ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING
Latin American group’s multi-purpose role explained
Latin American architects, Fábio Bitencourt, Liliana Font, Luciano Monza, and Briseyda Reséndiz, and engineer and current IFHE President, Daniela Pedrini, discuss the establishment of a ‘Continuously Functioning Thematic Network’ of representatives from healthcare engineering and healthcare architecture from across Latin America – drawn both from IFHE organisations in the region, and other bodies that share common interests in this field. The aim will be to obtain and share knowledge, experience, and expertise in areas ranging from education and training, to event organisation, research and scientific studies, sustainability in healthcare, and ethics and compliance, that can also be fed back to the IFHE.
The International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) is a global non-profit institution whose members are the national associations of healthcare architecture and engineering. It aims to promote the safe, efficient, accessible, and environmentally sustainable planning, design, and management of buildings and facilities that provide healthcare services. In some regions of the world, on a continent-by-continent basis, there are regional groups linked to IFHE, with a particular current focus on Europe and Latin America. The IFHE Latin America Regional Group provides sectoral representation for the region, and comprises existing Latin associations in the countries of the American continent linked to the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering. However, the Group also includes representatives of countries that are not IFHE members, but who nevertheless share technical and scientific interests with those with formal links to the Federation.
The proposal to establish a Continuously Functioning Thematic Network involving
Latin American organisations with performance in healthcare architecture and engineering was put forward by the IFHE Latin America Regional Group on 26 January 2021 during the 26th IFHE Congress, which was held ‘virtually’ in Rome earlier this year. Networks can be understood as organisational
arrangements of actions and services with different degrees of activity, but with a single, integrative, central connection. In this case, the central connection revolves around themes related to the technical aspects of design, management, teaching, and research on environments, buildings, and technologies connected with healthcare provision.
Connection networks: concepts and proposal Networks – in whatever field – share common characteristics, but generally have broad representation from individuals and organisations with common interests; a wide range of network ‘models’ can be found in international literature. The modelling for
the establishment of a thematic network can be guided by different approaches, but must consider objectives common to the set or group of institutions involved. In international literature, there is a diversity of network models adopted in different locations, to account for distinct situations or conditions, but with a strong emphasis on the healthcare arena.
Among good examples of ‘thematic networks’ in international use are: networks of care models for chronic health conditions; a Psychosocial Care Network (in Portuguese: Rede de Atenção Psicossocial), and the Care Network for People with Physical Disabilities (Rede de Atenção à Pessoa com Deficiência Física) both in Brazil; international networks of healthy cities; international networks of sustainable cities; the UNESCO Creative Cities Network; safe hospital networks, and others widely spread across the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) also has several networks, such as the ePORTUGUÊSe Network, a ‘platform to support the development of human resources for health in Portuguese- speaking countries, strengthening collaboration in the area of information and training in health’ (WHO, 2021).1
Other
examples include La Red Panamericana para la Armonización de la
Reglamentación Farmacéutica (the Pan American Network for the Harmonization of Pharmaceutical Regulations), which proposes to establish minimum harmonised requirements for the Sanitary Registry of Medicines in the Region of the Americas. (PAHO, 2008).2
UK and Australasia
Figure 1: Identification applied in the dissemination of the Continuous Operation Thematic Network. [Source: Briseyda Reséndiz, 2021]
Other important examples of ‘thematic networks’ can be found in the UK health and social care system, the New Zealand ‘lifecourse’ model, the Australian disease prevention and control model, the study model for the sanitation sector in England and Wales, involving regionalised
November 2021 Health Estate Journal 29
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