Revista Cubana de Salud Pública

The dilema of drugs, the public health and the universal health coverage

Invisibility of the patient

La tradición hegemónica del acto médico, la intervención de especialidades diferentes que actúan en diversos lugares y momentos, el empleo de tecnologías de muy alto nivel y las diferentes miradas implicadas en el servicio, han tendido a que la atención al paciente se concentre más en la enfermedad o el órgano, que en la persona real. Esa es la esencia de lo que el autor denomina invisibilidad del paciente. El artículo se orienta a profundizar en este fenómeno, caracterizarlo suficientemente y exponer las diferentes vías para solucionarlo. La invisibilidad del paciente, como fenómeno gerencial, deja fuera las perspectivas y sentimientos de estas personas, su familia y la comunidad; su posible participación activa en resolver sus problemas de salud; la reducción o eliminación de los sufrimientos, incomodidades, temores y ansiedades originados en fallas evitables; el derecho a decidir y la transparencia. Esta situación tiene su origen en el desconocimiento del papel de las particularidades de los sistemas y servicios de salud; el desarrollo tecnológico sanitario que tiende a priorizar la enfermedad sobre la persona; la lentitud para incorporar las nuevas tendencias gerenciales de éxito; y un enfoque verticalizado que impide la simplificación y optimización de los procesos asistenciales y administrativos. Concluye señalando que se aprecia un retroceso a la época de oigo, analizo, decido y obedezca, pero que al mismo tiempo, numerosos profesionales, gerentes e instituciones de la salud desarrollan y aplican soluciones de vanguardia que están modificando aceleradamente este escenario.

The hegemonic tradition of the medical act, the intervention of different specialties which perform in several places and moments, the use of high level technologies and the various looks involved in service have tended to deviate focus of the patient care to the affected disease or organ rather than in the person as such. This is the essence of what the author calls the invisibility of patient. The article was aimed at delving into this phenomenon, thoroughly characterizing it and at presenting the ways to resolve it. This managerial phenomenon leaves out the perspectives and feelings of these people, their families and the community; their active involvement in solving their health problems, the reduction or elimination of sufferings, lack of comfort, fears and anxieties originated in avoidable faults and the right to decision and to transparency. This situation comes from the lack of knowledge about the role of the particularities of the health systems and services, the health technological development that gives priority to disease over the person, the slow incorporation of new successful management tendencies and from verticalized approach that prevents the simplification and optimization of the assistance and administrative processes. It is concluded that there is a regression to the age of " listening, analyzing, deciding and obeying" , but at the same time, a number of health professionals, managers and institutions are developing and implementing novel solutions that are rapidly changing this scenario.

Patterns of communication and impact of the Cuban scientific output in public health

Signals of new adverse drug reactions in children

Difficulties in performing clinical assays in Cuba found by experts

Composition and functioning of the drug therapy commission in polyclinics located in Havana

Effectiveness of the ambulatory therapeutic intervention in adults with chronic heart failure

Introduction: heart failure is a cardiovascular disease whose prevalence and incidence is increasing and will continue rising as the population aging increases. It is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Cuba, hence the importance of its management by the primary health care specialist. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of a home care-based therapeutic intervention in adult patients with chronic heart failure. Methods: a quasi-experimental intervention was made from February 1st 2012 through March 31st 2013. Forty one patients were selected from a physician's doctor office under "13 de Marzo" polyclinics; they were diagnosed with heart failure. All of them were followed-up at the primary health care level by applying the Cuban guide-based therapeutics for the clinical management of heart failure. Before the intervention, the variables called functional capacity and quality of life were measured. After treatment and follow-up for one year, both variables were reassessed in addition to determining the level of satisfaction. Results: the average age of participants was 62.9 years and 53.7 % were females. There was improvement in their quality of life and in the functional capacity after the intervention, with contrast statistic (Z= -5.02) and (Z= -4.0), respectively. Most of the patients (53.7 %) were satisfied and others rated as very satisfied (24.4 %). Conclusions: home care-based intervention for patients with heart failure is effective since it reduces effects on the quality of life and on the functional capacity; compliance with treatment is good and the patient's satisfaction with the service is high.

