International Journal for Equity in Health最新文献

{"title":"Inequities in the continuum of maternal care in Mexico: trends before and after COVID-19.","authors":"Edson Serván-Mori, Rocio Garcia-Diaz, Sergio Meneses-Navarro, Octavio Gómez-Dantés, Diego Cerecero-García, Arachu Castro, Rafael Lozano","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02470-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02470-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite progress in maternal health coverage in Mexico, inequities persist, particularly in postnatal care. The COVID-19 pandemic further widened these gaps, disproportionately affecting women with similar health needs but different socioeconomic conditions. This study assesses trends in maternal healthcare coverage and inequity across nine stages of antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care, comparing pre- and post-pandemic periods. By examining horizontal inequity, we identify critical gaps and policy implications to enhance equitable maternal healthcare access.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a population-based, pooled cross-sectional and retrospective analysis for the last three decades, using data from the five waves (1997, 2009, 2014, 2018, and 2023) of the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics (ENADID). Our study included 123,197 Mexican women aged 12-54 with recent live births, representing a population of 38.5 million. We estimated coverage for antenatal and postnatal care stages. We used multiple regression models to assess factors influencing the likelihood of receiving comprehensive antenatal care, skilled delivery care and postpartum care interventions, both pre-and post-COVID-19. We estimated horizontal inequity using concentration index and decomposition analysis to highlight disparities among women with similar needs and examine how these disparities have changed due to COVID-19 across nine antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care stages.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Full antenatal and postnatal health care in Mexico was inadequate and inequitable. Only 73% of pregnant women received timely antenatal care and 88.3% received frequent care, despite 97.9% claiming to have received some care. Inadequate care was linked to lower education, labour market participation, low socioeconomic status, higher parity, and rural residency. The most inequitable aspects are access to skilled and institutional health care and timely post-partum care. The dismantling of a public health insurance system and focused strategies that incentivized the use of maternal health services during the pre-COVID period (January 2019 to March 2020) led to significant health coverage losses, exacerbating horizontal inequity in these areas. Although high equity was achieved in comprehensive antenatal healthcare from 2009 to 2023, since COVID, inequity has increased, particularly in antenatal indicators such as receiving four or more antenatal check-ups and check-ups in the first trimester. The pandemic intensified these inequities, and the values of these indicators have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite efforts to improve maternal care, comprehensive antenatal services reach only 61.8% of women in Mexico. This stresses not only the need for targeted policies to enhance antenatal, delivery, and postnatal coverage at cri","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"178"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144316852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Analysing the scientific literature on transgender and gender diverse persons' experiences with sexual and reproductive health care services from an intersectional perspective.","authors":"Susan Heward-Belle, Sarah Ciftci, Renee Lovell","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02546-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02546-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"179"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144316851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health-related SDGs in the national science agendas of Latin America and the Caribbean: a scoping review.","authors":"Martín Alberto Ragusa, Fernando Tortosa, Maristela Monteiro, Sebastian Garcia Saiso, Ludovic Reveiz","doi":"10.1186/s12939-024-02350-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-024-02350-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The national science and technology agendas (NSTAs) of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are crucial for formulating and implementing public policies by providing a strategic framework that guides state actions and priorities. The objective of this scoping review is to examine health-related targets from the national science and technology agendas (NSTA) of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), in accordance with the United Nations' third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3), as well as within the frameworks of innovation and risk management and emergencies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A scoping review was conducted, including policy documents issued between 2013 and 2023 by governmental science and technology authorities. The search strategy included government and international organization websites. A total of 108 documents were identified.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixteen NSTAs were selected. Health-related targets aligned with SDG-3 were highlighted, particularly in areas such as communicable diseases and drug and vaccine development, but there was limited representation in public health and health systems. Innovations in health science and technology included diagnostic technologies, health products and artificial intelligence. Risk management for health emergencies and disasters was present in a minority of the agendas, with a focus on natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This analysis provides a comprehensive view of the representation of health in NSTAs in LACs, highlighting common objectives among countries to foster collaboration, optimize research and innovation, and identify gaps in components necessary to enhance population health, such as disaster management, public health, and health systems.</p><p><strong>Registration: </strong>This scoping review was not registered.