The variability and predictors of quality of AIDS care services in Brazil

Background: Since establishing universal free access to antiretroviral therapy in 1996, the Brazilian Health System has increased the number of centers providing HIV/AIDS outpatient care from 33 to 540. There had been no formal monitoring of the quality of these services until a survey of 336 AIDS health centers across 7 Brazilian states was undertaken in 2002. Managers of the services were asked to assess their clinics according to parameters of service inputs and service delivery processes. This report analyzes the survey results and identifies predictors of the overall quality of service delivery.Methods: The survey involved completion of a multiple-choice questionnaire comprising 107 parameters of service inputs and processes of delivering care, with responses assessed according to their likely impact on service quality using a 3-point scale. K-means clustering was used to group these services according to their scored responses. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of high service quality.Results: The questionnaire was completed by 95.8% (322) of the managers of the sites surveyed. Most sites scored about 50% of the benchmark expectation. K-means clustering analysis identified four quality levels within which services could be grouped: 76 services (24%) were classed as level 1 (best), 53 (16%) as level 2 (medium), 113 (35%) as level 3 (poor), and 80 (25%) as level 4 (very poor). Parameters of service delivery processes were more important than those relating to service inputs for determining the quality classification. Predictors of quality services included larger care sites, specialization for HIV/AIDS, and location within large municipalities.Conclusion: The survey demonstrated highly variable levels of HIV/AIDS service quality across the sites. Many sites were found to have deficiencies in the processes of service delivery processes that could benefit from quality improvement initiatives. These findings could have implications for how HIV/AIDS services are planned in Brazil to achieve quality standards, such as for where service sites should be located, their size and staffing requirements. A set of service delivery indicators has been identified that could be used for routine monitoring of HIV/AIDS service delivery for HIV/AIDS in Brazil (and potentially in other similar settings).

Avaliação da qualidade da atenção básica em 37 municípios do centro-oeste paulista: características da organização da assistência

No Estado de São Paulo, existe uma rede extensiva de serviços de Atenção Básica (AB) com perfil organizacional heterogêneo e pouco conhecido. Este estudo objetiva caracterizar a organização dos serviços de AB em 37 municípios do Centro-oeste paulista, como primeira etapa de um projeto de avaliação da qualidade desses serviços. Trata-se de um estudo transversal conduzido mediante questionário estruturado, autorrespondido pelos gerentes e equipes locais, com questões que abordam características institucionais e de organização e gerência do trabalho. Esses questionários foram enviados para 131 UBS, distribuídas em 37 municípios. Obteve-se resposta de 113 unidades (87%) localizadas em 32 municípios (86,4%). do total de unidades, 57 (50%) são UBS tradicionais, 26 (22,8%), Unidades de Saúde da Família, e 31, (27,2%) organizadas segundo formas mistas. A maioria dos serviços (62%, 70/113) não trabalha com área de abrangência delimitada de modo planejado. Os serviços se polarizam entre aqueles que realizam entre 70 e 100% de consultas médicas agendadas (37,6%, 41/109), e aqueles que realizam entre 70 e 100% de não agendadas (39,4%, 43/109). Não possuem conselhos locais organizados 65 unidades (63,7%, 65/102). Os dados coletados permitem discutir as características dos principais programas, procedimentos e ações realizados pelos serviços. Os perfis organizacionais predominantes apontam a presença de deficiências de estrutura e processo em relação às diretrizes do SUS. O desenvolvimento de instrumentos de autoavaliação permite que as equipes se apropriem, de forma crítica, de seu trabalho, e possam elaborar novos arranjos tecnológicos para melhoria da qualidade.

