STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of the Welsh general surgery (hernia and varicose veins) treatment centre established as part of the NHS reforms, in terms of its impact upon throughput and waiting lists. DESIGN This was a natural experiment with two control groups--other surgical specialties without treatment centre provision, and general surgery in districts that made only min...

Most provincial governments are considering or introducing changes to hospital funding. Ten years of rapidly increasing expenditures have left them still facing complaints of waiting lists and waiting times. Activity-based funding (ABF) would supplement traditional negotiated global budgets, reimbursing a predetermined amount for each case treated - essentially, a "fee schedule" - thus providin...

In order to develop standardized measures to assess patients' relative priority for services for which there are waiting lists, it is essential that key terms be clearly defined. We propose that severity be defined as the degree or extent of suffering, limits to activities or risk of death; that urgency be defined as severity combined with considerations of the expected benefit and the natural ...

AIM Parenting programmes have been shown to improve children's adjustment and reduce problem behaviour; however, little research has addressed outcomes for Indigenous families. The aim of this project was to assess the impact and cultural appropriateness of a parenting programme tailored for Indigenous families, an adaptation of the evidence-based Group Triple P - Positive Parenting Program. ...

Successful kidney transplantation improves the quality of life and prolongs the survival of uraemic patients compared to long-term dialysis treatment w1–3x. Nevertheless renal transplantation is plagued by several problems. To minimize the complications during the periand postoperative period careful evaluation of the recipient prior to transplantation is essential. In addition regular check up...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a distance treatment delivered through Internet and telephone for pediatric recurrent pain. METHODS Forty-seven participants (9-16 years of age) were randomly assigned to either an Internet-based treatment or a standard medical care waitlist. Treatment employed a Web-based manual for children and parents with weekly therapist contact by telephone or e-mai...

BACKGROUND This paper aims to describe the characteristics of physicians and interventions of a large, multicenter randomized trial of acupuncture for migraine (ART Migraine) in order to enable acupuncturists to assess the study interventions. PATIENTS AND METHODS 302 patients suffering from migraine were randomized to 12 sessions of semi-standardized acupuncture (6 predefined basic points, r...

The disparity between supply and demand for transplantable solid organs has resulted in strategies to drive increased organ donation, including public solicitations for living donors. Public organ solicitation occurs when a recipient or their representative solicits an organ for transplantation by public broadcast (e.g., social media or a public notice). The intended donor and recipient may not...

Question: Does a 3-week, home-based cueing program improve gait, gait-related activity, and health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD)? Design: A multicentre, single-blinded randomised crossover trial. Setting: University medical centres in the UK, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Patients: 153 patients with PD aged between 41 and 80 years and in Hoehn and Yahr stage II...