Here is all work the group has published in academic journals.
- Geographic Information Systems – GIS
- Mobile Health (mHealth)
- Healthcare Data Analytics
- Healthcare Performance Assessment
Geographic Information Systems – GIS
Comprehending the lack of access to maternal and neonatal emergency care: Designing solutions based on a space-time approach
The objective of this study was to better understand how the lack of
emergency child and obstetric care can be related to maternal and
neonatal mortality levels.
Towards defining the surgical workforce for children: a geospatial analysis in Brazil.
The optimal size of the health workforce for children’s surgical care
around the world remains poorly defined. The goal of this study was to
characterize the surgical workforce for children across Brazil and to
identify associations between the surgical workforce and measures of
childhood health.
Proposal for a methodology to estimate the potential coverage of primary care teams
To present a methodology for the empirical evaluation of primary
health care (PHC) through the construction of digital representations of
potential PHC coverage areas
National Registry of Health Facilities: data reliability evidence
This study compared the reliability of a data group registered in the
secondary databases of the National Registry of Health Facilities.
Geolocation of hospitalizations registered on the Brazilian National
Health System’s Hospital Information System: a solution based on the R
Statistical Software
Describes a solution enabling geolocation of hospital admissions
(AIH), processed on the Brazilian National Health System’s Hospital
Information System.
Zika virus infection and microcephaly: Evidence regarding geospatial associations
Since Brazil has been at the epicenter of the Zika virus (ZIKV)
epidemic, this study examines the geospatial association between ZIKV
and microcephaly in Brazil.
Geospatial analysis of unmet pediatric surgical need in Uganda
The objective of the current study was to determine the geographic
distribution of surgical conditions among children throughout Uganda.
Addressing geographic access barriers to emergency care services: a national ecologic study of hospitals in Brazil
Analyze geographic access barriers to emergency care services in
Brazil and define possible roles to be assumed by small hospitals in the
Brazilian healthcare network to overcome geographic access challenges.
Access to emergency care services: A transversal ecological study about Brazilian emergency health care network
Analyzed the emergency health care network in Brazil, focusing the analysis at the roles of small hospitals (SHs).
Spatially balanced provision of health equipment: a cross-sectional
study oriented to the identification of challenges to access promotion
Given the importance of the equitable provision of health equipment, we evaluate its spatial distribution in Brazil.
The distribution of cardiac diagnostic testing for acute coronary
syndrome in the Brazilian healthcare system: a national geospatial
evaluation of health access
The purpose of this study is to characterize the geographic
distribution of stress testing in Brazil and describe the association of
access to diagnostic testing with Acute coronary syndrome mortality.
The results are anticipated to inform the role of stress testing in
other developing nations as well.
Mobile Health (mHealth)
Mobile health: new perspectives for healthcare provision
Reviews and discusses new perspectives for healthcare provision
resulting from the development of mobile health and intelligent wearable
devices.
mHealth: Smart Wearable Devices and the Challenges of a Refractory Context
The numerous challenges for mHealth before its full potential
can be realized are discussed throughout this work together with
components relating to the current status of development linked to
mHealth.
Wearables beyond borders: A case study of barriers to gait assessment in low-resource settings
Our objective was to examine pragmatic issues and challenges in the
use of wearables in a diverse, low-resource, middle-income country like
Brazil. We found barriers to their understanding and adoption converge
on three themes: (i) regional inequalities; (ii) knowledge and
resources; and (iii) trust.
Healthcare Data Analytics
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) prognostic model to support
in-hospital triage in a low-income country: a machine learning-based
approach.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and
disability worldwide, with a disproportionate burden of this injury on
low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Limited access to diagnostic
technologies and highly skilled providers combined with high patient
volumes contributes to poor outcomes in LMICs. Prognostic modeling as a
clinical decision support tool, in theory, could optimize the use of
existing resources and support timely treatment decisions in LMICs. The
objective of this study was to develop a machine learning-based
prognostic model using data from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in
Moshi, Tanzania
Mapping the risk of ischemic heart disease using machine learning in a Brazilian state
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally.
Machine learning studies predicting mortality rates for ischemic heart
disease (IHD) at the municipal level are very limited. The goal of this
paper was to create and validate a Heart Health Care Index (HHCI) to
predict the risk of IHD based on location and risk factors. Secondary
data, geographical information system (GIS), and machine learning were
used to validate the HHCI and stratify the IHD municipality risk in the
state of Paraná.
