Long term care and alternative site therapy project.

This paper is an evaluation of a geriatric assessment unit in an acute general hospital in a rural region of Australia: short term impact on patient's health, functional status, and use of medicines.

The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care.

During its first year of operation (1988) the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care focused on nine areas. Additional activities will be added as need requires and resources permit. Also, preparations for 1989 projects have begun. The nine areas include: identification of technologies needing assessment, including international comparisons; review and synthesis of the value of preoperative routines; review and synthesis of the value of gastroscopy for diagnosing stomach pain; assessment of different treatment methods for back pain; assessment of the value of vascular surgery for vascular spasms in the legs; organization of a strategy conference concerning medical technology assessment in Sweden; creation of a strategy that addresses an international review of medical technology, future technologies in health care, waiting lists for medical care--the importance of medical technology, resource utilization and organizational and educational aspects of introducing new technology in health care, and costs and medical technology; translation of foreign assessment studies, with comments; national and international cooperation. SCTA has discussed the need for assessing specific technology such as bone marrow transplantation and surgical treatment of epilepsy. SCTA's Scientific Advisory Committee has additionally considered the following subjects for future projects: medical, social, and economic consequences of alternative technologies screening for prostate, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer; costs, indications, and medical benefit of surgery for varicose vains; and modern urology technologies, particularly those related to prostate care.

Political platforms, pressure groups and the defence of health care in the 1980s.

With 14 major changes in health care financing since 1970, it is surely time to consider some basic principles and health policies that ought to be immutable--at least for longer than 10 months at a time. The paper reviews the federal health policies of the three major parties--and asks whether the various health sector interest groups can afford to leave consensus to the parliamentary system.

Planning for state health in Australia. Part 2: Health services organization--overseas experience.

Although the majority of articles which are published in Australian Family Physician emphasize the clinical dimension of medical practice, it should be remembered that the policy of the journal is to report on a wide spectrum of topics which have a bearing on patient care. Because of this, and also in response to those readers who have requested information on state health services, we are publishing a series of three articles by Roderick McEwin and Paul Gross in consecutive issues of the journal. This paper is the second of the series.