Examining Novel Health Care Delivery Innovations in Other Nations.

The article “Identifying Health Problems Using a Novel Triage Approach to Child Health Assessments” by Bezem et al is interesting for highlighting just how different patterns of health care delivery and utilization are across Western industrialized nations.1 In the specific arena of child health, different norms and expectations for health care services exist for both parents and health care professionals in different countries. This does not imply that one country’s system is “better” than another for the care of children. The nature of different populations, the history and philosophical outlook of societies and the priorities of spending of public funds all play a role in the structure and function of the health care system in each nation. As such, one must be cautious in identifying novel approaches in one country and attempt to implement them in another country that has fundamental differences in overall health system structure.