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Healthcare quality in low- and middle-income countries poses a significant challenge, contributing to heightened mortality rates from treatable conditions. The accreditation of health facilities was part of the former health reform in Mexico, proposed as a mechanism to enhance healthcare quality. This study assesses the performance of hospital accreditation in Mexico, utilizing indicators of effectiveness, efficiency, and safety. Employing a longitudinal approach with controlled interrupted time series analysis (C-ITSA) and fixed effects panel analysis, administrative data from general hospitals in Mexico is scrutinized. Results reveal that hospital accreditation in Mexico fails to enhance healthcare quality and, disconcertingly, indicates deteriorating performance associated with increased hospital mortality. Amidst underfunded health services, the implemented accreditation model proves inadequately designed to uplift care quality. A fundamental redesign of the public hospital accreditation model is imperative, emphasizing incentives for structural enhancement and standardized processes. Addressing the critical challenge of improving care quality is urgent for Mexico's healthcare system, necessitating swift action to achieve effective access as a benchmark for universal healthcare coverage.

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This study estimates the health-related and public expenditure impacts of the solid waste services provided by public consortia in Brazilian Municipalities from the enactment of Public Consortia law (2005) to 2019. To conduct the analysis, we applied the econometric method of staggered difference-in-differences to publicly available datasets at the municipality level. The results show that the operation of solid waste services by public consortia had statistically significant effects in reducing hospitalizations caused by Schistosomiasis, Diarrhea/gastroenteritis (up to 5 years age) and other intestinal diseases. The results also indicate a positive impact on the reduction of environmental expenses in treated municipalities, supporting the idea that a Solid Waste Consortium can serve as a local coordinator and improve health and fiscal indicators simultaneously. The findings provide quantitative evidence that policymakers at the local and regional level can use to better understand the benefits of adhering to public consortia when preparing new investments and operation developments for this sector. This paper contributes to the literature of applied research in solid waste by shedding light on the underexplored theme of the intergovernmental cooperative arrangements, which can be instrumental in accelerating and enhancing the development of solid waste services.

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Introducción: Existen diferentes causas que impiden el movimiento muscular en una persona, para las cuales en algunos casos no existe un tratamiento médico que detenga el progreso de la enfermedad; sin embargo, existen ayudas tecnológicas que permiten a las personas con discapacidad mejorar sus habilidades para ayudarlos a vivir de forma autónoma y participar en sociedad. La tecnología asistida ha desarrollado múltiples opciones para mejorar la calidad de vida de estos pacientes. Objetivo: Evaluar el impacto de la implementación de un dispositivo en personas con discapacidad motriz en el municipio de Montería-Córdoba, Colombia. Para lo cual se establece el diseño, la construcción e implementación del dispositivo y, por último, se evalúa su impacto. Métodos: La investigación es de tipo tecnológico-descriptivo, debido a que, además del análisis de resultados, se experimentó en la población objeto de estudio. Para ello se tuvieron en cuenta criterios como tipo de discapacidad, edad promedio e influencia socioeconómica. Resultados: Se evaluó el impacto del dispositivo Helpbot, que interactúa con el usuario y facilita la realización de movimientos. Entre las características del dispositivo están ser portátil, inalámbrico e interfaz entre el humano y la máquina. Conclusiones: Los usuarios manifestaron sentirse cómodos con el artefacto; les facilitó el desarrollo de los ejercicios terapéuticos. El impacto positivo del dispositivo se refleja en la medida en que el 100 % de la población recomendaría el dispositivo electrónico, por lo que la intervención fue exitosa.

