Status of the national immunization technical advisory groups in the Americas: recommendations for improvement.

Objectives: To evaluate the structure and operation of national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean and to make recommendations for improvement.

Methods: A convenience sample of six current and eight former NITAG members representing 12 countries in the region were invited in 2022 to answer a web-based questionnaire on NITAG structure, organization, and procedures. The questionnaire used indicators similar to those in the Joint Reporting Form on Immunization.

Tiered Pricing and Alternative Mechanisms for Equitative Access to Vaccines in Latin America: A Narrative Review of the Literature.

Objectives: To review and describe alternative strategies for the supply of vaccines in Latin America.

Methods: We conducted a narrative review to explore and describe alternatives for equitable vaccine access in Latin America. We searched and considered the main access strategies reported in the literature through PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar.

Strategies for expanding childhood vaccination in the Americas following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To provide an overview of the status of the childhood vaccination schedule in the Americas, outline program structures, and identify updated implementation strategies to improve vaccination coverage following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A group of experts in pediatrics, epidemiology, vaccines, and global and public health discussed the current status of the childhood vaccination schedule in the Americas, describing the program structure and identifying new implementation strategies that have the potential to improve vaccination coverage in the post-pandemic context, after the challenges COVID-19 presented for more than two years.

Results: The Americas currently face a high risk of resurgence of diseases that were previously controlled or eliminated.

Setting research priorities for global pandemic preparedness: An international consensus and comparison with ChatGPT's output.

Background: In this priority-setting exercise, we sought to identify leading research priorities needed for strengthening future pandemic preparedness and response across countries.

Methods: The International Society of Global Health (ISoGH) used the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method to identify research priorities for future pandemic preparedness. Eighty experts in global health, translational and clinical research identified 163 research ideas, of which 42 experts then scored based on five pre-defined criteria.

Improving Middle-Income Countries Access to Vaccines. A Blueprint to Overcome Current Challenges.

The Global Health Consortium at Florida International University developed an end-to-end solution framework based on the input of a diverse panel of experts from middle-income country (MIC) government agencies, public health think tanks, academia, and nonprofit organizations to identify mechanisms to help MIC governments and stakeholders increase access to novel vaccines for infectious diseases. The resultant layout can be deployed to improve vaccine discovery and development, strengthen regulatory processes, and boost vaccine production, access, and implementation. Mechanisms include policies and incentives MIC governments can use to stimulate vaccine investment and activity, as well as actions government agencies can take together with other stakeholders to coordinate efforts or build capabilities.

Politics and political determinants of health policy and systems research funding in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Unlabelled: Objectives and importance of study: The importance of health policy and systems research (HPSR) has been acknowledged since 2004 and was recognised by the United Nations World Health Assembly in 2005. However, many factors influence its development. This paper aims to analyse the impact of politics and political determinants on HPSR funding in selected countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Imperative for Health Systems Research, How Robust Evidence Collection Advances Global Health.

For the advancement of universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially SDG 3, strong health systems research is needed and to understand how systems are performing and how can these be strengthen and organized as to support the advancement towards universal health coverage with a perspective to social determinants of health.

[Systems for surveillance of birth defects in Latin America and the Caribbean: present and futureSistemas de vigilância de anomalias congênitas na América Latina e Caribe: presente e futuro].

Objectives: To determine the availability of national systems for surveillance of birth defects in Latin America and the Caribbean and describe their characteristics.

Methods: Cross-sectional study based on a semi-structured, self-administered online survey sent in 2017 by local representative offices of the Pan American Health Organization to authorities at the ministries of health of all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The survey obtained information on the availability and characteristics of national systems for surveillance of birth defects in each country.

[Legal framework for electronic medical records in the Region of the Americas: definition of domains to legislate and situation analysisEnquadramento legal para os registros eletrônicos em saúde na Região das Américas: definição de domínios para regulamentação e análise da situação].

Objectives: Define a legal framework for electronic medical records (EMRs) and determine the degree to which the countries of the Region of the Americas are prepared in this regard.

Methods: The methodology consisted of two phases. In the first, a Delphi methodology was used to develop a questionnaire and define the framework and legal domains applicable to EMRs.

[Foundations for the development and implementation of a women's and perinatal health information model for management in Latin AmericaFundamentos do desenvolvimento e implementação de um modelo de informação em saúde da materna e perinatal orientado à gestão na América Latina].

