Governance systems which are based on assumptions of purposive-rational action have received significant criticism. For example recent quality and performance frameworks of the English NHS have tended towards incentives and sanctions, and have been critiqued in terms of both the logic on which...

In India, over the last decade, a series of stewardship failures in the health system, particularly in the medical profession, have led to a massive erosion of trust in these institutions. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the situation is similar and has reached crisis...

Governance systems which are based on assumptions of purposive-rational action have received significant criticism. For example the quality and performance frameworks of the English NHS function on the basis of incentives and sanctions, and have been critiqued in terms of both the logic on which...

It is argued in this paper that much of the empirical research into the public's and patients' perceptions of the adequacy of health care has suffered from conceptual weaknesses. In addition, and maybe as a result of these weaknesses, a contradictory pattern of findings has emerged from this...

Decisions by patients upon when to use health care services are a major influence on the consumption of health care resources. Patient education -- often based upon written information on how to identify symptoms of common illnesses, when to seek help and how to self-treat -- is an increasingly...

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between health beliefs and health behaviour. The study we report was conducted as part of a national campaign to evaluate the benefits of breast self-examination in the early detection of breast cancer, and the purpose of our analysis was...

A lack of time is one of the major reasons given to account for low quality care provided in general practice. One of the basic assumptions inherent in this explanation is that activities in general practice are shaped by the level of patient demand and general practitioners have little control...