Introduction: There are different causes that prevent muscle movement in a person, for which in some cases there is no medical treatment that stops the progress of the disease. However, there are technological aids that allow individuals with disabilities to improve their skills to help them live autonomously and participate in society. Assisted technology has developed multiple options to improve the quality of life of these patients. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the implementation of a device in people with motor disabilities in the municipality of Montería-Córdoba, Colombia. A design, construction and implementation of the device is established and, finally, its impact is evaluated. Methods: The research is a technological-descriptive type, because, in addition to the analysis of results, it was experimented on the population under study. To this end, criteria such as type of disability, average age and socioeconomic influence were taken into account. Results: The impact of Helpbot device, which interacts with the user and facilitates the execution of movements, was evaluated. Among the features of the device are being portable, wireless and interface between human and machine. Conclusions: Users stated that they felt comfortable with the artifact. It facilitated the development of therapeutic exercises. The positive impact of the device is reflected in the extent to which 100% of the population would recommend the electronic device, therefore the intervention was successful.

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Background: The world is currently experiencing multiple economic crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and inflation surge, which disproportionately affect children, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We evaluated if the expansion of Social Assistance, represented by Social Pensions (SP) and Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT), could reduce infant and child mortality, and mitigate excess deaths among children in Brazil, one of the LMICs most affected by these economic crises. Methods: We conducted a retrospective impact evaluation in a cohort of Brazilian municipalities from 2004 to 2019 using multivariable fixed-effects negative binomial models, adjusted for relevant demographic, social, and economic factors, to estimate the effects of the SP and CCT on infant and child mortality. To verify the robustness of the results, we conducted several sensitivity and triangulation analyses, including difference-in-difference with propensity-score matching. These results were incorporated into dynamic microsimulation models to generate projections to 2030 of various economic crises and Social Assistance scenarios. Findings: Consolidated coverage of SP was associated with significant reductions in infant and child mortality rates, with a rate ratio (RR) of 0.843 (95% CI: 0.826-0.861) and 0.840 (95% CI: 0.824-0.856), respectively. Similarly, CCT consolidated coverages showed RRs of 0.868 (95% CI: 0.842-0.849) and 0.874 (95% CI: 0.850-0.899) for infant and child mortality, respectively. The higher the degree of poverty in the municipalities, the stronger the impact of CCT on reducing child mortality. Given the current economic crisis, a mitigation strategy that will increase the coverage of SP and CCT could avert 148,736 (95% CI: 127,148-170,706) child deaths up to 2030, compared with fiscal austerity measures. Interpretation: SP and CCT programs could strongly reduce child mortality in LMICs, and their expansion should be considered as an effective strategy to mitigate the impact of the current multiple global economic crises. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grant_Number:INV-027961. Medical Research Council(MRC-UKRI),Grant_Number:MC_PC_MR/T023678/1.

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OBJECTIVES: Fragmentation of continuity of care impacts the health system's efficiency and increases inequity. It severely affects high-risk patients with multimorbidity, requiring coordinated care to avoid preventable complications. The Centro de Innovación en Salud ANCORA UC, together with the Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Sur Oriente, and the National Health Fund, implemented a transitional care strategy for high-risk adults with multimorbidity at 3 hospitals in the southeast of Santiago. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on length of hospital stay, consultations with primary care physicians and contacts after discharge, and also to describe the implementation process of the transition nurse activities. METHODS: A cohort study was performed between 2017 and 2019, with 137 hospitalizations from exposed patients and 167 hospitalizations from unexposed patients. The results of the study showed a significant decrease in the length of hospital stays and an increase in consultations with physicians. RESULTS: The results of the implementation process showed that the transition nurse followed-up in a mean of 24 hospitalizations monthly, and 91% of the discharged patients were contacted via the telephone within 7 days. The implementation process showed that the transition nurse's tasks merged with the daily clinical activities in which training on case management, transition care, and continuous support were key aspects of success. CONCLUSION: We conclude that transitional care intervention has a strong potential in addressing fragmentation of care and is feasible to install and sustain over time in the Chilean context. Finally, this study provides a detailed description of the intervention strategy contributing to its spread and scale-up.

