Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is currently the focus of much media attention and policy discussion. A historical perspective on AMR suggests that although the challenge of AMR is real, the doomsday tone of most commentary is unwarranted. That is partly because most of the gains in life...

Recent years have seen the beginning of an industrial revolution in healthcare delivery. Healthcare is being transformed from a cottage industry, in which each provider sets individual standards, to a quality-controlled enterprise with common, evidence-based standards of care. Disease management...

Background: In 1996, the provincial government in Ontario, Canada required pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking to list their products on the provincial formulary to provide a formal economic analysis documenting the products' cost effectiveness. The provincial formulary lists pharmaceutical...

Telemedicine is a communications technology that can be expected to influence investment in equipment, the delivery and organisation of health services and outcomes of healthcare. Analysis of the economic impact of telemedicine has so far been limited and has focused on cost studies for...

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer mortality. It is estimated to account for approximately 20% of all cancer expenditures, making the burden of disease relatively high. One of the most important risk factors for developing breast...

There are 3 demand sources in healthcare systems: the patient, provider and payor. Patient-determined demand is characterised as `random access' and emotionally charged. Provider-determined demand occurs within working environments that do not inherently support integration activities....

This paper examines the form of performance-based contract which is relatively new to healthcare systems. Economic theories on contracting are reviewed to provide theoretical support for potential impacts of performance-based contracting (PBC) on improving efficiency of the healthcare system....

Recent best practice guidelines recommend the provision of psychosocial family interventions for families of adults with schizophrenia. This article delineates the various family interventions and the empirical base of these interventions. These interventions include psychoeducation, family...

Objectives: This study examines the organisational structure of pharmacoeconomics departments in major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the impediments to optimal use of pharmacoeconomic evaluations by companies and the integration of pharmacoeconomic analysis with research and...