Integrating mental health into primary health care is widely promoted for a host of reasons, chief among which is providing a more comprehensive health care service. However, only a few countries have adequate mental health resources to undertake the integration of mental health into primary health care in a uniform manner, with wide variations among countries. This paper examines the extent to...

Facilitating a smoother transition for adolescents with chronic health conditions from the child to the adult health care system has been a topic of numerous expert panels, conferences, and policy statements [1–7]. As stated in the original 1993 Society for Adolescent Medicine’s (SAM’s) position paper, “systemic inertia, fueled by insufficient information about transition options and outcomes, ...

BACKGROUND In order to plan and improve provision of comprehensive care in Huntington's disease (HD), it is critical to understand the gaps in healthcare and social support services provided to HD patients. Research has described utilization of healthcare services in HD in Europe, however, studies systematically examining needs for healthcare services and social support are lacking. This study ...

The 2008 presidential election in the United States has again elevated the issue of health care reform to center stage. Reform proposals are proliferating in the states as well as nationally. Virtually all candidates – both Republican and Democratic – running for President have outlined their plans for reforming health care. The renewed interest in health care reform reflects the fact that seve...

Health services in many developed countries are experiencing an urgent need for innovation in response to an ageing population and the growing prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases.Many urge reform of what are now perceived as inadequate and outdated services that have traditionally focused on a medical model predicated on access, continuity, integration and comprehensive care. Differ...

the collection of data within the primary health care facilities in iran is essentially paper-based. it is focused on family’s health, monitoring of non-infectious and infectious diseases. clearly due to the paper-based nature of the tasks, timely decision making at most can be difficult if not impossible. as part of an on-going electronic health record implementation project at tehran universi...

Policymakers no longer question that healthcare system reform will occur; rather they differ on the timing and direction of change. The Washington Business Group on Health envisions a future healthcare delivery system called an organized system of care (OSC). An OSC is an integrated financing and delivery system that uses a panel of providers selected on the basis of quality and cost management...

Background. The proportion of US children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with epilepsy/seizure disorder who receive care in high-quality health service systems was examined. Methodology. We analyzed data for 40,242 CSHCN from the 2009-2010 National Survey of CSHCN and compared CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder to CSHCN without epilepsy/seizure disorder. Measures included attainment r...