Download or read book Implications of Future EU Policy on the Provision of Medicines and on Actors in the European Pharmaceutical Sector written by Ewout Johan Marius van Ginneken and published by Univerlagtuberlin. This book was released on 2009 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Transposition of the Patients Rights Directive 2011 24 EU written by Goscinska, Daria and published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin. This book was released on 2014-07-21 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Directive on the application of patients´ rights in cross-border healthcare was adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on March 9th, 2011. In the context of the adoption deadline on October 25th, 2013, as well as considering the national positioning towards the Directive and the interpretational leeway, it is interesting to see how and to what extent national legislators transpose the Directives´ implications. This paper will focus on the process of transposition, specifically domestic public consultations. The analysis is a two-level comparison: on the one hand, it presents an intrastate study of the various stakeholders involved in the discourse during the transposition process, whereby a country-specific picture of diverse proposals, opinions and challenges can be drawn. On the other hand, the paper marks an inter-country comparison, offering a sample of European adaptational patterns. The healthcare systems of the analysed countries Germany, Poland and Austria are characterised by a Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) system, nevertheless they differ concerning systemic specifics of healthcare, their voting behaviours towards the Directive and initial situations regarding transposable provisions. The study of domestic discourses from an actor-centred perspective concludes on the most critical points of the Directive, which reflect on prior authorisation, reimbursement, information provision and National Contact Points, and on transposition patterns in the member states. Hypotheses on the goodness of fit, the scope of patients´ rights and difficult interpretational areas of the Directive were tested and partly verified. The intrastate study and cross-national comparison revealed considerable differences among a small sample of EU-states, with only some analogies regarding stakeholder and governmental behaviour. The contrast is visible in the number and type of stakeholders, timing of public consultations, the emphasis set in the discourse, frequency of discussed articles and accurateness of implementation. This results not only from the difficult and debated area of health policy, but also from country-specific characteristics. Overall, the analysis indicates how important the process of transposition, as part of EU law-making, is for the correctness and success of European policies. An emphasis on the implementation phase is required to closely understand, analyse and improve the functioning of the Acquis Communautaire. Die Richtlinie über die Ausübung der Patientenrechte in der grenzüberschreitenden Gesundheitsversorgung wurde vom Rat der Europäischen Union sowie dem Europäischen Parlament am 9. März 2011 verabschiedet. Im Kontext der Umsetzungsfrist am 25. Oktober 2013 sowie unter Berücksichtigung nationaler Positionen gegenüber der Richtlinie und dem zu Verfügung stehenden Interpretationsspielraum, gilt es zu erforschen, inwieweit die nationalen Gesetzgeber die Implikationen der Richtlinie umsetzen. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Transpositionsprozess der Patientenrichtlinie 2011/24/EU, insbesondere mit den nationalen Konsultationen während der Umsetzungsphase. Die Analyse besteht aus einem zwei-Ebenen Vergleich: einerseits präsentiert sie eine innerstaatliche Studie über diverse, in den Transpositionsprozess involvierte Stakeholder, wodurch eine länderspezifische Skizze bezüglich verschiedener Umsetzungsvorschläge, Meinungen sowie Herausforderungen gezeichnet wird. Andererseits stellt die Studie einen zwischenstaatlichen Vergleich dar, durch welchen Europäische Transpositions- und Implementierungsmuster verdeutlicht werden. Die drei ausgewählten Staaten Deutschland, Polen und Österreich sind jeweils durch das Gesundheitssystem der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung gekennzeichnet, nichtsdestotrotz unterscheiden sie sich im Hinblick auf die systemischen Ausprägungen, ihr Abstimmungsverhalten zur Richtlinie im Rat der Europäischen Union sowie ihre Ausgangsposition der Transposition. Die Analyse der nationalen Diskurse aus einer Akteur-zentrierten Perspektive mündet in einer Zusammenstellung der kritischsten Aspekte der Richtlinie, welche die Vorabgenehmigung, Kostenerstattung, Informationsbeschaffung und die Nationalen Kontaktstellen beinhaltet. Gleichzeitig fasst die Studie die Transpositionsmuster der Mitgliedstaaten zusammen. Die Hypothesen zu "Goodness of fit", zur Reichweite der Patientenrechte sowie zu interpretativen Problemfeldern der Richtlinie wurden getestet und teilweise verifiziert. Sowohl der inner- wie auch zwischenstaatliche Vergleich zeigt die enormen Differenzen einer relativ geringen Staatenprobe auf, mit lediglich wenigen Analogien in Bezug auf die Stakeholder und das Verhalten der staatlichen Entscheidungsträger. Der Kontrast zeigt sich insbesondere hinsichtlich der Anzahl und des Typs der Akteure, der zeitlichen Koordinierung der öffentlichen Konsultationen, des Diskursschwerpunkts, der Häufigkeit der diskutierten Umsetzungsartikel sowie der Transpositionsgenauigkeit. Die hervorstechenden Differenzen sind nicht nur Ausdruck eines sensiblen und umstrittenen Politikfelds, sondern resultieren aus den staatenspezifischen Eigenschaften. Insgesamt zeigt die Analyse auf, wie wichtig der Transpositionsprozess als Teil der EU-Gesetzgebung für die Korrektheit und den Erfolg Europäischer Politik ist. Die Fokussierung auf die Implementierungsphase ist notwendig, um die Funktionsfähigkeit des Acquis Communautaire genau zu verstehen, analysieren und zu verbessern.

