Expanding health access in the more vulnerable region in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: is this a reflection of the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program? / Ampliação do acesso à saúde na região mais vulnerável do estado de São Paulo, Brasil: reflexo do Programa Mais Médicos?

The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program seeks to broaden access to health by providing medical professionals, investments in health units and multi-professional integration geared to the Family Health Strategy. Vale do Ribeira includes 25 cities and is among the most vulnerable regions in São Paulo. It has been allocated 41 physicians from the Program. This study is to evaluate access to health, comparing health indicators before and after the Program. We collected data from DATASUS, SIAB, and the Ministry of Health. There was a marked increase in the number of appointments for infants under one year of age, adults, the elderly, STD/HIV patients and group patient care. There was a decrease in appointments outside the catchment area, as well as hospital admissions for other causes, mothers exclusively breastfeeding their infants up to four months. We concluded that after deployment of the Program, there was an increase in health access and health promotion focused on an area that presents an enormous challenge for Primary Health Care (PHC). It would seem that, since this is a high vulnerability area with a large area for care, hospital admissions for PHC care-sensitive conditions, as well as referrals for secondary services, did not decrease.

Ampliação do acesso à saúde na região mais vulnerável do estado de São Paulo, Brasil: reflexo do Programa Mais Médicos? / Expanding health access in the more vulnerable region in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: is this a reflection of the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program?

Resumo O Programa Mais Médicos visa ampliar o acesso à saúde em áreas provendo profissionais médicos, investimentos nas unidades de saúde e integração multiprofissional voltada à Estratégia de Saúde da Família. O Vale do Ribeira abriga 25 municípios e figura entre as regiões mais vulneráveis do estado e recebeu 41 médicos do PMM. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar o acesso à saúde, comparando indicadores de produção, marcadores e situação de saúde antes e depois da implementação do PMM. Foram coletados dados do DATASUS, SIAB e Ministério da Saúde. Houve aumento em número de consultas de crianças menores de um ano, adultos, idosos, DST/AIDS e atendimento em grupos. Houve redução no número de consultas fora de área de abrangência, de hospitalizações por outras causas e no aleitamento materno exclusivo até quatro meses. Concluímos que após a implementação do programa houve melhora no acesso à saúde e no trabalho de promoção de saúde focado no território, um grande desafio na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Supõe-se que por se tratar de área de alta vulnerabilidade e pressão assistencial, as internações por causas sensíveis à APS, assim como o encaminhamento aos serviços secundários, não tenham sido reduzidas a curto prazo.

Abstract The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program seeks to broaden access to health by providing medical professionals, investments in health units and multi-professional integration geared to the Family Health Strategy. Vale do Ribeira includes 25 cities and is among the most vulnerable regions in São Paulo. It has been allocated 41 physicians from the Program. This study is to evaluate access to health, comparing health indicators before and after the Program. We collected data from DATASUS, SIAB, and the Ministry of Health. There was a marked increase in the number of appointments for infants under one year of age, adults, the elderly, STD/HIV patients and group patient care. There was a decrease in appointments outside the catchment area, as well as hospital admissions for other causes, mothers exclusively breastfeeding their infants up to four months. We concluded that after deployment of the Program, there was an increase in health access and health promotion focused on an area that presents an enormous challenge for Primary Health Care (PHC). It would seem that, since this is a high vulnerability area with a large area for care, hospital admissions for PHC care-sensitive conditions, as well as referrals for secondary services, did not decrease.

