Ensuring the safety of patients and personnel and improving quality have become important objectives for national health systems in developed and developing countries alike, in response to research highlighting poor quality, increasing patient expectations, and media reports. There is a general belief, s...
Arts interventions, such as singing in a choir to improve chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are considered noninvasive, low-risk treatment options and are increasingly being used by Member States to supplement more traditional biomedical treatments. The Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report...
In the developed world, older people make up an increasing proportion of the population, and this demographic transition also affects some developing countries. In general, older people are at increased risk of disease, disability and financial and social deprivation compared to younger people in the sam...
Hepatitis C infection has been declared a global health problem. Prevalence is most common among injecting drug user populations, where up to 98% can be infected despite a low HIV prevalence. Up to 20% of those infected with hepatitis C can clear the virus, though chronic infection can lead to significan...
Homeless people have poorer physical and mental health than the general population, and often have problems obtaining suitable health care. This synthesis has critically reviewed the international literature pertaining to the health care needs of homeless people in countries with relatively well-develope...
Many disease prevention and health promotion programmes are directed at the health of children and young people because they can prevent both immediate problems (mortality and morbidity) and long-term problems. However, even where there is evidence to support such public health interventions, implementat...
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...
Ageing populations are characteristic of many countries. The pattern of disease at the end of life is changing and more people are living with serious chronic circulatory and respiratory diseases as well as with cancer. More people will need help at the end of life, in a social context of changing family...
Depression is a major illness with health and social effects similar to those for chronic diseases like hypertension, congestive heart failure or diabetes. The Global Burden of Disease Programme of WHO indicates that depressive disorders are among the most important causes of death and disability in both...
Day care is considered to be an important component of psychiatric services, but the evidence on different forms of day care is not easy to interpret. This review evaluates five main forms of day care for adults with severe mental disorders: acute psychiatric day hospital care, transitional psychiatric d...