women who cannot attend to postnatal consultations

Disruption in essential health services in Mexico during COVID-19: an interrupted time series analysis of health information system data.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health systems around the world. The objectives of this study are to estimate the overall effect of the pandemic on essential health service use and outcomes in Mexico, describe observed and predicted trends in services over 24 months, and to estimate the number of visits lost through December 2020. METHODS: We used health information system data for January 2019 to December 2020 from the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), which provides health services for more than half of Mexico's population-65 million people. Our analysis includes nine indicators of service use and three outcome indicators for reproductive, maternal and child health and non-communicable disease services. We used an interrupted time series design and linear generalised estimating equation models to estimate the change in service use and outcomes from April to December 2020. Estimates were expressed using average marginal effects on the risk ratio scale. RESULTS: The study found that across nine health services, an estimated 8.74 million patient visits were lost in Mexico. This included a decline of over two thirds for breast and cervical cancer screenings (79% and 68%, respectively), over half for sick child visits and female contraceptive services, approximately one-third for childhood vaccinations, diabetes, hypertension and antenatal care consultations, and a decline of 10% for deliveries performed at IMSS. In terms of patient outcomes, the proportion of patients with diabetes and hypertension with controlled conditions declined by 22% and 17%, respectively. Caesarean section rate did not change. CONCLUSION: Significant disruptions in health services show that the pandemic has strained the resilience of the Mexican health system and calls for urgent efforts to resume essential services and plan for catching up on missed preventive care even as the COVID-19 crisis continues in Mexico.

Factors associated with COVID-19 preventive health behaviors among the general public in Mexico City and the State of Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors associated with COVID-19 preventive health behaviors among adults in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from June to October 2020 through a structured, internet-based questionnaire in a non-probabilistic sample of adults >18 years living in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. The independent variables included sociodemographic and clinical factors; health literacy; access to COVID-19 information; and perception of COVID-19 risk and of preventive measures' effectiveness. The dependent variable was COVID-19 preventive health behaviors, defined as the number of preventive actions adopted by participants. The data were analyzed through multivariate negative binomial regression analysis. The survey was completed by 1,030 participants. Most participants were women (70.7%), had a high school or above level of education (98.8%), and had adequate health literacy and access to COVID-19 information. Only 18% perceived having a high susceptibility to COVID-19, though 83.8% recognized the disease's severity and 87.1% the effectiveness of preventive measures. The median number of COVID-19 preventive actions was 13.5 (range 0-19). The factors associated with preventive health behavior were being female, of older age, a professional worker, a homemaker, or a retiree; engaging in regular physical exercise; having high health literacy and access to COVID-19 information sources; and perceiving COVID-19 as severe and preventive measures as effective. CONCLUSION: People with high education and internet access in Mexico City and the State of Mexico reported significant engagement in COVID-19 preventive actions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Survival in Children Covered by Seguro Popular in Mexico: A National Comprehensive Analysis 2005-2017.

The aim of the study was to measure survival of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) under Mexico's public health insurance for the population treated under Seguro Popular. A retrospective cohort study using claims data from Mexico's Seguro Popular program, covering cancer treatment from 2005 to 2015 was conducted. Overall 5-year national and state-specific survival for children with ALL across Mexico who initiated cancer treatment under this program was estimated. From 2005 to 2015, 8,977 children with ALL initiated treatment under Seguro Popular. Under this financing scheme, the annual number of treated children doubled from 535 in 2005 to 1,070 in 2015. The estimates for 5-year overall survival of 61.8% (95%CI 60.8, 62.9) remained constant over time. We observed wide gaps in risk-standardized 5-year overall survival among states ranging from 74.7% to 43.7%. We found a higher risk of mortality for children who received treatment in a non-pediatric specialty hospital (Hazards Ratio, HR = 1.18; 95%CI 1.09, 1.26), facilities without a pediatric oncology/hematology specialist (HR = 2.17; 95%CI 1.62, 2.90), and hospitals with low patient volume (HR = 1.22; 95%CI 1.13, 1.32). In a decade Mexico's Seguro Popular doubled access to ALL treatment for covered children and by 2015 financed the vast majority of estimated ALL cases for that population. While some progress in ALL survival may have been achieved, nationwide 5-year overall survival did not improve over time and did not achieve levels found in comparable countries. Our results provide lessons for Mexico's evolving health system and for countries moving toward universal health coverage.

Health care provider time in public primary care facilities in Lima, Peru: a cross-sectional time motion study.

