The decline in the infant mortality rate is a Brazilian achievement, but 70% of these deaths are considered avoidable, and the practices of evaluation and monitoring of health policies and programs are still incipient. This research aimed at analyzing the applicability of the Case Management methodology to vulnerable pregnant women in relation to infant mortality. It consisted of a population-based cohort study with secondary data from one Brazilian state in the period from 2008 to 2012. A 95% confidence interval level and minimum significance of p < 0.05 was considered. Maternal variables were considered, representing 1-5% of women who had pregnancies in the period analyzed. The influence of social and historical maternal characteristics on the outcome of deaths in children under one year was evident. The maternal variables: pregnant women under 15 and over 40 years old, pregnant women with a history of dead children and multiple pregnancies, had a higher risk for mortality in children under one year old, configuring a suggestive population for more dedicated prenatal care. Therefore, Case Management in pregnant women is a useful tool in the practice of maternal and child health care.
This article aims to evaluate changes in nursing staff occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a public teaching hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil, considering their impact on health care-related infection (HAI) and catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs) indicators. This study is justified by the importance of defining future nursing staff composition based on the well-being of the patient and hospitalisation costs. It is a quantitative study based on descriptive statistics. Results showed that the use of one nurse per five beds during the day model and the admission of professionals by the public tender were important in lowering the HAI indicators, while the CVCs indicators were reduced by assigning one nurse and one nursing technician to every three patients.
This article is articulated with the need to evaluate North/South research and capacity building partnerships in intercultural contexts. It aims to understand the expectations and motivations of the actors involved in the PhD programme in biomedical sciences in Angola, and to examine how the partnership between the Universidade Agostinho Neto and the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT NOVA) was established, as well as its prospects for continuity. A qualitative study was developed, relying on semi-structured interviews with a total of 17 actors involved in the programme, through a non-probability sampling process, based on convenience. Following data collection, the interviews were transcribed and fully coded. Subsequently, content analysis was carried out. The results were analysed in different groups, taking into account the role of each participant: student, lecturer at Universidade Agostinho Neto or IHMT NOVA. The results were considered positive with regard to the impact on the academic careers of its students, as IHMT NOVA provided the appropriate training and technologies that are not often found in the Global South. The PhD allowed to contribute to the reinforcement of human and material resources, including the development of scientific research in the country.
