2014 / Artigos Científicos

Using Bayesian Networks to improve the Decision Making Process in the Public Health System

Abstract – This paper proposes the use of Bayesian networks tosupport the decision-making process in health systems governance. In particular, this paper presents LARIISA_Bay, a new component based on Bayesian networks that works together with LARIISA, acontext-aware platform to support applications in public health systems. The main goal of the proposed component is to assist teamsof health specialists in order to better diagnose diseases through data collected from users of LARIISA. As a case study, we focus on scenarios of dengue fever disease. We classify dengue cases into oneof the following levels: emergency (i.e., dengue hemorrhagic fever),grave (i.e., dengue fever) or normal (i.e., absence of the disease). Based on this classification, teams of health specialists can accurately make decisions, for example, to alert a health care agent to visit locations with a high incidence of the disease, to send an ambulance when an dengue emergency case has occurred, as well as give technical instructions on how to deal with specific cases. We present a prototype of LARIISA_Bay and the corresponding interfaces to support the interactions of the patient, the health careagent and the specialist with the system.

2014 / Artigos Científicos

Social determinants of health, universal health coverage, and sustainable development: case studies from Latin American countries

Many intrinsically related determinants of health and disease exist, including social and economic status, education, employment, housing, and physical and environmental exposures. These factors interact to cumulatively affect health and disease burden of individuals and populations, and to establish health inequities and disparities across and within countries. Biomedical models of health care decrease adverse consequences of disease, but are not enough to effectively improve individual and population health and advance health equity. Social determinants of health are especially important in Latin American countries, which are characterised by adverse colonial legacies, tremendous social injustice, huge socioeconomic disparities, and wide health inequities.