Pharmaceutical prescriptions are quite different in four European countries: Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In particular, in 1992, among the 50 most sold products by value, only seven active principles are common to these four countries. In Italy, in 1994, there has been a substantial change in pharmaceutical prescriptions, since, for the first time, drugs have been reimbursed by the National Health System (NHS) on the basis of efficacy. As a result of this new policy, the 50 most-sold products by value have changed dramatically in the first five months of 1994. The pharmacologic and economic implications of this change are discussed.

An evaluation was conducted of the approaches, costs, and quality-of-life outcomes associated with communication aid assessment programs for the speech-impaired provided by specialist Communication Aids Centres (CACs) in the United Kingdom. The average costs of CAC assessment programs was £410 per client, which is not excessive. There was evidence of moderate quality-of-life benefits from clients' use of the recommended aids.

To explore the treatment of patients with early localized prostatic carcinoma, we surveyed the departments of urology and general surgery in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Clinical policies and physicians' attitudes toward the radical treatment options varied widely between the countries. A correlation seems to exist between practice patterns and national attitudes toward special technologies.

Essential national health research (ENHR) ensures that health research will be undertaken in priority areas defined by the people and will be used in decision making. Needs-based technology assessment (NBTA) is anchored on the ENHR philosophy. Two case studies are presented, one illustrating a successful application of NBTA and the other a failed approach. Reasons for the difference in success are examined.

Orthoses and prostheses include a wide range of devices and strategies for correcting and alleviating dysfunction and disability. Features in these areas of technology include continuing evolution of new devices, further development of well-established approaches, a need for critical assessment, requirements for support from technical and health care workers, and the need to identify funding to achieve efficient programs.

A case study design was used to determine the reliance on technology assessment of decisionmakers in hospitals, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and third-party payers. Thirty different organizations were contacted and semistructured interviews conducted. The study found that hospitals, HMOs, and insurers are conducting technology assessments, but the form and sophistication of these analyses range widely. Hospitals are particularly focused on traditional financial analyses (“prudent purchasing”) with the exception of pharmacy committees, which generally conduct more sophisticated socio-economic analyses. HMOs and insurers conduct outcome assessments for coverage of expensive or controversial technologies but exclude economics. Technology assessment will become increasingly important in resource allocation decision making and it is in the interest of technology providers to foster better information, a more comprehensive assessment process, and a more efficient assessment system.

There are marked geographical variations in rates of medical and surgical intervention at every level of aggregation and in every aspect of medical practice. These data raise a range of important theoretical, methodological, and policy issues. Much the same pattern of variation characterizes the prescription and consumption of therapeutic drugs. Data from a survey of general practice in New Zealand confirm the existence of extensive variability in prescribing. Multilevel techniques are deployed to isolate the specific interpractitioner element in this variability. Controlling for patient, diagnostic, and practitioner variables improves the predictive power of the model but does not reduce the extent of interpractitioner variability in prescribing rates. The existence of such variability raises questions about the role of clinical uncertainty and professional autonomy in the promotion of rational therapeutics in medical practice.

The three-stage World Health Organization-International League of Associations for Rheumatology Community Oriented Programme for Control of Rheumatic Disease (WHO-ILAR COPCORD) is described. Stage I results from Indonesia and Brazil are presented. This is a needs-based approach that offers efficiency in large-scale survey research that aims to estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases. It saves human resources, time, and cost in the collection of epidemiologic data. Awaited with interest are the results of the next two stages of COPCORD, which involve the development of educational programs on rheumatic disease and the evaluation of their impact on the burden of illness.

Medical noncompliance has been identified as a major public health problem that imposes a considerable financial burden upon modern health care systems. There is a large research record focusing on the understanding, measurement, and resolution of noncompliance, but it is consistently found that between one third and one half of patients fail to comply with medical advice and prescriptions. Critically absent from this research record has been the patient's role in medical decision making. For patients, particularly those with chronic illnesses, compliance is not an issue: they make their own reasoned decisions about treatments based on their own beliefs, personal circumstances, and the information available to them. The traditional concept of compliance is thus outmoded in modern health care systems, where chronic illness and questioning patients predominate.

