The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health: Enabling Trust for Health Data Exchange: An Opportunity for the Latin American and Caribbean Region
Jan 2026
Author(s): Ramirez, Erick;Piermarini, Maria Alejandra;Nelson, Jennifer;Velandia, Martha;Contreras, Marcela;Marti, Myrna;Nuñez, Carlos;Portilla, Fernando;Zegarra Ascui, Francisco;D'Agostino, Marcelo;Orefice, Pablo
This document presents the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN), analyzes the current situation in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and proposes strategies for regional…
Economic Fallout of Social Conflict: Evidence from Social Media and Satellite Images
Nov 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Grazzi, Matteo;Llamas, Paola;Lotti, Giulia;Peña, Werner
In this paper, we leverage a quasi-experimental design and innovative sources of information to examine the impact of rising social conflict and political instability in Haiti. By exploiting this…
Health impact assessment
Mar 2025
Author(s): Silva, Felipe;Vohra, Salim
This guide describes how to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA), its process for identifying environmental and social risks and impacts, as well as the optimal way to systematically identify,…
Measures of hospital efficiency and quality
Jan 2025
Author(s): Barraza-Lloréns, Mariana;Arceo-Schravesande, Adrian;Campos-Hernández, Ángel;Bauhoff, Sebastian;Bernal, Pedro
Hospitals are a critical component of health systems. This technical note proposes a policy-oriented framework for measuring hospital performance and provides a short list of indicators related to…
Macroeconomic and Fiscal Effects of Increased Efficiency in Medicine Procurement: A General Equilibrium Analysis of the Colombian Health System
Dec 2024 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Ávila-Montealegre, Oscar;Bauhoff, Sebastian;Botero García, Jesús;Giles Álvarez, Laura;León-Moncada, Santiago;Larrahondo, Cristhian;Lozano Espitia, Luis;Melo-Becerra, Ligia;Ortiz Hoyos, José Luis;Rodríguez-Ávila, Jesús
This study analyzes the macroeconomic and fiscal effects of greater efficiency in medicines procurement in Colombia, using both static (computable) and dynamic general equilibrium models. The…
Impact Evaluation of Salud Mesoamerica Initiative on Adolescent Fertility in Costa Rica
Nov 2024
Author(s): Bernal, Pedro;Bancalari, Antonella;Muñoz, Matías;Zúñiga Brenes, Paola;Jara Maleš, Patricia
This study investigates the effect of a large-scale comprehensive intervention in Costa Rica aimed at reducing adolescent pregnancy among the poorest districts by integrating reproductive health…
Using Subsidies to Enhance Access to Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Remote Villages
Oct 2024 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Bancalari, Antonella;Bernal, Pedro;García, María Fernanda;Ibarrarán, Pablo;Sánchez-Monin, Emmanuelle;Zúñiga Brenes, Paola
This paper investigates the effects of alleviating remoteness constraints on access to quality maternal and newborn health care. Using a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we provided…
Care Across the Life Cycle: Building Care Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
Oct 2024
Author(s): Rachter, Laísa;Stampini, Marco;Tomé, Romina;Duryea, Suzanne;Vinacur, Tamara
This note presents the definition, relevance, and objectives of a care system from the perspective of both care recipients and providers. It also outlines a menu of care interventions for targeted…
Social Determinants of Health: A Health-Centered Approach to Multi-Sectoral Action
Sep 2024
Author(s): Pinto, Diana M.;Savedoff, William D.;Bauhoff, Sebastian
The social determinants of health (SDH) are critical contextual factors, predominantly social, that directly and indirectly influence health outcomes by shaping individual behaviors and environmental…
Are Long Hospitalizations Substituting Primary and Long-term Care?: Evidence from Brazil and Mexico
Aug 2024 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Aranco, Natalia;Bauhoff, Sebastian;Schwarz, Natalie Vanessa;Stampini, Marco
