Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital - The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital - The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Pediatr Neurol. 2022 Jul;132:19-22. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2022.04.010. Epub 2022 Apr 28.
The current practice of child neurology in Latin America has been impacted by the waves of sociopolitical unrest that in the last decades have swept the region.
We searched the available literature referring to the situation of child neurology in Latin America and conditions that specifically impact the region.
In lower-middle-income countries, the number of child neurologists is inadequate. Child neurologists working in large public hospitals can only afford to do so on a part-time basis as these institutions are chronically underfunded. Several circumstances are particularly relevant to Latin America: Spanish is the main language spoken, something that limits the opportunity to keep local child neurologists up to date. The structure of health care systems in Latin America varies significantly. Some countries have fragmented systems with inadequate capacity to offer equitable access to medical care. Latin America has been impacted by epidemics of arthropod-borne viruses: zika, chikungunya, and dengue. It stands to reason that the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the distribution of resources for chronic neurological conditions.
The virtual platforms such as Zoom, expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, are useful not only to improve access to care through telemedicine but also for educational purposes. Collaborative efforts to support educational courses and symposia in Spanish are ongoing. It is necessary to set short- and long-term priorities to improve child neurology care in the region. Immediate priorities should focus on improving the diagnosis of neurological conditions, making emphasis on locally available resources.
过去几十年，拉丁美洲经历了多轮社会政治动荡，其儿童神经病学的实践受到了冲击。
我们检索了有关拉丁美洲儿童神经病学现状和对该地区有特殊影响的条件的现有文献。
在中低收入国家，儿童神经科医生的数量不足。在大型公立医院工作的儿童神经科医生只能兼职工作，因为这些机构长期资金不足。以下几种情况在拉丁美洲尤为突出：西班牙语是主要语言，这限制了当地儿童神经科医生及时了解最新信息的机会。拉丁美洲的医疗保健系统结构差异很大。一些国家的系统碎片化，没有足够的能力提供公平的医疗服务。拉丁美洲曾受到节肢动物传播病毒（寨卡病毒、基孔肯雅热病毒和登革热）的流行的影响。鉴于此，COVID-19 大流行将影响慢性病资源的分配。
COVID-19 大流行期间扩大使用的 Zoom 等虚拟平台不仅可通过远程医疗改善获得医疗服务的机会，还可用于教育目的。目前正在开展支持西班牙语教育课程和研讨会的合作努力。有必要制定短期和长期的优先事项来改善该地区的儿童神经病学护理。近期的优先事项应侧重于改善神经疾病的诊断，重点关注当地现有的资源。
