BackgroundBackground Delayed coverage of pathogens including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pneumonia and bacteraemia has been associated with increased mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS). However, less is known about the impact of delayed appropriate coverage in...

This article discusses the evolving field of pharmacogenomics, which is the science of using genomic markers to predict drug response, and how it may impact the future costs, risks and returns to pharmaceutical research and development (R&D). We uncover a number of factors and issues that are...

BackgroundBackground Preference-based health-state values, also referred to as utility scores, are considered an important measure of outcome in the evaluation of healthcare. A common approach to elicit utility scores is the use of the time trade-off (TTO) method; however, the data on TTO utility...

Employers are becoming concerned with the costs of presenteeism in addition to the healthcare and absenteeism costs that have traditionally been explored. But what is the true impact of health conditions in terms of on-the-job productivity? This article examines the literature to assess the...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of disability in the elderly, leading to a high burden on caregivers and costs to society. This article describes the current level of data availability regarding the costs of AD in Europe, summarizes and compares findings from previous studies in...

This paper provides an overview of major macroeconomic and social indicators and policy changes in Ecuador over the two and a half years since President Rafael Correa took office in January 2007, including economic growth, social spending, fiscal policy, inflation, foreign debt, the trade...