BACKGROUND: In Peru, a majority of individuals bypass primary care facilities even for routine services. Efforts to strengthen primary care must be informed by understanding of current practice. We conducted a time motion assessment in primary care facilities in Lima with the goals of assessing the feasibility of this method in an urban health care setting in Latin America and of providing policy makers with empirical evidence on the use of health care provider time in primary care. METHODS: This cross-sectional continuous observation time motion study took place from July - September 2019. We used two-stage sampling to draw a sample of shifts for doctors, nurses, and midwives in primary health facilities and applied the Work Observation Method by Activity Timing tool to capture type and duration of provider activities over a 6-h shift. We summarized time spent on patient care, paper and electronic record-keeping, and non-work (personal and inactive) activities across provider cadres. Observations are weighted by inverse probability of selection. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-five providers were sampled from 60 facilities; 20% could not be observed due to provider absence (2% schedule error, 8% schedule change, 10% failure to appear). One hundred seventy-four of the 220 identified providers consented (79.1%) and were observed for a total of 898 h of provider time comprising 30,312 unique tasks. Outpatient shifts included substantial time on patient interaction (110, 82, and 130 min for doctors, nurses, and midwives respectively) and on paper records (132, 97, and 141 min) on average. Across all shifts, 1 in 6 h was spent inactive or on personal activities. Two thirds of midwives used computers compared to half of nurses and one third of doctors. CONCLUSIONS: The time motion study is a feasible method to capture primary care operations in Latin American countries and inform health system strengthening. In the case of Lima, absenteeism undermines health worker availability in primary care facilities, and inactive time further erodes health workforce availability. Productive time is divided between patient-facing activities and a substantial burden of paper-based record keeping for clinical and administrative purposes. Electronic health records remain incompletely integrated within routine care, particularly beyond midwifery.

Social inequalities in supportive care needs and quality of patient-centered care of cancer patients in Mexico.

PURPOSE: To evaluate educational and health insurance-related inequalities in supportive care (SC) needs and quality of patient-centered care (PCC) for cancer patients in Mexico. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in one Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and one Ministry of Health (MoH) oncology hospital in Mexico City. Formal labor market workers and their families have access to social health insurance that IMSS provides, while unemployed and informal workers receive care at the MoH. The study population comprised breast, colorectal, prostate, and hematologic cancer patients, aged ≥ 18 years, who attended outpatient consultations. Patients responded a short-form SC-needs questionnaire and a quality of PCC questionnaire. We used multiple logistic regression models to determine the independent association between educational attainment and high SC-needs and quality of PCC after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. RESULTS: We included 1058 IMSS and 606 MoH cancer patients. MoH patients perceived higher SC-needs and lower quality of PCC than IMSS patients. MoH patients with low education had a greater probability of high psychological and health system SC needs and lower likelihood of being informed for treatment decision-making and care for their biopsychosocial needs. IMSS patients with low educational levels had lower probability of receiving timely care and clarity of information than those with high education. Receiving high-quality PCC was associated with decreased SC needs. CONCLUSION: Uninsured cancer patients with low educational attainment have higher SC-needs and receive lower quality of PCC than their counterparts. Health services should face these challenges to reduce inequalities in Mexico.

Association of supportive care needs and quality of patient-centered cancer care with depression in women with breast and cervical cancer in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of depression, supportive care needs (SC-needs), and quality of patient-centered cancer care (PCC-quality) between women with breast cancer and women with cervical cancer and to assess the association of SC-needs and PCC-quality with depression. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a public oncology hospital in Mexico City with 247 breast cancer and 165 cervical cancer ambulatory patients aged ≥18 years with at least one hospitalization and ≤5 years since diagnosis. Participants completed the short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey, the Patient-Centered Quality of Cancer Care Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We performed multiple logistic regression analyses to evaluate the association between SC-needs, PCC-quality, and probable presence of depression. RESULTS: Nearly all women reported SC-needs-mainly health system and information needs, followed by physical and psychological needs. PCC-quality was substandard in both groups. PCC-quality was lowest when addressing biopsychosocial needs, followed by information for treatment decision-making needs. Cervical cancer patients had probable depression more often (41.2%) than those with breast cancer (29.5%). Having unmet psychological and care needs was associated with increased odds of probable depression, while high-quality timely care was associated with reduced odds of probable depression. CONCLUSION: In Mexico, women with cervical and breast cancer face unmet SC-needs, probable depression, and substandard PCC-quality, pointing to priority areas for improvements in cancer care.

