Erno Harzheim

Perfil de risco cardíaco no diabetes mellitus e na glicemia de jejum alterada

OBJECTIVE Mortality of diabetic patients is higher than that of the population at large, and mainly results from cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to identify the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) or abnormal fasting glucose (FG) in order to guide health actions. METHODS A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in a representative random cluster sampling of 1,066 adult urban population (> or =20 years) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul between 1999 and 2000. A structured questionnaire on coronary risk factors was applied and sociodemographic characteristics of all adults older than 20 years living in the same dwelling were collected. Subjects were clinically evaluated and blood samples were obtained for measuring total cholesterol and fasting glycemia. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 7 and a 5% significance level was set. Categorical variables were compared by Pearsons chi-square and continuous variables were compared using Students t-test or Anova and multivariate analysis, all controlled for the cluster effect. RESULTS Of 992 subjects, 12.4% were diabetic and 7.4% had impaired fasting glucose. Among the risk factors evaluated, subjects who presented any kind of glucose homeostasis abnormality were at a higher prevalence of obesity (17.8, 29.2 and 35.3% in healthy subjects, impaired fasting glucose and DM respectively, p<0.001), hypertension (30.1, 56.3 and 50.5% in healthy subjects, impaired fasting glucose and DM, respectively, p<0.001), and hypercholesterolemia (23.2, 35.1 and 39.5 in healthy subjects, impaired fasting glucose and DM respectively, p=0.01). CONCLUSION Subjects with any kind of glucose homeostasis abnormality represent a group, which preventive individual and population health policies should target since they have higher prevalence of coronary artery disease risk factors.OBJETIVO: A mortalidade dos pacientes diabeticos e maior do que a da populacao em geral e decorre especialmente das doencas cardiovasculares. O objetivo do estudo foi identificar a prevalencia dos fatores de risco cardiovasculares em individuos com diabetes mellitus (DM) ou glicemia de jejum alterada, a fim de direcionar as acoes em saude. METODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional, com amostragem aleatoria por conglomerado, constituida de 1.066 individuos, representativa da populacao urbana adulta (>20 anos) do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, realizado entre 1999 e 2000. Foi aplicado um questionario estruturado sobre os fatores de risco coronariano e as caracteristicas sociodemograficas a todos os adultos maiores de 20 anos residentes no domicilio selecionado. Apos.os pacientes foram submetidos a avaliacao clinica e coleta de sangue para determinacao de colesterol total e glicemia de jejum. Para a analise dos dados foi utilizado o pacote estatistico Stata 7. Foi estabelecido nivel previo de significância de 5%. As variaveis categoricas foram comparadas utilizando-se qui-quadrado de Pearson, enquanto que as continuas mediante teste t de Student ou Anova, alem de analise multivariavel, todas controladas para efeito de conglomerado. RESULTADOS: De 992 individuos, 12,4% eram diabeticos e 7,4% apresentavam glicemia de jejum alterada. Dos fatores de risco estudados, os individuos com algum grau de alteracao da homeostase glicemica apresentaram maior prevalencia de obesidade (17,8, 29,2 e 35,3% em normais, glicemia de jejum alterada e DM, respectivamente, p<0,001), hipertensao (30,1, 56,3 e 50,5% em normais, glicemia de jejum alterada e DM, respectivamente, p<0,001) e hipercolesterolemia (23,2, 35,1 e 39,5% em normais, glicemia de jejum alterada e DM, respectivamente, p=0,01). CONCLUSOES: Individuos com alteracao da homeostase glicemica representam um grupo-alvo para a definicao de acoes preventivas em nivel individual e populacional devido a maior prevalencia de fatores de risco para doenca arterial coronariana.