Avaliação em saúde: reflexões inscritas no paradigma sanitário contemporâneo

O presente estudo apresenta uma análise reflexiva dos métodos de avaliação em saúde em uma perspectiva do cuidado pensado e praticado segundo as necessidades dos usuários. Várias são as formas e abordagens dos processos avaliativos na busca de uma melhor apreensão do objeto de avaliação; neste contexto, a satisfação do usuário surge como um indicador de qualidade dos serviços de saúde, ligada à maior adequação e promoção de reais mudanças nas práticas de saúde. Diante da inovadora proposta do Programa Saúde da Família (PSF), baseado nos princípios de integralidade, cuidado à saúde e humanização, a participação e a satisfação do usuário surgem como elementos-chave na formulação de suas ações, possibilitando mudanças no modelo assistencial hegemônico, a saber, positivista, assistencialista e curativista. A presença do usuário no processo avaliativo irá permitir uma peculiar atuação, remodelando as práticas de saúde - quiçá tornando-as mais humanas, acolhedoras e, conseqüentemente, mais resolutivas..

Percepção do cirurgião-dentista da rede pública de saúde sobre as condições de trabalho

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Percepção do enfermeiro quanto a sua satisfação no contexto de trabalho em um hospital estadual

With the increasing competitiveness of organizations in search of customers, it is essential that the pursuit of quality becomes a prerequisite for the survival of healthcare organization, is necessary to have working conditions that encourage both personal and professional satisfaction. This study aims to investigate the perception of nurses regarding their satisfaction in the context of work in a State Hospital and contribute to the reflection on the internal customer satisfaction as an important indicator of quality of health services that interfere with quality of care. We used the qualitative method, on phenomenology, with nurses from a state hospital that had at least one year of experience in the institution. Through interviews, it was revealed that satisfaction is related to the literature and is influenced by factors such as human resources, practice nurses, Teamwork, Perception of the patient, professional recognition, physical and material resources and rewarding work, and these themes unfold quality and satisfaction both personally and for organizations

A visão do usuário sobre o serviço público odontológico e a autopercepção em saúde bucal

Pós-graduação em Odontologia Preventiva e Social - FOA

Oral health associated with quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Brazil

Background: The epidemic of HIV/AIDS enters into its fourth decade and is still considered an important public health problem in developed and developing countries. The purpose is verify the oral health and other factors that influence the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS attending a public service reference in Brazil.Methods: The participants answered the questionnaire on socio-demographic conditions, issues related to HIV and daily habits. The quality of life was analyzed by the HIV/AIDS Targeted Quality of Life (HAT-QoL) instrument with 42 items divided into nine domains: General Activity, Sexual Activity, Confidentiality concerns, Health Concerns, Financial Concern, HIV Awareness, Satisfaction with Life Issues related to medication and Trust in the physician. The oral health data were collected by means of the DMFT index, use and need of dentures and the Community Periodontal Index, according to the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization, by a calibrated researcher. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed.Results: Of the participants, 53.1% were women and had a mean age of 42 years, 53.1% had eight years or less of schooling and 20.3% were not employed. In analyzing the quality of life domain of the HAT-QoL, with a lower average there was: Financial concern (39.4), followed by Confidentiality concern (43.2), Sexual activities (55.2) and Health concerns (62. 88). There was an association between the variables: do not have link to employment (p < 0.001), is brown or black (p = 0.045), alcohol consumption (p = 0.041), did not make use of antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.006), high levels of viral load (p = 0.035) and need for dentures (p = 0.025), with the worse quality of life scores.Conclusion: Socioeconomic and inadequate health conditions had a negative impact on the quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.

Quality of life and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in a community health care program population

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life in a population that attended a specific community event on health care education, and to investigate the association of their quality of life with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors INTRODUCTION: Interest in health-related quality of life is growing worldwide as a consequence of increasing rates of chronic disease. However, little is known about the association between quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This study included 332 individuals. Demographics, blood pressure, body mass index, and casual glycemia were evaluated. The brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire on quality of life was given to them. The medians of the scores obtained for the physical, psychological, emotional, and environmental domains were used as cutoffs to define higher and lower scores. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to define the parameters associated with lower scores. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity were associated with lower scores in the physical domain. Dyslipidemia was also associeted with lower scores in the psychological domain. Male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. Aging was inversely associated with decreased quality of life in the environmental domain. CONCLUSION: The presence of cardiovascular risk factors is related to a decreased quality of life. Conversely, male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. These findings suggest that exercising should be further promoted by health-related public programs, with a special focus on women.

