Hospital beds are a scarce resource in Latin America and the Caribbean, yet many are taken up by patients whose conditions could be managed outside the hospital, for example in clinics or doctors' offices, according to a new IDB analysis. In the study, we assessed what share of hospitalizations could be avoided by more effective primary care: hospitalizations for so-called … [Read more...] about One in Six Hospitalizations in Latin America and the Caribbean Could Be Avoided
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Disinvesting in Health: Reducing Waste to Achieve More Health
By 2050, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are expected to experience per capita health spending growth rates that outpace the growth of their national income. According to a recent IDB-financed study, per capita health spending in the region could nearly triple by 2050, with annual growth rates above 3% between 2030 and 2050. In the Dominican Republic, … [Read more...] about Disinvesting in Health: Reducing Waste to Achieve More Health
Do You Work in the Health Sector? Enhance Your Impact with These Courses Free of Charge
Health systems in Latin America and the Caribbean face growing challenges in ensuring efficient, sustainable, and high-quality services for everyone. Population aging, the increasing burden of chronic diseases, and limited resources make improving the performance of the health sector an unavoidable priority. On this path, continuous training and access to evidence-based … [Read more...] about Do You Work in the Health Sector? Enhance Your Impact with These Courses Free of Charge
Predictable and Preventable: Designing Protection for Recurring Shocks
What happens when a household loses a job, gets hit by flood, or experiences a health emergency? For many families in the region, it’s not just a one-time hardship, it’s part of a repeating pattern. We used data on urban households from Colombia’s Encuesta Longitudinal Colombiana de la Universidad de los Andes (ELCA). This nationally representative panel survey has … [Read more...] about Predictable and Preventable: Designing Protection for Recurring Shocks
Coaching to Improve Healthcare Quality
Clara Contrera had been thinking for months about how to improve primary care for her patients. She is a general practitioner at the El Rodeo Comprehensive Health Center, located nearly three hours from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. There, she treats patients of all ages, many of whom live in poverty. With years of experience as a health professional, she recognizes … [Read more...] about Coaching to Improve Healthcare Quality