Total: 759

    What is the effectiveness of home visiting or home-based support for older people?

    The vast majority of older people wish to remain living in their own homes. Furthermore, institutional care is costly. Consequently there are social and economic imperatives to prevent ill health and disability in older people and enable them to remain in their own homes as long as possible. Home visitin...

    What is the effectiveness of old-age mental health services?

    The European Region had 15% of its population 65 years old or older and nearly 7% 75 or over in 2000, the world’s highest percentages. By 2030 these figures will increase to 24% and 12% respectively. The effect on health care will be amplified by a disproportionate increase in dementia, and depression,...

    What are the main risk factors for falls amongst older people and what are the most effective interventions to prevent these falls?

    Older people make up a large and increasing percentage of the population. As people grow older they are increasingly at risk of falling and consequent injuries. A fall may be the first indication of an undetected illness. The prevention of falls is of major importance because they engender considerable m...

    What is the evidence on effectiveness of capacity building of primary health care professionals in the detection, management and outcome of depression?

    Depression is a common health care problem and is largely managed in primary care, with little or no specialist input from secondary care services. The quality of care is often low, with poor recognition of the condition, inadequate prescription, poor compliance with medication and poor provision and upt...

    How can injuries in children and older people be prevented?

    Injury is a serious public health problem in Europe, with the greatest burden on the young, the older people, and those living in the most deprived circumstances. However, it is largely unappreciated as a significant public health problem. Injuries are not inevitable – they can be prevented or controll...

    Reducing hospital beds: what are the lessons to be learned?

    For many people, the hospital has come to symbolize the modern health care system. Yet in many countries, the role of the acute hospital is changing, with an emphasis on outpatient diagnosis and treatment as well as alternatives to long-term hospital care, leading to reductions in numbers of hospital bed...

    Configuring the hospital in the 21st century

    In this policy brief, we will take a fresh look at the hospital, and examine the questions that policy-makers need to be asking about its role in the health care system. Although most health care takes places outside hospitals, for most people, they have come to symbolize the health care system. The capa...

    Are disease management programmes (DMPs) effective in improving quality of care for people with chronic conditions?

    Chronic diseases account for most of the burden of disease in the European Region. Although there are effective interventions for the management of various chronic conditions, there are also wide practice variations in the delivery of care. DMPs are one of the measures intended to address this situation....

    How can hospital performance be measured and monitored?

    Measurement is central to the concept of quality improvement; it provides a means to define what hospitals actually do, and to compare that with the original targets in order to identify opportunities for improvement....

    What are the arguments for community-based mental health care?

    Mental disorders are responsible for about 12 - 15 % of the world’s total disability – more than cardiovascular diseases, and twice as much as cancer. Their impact on daily life is even more extensive, accounting for more than 30% of all years lived with disability. Findings: There are no persuasive ...