Usefulness of C-Reactive Protein and Clinical Characteristics in Identifying Severe Bacterial Infection in Children with Fever without Source.

Objective: Fever continues to be the most frequent cause of care in the pediatric population. The uses of invasive and unnecessary tests result in discomfort to the patients. Local epidemiological data could help to refine screening strategies, especially in low resources settings.

Burden and typing of rotavirus group A in Latin America and the Caribbean: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy of licensed rotavirus vaccines has only been shown against certain rotavirus group A (RV-A) types. It is critical to understand the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) and its prevalent types to assess the potential impact of these vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C). We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of all the available evidence reported from 1990 to 2009 on the burden of rotavirus disease and strains circulating in LA&C.

[Drug prescription patterns in patients attended at a middle- and high-complexity level institution].

Objective: Determining prescription patterns for outpatient medication authorised for patients affiliated to an EPS and assisted by medium- and high-level complexity IPS.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study where medication prescription was evaluated in 331 second- and third-level complexity hospitals from 27 Colombian departments during 2006.

Results: 38 863 prescriptions for 3 663 patients' medication were analysed.

Using systematic reviews for evidence-based health promotion: basic methodology issues.

Systematic reviews and evidence-based recommendations are becoming increasingly important for decision-making in health and medicine. Systematic reviews of population-health interventions are challenging and methods will continue evolving. This paper provides an overview of how evidence-based approaches in public health and health promotion are being reviewed to provide a basis for Colombian Guide to Health Promotion, analysing limitations and recommendations for future reviews.