Gender sensitivity in the health situation analysis of the Cuban model of family medicine

Managing styles in health from a gender perspective in Cuba

The Research Group on Sudden Death and its results after 20 years

Introduction: sudden death presently represents one of the main challenges for the health care systems worldwide due to high incidence, dramatic presentation and life years prematurely lost as a result of this event. Objective: to describe the background of the creation of the research group on sudden death in Cuba twenty years ago, and to show its most significant results. Methods: a documentary review of the first 20 years of scientific research work performed by the Research Group on Sudden Death in Cuba (1995-2014). Results: twenty four thousand eight hundred and seventy six deaths of natural causes were studied and applied a diagnostic algorithm to document 1 953 events of sudden cardiovascular death accounting for 7.8 % of recorded global mortality. In the studied casuistry, 98.1 % went to 14 municipalities from 11 provinces. The studies showed increased probabilities for this event in patients suffering blood hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, ischemia, previous myocardial necrosis, smoking, left ventricle thickening, and lipid profile impairment. Conclusions: the creation of the Research Group on Sudden Death allowed in the last twenty years designing and performing scientific research studies aimed at the epidemiological characterization of this health problem in Cuba and those are useful elements to draw up intervention strategies to significantly reduce the incidence and the economic, family and social impact of this event.

Characterization of habits related to chronic diseases in the university population of Honduras

Position of the Latin American Network of Gender and Collective Health of ALAMES on the universal health coverage

Los lineamientos y contenidos del trabajo académico, social y político que venimos desarrollando en la Red Latinoamericana de Género y Salud Colectiva de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Medicina Social se presentan en este escrito de forma sintética y organizada en los siguientes elementos: a) derechos sexuales y derechos reproductivos plenos, implicaciones de sus alcances y logros desde las redes y desde la región, b) materialización de la agenda regional y continental frente a la prevención y detección de la violencia de género en todas sus formas, c) regresión en materia de derechos relacionados con la salud sexual y la salud reproductiva de la población en los gobiernos latinoamericanos. La Red está conformada en su mayoría por mujeres y algunos varones; dedicada o vinculada a la vida académica, al activismo, a las organizaciones, movimientos y colectivos de América Latina del área de la salud con formación sociosanitaria y sensibilidad de género. Se parte del principio del derecho a la salud como derecho humano fundamental garantizado de forma indelegable por el Estado. Las y los integrantes de la Red promovemos y defendemos la agenda pública de salud mediante sistemas universales de salud que garanticen cobertura universal capaz de confrontar las actuales exclusiones del sistema y la formación para la atención integral en materia de derechos sexuales y derechos reproductivos, desde el enfoque diferencial, desde la intersectorialidad de los derechos humanos. Solo así se puede abordar las iniquidades y las exclusiones en salud que las mujeres latinoamericanas enfrentan en su día a día, ya sea por la precarización y terciarización laboral de la que son objeto, como por el despojo, el destierro y el desplazamiento forzado por proyectos geoestratégicos, por el capital transnacional y los intereses extractivistas apoyados por fuerzas estatales, paraestatales y narcomilitares -en algunos países de la región- que abundan en Centro y Sur América. El cuerpo de las mujeres y las niñas en este contexto está sometido a situaciones que vulneran la integridad, la salud mental y física, por estar sujeto a la lógica del conflicto en la región donde se hace presente. Ante la situación de orden público y de crisis socioeconómica de los países latinoamericanos y del caribe se han planteado prioridades al sector de la salud que pasan necesariamente por el reconocimiento de la necesidad de sistemas universales de salud que garanticen total cobertura, con prioridad en la atención integral sujeta a derecho y en la garantía básica de acceso efectivo a la atención en salud, que evite la revictimización de los ciudadonos y responda a la reparación, no repetición, justicia y protección para la salud y la vida de la población.