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Fundamento: Con el aumento de la esperanza de vida en Cuba se hace necesario insertar al adulto mayor en la actividad física comunitaria, que es uno de los procesos de funcionamiento del Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación, mediante el Programa del Adulto Mayor para mejorar la calidad de vida de este grupo etario. Objetivo: Determinar los rasgos distintivos que caracterizan el impacto integral del Programa del Adulto Mayor en la calidad de vida de los practicantes del municipio Trinidad en la provincia Sancti Spíritus. Metodología: Se realizó estudio exploratorio que incluyó a 10 directivos y 65 profesores que atienden directamente el Programa del Adulto Mayor en el municipio Trinidad y 64 adultos mayores practicantes sistemáticos; a profesores y directivos se les realizaron entrevistas. Se utilizaron los métodos inductivo-deductivo, análisis de documento, medición y la entrevista. Los métodos estadísticos matemáticos se aplicaron para el procesamiento de los datos, específicamente dentro de la estadística descriptiva se utilizaron tablas de distribución empírica de frecuencias. Resultados: El Programa e Indicaciones metodológicas no ofrecen información relacionada con el impacto integral del mismo, el 100 % de los directivos considera necesario que se investigue en relación con el impacto integral de este Programa, la totalidad de los profesores entrevistados expresaron que solo se evalúa la condición física del adulto mayor. El 80 % de los adultos mayores se sienten satisfechos con su estado de salud y el 98 % consideraron que el Programa mejora su calidad de vida. Conclusiones: Se ofrecen los rasgos distintivos que caracterizan el impacto integral del Programa del Adulto Mayor; las deficiencias detectadas orientan la necesidad de evaluar de forma integral el impacto del mismo en la calidad de vida de los practicantes sistemáticos.

Background: Due to the increase in life expectation in Cuba, it becomes necessary to insert the elderly adults in community physical activity, which is one of National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation functioning processes, by means of the Elderly Adult Program to improve quality of life in this age group. Objective: To determine the distinguishing features that characterize the integral impact of the Elderly Adult Program on the quality of life of the participants of the Municipality of Trinidad in the Province of Sancti Spiritus. Methodology: An exploratory study was conducted that included 10 managers and 65 teachers who directly attend the Elderly Adult Program in the municipality of Trinidad and 64 systematically practicing elderly adults; interviews were conducted with teachers and managers. Inductive-deductive methods, document analysis, measurement and interview were used. Mathematical-statistical methods were applied to process the data, specifically, within the descriptive statistics, empirical frequency distribution tables were used. Results: The Program and Methodological Indications do not offer information relating to the integral program impact, 100% of the managers consider necessary to investigate the integral impact of the program, most of the teachers interviewed said that only the physical condition of elderly adults is evaluated. The 80% of them are satisfied with their health and 98% believe the program improves their quality of life. Conclusions: The features that characterize the integral impact of the Senior Program are offered; the deficiencies detected suggest the need for a comprehensive evaluation of its impact on the life quality of systematic practitioners.

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This paper assesses whether Brazilian primary health care is worth it in the long-run by estimating the accumulated costs and benefits of its flagship, the Family Health Strategy program (ESF). We employ an alternative strategy centered on years of exposure to the program to incorporate its dynamics. We also account for the program's heterogeneity with respect to the remuneration of ESF health teams and the intensity of coverage across Brazilian municipalities, measure by the number of people assisted by each ESF team, on average. To address heterogeneity in professional earnings, this paper employs, for the first time, a dataset containing the remuneration of professionals allocated to all ESF teams nationwide. The benefits are measured by the avoided deaths and hospitalizations due to causes sensitive to primary care. Results suggest that the net monetary benefit of the program is positive on average, with an optimum time of exposure of approximately 16 years. Significant heterogeneities in cost-benefit results were found since costs outweigh benefits in localities where the coverage is low intensive. On the other hand, the benefits outweigh the costs by 22.5% on average in municipalities with high intensive coverage.