This paper describes the technical approach in the TUFFA (Technology Procurement for Disabled in Working Life) project and a model for cooperating areas of competence based on a holistic view of the individual's abilities, the environmental conditions at the work site, and technical solutions.

This paper outlines the need for and development of a practical set of tools to improve needs-based health management and technology assessment. International reports have documented the lack of adequate information for the managerial process in primary health care. The components of the Primary Health Care Management Advancement Program (PHC MAP) Series, designed for both manual and computer applications, are described. The series has been widely pretested and is currently being implemented by many government health services and nongovernmental organizations worldwide. Information is included indicating how the PHC MAP materials may be obtained.

Canada comprises 10 provinces and 2 territories. The Constitution assigns responsibility for the provision of health services in the provinces to provincial governments. Over the past 5 years, provincial governments have identified technology assessment as a priority. This paper describes an initiative taken by the government of the province of Alberta to develop a health technology assessment program for that province.

While international variations in intervention rates are well recognized, little is known about their implications for patient selection. This paper describes an exploratory study in which the probability of undergoing an elective intervention (surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia) in an area in the United Kingdom was compared with an area in the United States. It found that the area with high intervention rates was associated with higher levels of surgery in men with low levels of need who are unlikely to gain much benefit.

Menorrhagia can be treated by drug therapy or surgery. General practitioners (GPs) can prescribe drugs to reduce menstrual blood loss as first-line treatment, referring patients for surgical treatment if drug therapy fails. This study examined the efficacy of drugs used to treat menorrhagia and surveyed British GPs to discover the extent to which they prescribed the most effective drugs for this condition. The results suggest that treatment of this condition in primary care falls short of desirable standards. A meta-analysis of randomized trials of drug therapy revealed wide differences in efficacy and side effects. The most effective drug (tranexamic acid) is little used by British GPs, whereas the least effective drug (norethisterone) is the most frequently prescribed.

Initial functional ability (Barthel Index, mean 57) was found to be an important predictor of functional ability 1 year after stroke (mean 80) and for costs during the period. On average the total cost for a stroke patient was about SEK 200,000; the main expense, accommodation, averaged about SEK 140,000, while assistive devices amounted to SEK 2,600. Those who use assistive devices, although having achieved a high functional ability, perceive and rate their life situation (Nottingham Health Profile) considerably more impaired than those without assistive devices.

The Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) was recently evaluated. We summarize the evaluation process, report, and 17 recommendations for enhancing CCOHTA's effectiveness. This paper may be useful for evaluators of agencies for technology assessment.

The extent of variation in the use of breast-conserving surgery was analyzed using the 1990 and 1991 hospital discharge data of Lombardia, Italy. The proportion of patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery for unilateral breast cancer was estimated for each of the 10 geographic areas (9 provinces plus metropolitan Milano) in which the region is divided. Overall, the rate of use was 41% of 3,225 patients in 1990, and 45% of 3,736 patients in 1991. In both study years, patient age was strongly correlated with the likelihood of undergoing conservative surgery, with younger women more frequently treated with this approach. In each province, patients treated at centers located in the main city had a greater probability (OR, 1.54; 95% Cl, 1.37–1.69) of having conservative surgery. This procedure was also more often used in private hospitals (OR, 1.59; 95% Cl, 1.20–2.08) where care is paid at the point of consumption by patients, directly or through their private insurance. The observed variation in the use of the conservative procedure across the 10 regional areas was greater than that expected by chance alone (p <.0001), with rates ranging from 29% to 60%. This pattern persisted even after adjusting for the relevant patient and hospital characteristics. Despite the relatively large body of scientific evidence, it appears that the surgical management of breast cancer is more dependent on physicians' attitudes in each geographic area than on individual patients' characteristics.

The Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSmr) provides a method for uniform assessment of the severity of patient disability and the outcomes of medical rehabilitative care. The effectiveness and efficiency of medical rehabilitation services may be analyzed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the functional assessment component of the UDS, and other data. Program evaluation models based on the UDSMR and the FIM are useful for measuring resource cost of disability.

Outcomes measurement will be key to the appropriate use of Pharmaceuticals as health care costs continue to rise. The generation of data showing the clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of pharmaceutical care will be essential to avoid decision making based solely on cost and to ensure that cost-effective, high-quality health care remains the health care system's top priority.