Download or read book Effective and needed but not used Why do mobile phone based health interventions in Africa not move beyond the project status written by Stephani, Victor and published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews have shown that mobile phone-based health interventions (mHealth interventions) are capable of improving health outcomes of patients in Africa, particularly for patients with chronic diseases such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs). But currently, most mHealth interventions are stopped after the pilot and the funding of the donors has ceased. The aim is to identify the reasons for the lacking integration of mHealth interventions against NCDs in sub Saharan African health systems. 10 countries from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were selected for the analysis. For the assessment a catalogue of indicators was developed. Data for the indicators was gathered from various sources: databases, literature reviews and expert interviews. mHealth against NCDs is still in its infancy. Inhibiting factors for the further uptake of mHealth are the lack of specific action points by the governments, the missing attention paid to the rising burden of NCDs, the non-utilization of the full potential of mHealth, the lack of financial incentives and standardized workshops/guidelines and lack of good governance. The access to mobile phones is also inhibited by the poor electricity infrastructure. Enabling factors in many countries are numerous published eHealth strategies, constantly improving legislative frameworks (such as data protection laws) and a growing technology start-up ecosystem.Reviews haben gezeigt, dass Mobiltelefon-basierte Gesundheitsinterventionen (mHealth Interventionen) in der Lage sind klinische Outcomes von Patienten in Afrika zu verbessern; insbesondere von Patienten mit chronischen Erkrankungen wie zum Beispiel nicht übertragbaren Krankheiten (NCDs). Jedoch bleiben die meisten mHealth Interventionen in der Projektphase und werden häufig, nachdem die Finanzierung der Geldgeber aufhört, gestoppt. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es deswegen, die Ursachen für die mangelnde Integration von mHealth Interventionen gegen NCDs in die afrikanischen Gesundheitssysteme zu identifizieren. Für die Analyse wurden 10 Länder aus sub-Sahara Afrika (SSA) ausgewählt. Für die Bewertung wurde ein Katalog von Indikatoren entwickelt. Die Daten für die Indikatoren wurden aus verschiedenen Quellen gesammelt: Datenbanken, Literaturrecherchen und Experteninterviews. Hemmende Faktoren für eine flächendeckende Verbreitung sind unter anderem das Fehlen spezifischer Zielvorgaben durch die Regierungen, die fehlende Berücksichtigung von NCDs in den verschiedenen Digitalstrategien, die Nichtausschöpfung des vollen Potenzials von mHealth, das Fehlen von finanziellen Anreizen und standardisierten Workshops/Richtlinien, sowie mangelnde Good Governance. Außerdem wird der Zugang zu Mobiltelefonen durch die schlechte Elektrizitäts-Infrastruktur behindert. Fördernde Faktoren sind die zahlreichen eHealth-Strategien, die sich ständig verbessernden gesetzliche Rahmenbedingungen (z.B. Datenschutzgesetze) und die wachsenden Start-up-Ökosysteme.