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"177"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144309830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photovoice and health inequalities among young people in the MENA region: Scoping review.","authors":"Noorah Aman, Clare Coultas, Jamie Murdoch, Seeromanie Harding","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02527-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02527-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Young people in the MENA region face significant challenges due to socio-political instability, ongoing conflicts, and inequitable social and economic policies. These factors, combined with global threats like climate change and economic instability, hinder the potential of the region's 140 million young people aged 10-24. Addressing these compounded crises is crucial for the future of the region. It is essential to understand the contextual factors shaping young people's health outcomes through their own perspectives. Photovoice, a participatory research method, has shown promise in engaging young people in research.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This scoping review aims to map the literature on photovoice studies that addressed health and its determinants among young people in the MENA region. It also seeks to highlight the challenges and strengths of employing the photovoice methodology in this context.</p><p><strong>Inclusion criteria: </strong>The review included literature reporting photovoice projects that addressed young people's health and/or its social determinants, where participants took photos and engaged in discussions based on these images. Studies involving young people aged 10-24 years and focusing on photovoice in the MENA region were considered. Both peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature with sufficient information addressing the review questions were included.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>The review followed the JBI Scoping Review Methodology and involved searches of seven English databases, two Arabic databases, and grey literature through Google search.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven studies/projects were included in the analysis. Most of the literature came from non-profit organizations, with few studies from peer-reviewed articles. The included studies focused on socio-economically disadvantaged, vulnerable, and marginalized young people, addressing topics such as environment, social integration, safety, and youth empowerment. The implementation of photovoice varied across studies, and there was limited participation of young people throughout the research process.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The scoping review revealed a scarcity of literature on the use of photovoice among young people to address health inequalities and the factors influencing them in the MENA region. Given the public health value of photovoice as an action-oriented research approach that promotes meaningful participation from young people, further research is needed to leverage this methodology to tackle health inequalities effectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"176"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144309831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of a food security experience scale among indigenous populations in Brazil.","authors":"Ana Maria Segall-Corrêa, Verônica Gronau Luz, Marta Maria do Amaral Azevedo, Beatriz Rocha Ferreira, Laure Emperaire, Deoclecio Rocco Gruppi, Letícia Marín-Leon, Juliana Souza Andrade Licio, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02515-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02515-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Assessing food and nutrition security among indigenous populations in Brazil is challenging due to their significant cultural and linguistic diversity. This study aimed to validate a national food insecurity measurement scale for indigenous peoples in Brazil (EBIA-I).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 495 indigenous households, from 15 rural communities and one urban area, were included in the analyses. Internal psychometric validity scale was tested with the Rasch Model, and external validity was examined with bivariate analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>An 8-item scale was internally valid (Infit values ranged between 0.7 and 1.3), 6 of the items referred to households with children under 16 years of age, 5 to households only with residents aged 16 years or more, with 3 being common to both. The external validity of the EBIA-I was high, as shown by the significantly lower prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity, in households where some members regularly received income vs. those not receiving any income, 17.5% vs. 30.6%, respectively. Likewise, interviewees who self-reported good/very good health vs. poor/very poor health status were less likely to experience moderate or severe food insecurity (19.1% vs. 34.8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>EBIA-I is a valid scale with strong potential to inform decisions by policymakers and to support indigenous organizations monitoring, addressing, and advocating for policies to prevent or mitigate food and nutrition insecurity in their communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"175"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167585/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144293730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The association between china's primary health care reform and inequalities in primary care utilisation and maternal mortality: a quasi-experimental longitudinal study from 2010 to 2019.","authors":"Chang Cai, Christopher Millett, Jin Xu, Yanshang Wang, Thomas Hone","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02541-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02541-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>China's maternal health has substantial inequalities across regions, a similar challenge faced by many low- and middle-income countries. The Chinese government launched a comprehensive health reform since 2015 to deliver more affordable and equitable primary health care (PHC), with pregnant women being a priority group of beneficiaries. However, little is known about the impacts of this PHC reform on primary care utilisation among pregnant women or maternal health inequalities. This study aims to examine whether and how China's PHC reform affected primary care utilisation among pregnant women and maternity deaths differently across regions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study employed provincial-level panel data from the China Health Statistic Yearbook and China Statistic Yearbook (2010-2019). Reform implementation by province was identified using web-scrapping of 