The tobacco industry ’s challenges to standardised packaging: A comparative analysis of issue framing in public relations campaigns in four countries
In 2008, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ’s (FCTC) Conference of the Parties urged member countries to adopt standardised (or ‘plain’) packaging of tobacco products that restricted or prohibited logos, colours, brand images and other promotional material, leaving only brand names in a standard colour and font style and large health w arnings [1]. The recommendation was based on experimental studies undertaken in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), the United Stated (US) and other countries [2] that indicated that restricting all but the most basic identifying information on packaging would reduce the appe...
Source: Health Policy - August 14, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Ross MacKenzi, Annalise Mathers, Benjamin Hawkins, Jappe Eckhardt, Julia Smith Source Type: research
Health workforce planning: which countries include Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants and to what effect?
An increasing number of countries are changing the composition and skill-mix of their health workforce. Skill-mix is defined as the mix of health professions, and the mix of their skills and roles, which enables them to respond to changing patient needs [1]. Many countries worldwide have introduced new professional roles, such as Nurse Practitioners (NPs) or Physician Assistants (PAs) [2 –5]. The reasons include the more complex needs of patients with chronic conditions and/or a geographical maldistribution of health professionals [5,6]. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - August 11, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Claudia B Maier, Ronald Batenburg, Steve Birch, Britta Zander, Robert Elliott, Reinhard Busse Source Type: research
Primary care workforce development in Europe: an overview of health system responses and stakeholder views
Better primary care has become a key strategy for reforming health systems to respond effectively to increases in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with growing multi-morbidity and changing healthcare needs of the population [1 –11]. A recent ‘High-level regional meeting’ of European countries has identified ‘integrated primary care embedded in communities’ as one of ‘the nine cornerstones of a comprehensive and aligned health system response to NCDs’ [12, p.4-5]. Comparative studies have shown that strong pr imary care systems achieve better health outcomes and better results in relation to both cost-containm...
Source: Health Policy - August 7, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Ellen Kuhlmann, Peter P. Groenewegen, Christine Bond, Viola Burau, David J. Hunter Source Type: research
Work hour constraints in the German nursing workforce: A quarter of a century in review
The concept of “work hour constraints” (WHC), defined as the mismatch between desired and actual worktime in the labor market, is widely addressed in the economic literature [1–8]. At any given time, WHC are omnipresent in the workforce, with a large portion of workers preferring to work less or more than th ey actually do at the given wage [9]. Large mismatches between desired and actual working time are explained by a plethora of reasons, including poverty, job insecurity, and income inequality [9,10]. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - August 6, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Mohamad Alameddine, Steffen Otterbach, Bayan Rafii, Alfonso Sousa-Poza Source Type: research
The introduction of electronic medical records in France: More progress during the second attempt
In all OECD countries, the increasing burden of chronic diseases challenges the sustainability of healthcare systems. One of the main solutions to control increasing costs is centered on improving the coordination of care to prevent complications and unnecessary hospitalizations. To attain this goal, health professionals need to share information by using Electronic Health Records (EHR). (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - August 2, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Philippe Burnel Source Type: research
Editorial Board
(Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - August 1, 2018 Category: Health Management Source Type: research
Socioeconomic distribution of GP visits following patient choice reform and differences in reimbursement models: evidence from Sweden
In the last decades, market oriented reforms have become popular measures for policy makers to improve access and efficiency in publicly funded health care systems [1 –3]. The reforms comprise several interconnected elements; increased private provision of care, competition between health care providers, changes in provider reimbursement, and patient choice [1]. Policy makers view patient choice as both an intrinsic desirability, and an instrument to increase c ompetition, access and quality of care [1,4–6]. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - August 1, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Sofia Sver éus, Gustav Kjellsson, Clas Rehnberg Source Type: research
New professional roles and patient satisfaction: evidence from a European survey along three clinical pathways
Expenditure on health care is the second largest single item of public spending in all the EU states [1] putting intense pressure on public finances. Member states have in place plans to reduce the rate of growth if not the absolute level of public expenditure. However these constraints come at a time when population need for health care is growing rapidly as a result of changing demography and changing paradigms for treatment. Managing these competing issues is a major challenge both in terms of organizational capacity of healthcare services to respond promptly to the increased need and in terms of economic sustainability...
