The Quality of medical care : information for consumers.

"OTA-H-386."--P. [4] of cover.

Administration of medical care; problems and issues, based on an analysis of the medical-dental care program for the recipients of old-age assistance in the state of Washington, 1941-1945.

Mode of access: Internet.

Report and summary of activities - The North Carolina Medical Care Commission [serial].

Title varies slightly.

Report of the Illinois Health Care Cost Containment Council to the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly on the effectiveness of certificate of need reveiew.

Cover title.

Measuring the health of women in America : National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Mode of access: Internet.

"Star of Life", emergency medical care symbol : background, specifications, and criteria.

Mode of access: Internet.

Veterans' Health Care Act of 2005 : report, together with minority views (to accompany S. 1182) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office).

"November 10, 2005."

Voluntary health insurance and medical care; five years of progress, 1952-1957,

Cover title.

Legal aspects of PHS medical care : a programmed instruction course.

Based on, and companion to the Author's Legal aspects of PHS medical care teaching frames prepared under direction of Carlton B. Downing.

Medical care and health services for rural people; a study prepared as a result of a conference held at Chicago, Illinois, April 11-13, 1944,

Mode of access: Internet.

The cost of allied health assessments delivered by videoconference to a residential facility for elderly people

We calculated the cost of providing allied health assessments to high-dependency residents of a rural facility for elderly people. The costs of conducting assessments via videoconferencing were compared with the costs of conducting assessments face to face. The observed costs in a three-month pilot trial were used to estimate the annual costs. Given an annual workload of 1000 occasions of service, each videoconference assessment would cost $84.93, compared with $90.25 for face-to-face assessments. Allied health assessments delivered by videoconferencing became cheaper at workloads of approximately 850 occasions of service annually. Additional increases in the workload further improved the financial viability of this approach to service delivery.

Cost of tobacco-related diseases, including passive smoking, in Hong Kong

Background: Costs of tobacco-related disease can be useful evidence to support tobacco control. In Hong Kong we now have locally derived data on the risks of smoking, including passive smoking. Aim: To estimate the health-related costs of tobacco from both active and passive smoking. Methods: Using local data, we estimated active and passive smoking-attributable mortality, hospital admissions, outpatient, emergency and general practitioner visits for adults and children, use of nursing homes and domestic help, time lost from work due to illness and premature mortality in the productive years. Morbidity risk data were used where possible but otherwise estimates based on mortality risks were used. Utilisation was valued at unit costs or from survey data. Work time lost was valued at the median wage and an additional costing included a value of US$1.3 million for a life lost. Results: In the Hong Kong population of 6.5 million in 1998, the annual value of direct medical costs, long term care and productivity loss was US$532 million for active smoking and US$156 million for passive smoking; passive smoking accounted for 23% of the total costs. Adding the value of attributable lives lost brought the annual cost to US$9.4 billion. Conclusion: The health costs of tobacco use are high and represent a net loss to society. Passive smoking increases these costs by at least a quarter. This quantification of the costs of tobacco provides strong motivation for legislative action on smoke-free areas in the Asia Pacific Region and elsewhere.

Indwelling catheters and medical implants with FXIIIa inhibitors:a novel approach to the treatment of catheter and medical device-related infections

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are being utilized with increasing frequency in intensive care and general medical wards. In spite of the extensive experience gained in their application, CVCs are related to the long-term risks of catheter sheath formation, infection, and thrombosis (of the catheter or vessel itself) during catheterization. Such CVC-related-complications are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, duration of hospitalization, and medical care cost [1]. The present study incorporates a novel group of Factor XIIIa (FXIIIa, plasma transglutaminase) inhibitors into a lubricious silicone elastomer in order to generate an optimized drug delivery system whereby a secondary sustained drug release profile occurs following an initial burst release for catheters and other medical devices. We propose that the incorporation of FXIIIa inhibitors into catheters, stents, and other medical implant devices would reduce the incidence of catheter sheath formation, thrombotic occlusion, and associated staphylococcal infection. This technique could be used as a local delivery system for extended release with an immediate onset of action for other poorly aqueous soluble compounds. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The cost of paediatric obesity

There has been a great deal of media attention given to the rising levels of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents, but what is the real cost of pediatric obesity? This article reviews information about the recent rise in pediatric obesity and discusses the cost of this condition from medical, financial and psychological perspectives.