BACKGROUND Unequal geographical distribution of medical care resources and insufficient healthcare coverage have been two long-standing problems with Taiwan's public health system. The implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) attempted to mitigate the inequality in health care use. This study examines the degree to which Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) has reduced out-of-pocke...

Background We assessed direct and indirect costs associated with COPD in Sweden and examined how these costs vary across time, age, and disease stage in a cohort of patients with COPD and matched controls in a real-world, primary care (PC) setting. Patients and methods Data from electronic medical records linked to the mandatory national health registers were collected for COPD patients and a...

INTRODUCTION Measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) are widely used in health research. AIM To provide future researchers with empirically based guidance about the relative utility of five measures of SEP in predicting health outcomes. METHODS Data from 12,488 adults were obtained from the 2006 New Zealand Health Survey. Seven health-related outcome measures with expected variations by SE...

OBJECTIVES This study estimates household costs for treatment of pneumonia, severe pneumonia and very severe febrile disease. Combined with reported costs from the health care provider perspective, an estimate of the overall financial burden of these diseases has been developed for the Northern Areas of Pakistan. METHODS Data on the duration and economic implications of the illnesses for hous...

Using effectiveness data from a recent systematic review and cost data from programme implementers and World Health Organization (WHO) databases, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to compare non-piped in source- (dug well, borehole and communal stand post) and four types of household- (chlorination, filtration, solar disinfection, flocculation/disinfection) based interventions to impro...

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic and devastating disease that affects households’ potential to improve their well-being through trade in livestock and livestock commodities. Despite the disease being endemic in Zambia, there is inadequate information, on its socio-economic impact on the well-being of households rearing livestock. Therefore, a crosssectional study was conducted in Wes...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In spite of different reforms and programs, the evidence indicates that Iran dental health sector has not been able to improve the dental situation and decrease the unmet needs. This study assessed the factors which affect the avoiding dental visit during one year ago because of its costs.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1158 household heads which were se...

BACKGROUND Knowledge of treatment cost is essential in assessing cost effectiveness in healthcare. Evidence of the potential impact of implementing available interventions against childhood illnesses in developing countries challenges us to define the costs of treating these diseases. The purpose of this study is to describe the total costs associated with treatment of pneumonia, malaria and me...

BACKGROUND Rabies remains a major public health threat in many parts of the world and is responsible for an estimated 55,000 human deaths annually. The burden of rabies is estimated to be around US$20 million in Africa, with the highest financial expenditure being the cost of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). However, these calculations may be substantial underestimates because the costs to hous...

BACKGROUND Many argue that "free" medical care leads to unnecessary use of health resources. Evidence suggests that user fees do discourage physician use, at least by those of low socioeconomic status. In this study, we compare health care utilization and health among socioeconomic groups to determine whether people of low socioeconomic status see physicians more than would be expected given th...