Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers. It has been estimated that up to 90% of the most common type of cervical cancer may be prevented if cell changes are detected and treated early. Early detection is undertaken using a Pap test. In most Western countries,...

Background Public hospitals have experienced budget constraints but as demand for admissions has been growing at the same time, occupancy levels have been increasing. As emergency and urgent admissions are given priority, the effect has been not just longer waiting times and larger waiting lists...

In this report we examine an issue central to the creation of the NSW Drug Court: namely its cost-effectiveness, compared with conventional sanctions, in reducing drug-related crime. We were particularly fortunate in undertaking this evaluation, to receive the support and cooperation of the Drug...

This paper tests empirically for moral hazard in a system based on demand-side subsidies. In the Netherlands, demand-side subsidies were introduced in 1996. Clients receive a cash benefit to purchase the type of home care (housework, personal care, support with mobility, organisational tasks or...

Nursing shortages are commonly observed features of hospital systems in Australia, Europe and the United States. To date there has been very little research on the effects of hospital characteristics on the retention of the nursing staff. In this paper we match individual data on registered...

The topic of this paper is whether it is possible, given the current state of knowledge and technology, to design the appropriate market structure for managed competition. The next section reviews market failure in the private health insurance market. The subsequent two sections describe the...

It has been observed that specialist physicians who work in private hospitals are usually paid by fee-for-service while specialist physicians who work in public hospitals are usually paid by salary. This paper provides an explanation for this observation. Essentially, fee-for-service aligns the...

This study was prompted by the findings of Butler et al (1998) that the Australian contribution to the international health services research literature accounted for 5.6% in 1993-1994. First, the methodology used in that study is critically appraised, and second, to identify the extent to which...

Objectives: To critically examine the economic evidence on Cystic Fibrosis (CF) screening and to understand issues relating to the transferability of findings to the Australian context for policy decisions. Methods: A systematic literature search identified 25 economic studies with empirical...

Background: As the population ages, the incidence of dementia and its burden on society will increase. The economic costs of dementia are high, particularly for persons in the mid and late stages of the disease, when formal care arrangements such as nursing home placement are required. The need...