Perfil dos trabalhadores da atenção básica em saúde no município de São Paulo: região norte e central da cidade

Pesquisa do Observatório de Recursos Humanos em Saúde de São Paulo em 2009, com 87 UBS na região norte e centro da cidade. OBJETIVO: levantar o perfil dos trabalhadores das UBS, organizadas sob: Programas de Saúde, Saúde da Família e Mistas. METODOLOGIA: sexo, idade, naturalidade, escolaridade, formação, função e tempo de trabalho na UBS de 4.968 trabalhadores, e entrevistas com amostra de 621 trabalhadores, através do Sistema de Entrevista Telefônica Assistida por Computador (ETAC). RESULTADOS: 80,7% dos entrevistados eram mulheres, mas só 56,4% entre os médicos; 50,5% entre 21 e 40 anos de idade e 49,1% entre 41 e 60 anos; 61,4% naturais do município ; apresentaram escolaridade superior ao exigido para as funções exercidas; no nível superior, 13,9 % eram médicos; no médio, 21,3% eram auxiliares de enfermagem e, no operacional, 20,7% eram ACS; 40,1% trabalhavam na UBS há mais de 5 anos, 12,9% há mais de 10 anos e 6,3% há mais de 20 anos; 64,7% trabalhavam só na UBS, 46,7% tiveram experiência na área hospitalar; 92,3% dos que trabalhavam nas UBS de Programas de Saúde eram funcionários públicos estatutários e 77% dos das UBS de Saúde da família contratados via CLT, pelas instituições parceiras da SMS-SP. CONCLUSÕES: predominância de trabalhadores do sexo feminino; processos de consolidação e de renovação do contingente de trabalhadores, maioria natural do município de São Paulo, escolaridade superior à exigida para a função; predominância de médicos, auxiliares de enfermagem e agentes comunitários de saúde; processo de terceirização nas relações de trabalho.Research conducted by São Paulo's Observatory of Human Resources in Health in 2009. It investigated 87 unidades básicas de saúde (UBS - primary care units) located in the north and central regions of the city of São Paulo. OBJECTIVE: to survey the profile of the UBS workers. The UBS were organized under different models: Health Programs, Family Health and mixed. METHODOLOGY: information about the universe of 4,968 workers was surveyed in the SMSSP (Municipal Health Department of São Paulo) and interviews were conducted with a sample of 621 workers through the ETAC System (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview). RESULTS: 80.7% of the interviewees were women, but only 56.4% among the physicians; 50.5% were aged 21-40 years and 49.1% were aged 41-60 years; 61.4% were born in the city of São Paulo; a great deal of them presented a higher level of schooling than what was required to perform the functions; in the superior level, 13.9% were physicians; in the middle level, 21.3% were nursing assistants; and in the operational level, 20.7% were ACS (Community Health Agents); 40.1% had been working at the UBS for more than five years, 12.9% for more than 10 years and 6.3% for more than 20 years; 64.7% worked only at the UBS, 46.7% had had a previous experience in the hospital area; 92.3% of those who worked at the Health Programs UBS were statutory civil servants, and 77% of those of the Family Health UBS were hired through Brazil's Labor Laws, by the partner institutions of the SMSSP. CONCLUSIONS: predominance of female workers; process of consolidation and renewal of the quota of workers; the majority was born in the city of São Paulo and had a level of schooling that was higher than what was required for the function; predominance of doctors, nursing assistants and community health agents; outsourced contracts of employment

