Highlights ■ A total of 89% of the 3,136 legal demands sought medication. ■ Androgen inhibitors amounted to 78.8% of all lawsuits, particularly abiraterone. ■ There is a growth tendency in judicialization, with a 30-fold increase over 4 years. ■ The estimated annual financial burden of judicialization on the Brazilian United Public Health System has reached BRL 783 million. ABSTRACT Objective: Considering the difficulties of Brazil’s Public Health System in providing comprehensive care, the present article aimed to assess legal […]

Highlights ■ More than 2 million procedures were analyzed in the public health system from 2019 to 2023. ■ A total of 13 types of procedures were performed across 7 different specialties. ■ A 35% reduction in the total number of surgeries was observed. ■ There was no recovery of surgeries postponed during the pandemic. ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze changes in surgical volume across different specialties in Brazil before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive observational study […]

Highlights ■ Vendor Neutral Archive implementation has an return on investment of 5.63% in the first year and 10.12% after three years. ■ At least 11,500 exams are needed annually for a positive return on investment in the first year after implementation. ■ Vendor Neutral Archive enhances interoperability and efficiency by standardizing and centralizing image storage. ■ Scalability is key: higher adoption of Vendor Neutral Archive leads to greater financial and operational benefits. ABSTRACT Objective: To conduct an ex-ante cost-benefit […]

Highlights ■ Ensuring quality education, providing vocational training, and promoting communication technology, technical, and scientific programs are goals set by the United Nations to enhance learning opportunities for all. ■ Critical thinking, fostered through theoretical and practical activities, is essential for building relevant skills, including literacy and numeracy. ■ The Scientists of Tomorrow/Cientistas do Amanhã project is a reproducible initiative that can be implemented in other research centers and schools. ABSTRACT The Scientists of Tomorrow project is a partnership between […]

Highlights ■ Matching methodologies may reduce bias in economic evaluations. ■ Liver transplantation within the Proadi-SUS context has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio below the Health Technology Incorporation in the Brazilian Health System threshold. ■ The patients who received transplant had a median survival of 10.1 years after list enrollment. ■ The mean cost per transplanted patient was US$ PPP 162,821.96. ABSTRACT Objective: To estimate the incremental cost and survival of patients on the liver transplantation waiting list who were referred […]

ABSTRACT Introduction: Technical Support Centers of the Judiciary (NATJUST), provide health technology assessments to judges in health-related litigations against both public and private healthcare systems. These centers provide technical notes, that can assist Brazilian Courts in making provisional rulings and determining patient access to health services during legal proceedings. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of NATJUS technical notes on preliminary injunctions in lawsuits against the Brazilian Unified Health System. Specifically, we analyzed the alignment between judicial decisions […]

Highlights ■ Men with metastatic prostate cancer in the public system have access to fewer treatment lines. ■ Survival in the public system was 3 years shorter than that in the private setting (78 versus 115 months). ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the impact of assistance from public and private health systems on the overall survival of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 213 patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated at the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, either in […]

Highlights ■ The treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome places a huge economic burden on healthcare systems. ■ Cost analysis studies of Hepatorenal Syndrome management can help to rationally allocate resources in healthcare. ■ Timely diagnosis and management of Hepatorenal Syndrome may reduce mortality, resource utilization and costs. ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the direct medical costs incurred in Brazil for the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome in intensive care and intermediate therapy care units, and to investigate […]

Highlights ■ Most outpatient consultations comprised diagnostic procedures. ■ In the past 12 years, medical care for benign breast diseases has cost >USD 65 million. ■ Women from North and Midwest Brazil had higher diagnosis and treatment displacement rates. ABSTRACT Objective: To quantitatively and geospatially analyze coverage and displacement for the diagnosis and treatment of benign breast diseases in the Brazilian Unified Health System between 2008 and 2019. Methods: Datasets from the Brazilian Ministry of Health were used to survey […]

Highlights Herbal medicinal product use was 3.8%, with high formal prescription; however, it is accompanied by a high risk of interactions and redundancy. Unified Health System pharmacies are not the main source of herbal medicinal products, suggesting low service implementation. Women, people with mental disorders, and allopathy simultaneously users should receive attention. Non-white people are less likely to use herbal medicinal product, suggesting inequalities in accessing these treatments. ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with herbal medicinal […]