Prolonged hospital stays, or hospital stays that are longer than medically necessary, are a major concern for patients, payers, and providers. We conceptualize and empirically estimate the prevalence…
Water and Sanitation in Schools: Planning and Design of Sanitary Facilities
Jun 2024
Author(s): Montenegro Iturra, Esteban Emilio;Piderit Moreno, Maria Beatriz Florencia;Schwartz, Liora;Minoja, Livia;Bos, María Soledad;González, Francisco;De la Peña, Maria Eugenia
Universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools goes beyond meeting childrens basic needsit plays a vital role in preventing disease and, as a result, improving school attendance…
Does Reluctance to Share Personal Data Reduce Citizen Demand for Personalized Services? Evidence from a Survey Experiment
May 2024 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Aguirre De Mora, Florencia;Roseth, Benjamin;Santamaria, Julieth
Two seemingly contradictory trends have accompanied the rise of digital transformation: a demand for better and more customized services, which require the use of personal data, and a concern for…
Enhancing Maternal and Infant Healthcare in Remote Villages: Experimental Evidence on the Efficacy of Demandand Supply-Side Subsidies
May 2024
Author(s): Bancalari, Antonella;Bernal, Pedro;García, María Fernanda;Ibarrarán, Pablo;Sánchez-Monin, Emmanuelle;Zúñiga Brenes, Paola
This paper investigates the effects of releasing remoteness constraints on the accessibility and quality of maternal and infant healthcare. Through a field experiment, we provided complementary…
Incorporating Men into Caregiving Tasks: Dismantling Barriers and Reframing Roles in Latin America and the Caribbean
Feb 2024
Author(s): Bustelo, Monserrat;Suaya, Agustina;Viollaz, Mariana;Martinez, Karen
Deeply entrenched cultural norms in the LAC society tend to dictate that women should bear the primary responsibility for domestic tasks and caregiving. This social perception results in an unequal…
Programa Maior Cuidado: An Integrated Community-Based Intervention on Care for Older People
Feb 2024
Author(s): Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter;Giacomin, Karla Cristina;Carvalho, Poliana Fialho de;Sempé, Lucas
This report presents an overview of a novel community-based intervention for older people living in deprived neighbourhoods in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte: Programa Maior Cuidado (PMC).…
FS 1.5.b: OLAS Household Survey Data Set 2023 Update: Sanitation Access Indicators
Jan 2024
Author(s): Libra, Jesse Madden;Baquero, María Alejandra
This factsheet outlines the water access indicators in the updated OLAS Household Survey dataset. The dataset uses national household survey information spanning from 2003 to the present to produce…
Smart Spending for Health: Social Protection and Health Division Regional Policy Dialogue Report 2023
Dec 2023
Author(s): Góngora, Pamela;Distrutti, Marcela;Giedion, Úrsula;Bauhoff, Sebastian;Castro, Sofia;Méndez, Florencia Magdalena;Chávez, Mariángela
The "Smart Spending for Health" Regional Policy Dialogue, hosted by the IDB's Social Protection and Health Department in Washington D.C. from October 2-4, brought together more than…
Unequal Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and African Descendants
Dec 2023
Author(s): Bustelo, Monserrat;Frisancho, Verónica;Viollaz, Mariana
The indigenous peoples and African descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean are far behind the rest of the population in terms of access to education, health services, and financial services,…
How to shorten waiting lists in public health systems?: lessons learned from three pilots implemented in Chile
Dec 2023
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank
The increase in waiting lists for care is a very relevant problem for health systems. While some of the causes are related to deficits in the supply of professionals, equipment and infrastructure,…
Research Insights: What Are the Financial Impacts of Disability in Terms of Income and Expenditure?
Nov 2023
Author(s): Martínez, Claudia
In Chile, 15.1% of adults under 65 have a disability, with higher prevalence among women and older individuals. Disability is associated with reduced levels of income and education. Even after…