Objective.

To identify gaps in postgraduate training and options for building capacity in noncommunicable disease (NCDs) research in Latin America.

This document presents a Latin American consensus to standardize definitions of different levels of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of public health importance. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are described for antibiotics to include (availability, relevance, and existence of cut-off values) and for methodologies to use. Three gram-negative microorganisms with a great impact in the hospital environment (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter spp.) were selected as a pilot proposal.

This article describes the regulatory changes and procedures introduced in Colombia that created favorable  technical conditions for clinical trials of drugs in the country. The impact of these measures was measured in terms of the number of research centers certified in good clinical practice, the time taken to evaluate clinical trial protocols, and the quality of the concepts developed.

Objectives.

Synthesize available information on the effects of front-of-package nutritional labeling on choice,
purchase, and consumption of food and beverages, and nutritional status of consumers, and identify factors that influence its effectiveness.

Objective.

Patient safety is challenging for health systems around the world, particularly in low- and middleincome countries such as Guatemala. The goal of this report is to summarize a strategic planning process for a national patient safety plan in Guatemala.

This paper presents results from the mammography quality plan of the National Breast Cancer Program at Argentina’s National Cancer Institute, which focused on improving mammography quality in the public healthcare sector and on using mammography to implement breast cancer screening. Plan implementation started in 2011, based on the premise that poor quality mammography impedes early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Objectives.

To document the underlying science of how the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) adapted the Hanlon method, which prioritizes disease control programs, to its wider range of program areas and used it to implement the PAHO Strategic Plan 2014 – 2019.

Objective.

To describe and compare the regulatory framework governing policies on rapid/alternative access to medicines (expanded access and  compassionate use) in South American countries.

Vaccinating children has been an unquestioned tradition for many years. However, there is now great concern over the growing rejection of childhood vaccination, as well as other less evident obstacles that affect vaccination coverage.

Caribbean countries are experiencing social, epidemiological, and demographic transitions shaped by the growing elderly population and the rise of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—now responsible for 78% of all deaths. These  circumstances demand rethinking the model of care to improve health outcomes and build more sustainable health systems with new orientations in policy, service delivery, organization, training, technology, and financing. Policy must be aimed towards healthy living, leveraging interventions that ensure healthy aging.