Supportive care needs and quality of care of patients with lung cancer in Mexico: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To assess the supportive care needs (SC-needs), quality of patient-centered care (PCC), and factors associated with increased SC-needs of patients with lung cancer (LC) in Mexico. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in the main oncology hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Mexico City. The study included LC ambulatory patients aged ≥18 years with at least one hospitalization before the survey, ≤five years since diagnosis, and without memory loss. Participants answered SC-needs and quality of PCC questionnaires. We performed a multiple negative binomial regression analysis to evaluate the factors associated with an increased number of SC-needs. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight LC patients participated. Most participants had adenocarcinoma (61.7%) and were at an advanced disease stage (92.1%). In the month preceding the survey, 3.9% had undergone surgery and 78.9% had been receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy; 28.9% had symptoms of depression and 21.9% had anxiety. All patients reported one or more SC-needs-predominantly physical, daily living, information, and psychological needs. The significant gaps in PCC-quality were in the domains of care that addressed biopsychosocial needs and information for treatment decision-making. Factors that decreased the probability of SC-needs were respectful and coordinated care, high-school education, and older age. The factors increasing the likelihood of SCneeds were the type of LC (adenocarcinoma, mesenchymal tumors), chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and anxiety. CONCLUSION: PCC improvement initiatives to address SC-needs of LC patients should be prioritized and focus on: (1) information on physical suffering relief and treatment; (2) psychological support; and (3) SC-needs monitoring.

Gaps between supply and demand of acute myocardial infarction treatment in Mexico / Brechas entre la oferta y la demanda del tratamiento de infarto agudo al miocardio en México

Abstract Objective: To analyze acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admissions and in-hospital mortality rates and evaluate the competence of the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals to provide AMI treatment. Materials and methods: We used a mixed-methods approach: 1) Joinpoint analysis of hospitalizations and in-hospital mortality trends between 2005 and 2017; 2) a nation-wide cross-sectional MOH hospital survey. Results: AMI hospitalizations are increasing among men and patients aged >60 years; women have higher mortality rates. The survey included 527 hospitals (2nd level =471; 3rd level =56). We identified insufficient competence to diagnose AMI (2nd level 37%, 3rd level 51%), perform pharmacological perfusion (2nd level 8.7%, 3rd level 26.8%), and mechanical reperfusion (2nd level 2.8%, 3rd level 17.9%). Conclusions: There are wide disparities in demand, supply, and health outcomes of AMI in Mexico. It is advisable to build up the competence with gender and age perspectives in order to diagnose and manage AMI and reduce AMI mortality effectively.

Resumen Objetivo: Analizar las tendencias de admisiones y mortalidad hospitalaria por infarto agudo al miocardio (IAM) y evaluar la competencia hospitalaria de la Secretaría de Salud (SS) para tratarlo. Material y métodos. Enfoque de métodos mixtos: Jointpoint análisis de tendencias de hospitalizaciones y mortalidad hospitalaria entre 2005 y 2017, y encuesta en hospitales de la SS. Resultados: Las hospitalizaciones por IAM están aumentando entre hombres y pacientes >60 años. Las mujeres tienen mayor mortalidad. La encuesta incluyó 527 hospitales (2º nivel =471, 3er nivel =56). Los hospitales tienen competencias insuficientes para diagnosticar IAM (2º nivel 37%, 3er nivel 51%), realizar perfusión farmacológica (2º nivel 8.7%, 3er nivel 26.8%) y reperfusión mecánica (2º nivel 2.8%, 3er nivel 17.9%). Conclusiones: Existen disparidades en demanda, oferta y resultados en salud del IAM. Es aconsejable fortalecer las competencias, con perspectivas de género y edad, para diagnosticar y tratar IAM, y reducir su mortalidad efectivamente.