Trends in hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions following the implementation of Family Health Teams in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

OBJECTIVES How to provide effective and efficient care to the burgeoning and aging populations of the major cities of low- and middle-income countries constitutes one of the principle public health issues of our times. We evaluated the Family Health Strategy, the Brazilian national health systems public approach to primary health care, in the major city of Belo Horizonte, describing trends and factors associated with hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions following the implementation of 506 family health teams, most of which were established in 2002. METHODS We conducted an ecological study covering 2003 to 2006, using mixed models to investigate time trends in public system hospitalizations as well as their association with social vulnerability and primary care team characteristics. RESULTS Sensitive conditions accounted for 115,340 (26.4%) hospitalizations. Over the 4-year period, hospitalizations for sensitive conditions declined by 17.9%, vs only 8.3% for non-sensitive ones (P<0.001). Hospitalization for sensitive conditions declined 22% for women in areas of high social vulnerability vs 9% for women in areas of low vulnerability (P<0.001); for men, 17% vs 10% (P=0.11). CONCLUSIONS Though the ecologic nature of our study limits the confidence with which conclusions can be affirmed, the Family Health Strategy appears to have contributed to a major reduction in hospitalizations due to primary care sensitive conditions in this large Brazilian metropolis, while at the same time promoting greater health equity.

Effectiveness of community health workers in Brazil: a systematic review.

The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) in Brazil. This systematic review included all studies that sought to assess interventions involving CHWs. Despite the low quality of evidence for most outcomes, analysis of the 23 publications included often found benefit for CHW intervention, best documented for frequency of child weighing, prevalence of breast-feeding, and delayed introduction of bottle-feeding. These findings and the current major role CHWs play in Brazil suggest that clarifying the benefit of CHW actions across a broad range of health care interventions should be a major research priority.

The impact of a short-term intervention using the WHO guidelines for the management of severe malnutrition at a rural facility in Angola

Objective To measure the impact of practice review and in-service supervision based on WHO guidelines on outcomes of severely malnourished children in a rural facility with minimal resources staffed only by nurses. Design Intervention (January to August 2006) with historical comparison of outcomes (January to August 2005). Setting Therapeutic feeding centre in rural Angola. Patients All children admitted to the feeding centre during the study period. Intervention Médecins Du Monde implemented an intervention that consisted of weekly physician supervision of staff activities and establishment of a study group composed of nurses in the centre. Main outcome measures Routine practices in the centre and measured indicators for outcomes of admitted children, which were compared to indicators before the intervention. Results During the intervention the authors observed improved delivery of important tasks such as frequent feeding and avoidance of intravenous rehydration. Among the 379 children admitted during the intervention, compared to the 358 children admitted previously, successful treatment increased from 73.2% to 82.6% (RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.22) and fatalities decreased from 15.6% to 8.7% (RR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.83). Conclusion This short-term intervention with in-service supervision based on the WHO guidelines in a setting of limited resources apparently contributed to a reduction in fatality rates. These findings support the view that such guidelines can be effectively implemented in under-resourced facilities in Angola and similar settings if they are introduced using an interactive approach and if in-service supervision continues to be provided.

Assessment of primary health care received by the elderly and health related quality of life: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPopulation aging leads to increased burden of chronic diseases and demand in public health. This study aimed to assess whether the score of Primary Health Care (PHC) is associated with a) the model of care - Family Health Strategy (FHS) vs. traditional care model (the Basic Health Units; BHU); b) morbid conditions such as - hypertension, diabetes mellitus, mental disorders, chronic pain, obesity and central obesity; c) quality of life in elderly individuals who received care in those units.MethodsA survey was conducted among the elderly between August 2010 and August 2011, in Ilheus, Bahia. We interviewed elderly patients - 60 years or older - who consulted at BHU or FHS units in that day or participated in a group activity, and those who were visited at home by the staff of PHC, selected through a random sample. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, services’ attainment of primary care attributes, health problems and quality of life were investigated. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was used to assess quality of life and PCATool to generate PHC scores. In addition, weight, height and waist circumference were measured. Trained research assistants, under supervision performed the data collection.ResultsA total of 511 elderly individuals were identified, two declined to participate, resulting in 509 individuals interviewed. The health care provided by the FHS has higher attainment of PHC attributes, in comparison to the BHU, resulting in lower prevalence of score below six. Except for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, other chronic problems were not independently associated with low scores in PHC. It was observed an independent and positive association between PHC score and the mental component of quality of life and an inverse association with the physical component.ConclusionsThis study showed higher PHC attributes attainment in units with FHS, regardless of the health problem. The degree of orientation to PHC increased the mental component score of quality of life.