31 provincial government websites. Firstly, difference-in-differences method examined the reform impacts on visits to PHC facilities, the utilisation of family physician services and prenatal services, and the maternal mortality ratio (MMR). Secondly, fixed-effects panel regression models estimated the association between family physician service use, prenatal care and the MMR. Analyses were stratified by province human development index (HDI) to assess inequalities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The introduction of China's PHC reform in a province was associated with increased utilisation of family physician services (59.7 per 10,000 people per year, 95% CI 32.8-86.5) and prenatal services (3.2% points per year, 95% CI 1.8-4.6) and reduced maternal death by 9.6 per 100,000 live births per year (95% CI 0.3-19.0) in low-HDI provinces. No reform impact was found in high-HDI provinces. In panel regression models for low-HDI provinces, with a 1.0% point increase in prenatal care utilisation and one increase in family physician visit per 100 people, maternal deaths would decrease by 1.4 (95% CI 0.2-2.5) and 2.4 (95% CI 1.4-3.5) per 100,000 live births per year, respectively. This association was not found in high-HDI provinces.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>China's PHC reforms and primary care utilisation were associated with reduction in MMR in less developed regions, suggesting contributions to lower inequalities in maternal health between regions. Community-level family physician services are likely effective for improving maternal health in high burden areas, but further system and quality improvements are needed in areas where maternal mortality is lower.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"174"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164202/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144293722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Internalisation of the SDGs in the Western Brazilian Amazon: a qualitative study on continuing education processes and health vulnerability.","authors":"Larissa Pereira de Moura, José Tomás Mateos, Frederyk Kluyvert Ryjkaard Barbosa E Silva, Herleis Maria de Almeida Chagas, Danúzia da Silva Rocha, Rozilaine Redi Lago, Montserrat Gea-Sánchez","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02484-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02484-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Noncommunicable diseases are closely linked to health inequalities and disproportionately affect socially vulnerable populations, leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates as well as poorer health outcomes. In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health and well-being, the health situation in the Brazilian Amazon stands out due to the region's numerous vulnerabilities. In this context, educating primary healthcare professionals has emerged as a key strategy for promoting a more integrated approach that includes addressing social determinants of health and tackling health inequities. This study explores training processes for the dissemination of the SDGs among primary healthcare professionals.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>This qualitative study is guided by the social theory of situated learning. Individual online interviews were conducted with 25 out of 116 health professionals working in primary healthcare settings in four states in the Brazilian Amazon region. They were part of a public initiative to internalise the SDGs in the Amazon (TED no. 57/2021 between the Ministry of Health and UFAC). In addition, technical reports written by participants regarding their professionals' interventions were explored. The data were analysed via thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 25 interviews were conducted, and four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (1) Convergence of Agendas, (2) Situated Learning in Coparticipation, (3) Faces of Vulnerability, and (4) Dynamics of Political Influence. The course participants developed intervention projects, focusing mainly on targets 3.8 and 3.4 of SDG 3 and on synergies with SDGs 2, 5, 8, and 16. The professionals demonstrated a multidimensional view of vulnerability, described as complex and related to the lack of access to resources and services, manifesting in health services as work overload. The municipal political context was critical, cited both as an obstacle and as a success factor in the actions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results highlight the importance of permanent health training in the implementation of the SDGs in contexts of great vulnerability and inequality, such as the Brazilian Amazon, showing that the permeability of these actions faces obstacles such as a lack of infrastructure and political influence.</p><p><strong>Study registration: </strong>This study was registered with OSF on April 18, 2024. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NHJ7Q .</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"173"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144293721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Composing authorship teams for health equity: an introduction to the health equity research production model.","authors":"Dustin T Duncan","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02524-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02524-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Privilege-special advantages, opportunities or honors granted only to specific persons or groups, such as cisgender men-is one of the primary causes of structural inequality and health inequality. More specifically, privilege feeds structural inequities that result in adverse health outcomes disproportionately impacting minoritized and marginalized communities. As structural inequality increases globally, there will undoubtedly be an increase in health inequity; this has driven a commensurate increase in health equity research. The increased focus on health equity may lead to evidence-based policy changes, potentially leading to changes in health and reductions in inequities in health. However, it is not enough to rectify health inequities. This paper introduces the Health Equity Research Production Model (HERPM), designed to promote equity, fairness, and justice in the production of research. While grounded in the fields of public health and health equity research, the model is broadly applicable across disciplines, particularly for researchers and institutions seeking to adopt more equitable research practices. To date, there is no current model in the literature