Experiences with health care and health-related quality of life of patients with hematologic malignancies in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs) are characterized by being at high risk and advanced stages at diagnosis and by having a low cure rate; yet information on their experiences with health care and health-related quality of life (HRQL) is scarce. We aimed to evaluate experiences with health care and HRQL of patients with HMs and the association between these patient-reported measures. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in two public oncology hospitals in Mexico City. The study included outpatient cancer patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. We used a patient-centered quality of cancer care questionnaire to assess patient experiences with receiving 1) timely care; 2) clear information; 3) information for treatment decision-making; 4) care to address biopsychosocial needs; and 5) respectful and coordinated care. We applied the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) to measure HRQL. We performed a multiple linear regression to evaluate the association between patient-reported experiences (independent variables) and the QLQ-C30 summary score (dependent variable). RESULTS: Of the 515 participating HM patients, 46.6% had lymphoma, 34% leukemia, and 19.4% multiple myeloma; 70.9% were at advanced stages or at high risk. Additionally, 15.1% had anxiety and 12.8% had depression. Over one third (35.9%) reported receiving clear information, 28.5% timely care, 20.6% information for treatment decision-making, 23.7% care that addressed their biopsychosocial needs, and 31% respectful and coordinated care. The mean QLQ-C30 summary score was 71.9 points. Timely care, clear information, and care that addresses biopsychosocial needs were associated with higher HRQL. CONCLUSIONS: Health care services for HM patients at public oncology hospitals in Mexico need improvement. Notably, providing timely care, clear information, and care that addresses patients' biopsychosocial needs can increase the likelihood of better HRQL. Health care providers should measure and improve the experiences of HM patients with health care.

Patient and health service factors associated with delays in cancer treatment for children without social security in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: The objective was to investigate factors associated with patient-related timing (PRT) to seek healthcare and health service-related timing (HSRT) to diagnose cancer and provide treatment to children without social security in Mexico. PROCEDURE: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 13 Ministry of Health hospitals in the states of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Mexico City, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, State of Mexico, and Tlaxcala. Study participants were parents of recently diagnosed pediatric cancer patients (≤ 17 years of age). Three groups of factors were investigated: (1) patients (child and parent characteristics); (2) healthcare providers (HCPs) (first-contact HCP, institution, perceptions of barriers to healthcare, etc.); and (3) disease factors (cancer type/site, stage/risk at diagnosis). PRT and HSRT-associated factors were identified using multiple negative binomial regressions. RESULTS: The study included 265 children; 49% sought care when symptoms first appeared. The median PRT was seven days, and the median HSRT was 40 days. Parents' perceptions of long wait times for appointments were associated with longer PRT and HSRT. Residing in the lowest or highest socioeconomic regions and persistent or worsening symptoms increased the probability of longer PRT. Older patient age, HCP requests for imaging tests or prescription for steroids, a higher number of doctors consulted, having a urinary tract cancer, and having an advanced stage or high-risk cancer increased the probability of longer HSRT. CONCLUSION: Strategies to shorten lag time from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment are urgently needed for childhood cancers in Mexico.

Gaps between supply and demand of acute myocardial infarction treatment in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admissions and in-hospital mortality rates and evaluate the competence of the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals to provide AMI treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach: 1) Joinpoint analysis of hos-pitalizations and in-hospital mortality trends between 2005 and 2017; 2) a nation-wide cross-sectional MOH hospital survey. RESULTS: AMI hospitalizations are increasing among men and patients aged >60 years; women have higher mortal-ity rates. The survey included 527 hospitals (2nd level =471; 3rdlevel =56). We identified insufficient competence to diagnose AMI (2nd level 37%, 3rd level 51%), perform pharmacological perfusion (2nd level 8.7%, 3rd level 26.8%), and mechanical reperfusion (2nd level 2.8%, 3rd level 17.9%). CONCLUSIONS: There are wide disparities in demand, supply, and health outcomes of AMI in Mexico. It is advisable to build up the competence with gender and age perspectives in order to di-agnose and manage AMI and reduce AMI mortality effectively.

OBJETIVO: Analizar las tendencias de admisiones y mortali-dad hospitalaria por infarto agudo al miocardio (IAM) y eva-luar la competencia hospitalaria de la Secretaría de Salud (SS) para tratarlo. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Enfoque de métodos mixtos: Jointpoint análisis de tendencias de hospitalizaciones y mortalidad hospitalaria entre 2005 y 2017, y encuesta en hospitales de la SS. RESULTADOS: Las hospitalizaciones por IAM están aumentando entre hombres y pacientes >60 años. Las mujeres tienen mayor mortalidad. La encuesta incluyó 527 hospitales (2º nivel =471, 3er nivel =56). Los hospitales tienen competencias insuficientes para diagnosticar IAM (2º nivel 37%, 3er nivel 51%), realizar perfusión farmacológica (2º nivel 8.7%, 3er nivel 26.8%) y reperfusión mecánica (2º nivel 2.8%, 3er nivel 17.9%). CONCLUSIONES: Existen disparidades en demanda, oferta y resultados en salud del IAM. Es aconsejable fortalecer las competencias, con perspectivas de género y edad, para diagnosticar y tratar IAM, y reducir su mortalidad efectivamente.