Seasonal influenza vaccination policies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Current status and the way forward

Background

The World Health Organization recommends annual influenza vaccination, especially in high-risk groups. Little is known about the adoption and implementation of influenza vaccination policies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The Global Vaccine Action Plan – insights into its utility,application, and ways to strengthen future plans

BackgroundThe pace of global progress must increase if the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) goals are to be achieved by 2020. We administered a two-phase survey to key immunization stakeholders to assess the utility and application of GVAP, including how it has impacted country immunization programs, and to find ways to strengthen the next 10-year plan.MethodsFor the Phase I survey, an online questionnaire was sent to global immunization stakeholders in summer 2017. The Phase II survey was sent to regional and national immunization stakeholders in summer 2018, including WHO Regional Advisors on Immunization, Expanded Programme on Immunization managers, and WHO and UNICEF country representatives from 20 countries. Countries were selected based on improvements (10) versus decreases (10) in DTP3 coverage from 2010 to 2016.ResultsGlobal immunization stakeholders (n = 38) cite global progress in improving vaccine delivery (88%) and engaging civil society organizations as advocates for vaccines (83%). Among regional and national immunization stakeholders (n = 58), 70% indicated reaching mobile and underserved populations with vaccination activities as a major challenge. The top ranked activities for helping country programs achieve progress toward GVAP goals include improved monitoring of vaccination coverage and upgrading disease surveillance systems. Most respondents (96%) indicated GVAP as useful for determining immunization priorities and 95% were supportive of a post-2020 GVAP strategy.ConclusionsImmunization stakeholders see GVAP as a useful tool, and there is cause for excitement as the global immunization community looks toward the next decade of vaccines. The next 10-year plan should attempt to increase political will, align immunization activities with other health system agendas, and address important issues like reaching mobile/migrant populations and improving data reporting systems.     

Pediamécum: un año de experiencia

In 2011, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics decided to support the most ambitious project of its newly created Committee for Medicinal Products: Pediamécum. This is the first free on-line database with information on medicinal products for pediatric use in Spain. The web page http://pediamecum.es/ started on December 17 December 2012. One year later, Pediamécum includes 580 registered drugs. The website achieved more than one million page views by the end of 2013. Because of the first anniversary of Pediamécum, a survey was performed to request the feeling of users. Four hundred eighty-three responses were obtained. Ninety-five percent believed that it is easy to navigate through the web, and 74% said that their doubts about the use of medicines in children were always resolved. The overall rating of Pediamécum is 7.5/10. The aims of Pediamécum are being accomplished; which is reflected essentially due to it becoming a useful tool for all professionals who care for children in their daily clinical practice.     

Evaluación participativa del territorio con enfoque de equidad: adaptación y validación de la Place Standard al contexto español

ObjectiveTranslation and cross-cultural adaptation to the Spanish context of the Place Standard tool to undertake participatory evaluations in place-based communities.MethodA back-translation method was used to obtain an adapted version of the original Place Standard tool. The translated version was reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee of experts and validated using the Delphi method.ResultsThe final version of the adapted Place Standards tool (Entornos de Vida in Spanish) consists of 14 dimensions and 99 items. 21% of the items presented semantic difficulties during the translation. Total consensus through the Delphi panel was reached on 72% of the items. The analysis resulted in changes to the wording, and organization of the items, and the inclusion of new or modified questions to reflect the characteristics of the Spanish context.ConclusionsThe validation of the Entornos de Vida tool will enable the evaluation of place-based communities characteristics/physical and socio-economic contexts in a participatory and equitable manner that focuses on social determinants of health. Its application in scenarios that take into account processes of local health action will support the practice of health promotion and equity, and centre the attention and action on the physical and socio-economic contexts with the aim to learn how places and municipal policies can affect health and well-being.     

How common is repeat surgery and multi-level treatment in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy? Findings from a patient perspective survey

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) is a common condition which causes significant disability and reduces health-related quality of life. The only evidence-based treatment and current management guidance is surgery to decompress the spinal cord and stop further damage in moderate to severe cases. However, this guidance is mainly informed by studies that only include first time surgery and/or single level disease, but DCM can reoccur after primary surgery and affect multiple levels of the spine. It is unclear whether patients in these subgroups; repeat surgery and multi-level DCM, differ significantly in their baseline and disease characteristics from those with single-level, single-operation disease. To investigate this, we conducted an online survey of people with DCM looking at key demographic, disease (e.g. mJOA) and treatment characteristics. We received a total of 778 respondents, of which 159 (20%) had undergone surgery for DCM. Around 75% of these respondents had a single operation and 65% at a single level. We found no statistically significant difference in key participant and disease characteristics between respondents with single-level or single-operation and those with multi-level DCM or multiple operations. These data support generalisability of research to these subgroups but also warrants further investigations as these subgroups are underrepresented in current research.     

Social resource assessment: Application of a novel communication tool during hospital discharge

Objective

To evaluate an interactive tool designed to help patients communicate their social resources supportive of home recovery to health care providers.

