Design and implementation of AMBAR: an innovative evidence-based training program for childbirth and newborn care.

Objective: To present the development of a training model called AMBAR (Atención a la mujer embarazada y al recién nacido [Care for pregnant women and newborns]), which was designed to improve the quality of attention of health personnel responsible for obstetric care.

Materials And Methods: AMBAR was designed based on the results of a qualitative study exploring public health providers' needs and experiences. It was implemented in three health networks, and a total of 339 health personnel participated.

Barriers to achieving quality birth care under the Sentinel Care model in Mexico.

Objective: To explore the use of birth care in a Sentinel Unit.

Materials And Methods: We interviewed eight health providers and 12 female users of health services to explore the main reasons to use birth care in a Sentinel Unit.

Results: Findings indicate that the reasons for which health providers do not attend births were fear of legal claims by users, lack of institutional support if complications arise, lack of training, not feeling confident in obstetric care, and the lack of necessary supplies.

How to deal with the suffering: Utility of an emotional containment strategy to collect data for verbal autopsies in Mexico.

Verbal autopsies are often used to establish cause of death but can be emotionally taxing on the interviewers. We conducted focus groups with interviewers ( = 15) who collected data for verbal autopsies in Mexico in order to explore the utility of an emotional containment strategy designed to boost self-confidence and resilience. The interviewers reflected on broader cultural perspectives on illness and death and described the strategy as helpful in developing strategies to manage emotionally stressful situations and develop their confidence in their work performance.

Health needs of indigenous Mayan older adults in Mexico and health services available.

Current data indicate that inequitable health service access is one of the major problems faced by indigenous people in Mexico and around the world. The aim of this study was to analyse the perceived health needs of indigenous older adults in a Mayan region of Mexico and the health services provided to address these needs. It used a qualitative design which explored health needs, perceptions of well-being, experiences with public health services and obstacles in accessing services through semi-structured interviews with 20 older adults, nine traditional healers and seven public healthcare providers from Mayan municipalities in southeastern Mexico during 2013-2014.

Training in obstetric and neonatal emergencies in Mexico: effect on knowledge and self-efficacy by gender, age, shift, and profession.

Background: Continuing education is essential for healthcare workers. Education interventions can help to maintain and improve competency and confidence in the technical skills necessary to address adverse events. However, characteristics of the health provider such as age (related to more critical and reflexive attitude); sex (relationship with gender socialization), profession and work conditions might have an influence on the effect of continuing education efforts.

Respectful and evidence-based birth care in Mexico (or lack thereof): An observational study.

Problem: In Mexico, women are often disrespected and abused during birth, evidence-based practices are seldom used, while outdated and dangerous procedures linger.

Background: Disrespectful and abusive practices in Mexico have been reported but are not necessarily well-documented; none of the reports so far have relied on direct observation of births.

Aim: To describe birth practices and factors associated with respectful and evidence-based care at 15 referral hospitals in Mexico.

Is it possible to incorporate evidence-based professional midwifery practices into public health services in Mexico?

Problem And Background: During the past two decades, Mexico has launched innovative maternal health initiatives to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, placing emphasis on the incorporation of professional midwifery practices into the healthcare system. This study explored the perceptions of healthcare providers and women using public birth care services regarding professional midwifery practices and how can the inclusion of evidence-based midwifery techniques improve the quality of service.

Methodology: We conducted a qualitative, cross-sectional study of three healthcare networks in Mexico.

Development and pilot testing of an educational intervention for parents, caregivers and teachers of children with verbal communication disabilities in Mexico.

The purpose of this study was to implement and test an educational intervention aimed at training parents/caregivers and teachers in strategies to support children with verbal communication disabilities (VCDs). We carried out a descriptive observational research conducted in two phases during 2013-2014: a mixed-method diagnosis and intervention development. We used convenience sampling to select the parents/caregivers and teachers of first-to-third graders with VCDs across four public elementary schools in a suburban community in central Mexico.

[Social support and living conditions in poor elderly people in urban Mexico].

The aim of this paper was to analyze social support and living conditions among poor elderly people in Mexican cities. A qualitative study with eight focus groups was carried out in Guadalajara, Cuernavaca, Chilpancingo, and Culiacan, Mexico, in 2005. Forty men and 63 women participated in the study.

[Road traffic injuries among youth: measuring the impact of an educational intervention].

Objective: To analyze the impact of an educative intervention intended to increase the knowledge of causes and risk factors associated with road traffic iinjries in the city of Cuernavaca.

Material And Methods: A quasi-experimental study design was administered to students from 16 to 19 years old in colleges and universities in the city of Cuernavaca. The educative intervention included radio spots, banners, pamphlets, posters and cards.

[Aging experiences in rural Mexico].

Objective: To explore the aging experience among men and women older than 60 years, living in rural areas from the states of Guerrero and Morelos, Mexico.

Materials And Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in poverty-stricken, underserved communities with less than 2,500 inhabitants. Semi-structured interviews were applied to collect data.

"Without money you're nothing": poverty and health in Mexico from women's perspective.

The objective of this qualitative study was to get to know poor Mexican women's experience of poverty in relation to health care. Forty-nine interviews were carried out with poor adult women in Mexico (between 35 and 65 years old). Three central elements were detected in relation to the women's experience of poverty and health care: their socio-economic dependence on their family; the notion of social belonging in their experience with health care rights, reflected in the idea and acceptance that, due to their poverty, they can only be attended at philanthropic institutions; and the existence of survival mechanisms when facing an illness.