Meet Elizabeth, an 80-year-old widow with multiple chronic health conditions for years. Previously, she relied solely on her daughter Angela for unpaid assistance with personal care and household tasks. Angela lives close by and cares for Elizabeth before or after going to her job at a local supermarket and on her days off. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s needs for assistance became … [Read more...] about Self-directed Care: the Benefits of Cash and Counseling
IDB
Preventing Unnecessary Deaths: Tackling Low Quality of Care
“In LAC, 70% of excess deaths that could have been avoided by adequate healthcare are due to low quality of care while 30% are due to lack of access to care.” This striking statistic is often used to highlight the importance of quality for health outcomes, including in the IDB’s Health Sector Framework. But what is the basis for this estimate, and what does it mean? What … [Read more...] about Preventing Unnecessary Deaths: Tackling Low Quality of Care
Task Shifting and Technology are Game Changers in Facing Mental Health Challenges
Mental health disorders are common and disabling throughout the world. Rich and poor countries experience the devastating consequences of these disorders, representing approximately 20% of the global burden of diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean, with mental health disorders representing only 0.4% of all public healthcare funding globally. Besides, there are massive … [Read more...] about Task Shifting and Technology are Game Changers in Facing Mental Health Challenges
Menopause: less stigma and more empathy
A few years ago, I wrote an article about the benefits of becoming a mother after the age of 40. Although pregnancy caused significant changes and discomfort, the excitement of my child’s arrival overshadowed those challenges. What I didn't expect was that, years later, I would again experience intense changes. But this time, instead of lasting nine months, they could last for … [Read more...] about Menopause: less stigma and more empathy
What are the challenges for Digital Health in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Our guest author for this blog is the artificial intelligence platform known as GPT. We asked GPT to tell us what are the main challenges to digital transformation in health in the region. Our Editorial Committee did not add any subtitles, hyperlinks or make any edits. So, here is the result: Digital health, or the incorporation of digital technologies into the … [Read more...] about What are the challenges for Digital Health in Latin America and the Caribbean?