4 3 9
RESEARCH STRATEGI ES FOR CON TROLLI N G N EGLECTED DI SEASES: COLLABORATI VE
NETW ORK PROJECTS I N NURSI NG
Ter eza Cr ist ina Scat ena Villa1
T
h i s d e ca d e i s f o cu se d o n a ch i e v i n g t h e Mi l l e n n i u m D e v e l o p m e n t Go a l s( 1 ), w h i ch i n cl u d e t h er ed u ct ion of ch ild m or t alit y an d t h e r ed u ct ion in t h e in cid en ce of t r an sm issib le d iseases, esp ecially HI V/
Aid s, m alar ia an d t u b er cu losis. All of t h ese m ech an ism s sh ar e t h e ch ar act er ist ic of a sp ecif ic f ocu s, t h e
g o a l o f d e v e l o p i n g se l f - su st a i n a b l e st r a t e g i e s, g u a r a n t e e d f u n d i n g m e ch a n i sm s f o r i n t e r v e n t i o n a n d
r e s e a r c h .
Th e t r o p i cal d i seases t h at ar e co n si d er ed “ n eg l ect ed ” co n st i t u t e a set o f p r ev al en t d i seases i n
d e v e l o p i n g co u n t r i e s, w h i ch i n d i st i n ct l y a f f e ct t h e e n t i r e p o p u l a t i o n , b u t h a v e m o r e st r o n g l y a f f e ct e d
p o p u l at i o n g r o u p s i n si t u at i o n s o f so ci al v u l n er ab i l i t y, r ep r esen t i n g a sev er e o b st acl e t o so ci o eco n o m i c
d ev elop m en t an d im p r ov ed q u alit y of lif e( 2 ).
Br azil r ep r esen t s t h e lar g est p ar t of t h e n eg lect ed t r op ical d isease b u r d en in Lat in Am er ica an d
t h e Car ib b ean . Th is m ean s t h at m an y of t h e 4 0 m illion p oor est Br azilian s ar e in f ect ed b y on e or m or e
n e g l e ct e d t r o p i ca l d i se a se s( 3 ). Th e se d i se a se s p e r si st d u e t o d i f f e r e n t ca u se s o r “ f l a w s”, cl a ssi f i e d i n
t h r ee t y p es: sci en ce f l aw s ( i n su f f i ci en t k n o w l ed g e) ; m ar k et f l aw s ( h i g h d r u g o r v acci n e co st s) ; p u b l i c
h ealt h f law s ( d ef icien t p lan n in g f or d iag n osis an d t r eat m en t )( 4 ). Scien ce f law s d em an d r eor g an izat ion of
t h e n at ion al r esear ch sy st em , t ow ar ds t h e con st r u ct ion of a br idge bet w een k n ow ledge pr odu ct ion an d it s
a p p l i ca t i o n i n d i f f er en t sect o r s. Ma r k et f l a w s d em a n d i n n o v a t i v e f u n d i n g m ech a n i sm s o r n eg o t i a t i o n s.
Pu b lic h ealt h f law s d em an d n ew in t er v en t ion st r at eg ies( 5 ).
Th e Repor t by t h e Com m ission on Macr oecon om ics an d h ealt h appoin t ed t h e “ 9 0 / 1 0 disequ ilibr iu m ”,
t h at is, 1 0 % of in v est m en t s in r esear ch an d d ev elop m en t ( R& D) ar e d ir ect ed at t h e h ealt h p r ob lem s of
9 0 % of t h e w or ld p op u lat ion( 6 ).
I n t h is con t ex t , t h e in t er - in st it u t ion al ep id em iolog ical- op er at ion al r esear ch g r ou p “ GEOTB” / CNPq
at t h e Un iv er sit y of São Pau lo at Ribeir ão Pr et o College of Nu r sin g, WHO Collabor at in g Cen t r e f or Nu r sin g
Resear ch Dev elop m en t , h as t ak en t h e f or ef r on t in f u n d in g an d r esear ch p r oj ect d ev elop m en t w it h a v iew
t o con t r ibu t in g t o t h e ach iev em en t of t h e Millen n iu m Dev elopm en t Goals, by st im u lat in g r esear ch pr act ice
t h at j o i n ef f o r t s an d f av o r i n t eg r at i o n b et w een r esear ch g r o u p s an d i n st i t u t i o n s i n t h e d ev el o p m en t o f
m u lt icen t er r esear ch p r oj ect s an d h u m an r esou r ces f or t h e Un iq u e Healt h Sy st em ( SUS) . I n t h is sen se,
t h e d ev el o p m en t o f r esea r ch p r o j ect s o n Tu b er cu l o si s i n a n a t i o n a l n et w o r k st a n d s o u t , i n v o l v i n g t en
n u r sin g sch ools an d t w o m edical sch ool f r om u n iv er sit ies in t h e Nor t h , Nor t h east , Sou t h an d Sou t h east of
Br azil. Th ese act iv it ies ar e ar t icu lat ed w it h t h e Min ist r y of Healt h an d REDE TB an d r eceiv e n at ion al an d
i n t e r n a t i o n a l f u n d i n g . Re se a r ch r e su l t s h a v e co n t r i b u t e d t o k n o w l e d g e p r o d u ct i o n o n p r i m a r y ca r e
p er f or m an ce assessm en t m et h od s in t u b er cu losis car e( 7 - 8 ), w it h a v iew t o su p p or t in g t h e f or m u lat ion of
pu blic policies f or t h e Un iqu e Healt h Sy em an d est ablish in g n ew r esear ch gr ou ps in ar eas t h at ar e st r at egic
f or t h e cou n t r y.
1Mem ber of t he Edit orial Board of t he Lat in Am erican Journal of Nursing, Full Professor of t he Universit y of São Paulo at Ribeirão Pret o College of Nursing,
WHO Collaborat ing Cent re for Nursing Research Developm ent , Brazil, e- m ail: t it [email protected].
Edit orial
4 4 0
REFEREN CES
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