focused on research production, despite its critical role in shaping evidence and determining who benefits from its dissemination. The goal of the Health Equity Research Production Model is to re-orient the field towards accountability for prioritizing equity in academic research in an existing system structured on inequality by centering minoritized and marginalized academic scholars and researchers including to expand pathway to reflect communities in need of research and creating equity in research production while improving the quality of the health equity research produced. The Health Equity Research Production Model focuses on research production using a framework of accountability and aims to remediate the compounded effects of privilege through systems and systems change. It prioritizes equity in the: (1) engagement with and centering of communities studied in research in all phases, (2) identities represented within research teams, (3) consideration of identities and groups awarded research grants, and (4) consideration of identities and groups considered for research products, such as peer-reviewed publications. This multi-component strategy for health equity and inclusive scientific approach-which directly addresses privilege inherent within the existing research production model-aims to deconstruct existing individual systems. This writing highlights the production of research products, which is evidence used in policy-decision making and directly associated with academic research success-compounding benefits bestowed upon non-minoritized and non-marginalized academic scholars and researchers.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"171"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164112/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144283793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring good mental health for people with intellectual disabilities: a qualitative interview study with mental health experts.","authors":"Sophie Komenda-Schned, Paula Moritz, Sarah Jasmin Landskron, Alma Rosa Herscovici, Charlotte Schomburg, Julia Lehner, Brigitte Lueger-Schuster, Luis Salvador-Carulla, Elisabeth Lucia Zeilinger","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02540-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02540-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Most mental health research focuses on mental disorders, with a paucity of studies exploring good mental health. Widely used definitions of good mental health (e.g., WHO's) include several aspects of positive human functioning as predisposing to mental health. According to diagnostic criteria, people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are impaired in their functioning levels (e.g., intellectual functioning, adaptive skills). Existing definitions of good mental health may therefore not be applicable to an ID population.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to explore the perspectives of experts on good mental health in people with ID to shed light on the constitutive factors of good mental health in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Semi-structured expert interviews with open-ended questions (N = 12) were conducted with psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatric nurses, working either academically or in practice with this population. Inductive, reflexive thematic analysis was applied to analyze and synthesize the data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four themes regarding components of good mental health in people with ID were derived: (1) Absence of Mental Illness, (2) Physical Health, (3) Psychosocial Functioning, and (4) Social Environment. Psychosocial functioning was divided into five subthemes, namely: (1) Emotional Competence, (2) Self-Concept, (3) Experience of Meaning, (4) Self-Determination, and (5) Personal Growth.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>According the participants of this study, the constitutive factors of good mental health are similar for people with and without ID. The importance of needs-based, individualized support and an appropriate social environment was particularly emphasized for people with ID, to facilitate positive human functioning and promote good mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"172"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164140/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144283794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Palestinian dermatology: exploring policies, challenges, and opportunities in fragile and conflict-affected settings.","authors":"Sari Taha","doi":"10.1186/s12939-025-02551-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12939-025-02551-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Contributions to global dermatology from the Arab World in general, and Palestine in particular, have been limited. The protracted conflict-related challenges and the fragile health system are barriers to development in national dermatological practice and research. This commentary discusses these challenges and proposes contextual solutions.</p><p><strong>Main body: </strong>The healthcare system has failed to provide affordable, accessible, and effective dermatological services. Limited patient access to health services can be ascribed to disorganized primary care and inadequate referral coordination across levels of care, leading patients to seek private dermatological services. This is exacerbated by a shortage of dermatologists and poor dermatological practices among healthcare professionals. Moreover, the limited production of dermatological research is attributed to the shortage of specialized human resources, the poor research infrastructure, and the lack of interest in dermatological research. However, two educational developments have been introduced, but are unlikely to result in significant overall progress in dermatological practice and research: a new dermatology residency training and a skincare academy with a bachelor's program affiliated with a major Palestinian university.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Efforts to strengthen local dermatological care should capitalize on the recent developments to build capacity in primary care, enhance coordination with specialized services, and improve the new residency program design.</p>","PeriodicalId":13745,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for Equity in Health","volume":"24 1","pages":"170"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12160342/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144283795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}