Reproductive autonomy and feelings of control over pregnancy among emerging adult clients in a Utah (USA) contraceptive initiative study

ObjectiveResearch has called for more exploration into how reproductive autonomy (which includes agency over pregnancy decisions) is related to structural, relational, and individual elements. Thus, we use surveys to investigate how one potential indicator of reproductive autonomy—feelings of control over pregnancy—may relate to structural, relational, and individual factors in emerging adults’ (age 18–24) lives.MethodsUsing survey data from 2594 emerging adult women participating in a contraceptive initiative in Utah (USA), we analyzed level of agreement with the statement: “I feel that I have control over whether or not I get pregnant,” exploring relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and agreement with the statement. We used chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression to investigate relationships between individual, relational, and structural factors and feelings of control.ResultsMost participants (86%) agreed with the statement (n = 2231), while the remainder were neutral or disagreed. Participants reporting poverty-level incomes (RRR: 1.80; 95 %CI 1.25–2.59) and previous unwanted pregnancies (RRR: 2.74; 95 %CI: 1.56–4.81) were more likely to describe “neutral” feelings of control.ConclusionFindings indicate a relationship between feelings of control over pregnancy and several factors, and these results may help identify reproductive autonomy access gaps among emerging adults. More work should investigate these relationships as well as the meaning of “neutral” responses when it comes to assessments of control over pregnancy.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02734199, Registered 12 April 2016.     

Mixed-mode versus paper surveys for patient-reported outcomes after critical illness: A randomised controlled trial

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine the response rate to a mixed-mode survey using email compared with that to a paper survey in survivors of critical illness.DesignThis is a prospective randomised controlled trial.SettingThe study was conducted at a single-centre quaternary intensive care unit (ICU) in Adelaide, Australia.ParticipantsStudy participants were patients admitted to the ICU for ≥48 h and discharged from the hospital.InterventionsThe participants were randomised to receive a survey by paper (via mail) or via online (via email, or if a non-email user, via a letter with a website address). Patients who did not respond to the initial survey received a reminder paper survey after 14 days. The survey included quality of life (EuroQol-5D-5L), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and post-traumatic symptom (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) assessment.Main outcome measuresSurvey response rate, extent of survey completion, clinical outcomes at different time points after discharge, and survey cost analysis were the main outcome measures. Outcomes were stratified based on follow-up time after ICU discharge (3, 6, and 12 months).ResultsA total of 239 patients were randomised. The response rate was similar between the groups (mixed-mode: 78% [92/118 patients] vs. paper: 80% [97/121 patients], p = 0.751) and did not differ between time points of follow-up. Incomplete surveys were more prevalent in the paper group (10% vs 18%). The median EuroQol-5D-5L index value was 0.83 [0.71–0.92]. Depressive symptoms were reported by 25% of patients (46/187), anxiety symptoms were reported by 27% (50/187), and probable post-traumatic stress disorder was reported by 14% (25/184). Patient outcomes did not differ between the groups or time points of follow-up. The cost per reply was AU$ 16.60 (mixed-mode) vs AU$ 19.78 (paper).ConclusionThe response rate of a mixed-mode survey is similar to that of a paper survey and may provide modest cost savings.     

基于德尔菲法构建中药学硕士专业学位人才指标体系

目的 评价中药学制剂研究与开发方向硕士专业学位研究生的培养指标体系.方法 在文献调研的基础上,运用Delphi法对25名相关领域专家采用Email和现场发放调查问卷2种方式进行两轮咨询,采用SPSS 19.0软件对问卷条目进行统计,并对专家积极程度、权威程度、意见协调程度进行分析.结果 两轮问卷的专家积极性分别为88％和100％,专家权威程度分别为0.8848和0.9008(P<0.01),Kendall's W协调系数分别为0.256和0.472(P<0.01),初步确立培养目标、入学条件、课程和学分设置、专业实践、培养方式和评价指标6个要素及其延伸的23个一级指标和67个二级指标,其中一级指标重要性评分均数4.00～5.00,认可率72.73％～100.00％,变异系数0.00～0.191;二级指标的重要性评分均数3.73～4.91,认可率54.55％～100.00％,变异系数0.060～0.207.结论 函询专家的代表性和意见协调性好,积极性和权威程度较高,该指标体系可为中药学制剂研究与开发方向硕士专业学位研究生培养大纲的制定提供依据.     

Stunting and Anemia in Children from Urban Poor Environments in 28 Low and Middle-income Countries: A Meta-analysis of Demographic and Health Survey Data

Child malnutrition remains a global concern with implications not only for children’s health and cognitive function, but also for countries’ economic growth. Recent reports suggest that global nutrition targets will not be met by 2025. Large gaps are evident between and within countries. One of the largest disparities in child malnutrition within counties is between urban and rural children. Large disparities also exist in urban areas that have higher rates of child malnutrition in the urban poor areas or slums. This paper examines stunting and anemia related to an urban poverty measure in children under age 5 in 28 low and middle-income countries with Demographic and Health Survey data. We used the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) definition to define urban poor areas as a proxy for slums. The results show that in several countries, children had a higher risk of stunting and anemia in urban poor areas compared to children in urban non-poor areas. In some countries, this risk was similar to the risk between the rural and urban non-poor. Tests of heterogeneity showed that these results were not homogeneous across countries. These results help to identify areas of greater disadvantage and the required interventions for stunting and anemia.