Download or read book Does mHealth contribute to improved care for people with non communicable diseases in developing countries written by Stephani, Victor and published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin. This book was released on 2015-06-02 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: mHealth refers to the use of mobile phones for health care and public health practice. The reasons of deaths in developing countries are shifting from communicable diseases towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We review studies assessing the health-related impacts of mobile health (mHealth) on NCDs in low- and middle- income countries (LAMICs) with the aim of giving recommendations for their further development. Methods: A systematic literature search of three major databases was performed in order to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth interventions. Identified RCTs were reviewed concerning effects of the interventions on health-related outcomes. Results: The search algorithms retrieved 733 titles. 6 RCTs were included in the review, including a total of 1850 participants. MHealth was found to have positively influenced clinical outcomes, compliance rates, as well as quality of life related aspects. Furthermore, other outcomes such as patients’ anxiety or patient-physician trust improved significantly. We also found that tailored interventions using a single service for the transmission (e.?g. only SMS) showed the most positive effect. Limiting factors of the evaluation however, were the few numbers of RCTs, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and the fact that all included studies were conducted in middle income countries and mostly in urban areas. Conclusions: Although mHealth is still in its infancy, it can emerge as an important tool for fighting NCDs in LAMICs. Therefore, further support by governmental institutions for coordinating and promoting the development of the required tools, as well as further research especially in low-income economies, with a focus on the evaluation of the long-term effects of mHealth is needed. Hintergrund: Die Todesursachen in Entwicklungsländern verschieben sich kontinuierlich von übertragbaren hin zu nicht-übertragbaren Krankheiten (NCDs). Deshalb werden in diesem systematischen Review gesundheitsbezogene Einflüsse von mobile Health (mHealth) Interventionen zur Bekämpfung von NCDs in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern (LAMICs) untersucht, um Einschätzungen zur bisherigen und Empfehlungen zur weiteren Entwicklung zu geben. Methode: Eine systematische Literatursuche in drei großen Datenbanken wurde durchgeführt um randomisiert-kontrollierte Studien (RCTs) von mHealth Interventionen in LAMICs zu identifizieren. Die ermittelten RCTs wurden hinsichtlich der Effekte von mHealth Interventionen auf gesundheitsbezogene Parameter ausgewertet. Resultate: Von insgesamt 733 erfassten Titeln wurden 6 RCTs mit 1850 Teilnehmern einbezogen. Es wurde festgestellt, dass mHealth einen positiven Einfluss auf klinische Resultate, Compliance-Raten, sowie Lebensqualitäts-bezogene Aspekte hat. Zudem verbesserten sich im Rahmen der Interventionen weitere Faktoren wie das Vertrauen zwischen Patient und Arzt oder Ängste der Patienten. Ferner wurde festgestellt, dass individualisierte Interventionen bessere Resultate als generalisierte Interventionen erzielen. Limitierende Faktoren bei diesem Review waren die geringe Anzahl an RCTs, die Heterogenität der evaluierten Parameter und der Umstand, dass fast alle inkludierten Studien in urbanen Gebieten von Schwellenländern durchgeführt worden sind. Schlussfolgerung: mHealth kann zu einem wichtigen Instrument bei der Bekämpfung von NCDs in LAMICs heranwachsen. Dazu ist jedoch eine stärkere Unterstützung insbesondere von staatlichen Institutionen unumgänglich. Zudem müssen zukünftige Forschungen einen Fokus auf Langzeit-Effekte insbesondere in einkommensschwachen Ländern haben.

