Although medical malpractice litigation in the United States has generated extensive professional and scholarly attention, few analyses of the issue have explored its underlying causes. This essay develops and employs an historical framework to explain the late 20th century phenomenon and concludes that widespread medical malpractice suits are the result of a combination of short-term topical causes and long-term cultural changes that are ignored or left untouched by most reform efforts. Most importantly, however, the development and proliferation of new and improved medical technologies has played a pivotal role throughout the entire history of the litigation, an effect that has become most prominent and important in the last third of the 20th century.

Evidence-informed patient choice involves providing people with research-based information about the effectiveness of health care options and promoting their involvement in decisions about their treatment. Although the concept seems desirable, the processes and outcomes of evidence-informed patient choice are poorly understood, and it should be carefully evaluated.

Priority setting for the evaluation of health technologies in the Netherlands is exclusively based on the scientific merits of individual research proposals. This process has not resulted in satisfactory allocation of resources. Therefore, societal criteria for setting priorities for health technology assessment have been proposed as an adjunct to scientific criteria. These societal criteria include the burden of disease, uncertainty about the (cost-)effectiveness of the intervention at issue, the potential benefits of the research project, and its potential impact on health care. To realize the full potential of this model for priority setting, a number of methodological issues need to be addressed. Joint efforts of researchers and policy makers in this field are necessary for future progress.

This review assesses the evidence regarding the effectiveness of bone density measurement (BDM) screening and related interventions—hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and intranasal salmon calcitonin (SCT[N])—in menopausal women to prevent fractures in later life. Data sources included systematic reviews of evidence and relevant primary studies identified through literature searches on MEDLINE and EMBASE. Study selection included trials of BDM screening programs, prospective studies exam-ining the predictive value of BDM, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-controlstudies of HRT and SCT(N). The evidence was evaluated using a classification system incorporatingstudy design and quality. Outcomes were measured in terms of relative risk of fracture for a 1 SDdecrease in bone mineral density below the age-adjusted mean, relative risks or odds ratios forfractures associated with treatments, and proportion of hip fractures potentially prevented by BDMscreening linked to treatments. Fair evidence from prospective cohort studies suggests that BDMcan predict the risk of fractures, but not with high accuracy. Fair evidence from low-quality randomizedcontrolled trials and observational studies suggests that HRT and SCT(N) are efficacious in preventingfractures. Good evidence supports the efficacy of these treatments in preserving bone mass, butthere is fair evidence that the effect wears off after cessation of therapy. There is little evidence onthe impact of screening menopausal women with BDM in association with HRT or SCT(N) treatment.Estimates based on combining existing evidence regarding the predictive value of BDM and efficacyof HRT suggests that 1–7% of hip fractures might be prevented.

This paper examines the determinants of hip fracture costs and further evaluates potential savings in costs when the occurrence of hip fracture is prevented. The costs of hip fracture are comprised of direct costs from health care and the social welfare system. Data were collected for 1,080 postmenopausal women admitted from private residence for primary hip fracture surgery during the year of 1992 in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. It was found that the cost of hip fracture is significantly related to age, mortality the year after a fracture, type of fracture, costs 1 year before a fracture, and hospital admission. The savings in direct costs for an average woman surviving the year after a fracture amount to SEK 210,000.

A breast cancer screening program mainly aims at reducing mortality. However, it also has an effect, often not assessed, on the utilization of health care resources that is relevant to health care policy making. Using a simulation model, this paper forecasts the impact of introducing a breast cancer screening program on the utilization of resources for the primary therapy of breast cancer. The most important consequences from a health care point of view will be an increased use of breast-conserving therapy and an increased need for postoperative radiotherapy; there will also be a higher number of women diagnosed with noninvasive breast cancer. The results of this study could provide support for health care decision making by showing the consequences of policy decisions on the introduction of screening programs for health care utilization.

Total treatment costs by stage at diagnosis are estimated for a sample of breast cancer patients. At 4 years, stage 4 cancers emerge as being more expensive to treat than those at earlier stages, although this difference fails to achieve significance when expected lifetime costs are considered. The inclusion of treatment cost estimates in a screening model indicates that screening may increase expected treatment costs by a marginal amount, although the model also suggests that the cost effectiveness ratio of breast cancer screening might be better than had originally been thought.

