Challenges and lessons from a primary care intervention in a Brazilian municipality

OBJECTIVE: To address the implementation of the Lab for Innovation in Chronic Conditions in Santo Antonio do Monte, indicating the main challenges and lessons of a new chronic condition model. METHODS: This is an observational study based on two sources of data: 1) two cross-sectional household surveys, 2013 (2012 as reference year) and 2015 (2014 as reference year), representative for the entire population and four target groups (pregnant women; children under two years old; individuals with hypertension and diabetes); medical records of individuals who self-reported having hypertension or diabetes in the household survey of 2013. A descriptive statistics analysis was performed. RESULTS: The main findings showed that the public health system is the main provider of health services, mainly primary care, in Santo Antonio do Monte. Besides, the implementation of Lab for Innovation in Chronic Conditions showed the importance of building a Primary Health Care network in small municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: Community health agents and health managers played a fundamental role in the Primary Health Care network. The case study of Santo Antonio do Monte poses some challenges and lessons that clarify future interventions on building a Primary Health Care network that is essential to provide an adequate and longitudinal care to chronic conditions

Doença falciforme e qualidade de vida: um estudo da percepção subjetiva dos pacientes da Fundação Hemominas, Minas Gerais, Brasil Sickle cell disease and quality of life: a study on the subjective perception of patients from the Fundação Hemominas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Na presente investigação, buscou-se pesquisar se o conceito de qualidade de vida, preconizado pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) poderia ser utilizado para pacientes com doença falciforme (DF), uma vez que se apresenta como um problema de saúde pública no país. Utilizou-se uma abordagem qualitativa com a seguinte questão norteadora na entrevista: "Para você o que é QV?". De acordo com o relato dos pacientes, procurou-se identificar a presença dos domínios físico, psicológico, nível de independência, relações sociais, meio ambiente e espiritualidade/crenças pessoais na representação da QV. Participaram do estudo 25 pacientes, dos quais 80% eram portadores da hemoglobina SS (HbSS) e 20% com hemoglobina SC (HbSC). A média da idade encontrada foi de 33,3 anos, 56% eram do sexo feminino e 44% eram casados(as). Em relação à escolaridade, 44% atingiram até 11 anos de estudo e 56% até 8 anos. A DF representou, para 72%, impedimento para o trabalho, o que revela seu impacto negativo no desenvolvimento das habilidades laborais. Todos os domínios de QV preconizados pela OMS foram detectados no relato dos participantes: domínio físico em 84%, psicológico e relações sociais em 76%, nível de independência em 60%, meio ambiente em 52% e espiritualidade/crenças pessoais em 4% deles. Os aspectos referentes à multidimensionalidade e à subjetividade, apresentados no conceito de QV preconizado pela OMS, e representados pelos seus domínios, podem ser tomados como norteadores de estudos que envolvam o conceito de QV em pacientes com DF.<br>This study aimed at investigating whether the concept of quality of life advocated by the World Health Organization can be applied to sickle cell patients, as this disease is an important public health problem in the country. A qualitative approach was utilized with the following guide question in the interview: "What is quality of life for you?" According to the patients' replies, the following domains were identified: physical, psychological, level of independence, social relationships, environment and spirituality/personal beliefs. Twenty-five patients took part in the study, 80% had hemoglobin SS and 20% hemoglobin SC. The average age was 33.3 years old, 56% of the patients were women and 44% were married. In relation to schooling, 12% had concluded the 4th grade of elementary school and 24% completed high school. Sickle cell disease represented a barrier in respect to work for 72% of the patients, which demonstrates its negative impact on the development of the work capabilities of the individuals. All quality of life domains advocated by the WHO were present in the patients' replies: physical domain in 84%, psychological and social relationships in 76%, level of independence in 60%, environment in 52% and spirituality/personal believes in 4%. To conclude, the aspects referring to multidimensionality and subjectivity, presented in the quality of life concept advocated by the WHO and represented by their domains, can be taken as a guide for studies which involve the quality of life in sickle cell patients

Interview-based assessment of cognition is a strong predictor of quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and severe negative symptoms

Objective: To analyze the correlation between quality of life, symptoms, and cognition assessed by the interview-based Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS). Methods: Seventy-nine outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia were evaluated with the Quality of Life Scale – Brazilian version (QLS-BR), the SCoRS, and symptoms scales (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]). After determining the potential explanatory variables using Spearman’s correlation and Student’s t test results, we ran simple, multivariate, and decision-tree regression analyses to assess the impact of SCoRS and PANSS ratings on mean overall quality of life. Results: Cognitive deficits and negative symptoms were the best predictors of quality of life. A low degree of negative symptoms (PANSS negative < 11) was a strong predictor of better quality of life (QLS ∼ 75), regardless of SCoRS rating. Among participants with more severe negative symptoms, elevated cognitive impairment (interviewer SCoRS ∼ 44) was a predictor of worse quality of life (QLS ∼ 44). Conclusions: Cognitive impairment determined by interview-based assessment seems to be a strong predictor of quality of life in subjects with severe negative symptoms. These results support the usefulness of SCoRS for cognitive assessment that is relevant to the everyday life of patients with schizophrenia