Download or read book Regulating Pharmaceuticals In Europe Striving For Efficiency Equity And Quality written by Mossialos, Elias and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2004-06-01 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This thoughtful and comprehensive book represents the best work I have seen on the current situation concerning medication policies in the EU. It is not just that this is a very up-to-date compendium of facts and data across a wide variety of domains that impact on pharmaceutical regulation. The book is also strong on analysis of those facts as well." Jerry Avorn, Harvard Medical School. "This book offers a comprehensive examination of approaches to manage pharmaceutical expenditures in Europe. It is a must-read for those who seek to understand and navigate the changing regulatory environment for medicines in the European Union." Bernie O'Brien, McMaster University, Canada. The rising cost of pharmaceutical expenditures in many European countries is of concern to governments required to make effective use of health care budgets. Taking a broad perspective that encompasses institutional, political and supranational aspects of pharmaceutical regulation, this book examines approaches used to manage pharmaceutical expenditure across Europe and what impact these strategies have had on efficiency, quality, equity and cost of pharmaceutical care.Regulating Pharmaceuticals in Europe is an important book for students of health policy, regulation and management, and for health managers and policy makers. The editors: Elias Mossialos is Brian Abel-Smith Professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Research Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Monique Mrazek is a Health Economist (Europe and Central Asia region) for the World Bank and formerly a Research Officer in Health Economics for the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Tom Walley is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool and Director of the UK National Health Technology Assessment Programme. Contributors:Julia Abelson, Christa Altenstetter, Vittorio Bertele’, Christine Bond, Marcel L. Bouvy, Colin Bradley, Steve Chapman, Anna Dixon, Michael Drummond, Pierre Durieux, Edzard Ernst, Armin Fidler, Eric Fortess, Richard Frank, Silvio Garattini, Leigh Hancher, Ebba Holme Hansen, Steve Hudson, Kees de Jonchere, Panos Kanavos, Sjoerd Kooiker, Jean-Marc Leder, Graham Lewis, Donald W. Light, Alistair McGuire, Elias Mossialos, Monique Mrazek, Maria Pia Orru', Govin Permanand, Guenka Petrova, Munir Pirmohamed, Dennis Ross-Degnan, Frans Rutten, Steven Soummerai, David Taylor, Sarah Thomson, Tom Walley.

Download or read book Health Policy and European Union Enlargement written by Mckee and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2004-04-01 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there may be consensus on the broader issues of the core objectives of the health care system, expectations differ between EU countries, and European national policy-makers. This book seeks firstly to assess the impact of the enlargement process and then to analyse the challenges that lie ahead in the field of health and health policy.

Download or read book Civil Society and Health written by Scott L. Greer and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can make a vital contribution to public health and health systems but harnessing their potential is complex in a Europe where government-CSO relations vary so profoundly. This study is intended to outline some of the challenges and assist policy-makers in furthering their understanding of the part CSOs can play in tandem and alongside government. To this end it analyses existing evidence and draws on a set of seven thematic chapters and six mini case studies. They examine experiences from Austria Bosnia-Herzegovina Belgium Cyprus Finland Germany Malta the Netherlands Poland the Russian Federation Slovenia Turkey and the European Union and make use of a single assessment framework to understand the diverse contexts in which CSOs operate. The evidence shows that CSOs are ubiquitous varied and beneficial and the topics covered in this study reflect such diversity of aims and means: anti-tobacco advocacy food banks refugee health HIV/AIDS prevention and cure and social partnership. CSOs make a substantial contribution to public health and health systems with regards to policy development service delivery and governance. This includes evidence provision advocacy mobilization consensus building provision of medical services and of services related to the social determinants of health standard setting self-regulation and fostering social partnership. However in order to engage successfully with CSOs governments do need to make use of adequate tools and create contexts conducive to collaboration. To guide policy-makers working with CSOs through such complications and help avoid some potential pitfalls the book outlines a practical framework for such collaboration. This suggests identifying key CSOs in a given area; clarifying why there should be engagement with civil society; being realistic as to what CSOs can or will achieve; and an understanding of how CSOs can be helped to deliver.

Download or read book The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Health Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2005-04-26 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporating HC 1030-i to iii.

Download or read book Medical Devices written by Christa Altenstetter and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medical devices are the bread and butter from which health care and clinical research are derived. Such devices are used for patient care, genetic testing, clinical trials, and experimental clinical investigations. Without medical devices, there is no clinical research or patient care. Without life-adjusting devices, there are no medical procedures or surgery. Without life-saving and life-maintaining devices, there is no improvement in well-being and quality of life. Without innovative medical devices and experimentation, there can be no medical progress or patient safety. Medical devices and medical technology are used to create or support many different products and medical-surgical procedures. This volume on the regulation of medical devices in the European Union, with a focus on France, tackles a topic of interdisciplinary interest and significance for policymakers in countries around the globe. The EU regulatory regime is one of three global regional regimes, and medical products manufactured in EU countries are sold worldwide. As countries confront an aging population on a global scale, with associated increases in chronic diseases, physical handicaps, and multi-morbidity, there will inevitably be an increase in the demand for health services and, concomitantly, the use of medical devices in medical and surgical procedures. This will be the case regardless of whether services are delivered in hospitals, doctors' offices, or at home. The associated risks of a particular device will be the same whatever the country of origin for the device, or where the need occurs. Revolutionary medical advances increase diagnostic capabilities, but they increase the potential of harm and risks to patients. Medical technologies and devices are used ethically most of the time; yet they have the potential for unethical use when scientific medicine is elevated over human life and death. Assumptions that are taken for granted can be dangerous to a patient's health. That is why our understanding of appropriate and effective regulation of medical devices is significant to all people on all continents.