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BACKGROUND: Mexico City approved new road safety policies in 2015, which included lower speed limits and higher fines for traffic offences. In 2019, economic fines were replaced by a point penalty system among other changes. This study evaluates these policies on road traffic collisions, injuries and deaths. METHODS: Collisions data came from insurance collision claims (January 2015 to December 2019) and road traffic deaths from vital registrations (January 2013 to December 2019). We conducted an interrupted time series analysis for each outcome using negative binomial regression models with an offset of insured vehicles (collisions) or total population (deaths). Then, we classified the 16 municipalities in the city into enforcement and no-enforcement groups based on presence or absence of automated traffic enforcement devices and conducted a controlled interrupted time series analysis. RESULTS: The 2015 road safety policies had no effect on total collisions and collisions resulting in injury but were associated with a 0.2% (95% CI -0.3 to 0.0) decline in the mortality trend. The 2019 policies had no effect on total collisions but were associated with a 1.5% increase in the trend of collisions resulting in injuries and with a 2.7% (95% CI 1.0 to 4.5) increase in the mortality trend. Postpolicy trends in enforcement versus no-enforcement municipalities were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Policies that included high economic penalties for speeding and dangerous behaviours were effective in decreasing traffic mortality while removing economic penalties and replacing them with a point penalty system were associated with an increase in collisions, resulting in injury and mortality.

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Health promotion programs can reduce morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases, as well as public spending on health. The current study aims to evaluate the effects of the Health Gym Program on expenditures on hospitalizations for stroke in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. This public policy impact assessment used an econometric model that combines the difference-in-difference estimator with propensity score matching. Data referring to the health, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics of the 185 municipalities in Pernambuco were collected for the period from 2007 to 2019. Validation tests were carried out of the empirical strategy, the estimation of models with fixed effects for multiple periods and validation post-tests, and robustness of the results. In total, US$ 52,141,798.71 was spent on hospitalizations for stroke, corresponding to 4.42% of the expenses on hospitalizations for all causes over the period studied. Municipalities that implemented the Health Gym Program spent 17.85% less on hospitalizations for stroke than municipalities that did not. The findings of this study indicate that the Health Gym Program was effective in reducing expenses with hospitalizations for stroke and that its implementation has the potential to reduce expenses related to rehabilitation, sick leave, and early retirement.

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BACKGROUND: The Seguro Popular (SP) was launched in 2004 to increase access to healthcare and reduce catastrophic expenditures among the Mexican population. To document the evidence on its effectiveness, we conducted a systematic review of impact evaluations of the SP. METHODS: We included papers using rigorous quasi-experimental designs to assess the effectiveness of the SP. We evaluated the quality of each study and presented the statistical significance of the effects by outcome category. RESULTS: We identified 26 papers that met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies that evaluated the impact of SP on financial protection found consistent and statistically significant positive effects in 55% of the 65 outcomes analyzed. Nine studies evaluating utilization of health services for the general and infant populations found effectiveness on 40% of 30 outcomes analyzed. Concerning screening services for hypertension, diabetes, and cervical and prostate cancer, we found three studies evaluating 14 outcomes and finding significant effects on 50% of them. Studies looking at the impact of SP on diabetes, hypertension, and general health care and treatment evaluated 19 outcomes and found effects on 21% of them. One study assessed five diabetes monitoring services and found positive effects on four of them. The only study on morbidity and mortality found positive results on three of the four outcomes of interest. CONCLUSION: We found mixed evidence on the impact of SP on financial protection, healthcare utilization, morbidity and mortality. In the 26 studies included in this review, researchers found positive effects in roughly half of the outcomes and null results on the rest.