Switching from oral risperidone to flexibly dosed oral paliperidone extended-release: core symptoms, satisfaction, and quality of life in patients with stable but symptomatic schizophrenia: the RISPALI study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the effects of switching from oral risperidone to flexibly dosed oral paliperidone extended-release (ER) in Brazilian adults with schizophrenia because of lack of efficacy, intolerability, or nonadherence after a minimum trial of 30 days on adequate (labeled) doses of oral risperidone, according to individual clinical judgment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total scores above 78, and/or intolerable adverse effects, with risperidone received open-label paliperidone ER 3 to 12 mg daily for 26 (main phase) to 52 (extension phase) weeks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01010776. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat (efficacy) populations comprised 213 subjects in the main phase and 159 in the extension phase. Of 213 subjects with baseline and post-baseline efficacy data, 154 (72.3%) switched from risperidone to paliperidone ER because of a lack of efficacy and 59 (27.7%) because of tolerability issues, according to individual clinical judgment. Paliperidone ER significantly (p < 0.0500) improved a broad spectrum of efficacy endpoints from baseline, as early as the first post-baseline visit (Visit 2; 4 weeks) and persisting through 26 to 52 weeks. On most efficacy endpoints, function improved from baseline to the first post-baseline visit (week 4) and remained significantly improved compared to baseline at each visit for paliperidone ER treatment, at weeks 8, 13, 26, 39, 26, and 52; data are reported herein mainly for 26 and 52 weeks compared to baseline. Significant improvements from baseline were observed for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score and subscale scores (each p < 0.0001 at 26 and 52 weeks vs. baseline); and personal and social functioning (p < 0.0001 at 26 and 52 weeks). Paliperidone ER also significantly improved health-related quality of life (Short-Form 36) from baseline, particularly on the Mental Component Summary (p = 0.0011 at 26 weeks and p = 0.0019 at 52 weeks). Treatment with paliperidone ER also significantly improved (vs. baseline) sleep quality (according to decreases on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; p < 0.0001 at each visit vs. baseline) and disease severity (Clinical Global Impression-Severity; p < 0.0001 at each visit vs. baseline). Paliperidone ER was well tolerated. Adverse events occurring in at least 10% of subjects in either phase were insomnia (14.9% in the main phase and 8.8% in the extension phase); increased body weight (10.7% and 12.6%, respectively); and anxiety (10.7% and 2.5%). Most of these adverse events were: 1) rated as mild or moderate; 2) did not prompt interventions such as paliperidone ER dose adjustment or interruption; and 3) decreased in frequency from the main to the extension phase. CONCLUSIONS: Oral paliperidone ER is a rational treatment alternative for patients with schizophrenia whose antipsychotic regimens are switched because of unsuccessful treatment with oral risperidone according to individual clinical judgment. Study limitations included the open-label study design, lack of placebo, and use of subjective clinical judgment to determine lack of efficacy, intolerability, or nonadherence with oral risperidone.

Is impulsivity a common trait in bipolar and unipolar disorders?

OBJECTIVES: Impulsivity is increased in bipolar and unipolar disorders during episodes and is associated with substance abuse disorders and suicide risk. Impulsivity between episodes predisposes to relapses and poor therapeutic compliance. However, there is little information about impulsivity during euthymia in mood disorders. We sought to investigate trait impulsivity in euthymic bipolar and unipolar disorder patients, comparing them to healthy individuals and unaffected relatives of bipolar disorder patients. METHODS: Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11A) in 54 bipolar disorder patients, 25 unipolar disorder patients, 136 healthy volunteers, and 14 unaffected relatives. The BIS-11A mean scores for all four groups were compared through the Games-Howell test for all possible pairwise combinations. Additionally, we compared impulsivity in bipolar and unipolar disorder patients with and without a history of suicide attempt and substance abuse disorder. RESULTS: Bipolar and unipolar disorder patients scored significantly higher than the healthy controls and unaffected relatives on all measures of the BIS-11A except for attentional impulsivity. On the attentional impulsivity measures there were no differences among the unaffected relatives and the bipolar and unipolar disorder groups, but all three of these groups scored higher than the healthy participant group. There was no difference in impulsivity between bipolar and unipolar disorder subjects with and without suicide attempt. However, impulsivity was higher among bipolar and unipolar disorder subjects with past substance use disorder compared to patients without such a history. CONCLUSIONS: Questionnaire-measured impulsivity appears to be relatively independent of mood state in bipolar and unipolar disorder patients; it remains elevated in euthymia and is higher in individuals with past substance abuse. Elevated attentional and lower non-planning impulsivity in unaffected relatives of bipolar disorder patients distinguished them from healthy participants, suggesting that increased attentional impulsivity may predispose to development of affective disorders, while reduced attentional impulsivity may be protective.

Relação entre temperamento, caráter e bem-estar subjetivo: estudo em uma amostra de sujeitos saudáveis / Relationship between temperament, character, and subjective well-being: study in a sample of healthy volunteers