Download or read book Research and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry A CBO Study written by Congressional Budget Office and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013-06-09 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perceptions that the pace of new-drug development has slowed and that the pharmaceutical industry is highly profitable have sparked concerns that significant problems loom for future drug development. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study-prepared at the request of the Senate Majority Leader-reviews basic facts about the drug industry's recent spending on research and development (R&D) and its output of new drugs. The study also examines issues relating to the costs of R&D, the federal government's role in pharmaceutical research, the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in developing innovative drugs, and the role of expected profits in private firms' decisions about investing in drug R&D. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, the study makes no recommendations. David H. Austin prepared this report under the supervision of Joseph Kile and David Moore. Colin Baker provided valuable consultation...

Download or read book Global Trends 2040 written by National Intelligence Council and published by Cosimo Reports. This book was released on 2021-03 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

Download or read book Health in All Policies written by Timo Ståhl and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, published in the context of the Finnish Presidency of the European Union (EU), aims to highlight how and why the health dimension can and should be taken into account across all government sectors. Particular emphasis is placed on the unique mandate and obligation of the EU to protect health in all its policies. The topic is explored from the perspectives of available methods and different levels of policy-making, and examples are included from specific policy areas and health issues.

Download or read book Improving Healthcare Quality in Europe Characteristics Effectiveness and Implementation of Different Strategies written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-17 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, developed by the Observatory together with OECD, provides an overall conceptual framework for understanding and applying strategies aimed at improving quality of care. Crucially, it summarizes available evidence on different quality strategies and provides recommendations for their implementation. This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies.

Download or read book Making Medicines Affordable written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.

Download or read book The European Union and Health Services written by Reinhard Busse and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most Member States Governments have assumed that they have full responsibility and control over their own health services it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Single European Market is having a substantial impact on health services. Recent rulings by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) have, in particular, established the freedom of citizens to choose health care goods and services across borders. To examine the actual relationship between the SEM and health services, this book: - identifies SEM regulations and directives as well as ECJ decisions which explicitly refer to health services and which therefore have a potential impact on the purchasing, supply and delivery of health services, - evaluates the impact of SEM regulations and ECJ decisions on the purchasing, supply and delivery of health services, - identifies outcomes, including both intended and unintended effects, of the SEM on Member States' health services and - develops future scenarios exploring key issues identified in the earlier analysis and evaluation.

Download or read book WHO guideline on country pharmaceutical pricing policies written by and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, high prices of pharmaceutical products have posed challenges in high- and low-income countries alike. In many instances, high prices of pharmaceutical products have led to significant financial hardship for individuals and negatively impacted on healthcare systems' ability to provide population-wide access to essential medicines. Pharmaceutical pricing policies need to be carefully planned, carried out, and regularly checked and revised according to changing conditions. Strong, well-thought-out policies can guide well-informed and balanced decisions to achieve affordable access to essential health products. This guideline replaces the 2015 WHO guideline on country pharmaceutical pricing policies, revised to reflect the growing body of literature since the last evidence review in 2010. This update also recognizes country experiences in managing the prices of pharmaceutical products.

Download or read book Assuring the Quality of Health Care in the European Union written by Helena Legido-Quigley and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2008 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People have always travelled within Europe for work and leisure, although never before with the current intensity. Now, however, they are travelling for many other reasons, including the quest for key services such as health care. Whatever the reason for travelling, one question they ask is "If I fall ill, will the health care I receive be of a high standard?" This book examines, for the first time, the systems that have been put in place in all of the European Union's 27 Member States. The picture it paints is mixed. Some have well developed systems, setting standards based on the best available evidence, monitoring the care provided, and taking action where it falls short. Others need to overcome significant obstacles.