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BACKGROUND: Early childhood development (ECD) is essential in human capacity building and a critical element in the intergenerational process of human development. In some countries, social programs targeted at improving ECD have proven to be successful. Oaxaca is one of the States with the greatest social inequities in Mexico. Therefore, children in Oaxaca are at a high risk of suboptimal ECD. In 2014, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Un Kilo de Ayuda started to implement the Neurological and Psycho-affective Early Childhood Development Program in eighty marginalized communities of Oaxaca. In this article, we present the impact evaluation design to estimate the effect of this program on ECD. METHODS: We will use a cluster randomized stepped-wedge design with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Communities will be randomly assigned to each study group: four groups of twenty communities each. We expect that children from intervened communities will show better ECD outcomes. DISCUSSION: This study is one of the few rigorous assessments of the effect of an ECD program on the neurodevelopment of Mexican children recruited in their first 3 years of life from communities of high social vulnerability. Our study design is recommended when the way in which outcomes are measured and assessed depends on age, self-selection is present, and assignment is performed at an aggregate level. Implementation research will be conducted prior to study launch and quality control measures will be in place to maximize the fidelity of study design implementation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04210362.

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This study aimed to analyse a wide range of related health problems that respond favourably to efficient primary care treatment among adults. We evaluate the direct impact of the Family Health Strategy (ESF) in Brazil on mortality of adults aged 25-64 years related to conditions for which access to effective primary care can reduce the likelihood of more severe outcomes. Additionally, we discuss heterogeneous effects associated with different intensities of the programme. To address these issues, we estimated a model with variation at the municipal level of the ESF expansion, including municipal-fixed effects, municipal specific trends and year-fixed effects. Our results show that a higher intensity of ESF is associated with reduced mortality by all conditions sensitive to primary care and for some diseases, especially after some years: avoidable conditions, asthma, heart failure, cerebrovascular diseases and gastrointestinal ulcer, infectious gastroenteritis and complications, diseases of the lower airways, hypertension and diabetes. As a public policy view, these results help understand how a nationwide primary care strategy can help mitigate mortality and emphasize the role of having sufficient health teams to attend to the population.

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Evidence-based interventions recommended in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization (WHO FCTC) are subject to implementation factors that might affect their actual effectiveness. The Colombian law enacting key commitments from WHO's FCTC was signed in 2009. This study aims at evaluating the potential impact of the enactment and implementation of these WHO FCTC on four outcomes for tobacco consumption (last-year cigarette smoking prevalence, prevalence of heavy smokers, prevalence of lower-intensity smokers and monthly smoking incidence). We used data from the National Psychoactive Substances Consumption Survey (NPSCS) in 2008 (n = 29 164) and 2013 (n = 32 605), and assessed changes in these four outcomes WHO FCTC using propensity score matching (PSM). Propensity scores were obtained using key socio-demographic variables and by matching through a 'Kernel' estimation. Matching quality tests were performed. The common support for both survey samples was 60 793. Sub-analyses were conducted using a governance index to assess the effect of heterogeneous governance levels, proxying implementation, over the country. We found that cigarette year-prevalence and cigarette month-incidence decreased after matching around 8 and 1.2 percentage points between 2008 and 2013, respectively. Consumption might have shifted, at least partially, from heavy smoking towards lower-intensity smoking. Departments with a higher governance index showed larger reductions of tobacco use, possibly associated to a stronger WHO FCTC implementation. This study highlights the impact that the WHO FCTC had on tobacco consumption in a middle-income country and shows the importance of governance strength as a mediating mechanism for WHO FCTC impact. These results advance current knowledge on the effectiveness of WHO FCTC and shed light on the relevance of governance as a key factor in the WHO FCTC implementation.

