Browsing by Autor "Diva M. Calvimontes Barrientos"

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P-198. Development and Implementation of a Research Nurse Training Curriculum at the Center for Human Development in Rural Southwest Guatemala
(Oxford University Press, 2026) Diva M. Calvimontes Barrientos; Neudy C Rojop; Eduardo M Barrios; Andrea Chacon; Kareen Arias; Alejandra Paniagua-Ávila; Antonio Bolanos; Claire Bradley; Rajid Gaind; Dan Olson
Abstract Background Professional development opportunities in research rural areas, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are scarce, nurses begin their careers with limited knowledge, training in research methods and trial implementation. Center for Human Development has conducted research in rural southwest Guatemala 2014. To address the need for qualified personnel in human subjects’ research, we developed a formal research training curriculum for nurses, aimed to prepare them for field work and a career in theoretical, practical research. Table 1 Training Coures Table 2 Demographic Information Methods Following a needs assessment, the curriculum was designed using existing open-source certificate programs (i.e. Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, Health and Human Services, included research ethics and Good Clinical Practice (GCP), via peer-to-peer internal presentations, reading assignments, practical sessions on protocol design, informed consent; sample collection, transport and storage; laboratory management; data quality, source documentation; REDcap Data and quality control. After four weeks of supervised fieldwork, nurses transitioned to independent work with decreased oversight. Results From June 2015 to May 2024 60 nurses completed training program, including 42 (70.5%) women, ages 19-37 years; they included 23 (38.3%) auxiliary nurses, 36 (60.3 %) nurse technicians from the nearby Departments, Huehuetenango (n=1), Retalhuleu (n=4), Quetzaltenango (n=39), San Marcos (n=16). A subset or nurses (n=3) subsequently obtained a bachelor’s degree, advanced to a master’s, they are ethics committee reviewers, faculties at a local university. Of the 60 trained nurses, 11 continue to work at site; 3 currently are study coordinators. Conclusion Conclusions: In conclusion, we have successfully developed and implemented a research nurse training curriculum in rural Guatemala, increasing capacity and providing an opportunity for professional development, especially impacting young women. Professional development training associated with opportunities to participate in research studies, contributed to increase retention, capacity and implement complex research studies in this rural area of Guatemala. Disclosures Edwin J. Asturias, MD, Pfizer: Grant/Research Support
P-668. Detection and Clinical Impact of Influenza in a Cohort of Agricultural Workers in Guatemala, 2020-2024
(Oxford University Press, 2026) Neudy Rojop; Diva M. Calvimontes Barrientos; Claire Bradley; Julio del Cid-Villatoro; Daniel Carreon; Ashley Fowlkes; Chelsea Iwamoto; Emily Zielinski-Gutiérrez; Rajid Gaind; Molly Lamb
Abstract Background Influenza viruses circulate year-round in Central America, but their impact on agricultural workers, essential to food security in the Americas, is poorly understood. Methods We evaluated the incidence of influenza among a cohort of agricultural workers in southwest Guatemala participating in active surveillance for influenza-like illness (ILI) from June 2020 to October 2024. Workers reporting cough, fever, or shortness of breath in the previous 7 days provided nasopharyngeal swabs for influenza RT-PCR testing using the Roche cobas liat instrument. Symptom data were collected on the day of reporting, day 7, and day 28, with differences in reported symptoms by influenza virus infection status assessed using Fisher’s Exact tests. Results Of 2,809 agricultural workers who participated in ≥1 year of surveillance, 76% were male with a mean age of 30 years. Overall, 400 (14%) ever reported an ILI episode; 7.3% (29/400) were influenza positive (flu+): 18 influenza A, 11 influenza B. The incidence of ILI and flu+ cases per 1000 person-weeks from 2021 to 2024 was 1.4 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.3-1.6) and 0.11 (95% CI 0.07-0.16), respectively, with minimal yearly variation (Figure). Of the 400 ILI cases, 68% reported fever, 78% cough, and 28% shortness of breath. Flu+ cases reported fever more frequently than flu- cases (96.6% vs. 65.9%, p=0.001). Among ILI cases, 8.4% reported difficulty getting out of bed on day 7 and 3.4% on day 28, with no significant difference by influenza status. Conclusion Among young adult, mostly male agricultural workers, 7.2% of reported ILI episodes were attributed to influenza, with fever being a key symptom. This study demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring circulating respiratory virus illnesses in field-based environments using active surveillance and rapid diagnostics. Disclosures Edwin J. Asturias, MD, Pfizer: Grant/Research Support Molly Lamb, PhD, Merck: Grant/Research Support Daniel Olson, MD, Fundacion para la Salud Integral de los Guatemaltecos: Board Member|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Roche Diagnostics: Grant/Research Support