Source: Health Policy - August 1, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: M. Ruggeri, C. Drago, V. Moramarco, S. Coretti, J. K öppen, K. Islam, J. Gibson, R. Busse, J. van Exel, M. Sutton, J.E. Askildsen, C. Bond, R. Elliott, on behalf of the MUNROS team Source Type: research
Welsh 2013 deemed consent legislation falls short of expectations
One of the most commonly proposed responses to the acute organ shortage which exists in numerous countries is the introduction of a system of presumed consent, whereby, in the absence of a formal objection, the individual is taken as having consented to donation. The Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 marked the first example of a system of presumed consent - or “deemed consent” in the Act’s wording - in the UK. Hailed by First Minister, Carwyn Jones, as ‘arguably the most significant piece of legislation’ to come from the National Assembly for Wales since the devolution of full lawmaking powers in 2011, hope...
Source: Health Policy - August 1, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Parsons Jordan Tags: Health Reform Monitor Source Type: research
Implementation of a politically initiated national clinical guideline for cardiac rehabilitation in hospitals and municipalities in Denmark
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide [1,2], and is thus extremely costly to health care systems. It is forecasted that the prevalence of IHD and the costs due to the disease will increase substantially in the coming decade calling for immediate health political action [3]. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a structured set of post-treatment services intended to facilitate optimal physical, mental and social recovery, decrease re-hospitalization rates and improve lifestyle and wellbeing in patients recovering from IHD [4 –6]. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 30, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Cecilie Lindstr öm Egholm, Henriette Knold Rossau, Per Nilsen, Gitte Bunkenborg, Morten Hulvej Rod, Patrick Doherty, Paul Bartels, Lotte Helmark, Ann-Dorthe Zwisler Source Type: research
What are the motivating and hindering factors for health professionals to undertake new roles in hospitals? A study among physicians, nurses and managers looking at Breast Cancer and Acute Myocardial Infarction care in nine countries
The skill-mix of health professionals has undergone changes in many countries in Europe. Population ageing combined with higher rates of chronic conditions has triggered changes to service delivery models, integrated care and coordination of services. It has also impacted on the health workforce. Many countries in Europe have changed the composition of their workforce to enhance the quality of care for patients with chronic conditions (1,2) (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 26, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Julia K öppen, Claudia B. Maier, Reinhard Busse, MUNROS TEAM Source Type: research
Origins and effects of the 2014 –2016 National Strategy for Palliative Care in Croatia
The Croatian health care system is funded predominantly from public sources, which account for over 80% of total spending on health [1]. The remainder is covered by out-of-pocket payments. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) is the sole insurer in the mandatory health insurance system, and is the main purchaser of health care services [2]. Twenty-one counties manage primary and secondary health care facilities and own the latter. Private practices provide primary care, with the majority of them (over 70%) operating as ‘concessions’1 in county owned health centres2. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 20, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Karmen Lon čarek, Aleksandar Džakula, Renata Marđetko, Anna Sagan Tags: Health Reform Monitor Source Type: research
The national Program on Standardized Cancer Care Pathways in Sweden: Observations and findings half way through
Access to care has long been an area of concern in the Swedish health care system, and a number of national policies have been introduced over the years to address this challenge [1]. The waiting times to specialized care have also increased somewhat in recent years [2]. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 20, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Ingrid Schmidt, Johan Thor, Thomas Davidson, Fredrik Nilsson, Christina Carlsson Tags: Health Reform Monitor Source Type: research
Ten years since the 2008 introduction of dental vouchers in the Portuguese NHS
The Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1979 to meet the principle of every citizen ’s right to health, embodied in the new democratic constitution of 1976 [1]. The NHS was meant to provide universal, comprehensive and free-of-charge healthcare. However, dental care is one of the areas where public provision has been very limited. Before the establishment of the NHS, dentists wer e self-employed, a trend that remains until today. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 20, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Jorge Sim ões, Gonçalo Figueiredo Augusto, Ana do Céu, Maria Cristina Ferreira, Margarida Jordão, Rui Calado, Inês Fronteira Tags: Health Reform Monitor Source Type: research
An ethical framework for the creation, governance and evaluation of accelerated access programs
Regulators and insurers around the world face the challenge of providing timely access to safe and effective medicines that both consumers and the community can afford. Current regulatory and reimbursement systems have been established in order to protect patients from harmful and ineffective treatments and ensure the sustainability of health systems. However, in recent years there has been increasing claims —particularly by industry and patient advocates—that these systems act as a barrier to patients receiving timely access to new medicines. (Source: Health Policy)
Source: Health Policy - July 20, 2018 Category: Health Management Authors: Jessica Pace, Narcyz Ghinea, Ian Kerridge, Wendy Lipworth Source Type: research