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BACKGROUND: Although the use of biomarkers to assess health outcomes has recently gained momentum, literature is still scarce for low- to middle-income countries. This paper explores the relationship between primary care coverage and individual health in Brazil using a dataset of blood-based biomarkers collected by the Brazilian National Health Survey. Both survey data and laboratory results were crossed with coverage data from the Family Health Strategy (ESF) program, the most important primary care program in Brazil; the coverage measures aim to capture both direct (household) and indirect (spill-over) effects. METHODS: The empirical strategy used a probit model to estimate the relationship between ESF program coverage and the likelihood of abnormal biomarker levels while controlling for a rich set of individual and household characteristics based on data from the national survey. RESULTS: Household ESF coverage was associated with a lower likelihood of abnormal results for biomarkers related to anemia (marginal effect between - 2.16 and - 2.18 percentage points), kidney failure (between - 1.01 and - 1.19 p.p.), and arterial hypertension (between - 1.48 and - 1.64 p.p). The likelihood of abnormal levels of white blood cells and thrombocytes was negatively related to primary care coverage (marginal effect between - 1.8 and - 2 p.p.). The spillover effects were relevant for kidney failure and arterial hypertension, depending on the regional level. Although not sensitive to household coverage, diabetes mellitus was negatively associated with the state supply of primary care, and abnormal cholesterol levels did not present any relationship with ESF program coverage. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of spillover effects of ESF program coverage regarding these conditions reveals that the strengthening of primary care by increasing the household registration and the regional density of ESF teams is an efficient strategy to address important comorbidities.

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Matching methods encompass non-parametric approaches to estimating counterfactual states through a rigorous selection of control units with similar characteristics to units submitted to an intervention. These methods enable comparisons between treated and control units in a way that facilitates understanding of causal relationships between interventions and outcomes. Matching methods have been used only recently in ecology and conservation biology, where such applications changed the way the field investigates causal questions, for example, in impact-evaluation studies. However, the strengths and limitations of matching methods are not well understood by most ecologists and environmental scientists. Herein, we review state-of-the-art matching methods aiming to help fill this gap in understanding. First, we present relevant theoretical concepts related to matching methods and related subjects such as counterfactual states and causation. Next, we propose guidelines and strategies for the application of matching methods in ecology and conservation biology. Finally, we discuss the possibilities for future applications of matching methods in the environmental sciences.

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OBJECTIVE: The WHO and UNICEF recommend home visits to improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns. We evaluated the effect of home visits by community volunteers during pregnancy and postpartum on breast-feeding practices, women's knowledge about benefits, beliefs and myths of breast-feeding, obstetric and neonatal warning signs, preparation for childbirth and initial care for newborns, and diarrhoea and respiratory diseases in children. DESIGN: Community quasi-experimental design. We estimated difference-in-difference models with fixed effects at the community level weighted by propensity score and investigated implementation barriers through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Poor rural communities in Mexico; 48 intervention and 29 control. PARTICIPANTS: Baseline and follow-up information were reported from two independent cross-sectional samples of women with babies aged between 6 and 18 months (baseline: 292 control, 320 intervention; follow-up: 292 control, 294 intervention). RESULTS: The intervention increased reports of exclusive breast-feeding in the first 6 months by 24·4 percentage points (pp) (95 % CI: 13·4, 35·4), mothers' knowledge of obstetric warning signs by 23·4 pp (95 % CI: 9·2, 37·5) and neonatal warning signs by 26·2 pp (95 % CI: 15·2, 37·2) compared to the control group. A non-linear dose-response relation with the number of home visits was found. Diarrhoea and respiratory diseases among children decreased in the intervention v. control group but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Home visits should be implemented as a complementary strategy to the provision of prenatal and postnatal care in rural communities due to their potential positive effects on the health of mothers and their children.