To be released soon
Healthcare Performance Assessment
Brazil Health Care System preparation against COVID-19
The assessment of emergency capacity in every country is a necessary
part of the COVID-19 response efforts. Thus, it is extremely recommended
to evaluate the health care system to prepare the country to tackle
COVID-19 challenges.
Article link / Media coverage / Media coverage 2 / Interview
Characteristics of primary care and rates of pediatric hospitalizations in Brazil.
To evaluate the association among characteristics of the primary
health care center (PHCC) with hospitalizations for primary care
sensitive conditions (PCSC) in Brazil.
Dialogues on the work process in oral health in Brazil: an analysis based on the PMAQ-AB survey
The study aimed to: (1) describe the work process in Brazil’s oral
health teams, based on the essential attributes of primary health care,
according to geographic region, type of team, and the municipality’s
socioeconomic characteristics and (2) verify whether the data in the
work process of the oral health teams in the Brazilian National Program
to Improve Access and Quality in primary health (PMAQ-AB) were capable
of measuring such attributes.
More Doctors recruitment program: a new approach to overcome inequalities in human resources
The article introduces a set of guidelines that may become a useful
model to approach challenges associated with the shortage of health care
professionals in low and middle-income countries.
Contributions of the More Doctors Program to the performance of
Family Health teams concerning hypertension and diabetes care in Brazil,
2012 to 2015
To compare temporal trends in access and utilization of systemic
arterial hypertension (SAH) and diabetes mellitus (DM) services provided
by teams with or without physicians from the More Doctors Program
(PMM).
Mortality associated with alternative policy options for primary
care and the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program in Brazil: forecasting
future scenarios.
To forecast the impact of alternative scenarios of coverage changes
in Brazil’s Family Health Strategy (Estratégia Saúde da Família)
(ESF)—due to fiscal austerity measures and to the end of the Mais
Médicos (More Doctors) Program (PMM)—on overall under-5 mortality rates
(U5MRs) and under-70 mortality rates (U70MRs) from ambulatory care
sensitive conditions (ACSCs) up through 2030.
Effect of the More Doctors Program on primary care sensitive conditions in Brazil
The present article aimed at evaluating the effect of the More
Doctors Program (PMM) on primary care sensitive conditions (PCSC) by age
group in Brazil. A longitudinal study was performed using a dynamic
panel data approach.
Primary Health Care reforms in Brazil and Portugal
This article compares the public policy reform experience in Brazil
and Portugal. Firstly, it describes the processes that lead to the
primary care reforms in both countries, comparing organizational
characteristics. Secondly, positive results and obstacles faced are
described and compared.
Structure and work process in primary care and hospitalizations for sensitive conditions
The objective of this study is to investigate whether the
characteristics of the structure of primary health units and the work
process of primary care teams are associated with the number of
hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions.
Primary health care and cervical cancer mortality rates in Brazil: A longitudinal ecological study
We conducted a longitudinal ecological study from 2002 to 2012 to
examine the relationship between the delivery of preventive primary care
and cervical cancer mortality rates in Brazil.
Family health strategy and equity in prenatal care: a population-based cross-sectional study in Minas Gerais, Brazil
This paper presents strong evidence that the Family Health Strategy
(FHS) promotes equity in antenatal care in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Oral primary care: an analysis of its impact on the incidence and mortality rates of oral cancer
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of primary health
care (PHC) structure and work processes on the incidence and mortality
rates of oral cancer after adjusting for contextual variables.
Human Resource Management in Health and Performance of Work Process
in the Primary Health Care – An Efficiency Analysis in a Brazilian
Municipality
The objective of this study was to analyze how management practices
of human resources (HR) in health can be associated with efficiency in
fulfilling the work process of family health teams in primary health
care (PHC) strategy adopted in a Brazilian municipality.
Is there a fair distribution of the structure of dental services in the capitals of the Brazilian Federative Units?
To analyze the structure of dental caries services in the capitals of
the Brazilian Federative Units and identify whether socioeconomic
factors and caries (need) are predictors of the oral health services
structure.
Characteristics of basic health units and detection of tuberculosis cases
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
TB emerged in the 21st century as an unsolved public health problem.
This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the characteristics
of basic health units (BHUs) and the number of TB cases detected in
Maranhão, Brazil.