The cost-effectiveness of 10 selected applications in minimally invasive therapy

In this article, evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the following procedures is reviewed: (1) laser treatment of bladder tumors; (2) extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy; (3) laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis; (4) laparoscopic removal of ovarian cysts; (5) laparoscopic cholecystectomy; (6)...

Diffusion of minimally invasive therapy in Europe

This paper considers the diffusion of the 10 cases presented in this issue. Most of the cases have diffused relatively slowly. This slow diffusion can be explained by a number of factors, including budgetary restraints, financial incentives, physician conservatism, and lack of appropriate training. A consistent thread in the cases is the...

TNO stereopsis test as an aid to the prevention of amblyopia

In this investigation, carried out under a Youth Health Care postgraduate course in Nijmegen, the stereopsis of a school population of 730 children, aged 4-18 years, was recorded and clinically evaluated. Stereopsis was measured using the TNO test, a random-dot stereo test especially designed for the early detection of amblyopia. The main aims...

Voedingsgewoonten van Turkse en Marokkaanse kinderen in Nederland [Dietary habits of Turkish and Moroccan children in the Netherlands]

Migration might have considerable implications for nutrition and consequently for health. Because of the higher demands of growth, children are especially vulnerable to changes in nutrition. In order to get an insight into the need for a special nutrition policy for Turkish ad Moroccan children, the dietary habits and food consumption of 8-year...

Implications of minimally invasive therapy

The field of minimally invasive therapy (MIT) raises many important issues for the future of health care. It seems inevitable that MIT will replace much conventional surgery. This trend is good for society and good for patients. The health care system, however, may find the change disruptive. The need for hospital beds will shrink. Day surgery...

Evaluation of care for the preterm infant: Review of literature on follow-up of preterm and low birthweight infants : Report from the collaborative Project On Preterm and Small for gestational age infants (POPS) in The Netherlands

Since the introduction of neonatal intensive care in the 1960s, mortality in very preterm and very low birthweight infants has been decreasing steadily. Consequently, interest in the outcome of surviving infants is growing. Restriction of health care resources has stressed the need for information concerning the effect of individual treatment...

Health care technology transfer in Latin America and the Caribbean

The greatest problem concerning health care technology for developing countries is that they are dependent upon the industrialized world for technology. The only short-term solution to this problem is to improve the choices that are available to them. This goal will require changes in the structure and processes of policy making. A particular...

Agricultural pesticide exposure data bases for risk assessment

Chemicals/CAS: Pesticides

Technology assessment and diagnostic imaging

In this paper, computerized tomography scanning and magnetic resonance imaging scanning are discussed to illustrate some aspects of health care technology assessment in the field of diagnostic imaging. Technology assessment is defined as a comprehensive form of policy research that examines short- and long-term social consequences of the...

Risk assessment of dermal exposure of greenhouse workers to pesticides after re-entry

On 18 farms for rose culture in greenhouses in The Netherlands, dermal exposure of hands and forearms to abamectin (avermectin B1), dodemorph (4- cyclododecyl-2,6-dimethylmorpholinium acetate) and bupirimate (5-butyl-2- (ethylamino)-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl dimethylsulphate) was measured during crop activities. Dermal exposure during cutting (75...

Estimating worker exposure for pesticide registration

Volume and outcome of organ transplantation

In general, technically demanding medical procedures are associated with better outcomes when they are carried out in institutions and by physicians with higher volumes of practice. This paper examines the evidence for a volume-outcome relationship in the case of organ transplantation. Although few studies have been done on this subject,...

Risk analysis and emergency management of ammonia installations

The use of Quantitative Risk Assessment has been increasing for evaluating the risk of handling hazardous materials and land-use planning. This article reports on several studies carried out on the risk of handling, storage and transport of ammonia.

The regulation of medical devices and quality of medical care

Medical devices are now a pervasive part of modern medical care. They are in many cases associated with quality of care. In some cases, the use of devices has certainly improved quality. In other cases, devices can be associated with many problems. The approach to quality of devices has depended largely on regulation. However, regulation of...

The regulation of medical devices

Possibilities and problems in the development of home care technology

Limited resources for health care and increasing health care costs have led to proposals to expand home care services. Presently, home care technology is rather primitive. Its development and use have been largely unplanned. Nonetheless, home care technology is growing in response to obvious needs, and a number of experiments in the Netherlands...

An empirical study of subjective road categorization

Driver behaviour will partially be a function of the cognitive schemata by which drivers represent features, functions and operations of traffic system components. This paper uses the Repertory Grid Technique to address the questions: (1) How do drivers internally represent different categories of road? (2) How are those representations mapped...