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AIMS: To comprehensively review enacted and proposed alcohol laws and existing impact evaluations of national alcohol policies in Chile. METHODS: We searched enacted laws in the Chilean National Library of Congress, proposed laws in the websites of the House of Deputies and Senate and impact evaluations in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, JSTOR, Epistemonikos and OpenGrey from inception to February 2019. Eligibility criteria included enacted laws and proposed laws on national alcohol policies and research studies evaluating the impact of national alcohol policies. One author screened enacted laws and proposed laws; two authors independently screened research records. We included any national alcohol policy intervention and classified policies according to 10 World Health Organization (WHO) alcohol policy domains. We used the Cochrane EPOC Review Group criteria to assess risk of bias of research records. We registered the review protocol in PROSPERO, registration record CRD42016050156. RESULTS: We identified and screened 229 enacted laws, 138 proposed laws and 1538 research records. Of these, 72 enacted laws, 118 proposed laws and three research articles were eligible for synthesis. We found enacted policies in all WHO alcohol policy domains. Regarding the most cost-effective policies, Chile has made limited use of taxation, has not regulated alcohol marketing and has weakened alcohol availability regulation. We found a large number of proposed laws, 79% of which would strengthen alcohol control. The few impact evaluation studies examined drink-driving policies and found a short-term reduction of alcohol-related injuries and deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Chile has enacted alcohol policies in all World Health Organization policy domains, but has not adopted policies with highest likely cost-effectiveness. Only the impact of drink-driving policies has been evaluated.

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With the implementation of the National Integrated Health System in 2007, the Uruguayan government extended social health insurance (SHI) to groups of individuals previously covered by the public safety net (PSN) or that paid for private insurance out-of-pocket. The policy allowed new beneficiaries to choose care from a set of private providers. In this study, we focus on the extension of SHI to adolescent mothers previously covered by the PSN. Exploiting the gradual incorporation of children of formal workers during the 2008-2013 period, and the geographic variation in the intensity of the reform, we find suggestive evidence that the increase in choice associated to the expansion of SHI decreased adolescent fertility, improved prenatal care and birthweight, and decreased first year mortality among low birthweight infants. These effects were only observed in the medium run, suggesting initial choice frictions and input shortage. We provide evidence that families increased their choice of private providers and that market concentration decreased in certain areas of the country, supporting the hypothesis that choice, and possibly competition, were the main mechanisms behind the findings.

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La Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba se ha apropiado de la práctica de gestión de la calidad como una cultura necesaria para elevar los estándares de sus procesos sustantivos. Todos los subsistemas que componen el Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de la educación superior evalúan variables relacionadas con el impacto. En este artículo se presenta una concepción integradora para dicha evaluación en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba. La propuesta integra de manera coherente y con carácter sistémico categorías y conceptos de la evaluación de la calidad en la educación superior. Su implementación permite a la institución el establecimiento de acciones de mejora continua para la formación de recursos humanos de la salud, que protagonicen la transformación social y del estado de salud de la población.

The University of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba has appropriated of the quality administration practice as a necessary culture to elevate the standards of its fundamental processes. All the subsystems that compose the evaluation and accreditation system of the higher education evaluate variables related to the impact. An integrative conception for this evaluation in the University of Medical Sciences of Santiago de Cuba is presented in this work. The proposal integrates in a coherent way and with systemic character categories and concepts of the quality evaluation in higher education. Its implementation allows the institution the establishment of continuous improvement actions for the training of health human resources that play leading role in the social transformation and the population health state.

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Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has gained international attention over the past decade, as manifested in both United Nations policy discussions and hundreds of voluntary projects launched to earn carbon-offset credits. There are ongoing discussions about whether and how projects should be integrated into national climate change mitigation efforts under the Paris Agreement. One consideration is whether these projects have generated additional impacts over and above national policies and other measures. To help inform these discussions, we compare the crediting baselines established ex-ante by voluntary REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon to counterfactuals constructed ex-post based on the quasi-experimental synthetic control method. We find that the crediting baselines assume consistently higher deforestation than counterfactual forest loss in synthetic control sites. This gap is partially due to decreased deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon during the early implementation phase of the REDD+ projects considered here. This suggests that forest carbon finance must strike a balance between controlling conservation investment risk and ensuring the environmental integrity of carbon emission offsets. Relatedly, our results point to the need to better align project- and national-level carbon accounting.

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