Ordinal logistic regression models: application in quality of life studies Modelos de regressão logística ordinal: aplicação em estudo sobre qualidade de vida

Quality of life has been increasingly emphasized in public health research in recent years. Typically, the results of quality of life are measured by means of ordinal scales. In these situations, specific statistical methods are necessary because procedures such as either dichotomization or misinformation on the distribution of the outcome variable may complicate the inferential process. Ordinal logistic regression models are appropriate in many of these situations. This article presents a review of the proportional odds model, partial proportional odds model, continuation ratio model, and stereotype model. The fit, statistical inference, and comparisons between models are illustrated with data from a study on quality of life in 273 patients with schizophrenia. All tested models showed good fit, but the proportional odds or partial proportional odds models proved to be the best choice due to the nature of the data and ease of interpretation of the results. Ordinal logistic models perform differently depending on categorization of outcome, adequacy in relation to assumptions, goodness-of-fit, and parsimony.<br>O tema qualidade de vida tem ganhado ênfase nos últimos anos. Tipicamente os resultados da qualidade de vida são mensurados por meio de escalas ordinais. Procedimentos como dicotomizar a variável resposta e desconsiderar a ordenação geram perda de informação e podem ocasionar inferências incorretas. Para análise de dados ordinais, métodos estatísticos específicos são necessários, como modelos de regressão logística ordinal. A proposta deste trabalho é apresentar uma revisão dos modelos de chances proporcionais, de razão contínua, estereótipo e de chances proporcionais parciais. O ajuste, inferência estatística e comparação dos modelos são ilustrados com dados de um estudo sobre qualidade de vida realizado com 273 pacientes com esquizofrenia. Todos os modelos testados mostraram bom ajuste, mas o de chances proporcionais e o de chances proporcionais parciais foram os mais adequados pelo caráter dos dados utilizados e facilidade da interpretação dos resultados. Nem sempre todos os modelos são apropriados, daí a importância de uma escolha cuidadosa, baseada em vários fatores como caráter da variável ordinal, validade dos pressupostos, qualidade do ajuste e parcimônia

Intensive care unit professionals' knowledge and behavior related to the adoption of contact precautions Conocimiento y comportamiento de los profesionales de un centro de terapia intensiva en relación a la adopción de las precauciones de contacto Conhecimento e comportamento dos profissionais de um centro de terapia intensiva em relação à adoção das precauções de contato

This study aimed to assess the knowledge and behavior of professionals working in Intensive Care Units (ICU) related to the adoption of contact precautions for the control of hospital infections (HI). This cross-sectional study used a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were carried out, including logistic regression and decision tree using CHAID algorithm. A total of 102 professionals participated in the study, of whom 36.3% presented appropriate knowledge and 51% appropriate behavior in relation to HI control measures. Nursing professionals had almost four times more chance (OR = 3.58, CI 1.48-8.68) of presenting appropriate behavior than the remaining professionals. The multivariate analysis did not reveal variables associated with knowledge. No statistically significant association was found between knowledge and behavior (p = 0.196). These results suggest the need to implement educational activities so as to permit a balance between theory and professionals' practice concerning HI preventive measures, aiming to improve knowledge and behavior.<br>El objetivo fue evaluar el conocimiento y comportamiento de los profesionales de un CTI en relación a la adopción de precauciones de contacto para el control de las infecciones hospitalarias (IH). Se realizó estudio transversal, utilizando un cuestionario semiestructurado para recolección de datos. Fue realizado análisis descriptivo y multivariado (regresión logística y algoritmo CHAID). Participaron del estudio 102 profesionales, 36,3% presentaron conocimiento adecuado y 51% comportamiento adecuado para las medidas de control de IH. Los profesionales de enfermería presentaron casi cuatro veces más probabilidad (OR=3,58; IC; 1,48-8,68) de tener comportamiento adecuado que los demás profesionales. Ninguna variable fue asociada al conocimiento. No hubo asociación estadísticamente significativa entre conocimiento y comportamiento (p=0,196). Se evidenció la necesidad de implementar actividades de orientación capaces de permitir el equilibrio entre la teoría y la práctica de los profesionales en lo que se refiere a medidas de prevención de IH, con el objetivo de perfeccionar el conocimiento y el comportamiento.<br>Objetivou-se avaliar o conhecimento e comportamento dos profissionais de um CTI em relação à adoção das precauções de contato para o controle das infecções hospitalares (IH). Realizou-se estudo transversal, utilizando-se questionário semiestruturado para coleta de dados. Foi realizada análise descritiva e multivariada (regressão logística e algoritmo CHAID). Participaram do estudo 102 profissionais, 36,3% apresentaram conhecimento adequado e 51% comportamento adequado para as medidas de controle de IH. Profissionais de enfermagem apresentaram quase quatro vezes mais chance (OR=3,58; IC 1,48-8,68) de ter comportamento adequado que os demais profissionais. Nenhuma variável foi associada ao conhecimento. Não houve associação estatisticamente significativa entre conhecimento e comportamento (p=0,196). Evidencia-se a necessidade de implementar atividades de orientação capazes de permitir equilíbrio entre teoria e prática dos profissionais no tocante às medidas de prevenção de IH, visando aprimorar o conhecimento e o comportamento