Hospitalization rates for low back problems vary widely. In previous non-spatial analyses, population-level socioeconomic and health resource characteristics have explained little of the variation in rates. This study examines geographic variation in hospitalization rates for low back problems...

Fluoxetine continues to be remarkably successful; greater volumes of this drug are sold than for any other antidepressant in the world. Prozac(R) has also become a household name. In this article we examine the circumstances that surround this success, and the evidence base that supports it....

The next century is likely to bring unforeseen genetic and biotechnological discoveries, with new benefits, risks and costs. This paper explores some of the problem areas that healthcare biotechnologies are likely to encounter. Biotechnological interventions may present particular difficulties...

This century has seen a phenomenal growth in the development, understanding and use of pharmaceuticals. Additionally, this period has seen the balance of the treatment needs of patients shift dramatically from infectious to cardiovascular and cancer diseases, and from infancy and middle-age to...

In recent years it has become fashionable to make comparisons (in 'league tables' or rankings) between health care interventions in terms of their relative cost-effectiveness, in cost per life-year or cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained. However, concerns have been raised about the...