Primary health care quality and hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions in the public health system in Porto Alegre, Brazil

PURPOSE To investigate the relation of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) with the quality of public primary care health services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. METHODS Cohort study constructed by probabilistic record linkage performed from August 2006 to December 2011 in a population ≥18 years of age that attended public primary care health services. The Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCATool-Brazil) was used for evaluation of primary care services. RESULTS Of 1200 subjects followed, 84 were hospitalized for primary care sensitive conditions. The main causes of ACSC hospital admissions were cardiovascular (40.5%) and respiratory (16.2%) diseases. The PCATool average score was 5.3, a level considerably below that considered to represent quality care. After adjustment through Cox proportional hazard modelling for covariates, >60 years of age [hazard ratio (HR): 1.13; P = 0.001), lesser education (HR: 0.66; P = 0.02), ethnicity other than white (HR: 1.77; P = 0.01) and physical inactivity (HR: 1.65; P = 0.04) predicted hospitalization, but higher quality of primary health care did not. CONCLUSION Better quality of health care services, in a setting of overwhelmingly low quality services not adapted to the care of chronic conditions, did not influence the rate of avoidable hospitalizations, while social and demographic characteristics, especially non-white ethnicity and lesser schooling, indicate that social inequities play a predominant role in health outcomes.

Concordância entre diagnósticos dermatológicos feitos presencialmente e por imagens digitais

BACKGROUND - Teledermatology is the use of telecommunications technology to provide care of skin lesions at distance. OBJECTIVE - To evaluate agreement between diagnoses of skin lesion made by direct observation and at distance. METHODS - Patients consecutively referred (n=100) to a dermatology service were divided into 2 groups: group 1 comprising patients (n=20) directly and independently examined by 2 dermatologists; and group 2 included patients whose history was taken and lesions were digitally photographed before diagnosis by direct observation. The history and images were sent to another dermatologist for diagnosis at distance. Agreement between diagnoses made by direct observation and at distance was evaluated using the Kappa test. RESULTS - Good agreement was achieved between 2 dermatologists both making diagnoses by direct observation; Kappa=0.91 (n=20). Agreement between diagnoses made by direct observation of lesions and those made using images of the same lesions was lower; Kappa=0.66 (n=80). Teledermatology worked best with skin conditions classified as infectious/ infestations (Kappa=0.71) and disorders of skin appendages (Kappa=0.69). CONCLUSIONS - The direct observation/distance image diagnostic agreement was lower than that direct observation/direct observation diagnostic agreement. Based on these findings we believe teledermatology will not replace direct observation but may serve as a screening tool, therefore reducing referral and waiting list time for appointments.

Diabetes and Cardiovascular Events In High-Risk Patients: Insights from a Multicenter Registry in a Middle-Income Country

AIMS The aim of this study was to determine the rate of major clinical events and its determinants in patients with previous cardiovascular event or not, and with or without diabetes from a middle-income country. METHODS REACT study is a multicenter registry conducted between July 2010 and May 2013 in Brazil. Patients were eligible if they were over 45years old and high cardiovascular risk. Patients were followed for 12months; data were collected regarding adherence to evidence-based therapies and occurrence of clinical events (all-cause mortality, non-fatal cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, or stroke). RESULTS A total of 5006 subjects was included and analyzed in four groups: No diabetes and no previous cardiovascular event, n=430; diabetes and no previous cardiovascular event, n=1138; no diabetes and previous cardiovascular event, n=1747; and diabetes and previous cardiovascular event, n=1691. Major clinical events in one-year follow-up occurred in 332 patients. A previous cardiovascular event was associated with a higher risk of having another event in the follow-up (HR 2.31 95% CI 1.74-3.05, p<0.001), as did the presence of diabetes (HR 1.28 95% CI 1.10-1.73, p=0.005). In patients with diabetes,failure to reach HbA1c targetswas related topoorer event-free survival compared to patients with good metabolic control (HR 1.70 95% CI 1.01-2.84, p=0.044). CONCLUSIONS In Brazil, diabetes confers high risk for major clinical events, but this condition is not equivalent to having a previous cardiovascular event. Moreover, not so strict targets for HbA1c in patients with diabetes and previous cardiovascular events might be considered.

