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Most developed countries offer some form of family care coverage. Here are some of the best models. Among the United States' health care system's many flaws is its failure to [...]

A pricey rapid-testing programme rings alarms SIPPING A BEER on a pub terrace may be the Netherlands' holiest rite of spring. But the country's grim incidence of covid-19, currently far [...]

IN THIS ARTICLE Take a look at the pros and cons of the Dutch health care system and see what elements msght enhance U.S. health care. The Dutch have a [...]

Health and long-term care policy in the United States is almost always carried out without knowledge of how other countries address similar problems. American public policy is the poorer for [...]

This Nexus is the first of a three-part series that considers assistance in dying, of which physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia are the most prominent types. Part I outlines concepts, [...]

Euthanasia is legally permitted in Netherlands. However, the physicians exercise extreme discretion when using such advance directives with elderly demented patients. A study proving that physicians resort to such a step when they are convinced that the patient has additional complications, which make them suffer unbearable pain is presented.

Objective. To assess differences in diabetes care and patient outcomes by comparing two multifaceted quality improvement programs in two different countries, and to increase knowledge of effective elements of such programs. Study Setting. Primary care in the ExtraMural Clinic (EMC) of the Department of General Practice of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Group Health Cooperative (GHC), a group-model health maintenance organization (HMO) in western Washington State in the United States. Data were collected from 1992 to 1997. Study Design. In this observational study two diabetes cohorts in which a quality improvement program was implemented were compared. Both programs included a medical record system, clinical practice guidelines, physician educational meetings, audit, and feedback. Only the Dutch program (EMC) included guidelines on the structure of diabetes care and a recall system. Only the GHC program included educational outreach visits, formation of multidisciplinary teams, and patient self-management support. Data Collection. Included were 379 EMC patients, and 2,119 GHC patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Main process outcomes were: annual number of diabetes visits, and number of HbA1c and blood lipid measurements. Main patient outcomes were HbA1c and blood lipid levels. Multilevel analysis was used to adjust for dependency between repeated observations within one patient and for clustering of patients within general practices. Principal Findings. In the EMC process outcomes and glycernic control improved more than at GHC, however, GHC had better baseline measures. There were no differences between programs on blood lipid control. During follow-up, intensification of pharmacotherapy was noted at both sites. Differences noted between programs were in line with differences in diabetes guidelines. Conclusions. Following implementation of guidelines and organizational improvement efforts, change occurred primarily in the process outcomes, rather than in the patient outcomes. Although much effort was put into improving process and patient outcomes, both complex programs still showed only moderate effects. Key Words. Quality of care, type 2 diabetes mellitus, general practice, international comparison, In the last decades, care for patients with type 2 diabetes has shifted away from hospitals and toward general practice (Griffin and Kinmonth 1997; Wood 1990). Numerous general practice guidelines [...]

Abstract: Since the 1994 ICPD, relatively little attention has been given to constraints in improving reproductive health programmes in industrialised countries. The Netherlands is known for its low rates of [...]

It is now expected that, by the end of this year, the European Commission proposal for a Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims will be finalized. This introduces the concept [...]

Given the U.S. has 15 agencies with their hands in the 'food-safety pot,' the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently studied seven high-income countries that consolidated their food safety systems--with varied [...]

It seems that patients in Holland will be able to get cannabis from pharmacies in the future instead of buying it from coffee shops around the corner. The decision came [...]

The Netherlands (1) and the United Kingdom (2) recently issued dietary advice that promotes lower meat consumption. The Netherlands' Wheel of Fire graphic, which is similar to the US MyPlate, [...]

IN the late 1990s and early 2000s, devastating diseases hit livestock and poultry farms in the Netherlands, and the Dutch people watched on the television news--night after night after night--the [...]

Dutch agriculture minister Cees Veerman is offering Dutch veterinary expertise to countries in Asia to help them combat avian influenza. In a letter to the Dutch parliament, he accused the [...]

According to a new report, Danish experts have diagnosed new bacteria levels in meat imported from France, Poland and Netherlands. Complete details in this context are presented.

The food and safety authorities in Netherlands have detected a banned chemical isophenphosmethyl in sweet peppers imported from Spain. This substance is been banned in European Union.

Japan has announced that it will ban imports of Dutch poultrymeat when the country launches a widespread avian-flu vaccination initiative in the coming weeks. The Japanese ban is likely to [...]

The Dutch company, KEMA Quality, is acting fast on completion of its animal tissue directive (2003/32/EC) process that the agency started 3 years ago for the government of Netherlands. The details of the directives on products containing animal tissues are presented. The directives are expected to come into enforcement in Netherlands by February 2004.

As the president of the European Union, the Dutch government initiates strong public health policies to meet the health needs of the European citizens. Identifying the priority medicines as per the public health needs rather than the market conditions is considered to be one of the major initiatives.

Netherlands tightens regulations for foreign health workers: The Netherlands has imposed stricter controls on foreign doctors and nurses working there. In addition to a recognised qualification, the Dutch authorities now […]

The Netherlands is considering tougher laws on practitioners of complementary medicine after government health inspectors who were investigating the death from breast cancer in 2001 of the actress and comedienne [...]