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In the early 1990s, a new concept was coined: ‘evidence-based medicine’ (EBM). After a remarkably short time, EBM was virtually all-pervasive in medicine and healthcare throughout the world. Even outside the domain of healthcare, the new concept became fashionable, for example in the shape of (pleas for) ‘evidence-based management’ and ‘evidence-based policy’. In short, ‘evidence-based’ developed into one of the mantras of the current era. This book uses history as a tool to gain insight into the highly influential, but also elusive and multifaceted phenomenon of EBM. As such, A Doctor’s Order is a ‘must read’ for patients, professionals, managers and policy makers in healthcare as well as for anyone who is interested in understanding the present socio-political order.
In 1997, the Council of Europe established the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. It is generally regarded as an important addition to the general human rights laid down in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950), in particular with a view to the developments in modern biology and medicine. The Biomedicine Convention, which entered into force in 2000, is a framework treaty, meaning that a number of issues have to be dealt with or will be elaborated in additional Protocols; at this moment, three such Protocols have already been opened for signature. This volume of essays, written in honour of Henriette Roscam Abbing upon her retirement as Professor of Health Law at the University of Utrecht, gives an overview of some of the most important issues raised by the Convention. In six parts, this volume discusses the basic concepts and leading principles; the provision of services; the rights of patients; research; human tissue and genetics; and the implementation of the Convention.
"Ethics boards have become obligatory passage points in today's medical science, and we forget how novel they really are. The use of humans in experiments is an age-old practice that records show goes back to at least the third century BC and, since the early modern period, as a practice it has become increasingly popular. Yet, in most countries around the world, hardly any formal checks and balances existed to govern the communal oversight of experiments involving human subjects until at least the 1960s. Ethics by Committee traces the rise of ethics boards for human experimentation in the second half of the twentieth century. Using the Netherlands as a case-study, Noortje Jacobs shows how t...
Explores the Christian Right’s fierce opposition to science, explaining how and why its leaders came to see scientific truths as their enemy For decades, the Christian Right’s high-profile clashes with science have made national headlines. From attempts to insert intelligent design creationism into public schools to climate change denial, efforts to “cure” gay people through conversion therapy, and opposition to stem cell research, the Christian Right has battled against science. How did this hostility begin and, more importantly, why has it endured? Antony Alumkal provides a comprehensive background on the war on science—how it developed and why it will continue to endure. Drawing...
Charts the Union's development from its conception through to the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty and its continuing activities. Includes an A-Z section of concise definitions and explanations of organizations, acronyms and terms. The most extensive collection of information available on the European Union. The third edition of this definitive reference work has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide the latest information on the EU. It charts the Union's development from its conception through to the creation of the single market in 1992, to the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty and its continuing activities. Contents include: An A-Z section of concise definitions and ...
This report describes tobacco control policies in the WHO European Region as of late 2006. It reviews progress following the adoption of the European Strategy for Tobacco Control (ESTC) in 2002 and establishes a baseline for monitoring implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in the Region. It presents an overview of the situation regarding tobacco use and related harm in the WHO European Region during the period 2002-06 and the policy responses of Member States. The report also examines the status of these policies in the light of the requirements of the WHO FCTC. Several short national, regional and subregional case studies illustrate the lessons learned and challenges faced during the policy-making process.
Since the end of World War II, Nazi medical atrocities have been a topic of ambivalent reactions and debates, both in Germany and internationally: An early period of silence was followed by attempts of victims and representatives of medical organisations to describe what happened. Varying narratives developed, some of which had a stabilizing function for the identity of the profession, whereas others had a critical and de-stabilizing function. In today's international debates in the field of medical ethics, there are frequent references to Nazi medical atrocities, in particular in the context of discussions about research on human subjects, and on euthanasia. The volume analyses the narratives on Nazi medical atrocities, their historicity in different stages of post-war medicine, as well as in the international discourse on biomedical ethics.
For decades, health professionals have asserted the importance of public participation in interventions for health. Medicine has pursued patient participation in clinical decision-making. In the public health realm, target groups have been asked to assist in the design and implementation of initiatives for health. In practice, however, patients and populations expect health professionals to give advice and - in some cases - to make decisions on their behalf. This implies limits to the ideal of participation. In this innovative work, the author contrasts public and professional understandings of health and the best ways to achieve health. The result is a model of lay participation in the structuring of medical and public health activity. The book is unique due to its policy-applicable, quantitative studies and its theoretical analysis of works by René Dubos and Aaron Antonovsky. It will be of value to professionals in health promotion, health education, medical anthropology, and social epidemiology.
This book is based on the findings of a nationwide study, the aim of which was to analyse general practitioners' performance as gatekeepers of the Dutch healthcare system. The study was undertaken along six themes: the health of the population; inequalities in health; utilisation of care; quality of care; communication; organisation and workload. Morbidity, Performance and Quality in Primary Care involves 400,000 patients, 1.5 million recorded GP-patient contacts and 2.1 million drug prescriptions. This survey appears at a timely moment. It coincides with the recent interest in primary care arising not only from the growing importance of cost containment in healthcare, but also from the now firmly established association between the life expectancy of a population and the existence of a strong primary care sector. The international interest in the Dutch situation is reflected in several chapters, where experts from all over the world put Dutch general practice into an international perspective.
Why do some policies succeed so well while others, in the same sector or country, fail dramatically? The aim of this book is to answer this question and provide systematic research on the nature, sources and consequences of policy failure. The expert contributors analyse and evaluate the success and failure of four policy areas (Steel, Health Care, Finance, HIV and the Blood Supply) in six European countries, namely France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain and Sweden. The book is therefore able to compare success and failure across countries as well as policy areas, enabling a test of a variety of theoretical assumptions about policy making and government.