Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a prevalência de polifarmácia e de polifarmácia excessiva, bem como seus fatores associados, entre idosos atendidos em duas Unidades Básicas de Saúde de Belo Horizonte-MG. Foi conduzido um estudo observacional transversal, realizado por meio de informações resultantes de uma entrevista estruturada ao paciente. Foram analisadas as associações individuais de cada variável explicativa com a polifarmácia e polifarmácia excessiva. Para as variáveis que apresentaram associação significativa com polifarmácia, foi realizada análise multivariada por meio do modelo de regressão logística. Os idosos utilizavam, em média, 5,2 fármacos. A prevalência de polifarmácia foi de 57,7% e de polifarmácia excessiva foi de 4,8%. Na análise univariada, mostraram-se associadas à polifarmácia as condições idade ≤ 70 anos, escolaridade > 8 anos, presença de mais de três doenças e presença de sintomas de depressão. Para polifarmácia excessiva, mostraram-se associadas as condições presença de mais de três doenças, autopercepção da saúde negativa e dependência parcial nas atividades instrumentais de vida diária. No modelo multivariado final para polifarmácia, permaneceram as variáveis idade ≤ 70 anos e presença de mais de três doenças.

Background: Zika virus is a newly emerging infection, associated with increasingly large outbreaks especially in tropical countries such as Brazil. A future Zika vaccine can contribute to decreasing the number of cases and associated complications. Information about consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical Zika vaccine can help price setting discussions in the future in Brazil, starting with the private market. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among residents of Minas Gerais, Brazil, regarding their WTP for a hypothetical Zika Vaccine. The mean effective protection was 80%, with the possibility of some local and systemic side- effects. Results: 517 people were interviewed. However, 28 would not be vaccinated even if the vaccine was free. Most of the resultant interviewees (489) were female (58.2%), had completed high school (49.7%), were employed (71.2%), had private health insurance (52.7%), and did not have Zika (96.9%). The median individual maximum WTP for this hypothetical Zika vaccine (one dose) was US$31.34 (BRL100.00). Conclusion: Such discussions regarding WTP can contribute to decision-making about prices once a Zika vaccine becomes available in Brazil alongside other ongoing programs to control the virus.

The new coronavirus pandemic has appreciably impacted morbidity and mortality, as well as having an economic impact worldwide. New vaccines are a potential way forward to reduce transmission rates ...

Background: Chikungunya fever is an important infectious disease transmitted by the bite of the mosquitoes. Information about consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical vaccine can help with future discussions about its possible price. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among residents of Minas Gerais, Brazil, regarding their WTP for a hypothetical chikungunya vaccine defined by the authors as having a mean effective protection of 80%. Results: We interviewed 496 individuals. Among these, 23 were excluded from the analysis. Most of the respondents were female (57.3%), had completed at least high school (90.7%), were employed (87.7%) and had private health insurance (62.6%). The median value of the WTP was US$ 31.17 (120.00 BRL) for a unique dose vaccine. The WTP showed a statistical significant correlation with monthly family income and access to private health insurance. Conclusion: This study can contribute to decision-making about potential prices for a chikungunya vaccine once it becomes available in Brazil. We demonstrated the relevance of the anchoring effect as a possible influence applied to the maximum value of the WTP associated with respondents’ preference for a new vaccine. Finally, we encourage the development of a chikungunya virus vaccine to benefit the Brazilian population.

We evaluated adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and its associated factors according to the type of regimen in patients initiating treatment in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. We measured adherence using the eight items Morisky Therapeutic Adhesion Scale (MMAS-8) and compared the use of “backbone” tenofovir/lamivudine plus efavirenz one tablet once-daily (STR) or dolutegravir in multi-tablet once-daily (MTR-DTG), or other multi-tablet regimens (MTR-other). We conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis to address factors associated with adherence. A total of 393 patients were included, 254 used STR, 106 MTR-DTG, and 33 MTR-other. The overall adhesion rate was 44.8% (95%CI: 39.4; 50.1), 50% for MTR-DTG, 43.3% for STR and 39.4% for MTR-other. Multivariate analysis showed a higher chance of adherence among patients using MTR-DTG, those who received and understood counseling about their treatment and with a higher quality of life. Prior use of illicit drugs in the lifetime was associated with poorer adherence. Overall adherence was low, highlighting the need for strategies focusing on counseling about medicines and substance use. Pill burden was not an issue for patients using MTR-DTG once-daily, who achieved better results.

Evaluating the access to and quality of healthcare services from the users’ perspective is an important assessment process to identify priorities. This study assessed the profile of health service usage and the views of the Unified Health System (SUS) users about the access to and quality of SUS public health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted with participants from the Coastal Lowlands Region of the Rio de Janeiro State/Brazil, between August and November 2023. The association between categorical variables was analyzed using the Pearson Chi-Square test, using R software 4.3. A total of 200 individuals were interviewed using a 66-question survey instrument. Participants who reported using SUS services more frequently rated this system as essential (p-value = 0.031). However, overall, 64% of participants rated the quality of care to be very bad/bad and 34.9% rated access as very bad/bad. Access was considered poor by respondents who used public services rarely or sometimes (p-value = 0.002). In terms of accessing SUS services consultations provided by specialists (e.g., neurologists), these were available only in another municipality (p-value = 0.001). Many participants were SUS dependent for health services, and gaps and weaknesses were observed regarding users‘ perspectives of the access to and quality of SUS health care. Policymakers should prioritize evaluations and dialogue with the community to make SUS services responsive and to optimize value-for-money in health service planning.