OBJECTIVE To measure income-related inequalities and inequities in the distribution of health and health care utilization in Mexico. METHODS The National Health Survey (NHS) 2000 and the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) 2006 were used to estimate concentration indices for health outcomes and health care utilization variables before and after standardization. The study analyzed 110 ...

Background: These guidelines are an update of the evidence-based recommendations for follow-up and surveillance of patients after curative-intent therapy for lung cancer. Particular updates pertain to whether imaging studies, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) measures, tumor markers, and bronchoscopy improve outcomes after curative-intent therapy. Methods: Meta-analysis of Observational St...

pharmaceuticals are often considered as the most significant cost driver of health care expenditures and at the same time have a major impact on patients’ curative processes and outcomes. other pieces of evidence emphasize that drugs are the input for the production of good health. they are considered as the most important and expensive element in the healthy supply chain and are more associate...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of health screening for early detection and improved prognosis in pancreatic cancer. METHODS Between 1995 and 2008, 176,361 examinees visited the Health Promotion Center (HPC). Twenty patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were enrolled. During the same period, 40 patients were randomly selected from 2,202 patients diagno...

BACKGROUND Health economic analysis aimed at informing policy makers and supporting resource allocation decisions has to evaluate not only improvements in health but also avoided decline. Little is known however, whether the "direction" in which changes in health are experienced is important for the public in prioritizing among patients. This experimental study investigates the social value peo...

BACKGROUND The major objectives of this study were to evaluate the existing primary health care service provisions in the public and private sector and utilization of the services, and to assess the existing manpower and material resources. METHODS Data were collected through interviews with the primary health care providers. Data were also collected from the records maintained at the polycli...

INTRODUCTION This study assesses whether demographic and rural-urban variations in dental care service utilization still exist in Taiwan after 15 years of the implementation of universal health insurance coverage, which largely reduces financial barriers to dental care. METHODS The data analysed in this cohort study were based on a random sample of one million beneficiaries retrieved from Tai...

It is possible to break the vicious circle of poverty and poor health, but this demands major efforts from several sectors of society. Employees in the health sector have an important role to play, not only by virtue of performing curative and preventive work, but also by trying to influence politicians and act as whistle-blowers about unacceptable conditions. The health sector must be develope...

background since 1986, the world health organization (who) has been motivating health sectors to promote clinical and curative services (who, 1986). some emergency departments (eds) have partially achieved this through providing patient health information, screening and early intervention programs, injury prevention, and asthma education. a significant organizational shift is required for eds t...