Published since 1922, the Pan American Journal of Public Health is the flagship scientific and technical periodical of the Pan American Health Organization. Its mission is to contribute to the production and dissemination of scientific public health information of international significance, mainly in areas related to PAHO's essential mission of strengthening health systems and improving the health of the peoples of the Americas.

Publication in the journal has no cost for authors, and all manuscripts are open access and free for readers.

News

Selected manuscripts on international health days

Health alerts for substandard, falsified, and unregistered medical products at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas

Read more about Health alerts for substandard, falsified, and unregistered medical products at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas

Objective

Identify and analyze incidents of substandard, falsified, unregistered, and stolen medical products at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Detailed search of the websites of regulatory authorities in the Americas. Identification of incidents of substandard, falsified, unregistered, and stolen medicines and medical devices (including in vitro diagnostics). The types of products were determined, as were the stages in the supply chain where they were detected, and the actions taken by authorities.

Reporting guidelines for clinical trial reports for interventions involving artificial intelligence: the CONSORT-AI extension

Read more about Reporting guidelines for clinical trial reports for interventions involving artificial intelligence: the CONSORT-AI extension

The CONSORT 2010 statement provides minimum guidelines for reporting randomized trials. Its widespread use has been instrumental in ensuring transparency in the evaluation of new interventions. More recently, there has been a growing recognition that interventions involving artificial intelligence (AI) need to undergo rigorous, prospective evaluation to demonstrate impact on health outcomes. The CONSORT-AI (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials– Artificial Intelligence) extension is a new reporting guideline for clinical trials evaluating interventions with an AI component.

Concordance between essential medicines lists and diabetes guidelines in Latin America and the Caribbean

Read more about Concordance between essential medicines lists and diabetes guidelines in Latin America and the Caribbean

Objective

Conduct an analysis to determine the existence and updating of national essential medicines lists (EMLs) and clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the treatment of diabetes in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); and compare the medicines included in each country's list and guidelines both with each other and with those of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The use of artificial intelligence in scientific publishing

Read more about The use of artificial intelligence in scientific publishing

Artificial intelligence is a tool increasingly used in various fields. In the field of scientific publication, the journal adheres to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), that aim at promoting transparency and ethical conduct in scientific research and publication: “At submission, the journal should require authors to disclose whether they used artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) in the production of submitted work.

Guidelines for clinical trial protocols for interventions involving artificial intelligence: the SPIRIT-AI extension

Read more about Guidelines for clinical trial protocols for interventions involving artificial intelligence: the SPIRIT-AI extension

The SPIRIT 2013 statement aims to improve the completeness of clinical trial protocol reporting by providing evidence-based recommendations for the minimum set of items to be addressed. This guidance has been instrumental in promoting transparent evaluation of new interventions. More recently, there has been a growing recognition that interventions involving artificial intelligence (AI) need to undergo rigorous, prospective evaluation to demonstrate their impact on health outcomes.

Neonatal mortality in countries of the Americas, 2000–2020: trends, inequalities, and target-setting

Read more about Neonatal mortality in countries of the Americas, 2000–2020: trends, inequalities, and target-setting

Objective

To analyze temporal trends and inequalities in neonatal mortality between 2000 and 2020, and to set neonatal mortality targets for 2025 and 2030 in the Americas.

Tobacco consumption in Costa Rica: is the country ready for the endgame?

Read more about Tobacco consumption in Costa Rica: is the country ready for the endgame?

This letter to the editor is only available in Spanish: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2024.8

Nationwide study of in-hospital maternal mortality in Ecuador, 2015–2022

Read more about Nationwide study of in-hospital maternal mortality in Ecuador, 2015–2022

Objective

This study aimed to analyze estimates of in-hospital delivery-related maternal mortality and sociodemographic factors influencing this mortality in Ecuador during 2015 to 2022.

Methods

Data from publicly accessible registries from the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Censuses were analyzed. Maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) were calculated, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to obtain unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios.