Though some policies have been implemented based on volume-outcome relationships in Japan, no studies systematically reviewed volume-outcome research conducted in Japan. Original data used in this study were obtained from MEDLINE searches using PubMed or from searches of the Ichushi database and complemented with manual searches. Two investigators reviewed and scored 13 articles, using a standa...

AIM To analyze changes in access to health care and its determinants in the immigrant and native-born populations in Spain, before and during the economic crisis. METHODS Comparative analysis of two iterations of the Spanish National Health Survey (2006 and 2012). Outcome variables were: unmet need and use of different healthcare levels; explanatory variables: need, predisposing and enabling ...

OBJECTIVE Home healthcare is an increasingly common part of healthcare. The patients are often aged, frail and have multiple diseases, and multiple caregivers are involved in their treatment. This study explores the origin, incidence, types and preventability of adverse events (AEs) that occur in patients receiving home healthcare. DESIGN A study using retrospective record review and trigger ...

BACKGROUND Healthcare-seeking behavior is one of the factors determining the uptake and outcome of healthcare. However, few studies have discussed how and why diabetics seek healthcare assistance before meeting a physician. OBJECTIVES In this study, we explored the subjective experiences of healthcare-seeking behavior among Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. PATIENTS AND METHOD...

BACKGROUND The programme for fiscal consolidation in Greece has led to income decrease and several changes in health policy. In this context, this study aims to assess how economic crisis affected unmet healthcare needs in Greece. METHODS Time series analysis was performed for the years 2004 through 2011 using the EU-SILC database. The dependent variable was the percentage of people who had m...

Background: Prostate cancer is a growing health problem worldwide. The management of localised prostate cancer is controversial. It is unclear which of several surgical, radiotherapeutic, ablative, and surveillance treatments is the most effective. All have cost, process and recovery, and morbidity implications which add to treatment decision-making complexity for patients and healthcare profes...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the patient-clinician relationship has a beneficial effect on either objective or validated subjective healthcare outcomes. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES Electronic databases EMBASE and MEDLINE and the reference sections of previous reviews. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES Included studies were randomized controlled tria...

BACKGROUND Improving the quality of healthcare services is considered as the main strategy to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Providing appropriate healthcare for mothers and their newborn children is facilitated significantly by considering the mothers' health and welfare before pregnancy occurs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the quality of preconception care p...

BACKGROUND Extensive debate exists in the healthcare community over whether outcomes of medical care at teaching hospitals and other healthcare units are better or worse than those at the respective nonteaching ones. Thus, our goal was to systematically evaluate the evidence pertaining to this question. METHODS AND FINDINGS We reviewed all studies that compared teaching versus nonteaching hea...

OBJECTIVES A 'polypill' containing both blood pressure-lowering and cholesterol-lowering drugs could prevent up to 80% of cardiovascular disease events. Since little is known about the attitudes of primary healthcare professionals to use of such a pill for cardiovascular disease prevention, this study aimed to investigate opinions. DESIGN Semistructured interviews were conducted with particip...