The guidelines and contents of the academic, social and political work that we have been developing in the Latin American Gender and Collective Health Network of the Latin American Association of Social Medicine were presented in this article in an abridged form and organized by the following elements: a) full sexual and reproductive rights, implications of their scope and achievements seen from the networks and from the region, b) materialization of the regional and continental agenda for the prevention and detection of all forms of gender violence; c) regression observed in Latin American governments in terms of sexual and reproductive health rights of the population. The Network is mostly made up of women and some men, is devoted or linked to academic life, activism, organizations, movements and groups from the health area in Latin America, with social and health formation and gender sensitivity. It is based on the principle of right to health as a basic human right that is guaranteed by the state. The members of the Network promote and defend the public health agenda through universal health systems which assure universal coverage that may face the present exclusions of the system and the formation for the comprehensive care of individuals as to sexual and reproductive health on the basis of the differential approach and the inter-sector linking with the human rights. It is just this way that inequities and exclusions in health, which are daily faced by Latin American women, can be addressed. Such inequities and exclusions are due unsafe work and tertiarization, exile and forced displacement encouraged by the geostrategic interests, the transnational capitals and the extractivist interests supported by state, parastate and narcomilitary forces that are abundant in some countries of Central and South America. In this context, women's and girls' bodies are subjected to some situations that damage their integrity and their mental and physical health since they respond to the logics of conflicts occurring in a particular region. Taking into account the situation of public order and of socio-economic crisis in Latin American and Caribbean nations, some priorities have been set for the health care sector, which necessarily consider the need of universal health system capable of assuring total coverage, as priority, in the law-binding comprehensive care and in the basic assurance of effective access to health. The above-mentioned will prevent revictimizing the population and will respond to health repair, not repetition, to justice and protection of health and life of this population.

Good practice guidelines for the social and psychological care to the patient with epilepsy

En la actualidad cobra vital importancia la preparación y divulgación de guías o protocolos de intervenciones esenciales para la atención del paciente epiléptico en el primer nivel de atención, ya que con frecuencia estos pacientes son victimas de imprecisiones terapéuticas. El propósito de este trabajo es presentar guías de buenas prácticas para la atención psicológica y social de este paciente. Se realizó análisis de contenido de los reportes de investigaciones que sobre atención psicosocial al paciente con epilepsia se prepararon en Cuba entre 2004 y 2013. A partir de la evidencia valorada se elaboraron las guías de buenas prácticas para la atención psicológica y social del paciente con epilepsia y en ellas se precisó la estructura asistencial y los recursos materiales necesarios, se describieron los procederes de actuación en orden cronológico: entrevistas clínico-psicológico y técnicas de evaluación psicológicas idóneas. Además se precisaron las especificidades para la atención clínico-psicológico al paciente con inadaptación psicosocial a la epilepsia y para la atención clínico-psicológica del paciente con epilepsia y trastornos emocionales asociados. Las guías aportan herramientas de trabajo para evitar la inadaptación psicosocial, los trastornos emocionales y la incapacidad para el autocuidado en pacientes con epilepsia.

The preparation and dissemination of essential intervention guidelines or protocols for the care of patient with epilepsy at the first health care level is gaining importance, since these patients are frequent victims of therapeutic inaccuracies. The objective of this paper was to present good practice guidelines for the psychological and social care of this patient. A content analysis of the reports from research on this topic was made, which were made in Cuba from 2004 to 2013. On the basis of the assessed evidence, good practice guidelines were prepared for the social and psychological care of the patient with epilepsy. They detailed the assistance structure and the necessary material resources for adequate psychological and social care of this patient as well as the procedures of performance in a chronological order: clinical and psychological interview and ideal psychological evaluation techniques. Additionally, the specificities for the clinical and psychological care of the patient with faulty psychosocial adaptation to epilepsy and for the patient with epilepsy and associated emotional disorders were also specified. The guidelines provide working tools to avoid faulty psychosocial adaptation, emotional disorders and inability to self-care in epileptic patients.