Objectives.

Define a legal framework for electronic medical records (EMRs) and determine the degree to which the countries of the Region of the Americas are prepared in this regard.

Methods.

The methodology consisted of two phases. In the first, a Delphi methodology was used to develop a questionnaire and define the framework and legal domains applicable to EMRs. In the second, the questionnaire was completed in each country. This included identifying national experts and the data collection process.

Objective

Describe the phenotypical and genotypical characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis isolates from cases of meningococcal disease in Paraguay between 1996 and 2015. 

Methods

Conventional microbiological methods and molecular techniques were used to study 114 isolates of N. meningitidis and 12 clinical samples without isolation (confirmed by polymerase chain reaction), provided by various sentinel centers and collaborating centers in Paraguay

Objective

To determine the magnitude and characteristics of the omission of causes of maternal death in death certificates in Argentina, and to re-estimate the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for the year 2014.

Health equity is a guiding principle for public health action. Its noble purpose is to build healthier, sustainable societies that are also more just and inclusive. This is reflected in the global commitment to “leave no one behind”, expressed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, although none of the Agenda’s 169 targets focuses on reducing health inequalities, either conceptually or quantitatively.

Objective

Compare mortality from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) attributable to influenza between pre-vaccination (pre-V) and post-vaccination (post-V) periods, to determine the historical evolution and seasonality of time series between 2002 and 2016, and to estimate the risk of death in children between 6 and 23 months of age, using a statistical model.

Objective

To determine the reliability of a non-laboratorial questionnaire, the Encuesta de Identificación de Sujetos Metabólicamente Comprometidos en Fase-I (ESF-I) for identifying Metabolic Syndrome among a population in central Mexico.

Objectives

To describe patterns of multimorbidity in six diverse Latin American and Caribbean countries, examine its effects on primary care experiences, and assess its influence on reported overall health care assessments.

Objective

To assess maternal health training priorities for primary care human resources for health (HRH) in nursing and allied health workers in Colombia, Honduras, and Nicaragua, to inform maternal care HRH strategic planning efforts.

Objective

Propose a pedestrian crosswalk safety rating (PCSR) for primary roads in Mexico City in order to rate crosswalk safety at intersections with a traffic light and then compare the PCSR with traffic accidents so as to empirically determine any association between the quality of the crosswalk and the traffic accident rate.

Objective

Identify factors related to behavioral changes in smokers over 18 years of age following implementation of provincial policies for 100% smoke-free spaces in Argentina.

Methods

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted. The multilevel technique was used with data from different hierarchies. Secondary data sources were used: National Risk Factor Surveys 2005, 2009, and 2013.