A range of fecal occult blood tests are presently on the market and could potentially be used in population screening programs for the detection of colorectal neoplasms. This paper estimates the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative tests and concludes that the unhydrated Hemoccult II is the most cost-effective. However, the incremental costs per life-year of the HemeSelect test and the rehydrated Hemoccult II test are in line with incremental costs observed in breast cancer and cervical cancer programs.

Menorrhagia, or heavy regular menstrual bleeding, represents a major health burden to women. Trials comparing abdominal hysterectomy (AH) with transcervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE) for the condition have shown that, although the duration and severity of convalescence is less with TCRE, AH produces a permanent solution to heavy bleeding while TCRE fails in a proportion of women by 2 years. However, by 2 years, TCRE costs only 71% that of AH. This paper presents a cost-utility analysis to assess which procedure is more cost-effective overall. Under most plausible parameter values and on the basis of health state values elicited from a sample of women with menorrhagia, AH is likely to be considered more cost-effective than TCRE if purchasers are willing to pay an additional cost of at least £6,500 per extra quality-adjusted life-year generated by AH.

Individual programs for prevention of cardiovascular disease include dietary and drug treatment of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension treatment, and smoking cessation therapies. In this study, the cost-effectiveness of available cardiovascular prevention programs was assessed in Spain in terms of net cost per life-year gained (LYG). Cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from US $2,600 to $80,000 per LYG in men and from $4,500 to $230,000 per LYG in women. In men aged 40–59 years, the ranking of increasing cost-effectiveness was: smoking cessation ($2,608–3,738 per LYG); treatment of moderate and severe hypertension ($8,564–38,678 per LYG); treatment of mild hypertension ($11,906–59,840 per LYG); dietary treatment ($16,143–20,158 per LYG); and drug treatment of hypercholesterolemia ($33,850–81,010 per LYG). In women, the ranking list was: smoking cessation ($4,482–5,756 per LYG), treatment of moderate and severe hypertension ($9,585–57,983 per LYG), treatment of mild hypertension ($15,248–86,075 per LYG), dietary treatment ($57,175–62,154 per LYG); and drug treatment of hypercholesterolemia ($104,100–259,150 per LYG).

Using a case study methodology, we examined the implementation of a nursing flow sheet system in the trauma center of a large, not-for-profit, teaching hospital. Findings add new insights to the existing body of knowledge in the information technology and medical informatics fields. First, results reveal that the success of clinical information systems requires a proactive stance where key actors anticipate and address the challenges ahead and capitalize on opportunities. Second, empirical evidence indicates that project outcomes ultimately depend on how the implementation process is managed and what the organization and its members do with the system once it is introduced. Finally, the case at hand shows that the nature and overall quality of the implementation strategy can be largely predicted by the key actors involved in the project, given their own background, skills, interest, and level of motivation.

The costs, effects, and cost-effectiveness of the Dutch Lung Transplantation program were assessed. The results show that lung transplantation is a very costly intervention that improves survival and quality of life. Costs per life-year and per QALY gained were, respectively, US $90,000 and US $71,000.

We compared patient ratings of the desirability of anxiety health states with measures of psychological distress and functional status and investigated how these ratings predicted treatment by primary care and mental health clinicians. As expected, associations between desirability ratings and psychological and physical health status were low to moderate. Persons who rated their current anxiety health state as more desirable received fewer mental health referrals and were statistically more likely to receive a prescription for psychotropic medication. Simple ratings of health state desirability may help clinicians evaluate patients' views of their health status and discuss potential treatment options.

There is currently no generally accepted formula for the optimal timing of health technology assessments (HTAs). This paper presents some of the relevant issues and then reviews the existing literature on timing of HTAs. It finds that the literature that specifically addresses these issues is limited. There is a consensus that HTAs should be initiated at an early stage of the development of a new health technology, and repeated during the life cycle of the technology. However, the questions of reliably identifying new technologies at an early stage in their development and of deciding on a detectable critical point for starting evaluation are not resolved. It is proposed that a system of categorization and prioritization of health technologies should be developed to allow decisions to be made as to when a strongly precautionary approach is required and how the limited resources available for HTA could be optimally deployed.

This descriptive analysis examines prescribing trends of antidepressants in English primary care, providing analysis of NHS reimbursement data for groups of antidepressants between 1989 and 1994. Prescribing trends seem unaffected by the release of information on the effectiveness and costeffectiveness of antidepressant drugs. We found that simple distribution of the results of health technology assessments may not be sufficient to influence practice.