A new short and simple health-related quality of life measurement for paediatric rheumatic diseases: initial validation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Objective. To develop and validate a new short and simple measure of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).Methods. The Paediatric Rheumatology Quality of Life Scale (PRQL) is a 10-item questionnaire that explores HRQL in two domains: physical health (PhH) and psychosocial health (PsH). Validation of the parent proxy report and child self-report versions of the instrument was accomplished by evaluating 472 JIA patients and similar to 800 healthy children. Validation analyses included assessment of feasibility, face and content validity; construct and discriminative ability; internal structure and consistency; test-retest reliability; responsiveness to clinical change; and minimal clinically important difference.Results. The PRQL was found to be feasible and to possess both face and content validity. The PRQL score correlated in the predicted range with most of the other JIA outcome measures, thereby demonstrating good construct validity, and discriminated well between different levels of disease severity. Assessment of internal structure (factor analysis) revealed that the PhH and PsH subscales identify two unambiguously separated domains. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.86. The intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.91. The PRQL revealed fair responsiveness, with a standardized response mean of 0.67 in improved patients. Overall, the PRQL appeared to be more able to capture physical HRQL than psychosocial HRQL.Conclusion. The PRQL was found to possess good measurement properties and is, therefore, a valid instrument for the assessment of HRQL in children with JIA. This tool is primarily proposed for use in standard clinical care.

Health-related behavior and quality of life among the elderly: a population-based study

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação de comportamentos saudáveis com a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde em idosos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional que envolveu 1.958 idosos residentes em quatro áreas do estado de São Paulo, em 2001/2002. A qualidade de vida foi aferida com o uso do instrumento Medical Outcomes Study SF-36-Item Short Form Health Survey. As oito escalas e os dois componentes do instrumento constituíram as variáveis dependentes e as independentes foram atividade física, freqüência semanal de ingestão de bebida alcoólica e hábito de fumar. Modelos de regressão linear múltipla foram usados para controlar o efeito de sexo, idade, escolaridade, trabalho, área de residência e número de doenças crônicas. RESULTADOS: Atividade física foi positivamente associada com as oito escalas do SF-36. As maiores associações foram encontradas em aspectos físicos (β = 11,9), capacidade funcional (β = 11,3) e no componente físico. Idosos que ingeriam bebida alcoólica pelo menos uma vez por semana apresentaram melhor qualidade de vida do que os que não ingeriam. Comparados com os que nunca fumaram, os fumantes tiveram pior qualidade de vida no componente mental (β = -2,4). CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados apresentam que praticar atividade física, consumir bebida alcoólica moderadamente e não fumar são fatores positivamente associados a uma melhor qualidade de vida em idosos.

Health related quality of life among the elderly: a population-based study using SF-36 survey

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Validation of the Brazilian versions of two inventories for measuring oral health-related quality of life of edentulous subjects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Breastfeeding knowledge and practice of health professionals in public health care services

Objetivou-se avaliar conhecimentos e práticas sobre aleitamento materno de profissionais que atendem lactentes em unidades de atenção básica, ou maternidades públicas, de município do interior paulista, Brasil. É estudo epidemiológico, sendo a população composta por 89 enfermeiros e médicos. Suas respostas a um questionário estruturado foram analisadas no total e segundo o local de trabalho, aplicando-se o teste de diferença de proporções (qui-quadrado), considerando-se p<0,05 como nível crítico. Como parâmetros de acertos foram consideradas as recomendações do Ministério da Saúde. As diferenças significativas para conhecimentos e práticas, segundo o local de trabalho, foram restritas a alguns aspectos, com resultados discretamente melhores dos escores médios de acertos dos profissionais das unidades de atenção básica. Independente do local de trabalho, verificou-se desempenho regular e ruim em diferentes aspectos estudados, indicando que possíveis intervenções para a capacitação nessa temática deverão incluir profissionais de todos os níveis de atenção à saúde.