Família: representações sociais de trabalhadores da Estratégia Saúde da Família

A família vem ocupando um lugar central nas políticas públicas, principalmente no setor saúde, através da Estratégia Saúde da Família. Essa centralidade foi fruto de um processo histórico e cultural de significações, por vezes normativas, sobre a família. Nesse processo, situam-se os trabalhadores da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) enquanto atores sociais que constroem suas práticas e concepções sobre famílias dentro de uma realidade social permeada por contradições. Considerando as Representações Sociais como instrumento para identificação de uma realidade social, esse estudo se vale dessa abordagem para descrever as representações sociais de família construídas por trabalhadores da ESF. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde da Família da periferia de São Paulo, com um representante de cada categoria profissional que compõe as equipes de saúde da família. O material analisado demonstrou limitações no processo de formação dos trabalhadores no que se refere aos temas família e comunidade. As representações apontam para uma visão ampliada das configurações familiares, porém percebe-se uma desvalorização das camadas populares. São permeadas por sentimentos de angústia, principalmente quando se referem às famílias atendidas na ESF. Porém, podem-se vislumbrar possibilidades de construção de projetos de saúde eficazes, caso haja investimento na formação desses trabalhadores, visto que eles não se mostram indiferentes às necessidades de saúde das famílias atendidas na ESF.In Brazil, the family has been occupying a central place in public policies, mainly in the health sector, through Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF - Family Health Strategy). This centralization is the result of a historical and cultural process of significations which, at times, created regulations over the family. In this process, the ESF workers exist as social actors who construct their practices and concepts about families within a social reality permeated with contradictions. Considering Social Representations as an instrument to identify a social reality, this study uses this approach to describe the social representations of family constructed by ESF workers. The study was carried out in a primary health care unit located in the periphery of São Paulo, with a representative from each of the professional categories that compose the family health care teams. The analyzed material demonstrated limitations in the training process of the workers regarding the family and community theme. The representations show a wider view of family configurations, but an underestimation of the less privileged class is noted. These representations are permeated with feelings of anxiety, principally when the families referred to are the ones followed up by the ESF. However, possibilities to construct efficient health care projects can exist if there is investment in the training of these professionals, since health care workers are not indifferent to the health needs of the families that are assisted by the ESF

A comparative study on the health and well-being of adolescent immigrants in Spain and Portugal

The terms on which the integration of new generations of immigrants into Portuguese and Spanish societies happens will have a decisive influence in the future of both countries. Therefore, promoting their health, well-being, and psychosocial adaptation is a matter of strategic interest. This paper analyses psychosocial factors associated with well-being and psychological adjustment on a sample of 108 adolescents (55 males and 53 females), children of immigrants from Huelva (Spain) and Algarve (Portugal), aged between 10 and 17 years. Adolescents were assessed for demographic characteristics and perceived well-being. We used the "KIDSCREEN-5", a self-report questionnaire that yields detailed profile information for children aged 8 to 18 years for the following ten dimensions: Physical well-being, Psychological well-being, Moods and emotions, Self-perception, Autonomy, Parental relationships and home life, Financial resources, Social support and peers, School environment, and Social acceptance (Bullying). Overall, significant differences were found between the Spanish and Portuguese samples on physical well-being, psychological well-being, mood, financial resources and social acceptance (bullying). Boys perceived themselves as having a better physical well-being than girls. Mothers' educational level was associated with psychological well-being and mood. Also, results suggested that residence location and other socio-demographical variables were not associated with the adolescents' well-being and psychological adjustment

Risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes newly treated with DPP-4 inhibitors or other oral glucose-lowering medications: A retrospective registry study on 127,555 patients from the Nationwide OsMed Health-DB Database

Aims Oral glucose-lowering medications are associated with excess risk of heart failure (HF). Given the absence of comparative data among drug classes, we performed a retrospective study in 32 Health Services of 16 Italian regions accounting for a population of 18 million individuals, to assess the association between HF risk and use of sulphonylureas, DPP-4i, and glitazones. Methods and results We extracted data on patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated treatment with DPP-4i, thiazolidinediones, or sulphonylureas alone or in combination with metformin during an accrual time of 2 years. The endpoint was hospitalization for HF (HHF) occurring after the first 6 months of therapy, and the observation was extended for up to 4 years. A total of 127 555 patients were included, of whom 14.3% were on DPP-4i, 72.5% on sulphonylurea, 13.2% on thiazolidinediones, with average 70.7% being on metformin as combination therapy. Patients in the three groups differed significantly for baseline characteristics: age, sex, Charlson index, concurrent medications, and previous cardiovascular events. During an average 2.6-year follow-up, after adjusting for measured confounders, use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF compared with sulphonylureas [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.97; P = 0.026]. After propensity matching, the analysis was restricted to 39 465 patients, and the use of DPP-4i was still associated with a lower risk of HHF (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; P = 0.018). Conclusion In a very large observational study, the use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF when compared with sulphonylureas

Does Proximity to Retailers Influence Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Latino Adolescents?

