Machine Learning Algorithms to Estimate Propensity Scores in Health Policy Evaluation: A Scoping Review.

(1) Background: Quasi-experimental design has been widely used in causal inference for health policy impact evaluation. However, due to the non-randomized treatment used, there is great potential for bias in the assessment of the results, which can be reduced by using propensity score (PS) methods. In this context, this article aims to map the literature concerning the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms for propensity score estimation.

Access to primary healthcare services for adults with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean: a review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Purpose: This review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies aims to provide an overview of qualitative evidence on primary healthcare access of people with disability in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to identify barriers that exist in this region.

Methods: Six databases were searched for studies from 2000 to 2022. 34 qualitative studies were identified.

Digital Platform for Continuous Monitoring of Patients Using a Smartwatch: Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a boost in the digital transformation of the human society, where wearable devices such as a smartwatch can already measure vital signs in a continuous and naturalistic way; however, the security and privacy of personal data is a challenge to expanding the use of these data by health professionals in clinical follow-up for decision-making. Similar to the European General Data Protection Regulation, in Brazil, the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados established rules and guidelines for the processing of personal data, including those used for patient care, such as those captured by smartwatches. Thus, in any telemonitoring scenario, there is a need to comply with rules and regulations, making this issue a challenge to overcome.

[Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on health services for people with disabilities: report from rehabilitation professionals].

Several healthcare processes, including rehabilitation, require prompt initiation and cannot be interrupted. Therefore, these processes underwent important adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not fully known how healthcare facilities adapted their strategies and what the results were.

The Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hospital das Clínicas University of São Paulo School of Medicine comprehensive rehabilitation program for elderly people with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability in the elderly population. Chronic disabling pain is associated with maladaptive neuroplastic changes in brain networks, commonly associated with central sensitization. The main clinical features of nociplastic pain conditions include combined peripheral and central sensitization, and it is crucial to recognize this type of pain, as it responds to different therapies than nociceptive and neuropathic pain.

Results from the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey: The Lived Experience of People with Spinal Cord Injury in South-Eastern Brazil.

Objective: The incidence of spinal cord injury in Brazil is increasing. It is important to understand more about how individuals are living with spinal cord injury.

Design: Cross-sectional, observational study of individuals with spinal cord injury in south-eastern Brazil.

Morphofunctional changes following adenotonsillectomy of obstructive sleep apnea children: a case series analysis.

Objective: To perform a case series analysis of the changes in the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), nasal inspiratory flow (NIF), upper airway volume, obstructive apnea/hypopnea index (OAHI), and the maxillomandibular three-dimensional (3D) morphology after adenotonsillectomy (T&A) of obstructive sleep apnea children (OSA).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective assessment of files from 1002 children screened between 2012 and 2020 in a hospital-based mouth-breather referral center. From this universe, 15 obstructive sleep apnea children (7 females; 8 males), ages 4.

Barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services: a scoping review.

Objective: To analyze the scientific evidence regarding barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services.

Methods: A scoping review was carried out from the main question: "What are the main barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing health services?" The articles were surveyed in July 2019 in six scientific literature databases. Of the 1,155 documents identified in the searches, after selection by title and abstract, 170 publications were read in full and, thus, 96 articles were included and categorized according to the theoretical framework.

Measuring assistive technology supply and demand: A scoping review.

The supply of and market demand for assistive products (APs) are complex and influenced by diverse stakeholders. The methods used to collect AP population-level market data are similarly varied. In this paper, we review current population-level AP supply and demand estimation methods for five priority APs and provide recommendations for improving national and global AP market evaluation.

A Learning Analytics Framework to Analyze Corporal Postures in Students Presentations.

Communicating in social and public environments are considered professional skills that can strongly influence career development. Therefore, it is important to proper train and evaluate students in this kind of abilities so that they can better interact in their professional relationships, during the resolution of problems, negotiations and conflict management. This is a complex problem as it involves corporal analysis and the assessment of aspects that until recently were almost impossible to quantitatively measure.

Pulmonary arterial pressure and nasal obstruction in mouth-breathing children: Similarities between adenotonsillar hypertrophy and allergic rhinitis.

Background: Upper airway obstruction may cause pulmonary hypertension in childhood. In this study we aimed to identify a possible correlation of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP), using Doppler echocardiography, with nasal patency (NP), as measured by rhinomanometry, in mouth-breathing (MB) children with allergic rhinitis (AR) and adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study we evaluated 183 patients, from 2 to 12 years of age, at an MB referral clinic in Brazil, from December 2013 to 2017.

Developing a rigid frame wheelchair in Brazil.

Purpose: Describing the development process of a rigid frame wheelchair using user-centered and open innovation approaches, as envisaged by the WHO Wheelchair Guidelines.

Methods: Unstructured interviews and group discussions with conveniently sampled active wheelchair users oriented the initial brief, product design and selection. The initially approved prototype was subject to ISO 7176 tests, leading to further product adjustments.

Impact of adenotonsilectomy on nasal airflow and pulmonary blood pressure in mouth breathing children.

Introduction: Adenotonsillar hyperplasia (ATH) causing upper airway obstruction (UAO) may increase pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP). Early diagnosis and mouth breathing (MB) management may help in cases of high PASP. Total inspiratory nasal airflow (TINAF) obtained by active anterior rhinomanometry (AARM) is a means to quantify nasal patency.

Assistive technology provision: towards an international framework for assuring availability and accessibility of affordable high-quality assistive technology.

Purpose: This is a position paper describing the elements of an international framework for assistive technology provision that could guide the development of policies, systems and service delivery procedures across the world. It describes general requirements, quality criteria and possible approaches that may help to enhance the accessibility of affordable and high quality assistive technology solutions.

Materials And Methods: The paper is based on the experience of the authors, an analysis of the existing literature and the inputs from many colleagues in the field of assistive technology provision.

Abandonment of assistive products: assessing abandonment levels and factors that impact on it.

Purpose: To investigate the levels and factors that influence the abandonment of assistive products by users of a local reference rehabilitation center.

Methods: This observational study involved users who received services and assistive products provided by our center of rehabilitation. Users were identified using the records of the center and their responses about the abandonment were collected through face-to-face interviews.

Disorders of the long head of the biceps: tenotomy tenodesis.

Disorders of the long head of biceps tendon are common in clinical practice. Their causes could be degenerative, inflammatory, instability (subluxation or luxation) or traumatic. They are generally associated to other diseases of the shoulder, mainly rotator cuff injuries.

Lucy Montoro Rehabilitation Network mobile unit: an alternative public healthcare policy.

Purpose: The aim is to analyze rehabilitation services provided by a mobile rehabilitation clinic (MU) in nine regions of the State of São Paulo, demonstrating the distribution of orthoses, prostheses and other mobility aids for persons with physical disabilities according to age groups and impairments, as well as the number of persons with physical disabilities as estimated by Brazilian official data sources.

Method: The number of persons with disabilities in each region was obtained through estimations from the 2010 Brazilian IBGE Census. The number of assistive technologies suppliers and technicians were provided by the Brazilian Technical Orthopedics Association (ABOTEC).