Publications by authors named "Andres Mauricio Garcia-Sierra"

Introduction: Communities with low socioeconomic status have disproportionately high rates of tobacco use, and community health workers (CHWs) have an increasing role in delivering tobacco cessation interventions. However, existing tobacco cessation trainings are not appropriate for the CHW model of care. The aim of this study was to identify training needs of CHWs to develop a tailored tobacco cessation curriculum to help them effectively serve their high-risk patients.

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Background: The transitivity assumption is the cornerstone of network meta-analysis (NMA). Violating transitivity compromises the credibility of the indirect estimates and, by extent, the estimated treatment effects of the comparisons in the network. The present study offers comprehensive empirical evidence on the completeness of reporting and evaluating transitivity in systematic reviews with multiple interventions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Meckel's diverticulum is a rare congenital condition mostly seen in newborns but can also occur in adults; this study details surgical treatment for 27 cases from 2004 to 2022.* -
  • Of the 27 patients, 81.4% were male, with abdominal pain being the main symptom reported in 85%; only 9% had a positive diagnosis before surgery.* -
  • Surgical treatments included several resection techniques, with symptomatic patients having longer average diverticulum sizes and a hospital stay of about 7.3 days.*
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Background And Aims: Single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) offer a diagnostic and therapeutic alternative with an improved optical resolution over conventional techniques; however, there are no standardized clinical practice guidelines for this technology. This evidence-based guideline from the Colombian Association of Digestive Endoscopy (ACED) intends to support patients, clinicians, and others in decisions about using in adults the SOC compared to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), to diagnose indeterminate biliary stricture and to manage difficult biliary stones.

Methods: ACED created a multidisciplinary guideline panel balanced to minimize potential bias from conflicts of interest.

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Background: Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) is a strategy developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in 1992. It was deployed as an integrated approach to improve children's health in the world. This strategy is divided into three components: organizational, clinical, and communitarian.

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