Bem-estar subjetivo (BES) é um conceito amplo que representa a satisfação com a vida e inclui a saúde física e mental. O BES é composto por dois componentes: afetivo e cognitivo. A personalidade está entre os fatores responsáveis pela promoção e manutenção de BES e tem sido avaliada por testes que abrangem apenas os aspectos afetivos do BES. Uma avaliação mais completa é representada pelo modelo psicobiológico de Cloninger, que engloba também os fatores de desenvolvimento da personalidade (caráter). Apenas dois estudos utilizaram esse modelo e em ambos caráter foi fortemente associado a bem-estar, porém não está claro se essa associação representa um padrão específico das culturas estudadas. Objetivos: 1) Avaliar quais dimensões de temperamento e caráter estão associadas aos aspectos afetivos e não afetivos do bem-estar subjetivo; 2) Avaliar como fatores sociodemográficos se associam ao bem-estar em nossa amostra; 3) Avaliar se diferenças de personalidade entre os gêneros atuam sobre BES. Método: Estudo transversal realizado em uma amostra de conveniência. Participaram 273 voluntários saudáveis que responderam ao Inventário de Temperamento e Caráter, a subescala de afetos positivos e negativos da Escala de Bem-Estar Subjetivo, a Escala de Satisfação com a Vida e a Brasil Short Form-36 itens (BR-SF-36). As variáveis categoriais foram analisadas por teste qui-quadrado e as demais por teste t de Student ou Mann-Whitney. A relação entre as variáveis de bem-estar e as variáveis explicativas (personalidade, sociodemográficas e de saúde) foi analisada por modelos de regressão linear multivariada. Resultados: Os aspectos afetivos do BES estiveram associados a saúde mental, ser casado, morar em Sorocaba, possuir objetivos, conhecer e aceitar defeitos e qualidades, e baixos escores em esquiva ao dano e autotrancendência...

Subjective well-being (SWB) is a broad concept that represents satisfaction with life and includes physical and mental health. SWB is composed by two components: affective and cognitive. Personality is one of the factors responsible to promote and maintain SWB, and has been evaluated by tests that encompass only the affective aspects of SWB. A more complete evaluation is represented by Cloningers psychobiological model, which also encompass the factors of development of personality (character). Only two studies used this model, and in both character was strongly associated with well-being, however, is not clear if this kind of association represents a specific cultural pattern present in that cultures. Objectives: 1) To evaluate which dimensions of temperament and character are associated with affective and non-affective aspects of subjective well-being; 2) Evaluate how sociodemographic factors are associated with well-being in our sample; 3) Evaluate if gender differences in personality act over SWB. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in a convenience sample. 273 healthy volunteers answered the Temperament and Character Inventory, the subscale of positive and negative affects of the Subjective Well-Being Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Brazil Short Form-36 items (SF-BR-36). The categorical variables were analyzed by chi-square, the other variables by t-test or Mann-Whitney test. The relationship between wellbeing variables and the explanatory (personality, sociodemographic and health) was analyzed by multivariate linear regression models...

Validity of a frustration-induction procedure

OBJECTIVE: To test a reliable and easily administered frustration-induction procedure for experimental research. METHOD: One hundred volunteers (81 women, mean age ± SD 34.2 ± 8 years) physically and psychiatrically healthy submitted to the frustration induction procedure were prevented from reaching reward level scores. Subjective aggressiveness feelings related to frustration were self-rated in a 13-item visual analogue scale before and after the procedure. RESULTS: Significant increases in aggressiveness-related feelings were detected in 12 of the 13 items. This was consistent with the observed overt behavior of the subjects during the task. CONCLUSIONS: The frustration-induction procedure is a simple, easy to administer frustration-induction procedure that can be used in experimental studies in normal subjects.

OBJETIVO: Testar um procedimento de indução de frustração confiável e de simples aplicação para a pesquisa experimental. MÉTODO: Cem voluntários (81 mulheres, idade média ± DP 34,2 ± 8 anos), física e psiquiatricamente saudáveis, submetidos ao procedimento de indução de frustração, foram impedidos de atingir escores de recompensa. Os sentimentos de agressividade subjetivos relacionados à frustração foram autoclassificados em um escala analógica visual de 13 itens antes e após o procedimento. RESULTADOS: Foram detectados aumentos significativos nos sentimentos relacionados à agressividade em 12 dos 13 itens. Isto foi consistente com o comportamento manifestado pelos indivíduos e observado durante a tarefa. CONCLUSÕES: O procedimento de indução de frustração é simples, facilmente aplicável e que pode ser utilizado em estudos experimentais com indivíduos normais.

Validity of a frustration-induction procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To test a reliable and easily administered frustration-induction procedure for experimental research. METHOD: One hundred volunteers (81 women, mean age +/- SD 34.2 +/- 8 years) physically and psychiatrically healthy submitted to the frustration induction procedure were prevented from reaching reward level scores. Subjective aggressiveness feelings related to frustration were self-rated in a 13-item visual analogue scale before and after the procedure. RESULTS: Significant increases in aggressiveness-related feelings were detected in 12 of the 13 items. This was consistent with the observed overt behavior of the subjects during the task. CONCLUSIONS: The frustration-induction procedure is a simple, easy to administer frustration-induction procedure that can be used in experimental studies in normal subjects.