Avaliação dos usuários crianças e adultos quanto ao grau de orientação para Atenção Primária à Saúde na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

In the first half of 2014, 6,675 adults and caregivers of children using Primary Care (PC) services in Rio de Janeiro were interviewed using the Primary Care Assessment Tool - PCATool-Brazil. The aim was to arrive at an accurate overview of the extent to which PC services in all of the Planning Areas (PA) of the Rio de Janeiro City Health Department (CHD) – Municipal Health Secretariat have the essential and derivative attributes. This was a cross-sectional study of random, independent samples of the service users (children and adults). Results were measured using the scores assigned to PC attributes. In the opinion of adults and children using PC services, Type A Units – Municipal Healthcare Centers and Family Clinics staffed only with Family Health Teams, performed better than Type B units. The scores for the attributes “first contact accessibility”, “comprehensive service – services provided”, “community orientation” and “family orientation” still need to be improved. On the other hand “coordinated care” and “continuity” are on their way to quality scores, being always rated at around 6.0 or even higher.

Community health workers programme in Luanda, Angola: an evaluation of the implementation process

BackgroundThe Community Health Workers (CHWs) Programme was launched in Luanda, Angola, in 2007 as an initiative of the provincial government. The aim of this study was to assess its implementation process.MethodsThis is a case study with documental analysis, CHWs reports data, individual interviews and focus groups.ResultsUntil June 2009, the programme had placed in the community 2,548 trained CHWs, providing potential coverage for 261,357 families. Analysis of qualitative data suggested an association of CHWs with improvements in maternal and child access to health care, as well as an increase in the demand for health services, generating further need to improve service capacity. Nevertheless, critical points for programme sustainability were identified.ConclusionsFor continuity and scaling up, the programme needs medium- and long-term technical, political and financial support. The results of this study may be useful in strengthening and reformulating the planning of the CHWs programme in Luanda and in Angola. Moreover, the lessons learned with this experience can also provide insight for the development of CHWs programmes in other parts of the world. By means of cooperation, Brazil has supported the implementation of this CHWs programme and can potentially contribute to its improvement.ResumoIntroduçãoO Programa de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (PACS) de Luanda iniciou em Luanda, Angola, em 2007, como iniciativa do governo provincial. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o seu processo de implantação.MétodosRealizamos um estudo de caso com análise documental, registros das fichas de avaliação dos ACS, entrevistas individuais e grupos focais.ResultadosAté junho de 2009, o PACS de Luanda chegou a 2.548 ACS treinados, proporcionando cobertura potencial para 261.357 famílias. Por meio dos dados qualitativos, observou-se associação do ACS com ampliação do acesso aos cuidados de saúde, principalmente de mães e crianças, e aumento da demanda nos serviços de saúde, gerando necessidade de maior capacidade de resposta. No entanto, pontos críticos em relação à sustentabilidade do programa foram identificados.ConclusõesPara sua continuidade e ampliação, o Programa precisa de suporte técnico e apoio político e financeiro a médio e longo prazo. Os resultados deste estudo podem ser direcionados para reforçar e reformular o planejamento das ações do PACS de Luanda e de Angola. Além disso, os aprendizados que partem desta experiência podem servir de subsídio para o desenvolvimento de programas de ACS em outras partes do mundo. Por meio da cooperação, o Brasil apoiou a implantação do PACS de Luanda e tem potencial para contribuir na sua evolução.