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There are many challenges that impact the current referral network for Tuberculosis (TB) sputum specimens in Mozambique. In some cases, health facilities are remote and the road infrastructure is poor and at times impassable, leading to delays in laboratory specimen transportation and long turn-around times for results. Drone transportation is a promising solution to reduce transportation time and improve access to laboratory diagnostics if the sample quality is not compromised during transport. This study evaluated the impact of drone transportation on the quality of TB sputum specimens with suspected Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 156 specimens were collected at five (5) health centers and sent to the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) National TB Reference Laboratory. Specimens were then equally divided into two aliquots; one to be transported on land and the other by air using a drone. Control and study group specimens were processed using the NALC-NaOH method. Agreement between sample and control specimens was acceptable, indicating that drone transportation did not affect the quality of TB specimens. The authors recommend additional studies to validate drone transportation of TB specimens over a longer period of time to give further confidence in the adoption of drone delivery in Mozambique.

Drones are increasingly being used globally for the support of healthcare programmes. Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal are among a group of early adopters piloting the use of bi-directional transport drones for health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This article presents the experiences as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of these country projects. Methods for addressing regulatory, feasibility, acceptability, and monitoring and evaluation issues are presented to guide future implementations. Main recommendations for governments, implementers, drone providers and funders include (1) developing more reliable technologies, (2) thorough vetting of drone providers’ capabilities during the selection process, (3) using and strengthening local capacity, (4) building in-country markets and businesses to maintain drone operations locally, (5) coordinating efforts among all stakeholders under government leadership, (6) implementing and identifying funding for long-term projects beyond pilots, and (7) evaluating impacts via standardised indicators. Sharing experiences and evidence from ongoing projects is needed to advance the use of drones for healthcare.

Drones are increasingly used to transport health products, but life-saving interventions can be stalled if local community concerns and preferences are not assessed and addressed. In order to inform the introduction of drones in new contexts, this paper analyzed similarities and differences in community perceptions of medical delivery drones in Malawi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Dominican Republic (DR). Community perceptions were assessed using focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with stakeholders at the national level, at health facilities and in communities. Data were collected on respondents’ familiarity with drones, perceptions of benefits and risks of drones, advice on drone operations and recommendations on sharing information with the community. The comparative analysis found similar perceptions around the potential benefits of using drones, as well as important differences in the perceived risks of flying drones and culturally appropriate communication mechanisms based on the local context. Because community perceptions are heavily influenced by culture and local experiences, a similar assessment should be conducted before introducing drone activities in new areas and two-way feedback channels should be established once drone operations are established in an area. The extent to which a community understands and supports the use of drones to transport health products will ultimately play a critical role in the success or failure of the drone’s ability to bring life-saving products to those who need them.

OBJETIVO: Verificar a ocorrência de alterações no desenvolvimento, em particular, o desenvolvimento da linguagem, em crianças com histórico de exposição ao metal chumbo, e a existência ou não de correlação entre índice de contaminação e desenvolvimento de linguagem. MÉTODOS: Cinqüenta e oito crianças entre 12 e 36 meses foram submetidas à triagem fonoaudiológica; destas, 15 compareceram para avaliação específica por meio da Escala de Desenvolvimento Comportamental de Gesell e Amatruda por terem falhado na triagem. A correlação entre índice de chumbo e o grau de defasagem na linguagem foi verificada. RESULTADOS: Seis crianças apresentaram defasagem na área da linguagem da Escala, sendo que, uma delas apresentou defasagem em todos os campos. CONCLUSÃO: Não foi encontrada correlação negativa significante entre a concentração de chumbo e o grau de defasagem no desenvolvimento de linguagem dos indivíduos participantes, entretanto, o estudo sugere que a contaminação pelo chumbo tornou-se fator de risco para alterações no desenvolvimento da linguagem destas crianças. Dessa forma, mais estudos são necessários para verificar o grau de prejuízo que este metal pode ocasionar às pessoas, principalmente quando estão em desenvolvimento.PURPOSE: To verify the occurrence of alterations in the development, in particular language development, in children with history of metal lead exposure, and whether there is a correlation between index of contamination and language development. METHODS: Fifty eight children with ages between 12 and 36 months were submitted to speech-language pathology screening; 15 of these children failed the screening, and were referred to specific evaluation using the Behavioral Development Scale by Gesell and Amatruda (Escala de Desenvolvimento Comportamental de Gesell e Amatruda). The correlation between lead index and the degree of language deficits was verified. RESULTS: Six children presented deficits in the scale's language items; one of them had deficits in all items. CONCLUSION: No significant correlation was found between lead concentration and the degree of the language deficits of the subjects, however, the study suggests that lead contamination became a risk factor for deficits in language development. Therefore, further studies are necessary to verify the damages that this metal can cause in people exposed to it, especially when they are in development.

Objetivo Verificar a eficácia do DVD “Conhecendo e Aprendendo sobre meu Aparelho Auditivo” como ferramenta no processo de adaptação do aparelho de amplificação sonora individual (AASI) em idosos. Métodos Participaram dessa pesquisa 27 indivíduos, divididos em dois grupos: grupo controle, que recebeu as orientações fonoaudiológicas e o manual técnico de instruções que acompanhava o AASI retroauricular adaptado; e grupo experimental, que recebeu as mesmas orientações do grupo controle, acrescidas do referido DVD. A eficácia do DVD foi mensurada por meio do instrumento específico de habilidades de manuseio com o AASI Practical Hearing Aid Skills Test, usando-se análise estatística-descritiva e o teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney. Resultados O grupo experimental obteve melhor desempenho nas tarefas de limpeza do AASI e molde auricular, manipulação do controle de volume, manuseio da bobina telefônica e posicionamento correto do telefone na orelha. Não houve diferença entre os desempenhos do grupo controle e grupo experimental, no Practical Hearing Aid Skills Test. A maioria do grupo experimental afirmou estar muito satisfeita com as informações contidas no DVD. Conclusão Foi observada tendência de melhora, no grupo experimental, quanto à compreensão do conteúdo sobre o AASI, devido ao uso do DVD e elevado grau de satisfação desse grupo com o instrumento, confirmando ser um material possível de ser utilizado durante o processo de adaptação do AASI.