Despite decades of research surrounding determinants of alcohol and tobacco (A&T) use among adolescents, built environment influences have only recently been explored. This study used ordinal regression on 205 Latino adolescents to explore the influence of the built environment (proximity to A&T retailers) on A&T use, while controlling for recognized social predictors. The sample was 45% foreign-born. A&T use was associated with distance from respondents’ home to the nearest A&T retailer (−), acculturation (+), parents’ consistent use of contingency management (−), peer use of A&T (+), skipping school (+), attending school in immediate proximity to the US/Mexico border (+), and the interaction between the distance to the nearest retailer and parents’ consistent use of contingency management (+). The association between decreasing distance to the nearest A&T retailer and increased A&T use in Latino adolescents reveals an additional risk behavior determinant in the US–Mexico border region

Anastrozole versus tamoxifen for the prevention of locoregional and contralateral breast cancer in postmenopausal women with locally excised ductal carcinoma in situ (IBIS-II DCIS): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial

Background Third-generation aromatase inhibitors are more effective than tamoxifen for preventing recurrence in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive invasive breast cancer. However, it is not known whether anastrozole is more effective than tamoxifen for women with hormone-receptor-positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Here, we compare the efficacy of anastrozole with that of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive DCIS. Methods In a double-blind, multicentre, randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women who had been diagnosed with locally excised, hormone-receptor-positive DCIS. Eligible women were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio by central computer allocation to receive 1 mg oral anastrozole or 20 mg oral tamoxifen every day for 5 years. Randomisation was stratified by major centre or hub and was done in blocks (six, eight, or ten). All trial personnel, participants, and clinicians were masked to treatment allocation and only the trial statistician had access to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was all recurrence, including recurrent DCIS and new contralateral tumours. All analyses were done on a modified intention-to-treat basis (in all women who were randomised and did not revoke consent for their data to be included) and proportional hazard models were used to compute hazard ratios and corresponding confidence intervals. This trial is registered at the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN37546358. Results Between March 3, 2003, and Feb 8, 2012, we enrolled 2980 postmenopausal women from 236 centres in 14 countries and randomly assigned them to receive anastrozole (1449 analysed) or tamoxifen (1489 analysed). Median follow-up was 7·2 years (IQR 5·6–8·9), and 144 breast cancer recurrences were recorded. We noted no statistically significant difference in overall recurrence (67 recurrences for anastrozole vs 77 for tamoxifen; HR 0·89 [95% CI 0·64–1·23]). The non-inferiority of anastrozole was established (upper 95% CI <1·25), but its superiority to tamoxifen was not (p=0·49). A total of 69 deaths were recorded (33 for anastrozole vs 36 for tamoxifen; HR 0·93 [95% CI 0·58–1·50], p=0·78), and no specific cause was more common in one group than the other. The number of women reporting any adverse event was similar between anastrozole (1323 women, 91%) and tamoxifen (1379 women, 93%); the side-effect profiles of the two drugs differed, with more fractures, musculoskeletal events, hypercholesterolaemia, and strokes with anastrozole and more muscle spasm, gynaecological cancers and symptoms, vasomotor symptoms, and deep vein thromboses with tamoxifen. Conclusions No clear efficacy differences were seen between the two treatments. Anastrozole offers another treatment option for postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive DCIS, which may be be more appropriate for some women with contraindications for tamoxifen. Longer follow-up will be necessary to fully evaluate treatment differences

Development of mental health first aid guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing problems with substance use: a Delphi study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Problems with substance use are common in some Aboriginal communities. Although problems with substance use are associated with significant mortality and morbidity, many people who experience them do not seek help. Training in mental health first aid has been shown to be effective in increasing knowledge of symptoms and behaviours associated with seeking help. The current study aimed to develop culturally appropriate guidelines for providing mental health first aid to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who is experiencing problem drinking or problem drug use (e.g. abuse or dependence).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-eight Aboriginal health experts participated in two independent Delphi studies (n = 22 problem drinking study, n = 21 problem drug use; 15 participated in both). Panellists were presented with statements about possible first aid actions via online questionnaires and were encouraged to suggest additional actions not covered by the content. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed by ≥ 90% of panellists as either 'Essential' or 'Important'. At the end of the two Delphi studies, participants were asked to give feedback on the value of the project and their participation experience.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From a total of 735 statements presented over two studies, 429 were endorsed (223 problem drinking, 206 problem drug use). Statements were grouped into sections based on common themes (n = 7 problem drinking, n = 8 problem drug use), then written into guideline documents. Participants evaluated the Delphi method employed, and the guidelines developed, as useful and appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Aboriginal health experts were able to reach consensus about culturally appropriate first aid for problems with substance use. Many first aid actions endorsed in the current studies were not endorsed in previous international Delphi studies, conducted on problem drinking and problem drug use in non-Indigenous people, highlighting the need for culturally specific first aid strategies to be employed when assisting Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.</p