Objective: The Perinatal Information System (SIP) represents a milestone in the use of systematized information in the Region of the Americas. What has been learned from the system has contributed to the development of a model based on a set of core indicators (SCI). The objective of the study was to describe the historical and methodological process involved in the development, implementation, and territorial scaling-up of an SCI to monitor and evaluate women's and perinatal health policies, programs, and services geared to management (SIP-GESTIÓN).

Contraceptive use in Latin America and the Caribbean with a focus on long-acting reversible contraceptives: prevalence and inequalities in 23 countries.

Background: The rise in contraceptive use has largely been driven by short-acting methods of contraception, despite the high effectiveness of long-acting reversible contraceptives. Several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have made important progress increasing the use of modern contraceptives, but important inequalities remain. We assessed the prevalence and demand for modern contraceptive use in Latin America and the Caribbean with data from national health surveys.

Health promotion and the agenda for sustainable development, WHO Region of the Americas.

The approaches and tools of health promotion can be useful for civil society groups, local and national governments and multilateral organizations that are working to operationalize the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Health promotion and sustainable development share several core priorities, such as equity, intersectoral approaches and sustainability, that help maximize their impact across traditional sectoral boundaries. In the Region of the Americas, each of these priorities has strong resonance because of prominent and long-standing health inequities that are proving resistant to interventions driven solely by the health sector.

Digital health in the Americas: advances and challenges in connected health.

In 2005, all WHO Member States pledged to fight for universal health coverage (UHC). The availability of financial, human and technological resources seems to be necessary to develop efficient health policies and also to offer UHC. One of the main challenges facing the health sector comes from the need to innovate efficiently.

Advancing health research through research governance.

Good governance practices are crucial for advancing research for health in LAC countries, argue

Correction: Risk of bias and confounding of observational studies of Zika virus infection: A scoping review of research protocols.

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Maternal health research outputs and gaps in Latin America: reflections from the mapping study.

As part of the MASCOT/WOTRO multinational team conducting the maternal health literature mapping, four Latin American researchers were particularly interested in analysing information specific to their region. The mapping started with 45,959 papers uploaded from MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, LILACAS, PopLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Knowledge. From these, 4175 full texts were reviewed and 2295 papers were subsequently included.

Is There Evidence of Cost Benefits of Electronic Medical Records, Standards, or Interoperability in Hospital Information Systems? Overview of Systematic Reviews.

Background: Electronic health (eHealth) interventions may improve the quality of care by providing timely, accessible information about one patient or an entire population. Electronic patient care information forms the nucleus of computerized health information systems. However, interoperability among systems depends on the adoption of information standards.

Risk of bias and confounding of observational studies of Zika virus infection: A scoping review of research protocols.

Introduction: Given the severity and impact of the current Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas, numerous countries have rushed to develop research studies to assess ZIKV and its potential health consequences. In an effort to ensure that studies are comprehensive, both internally and externally valid, and with reliable results, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, Institut Pasteur, the networks of Fiocruz, the Consortia for the Standardization of Influenza Seroepidemiology (CONSISE) and the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) have generated six standardized clinical and epidemiological research protocols and questionnaires to address key public health questions on ZIKV.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of ongoing study protocols related to ZIKV research.

Embedding research to improve program implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the last 10 years, implementation research has come to play a critical role in improving the implementation of already-proven health interventions by promoting the systematic uptake of research findings and other evidence-based strategies into routine practice. The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Pan American Health Organization implemented a program of embedded implementation research to support health programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in 2014-2015. A total of 234 applications were received from 28 countries in the Americas.

Role of PAHO/WHO in eHealth Capacity Building in the Americas: Analysis of the 2011-2015 period.

Political will and adoption of measures toward the use of eHealth have been steadily increasing, facilitating mobilization of resources necessary to adopt and implement digital services that will make it possible to improve access, expand coverage, and increase financial efficiency of health care systems. Adoption of the Strategy and Plan of Action on eHealth of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 2011 by all Member States in the Region of the Americas has led the Region to major progress in this regard, including the following: creation of knowledge networks and development of information sources, establishment of eHealth sustainability models, support for development of electronic health records, promotion of standards on health data and related technologies that ensure exchange of information, use of mobile devices to improve health, and improvement in quality of care through telemedicine. This article details the main actions carried out by PAHO with regard to eHealth, specifically by the office of Knowledge Management, Bioethics, and Research in the 2011-2015 period (first period of implementation of the PAHO eHealth strategy and plan of action), which include research and capacity-building activities, development of technical guidelines, and formation of knowledge networks.