Non-communicable Diseases
Conditions
Keywords
Non-communicable diseases, Preventive services, Medical education, Guatemala
Brief summary
A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate recommendations on clinical preventive services and additional information on non-communicable disease prevention. Trained surveyors interviewed interns, residents and attendings of the Internal Medicine departments of all teaching hospitals in Guatemala. Analysis compared recommendation practices within and between hospitals.
Detailed description
A voluntary, anonymous, self-completed, cross-sectional survey was administered to all available internal medicine staff in Guatemalan teaching hospitals. The questionnaire included: physician's demographics, work time dedicated to outpatients, knowledge of leading causes of death in Guatemala, guidelines used for non-communicable disease prevention, simulated cases asking for recommendation(s) on different preventive services for asymptomatic adults (i.e. whether they recommended them or not, appropriate frequency and starting age, preferred screening method, and availability of the service(s) at their hospital). The survey also assessed barriers faced in providing adequate services, and opinions on who should implement changes in national health care and in medical education. The answers given by the internal medicine staff were compared with the United States Preventive Services Task Forces (USPSTF) Recommendations and Guatemalan Ministry of Health Guidelines. Analysis compared recommendation practices within and between hospitals.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
International Development Research Centre, Canada
Washington University School of Medicine
Unidad de Cirugía Cardiovascular
Study design
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* All interns, internal medicine residents and attendings (including department director, unit directors and regular attendings) that are currently training or working in an Internal Medicine department in any of the ten teaching hospitals in Guatemala.
Exclusion criteria
* Staff that is on vacations, on sick leave or suspended by any reason.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Recommendations of clinical preventive services for non-communicable diseases. | After accepting to participate in the study, participants will be followed the time necesary to complete the structured questionnaire, an average of 1 hour. | Recommendations on eleven clinical preventive services for non-communicable diseases were evaluated considering: * Whether they recommended them or not * Appropriate frequency and starting age * Preferred screening method * Availability of the service(s) at their hospital |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers faced in providing adequate services. | After accepting to participate in the study, participants will be followed the time necesary to complete the structured questionnaire, an average of 1 hour. | Self-perceived barriers to provide clinical preventive services adequately. |
| Opinion on who should implement changes in clinical preventive services provision. | After accepting to participate in the study, participants will be followed the time necesary to complete the structured questionnaire, an average of 1 hour. | Participant's opinion on who should be responsible to implement changes in: * Chronic disease prevention in national health care * Medical education in this field. |
Countries
Guatemala
Outcome results
None listed