Primary care and health: a cross-national comparison
Article Abstract:
The feeling that there is a crisis in the United States health care system has caused Americans to look at health care systems in other countries, especially those in Canada and West Germany. The debate usually focuses on the balance of the public and private sector and on costs. Very little has been said about how well the system operates in regard to those indicators of health affected by medical care. A study of health care in 10 industrialized nations looked at primary health care services, 12 statistical measures of national health, and the overall satisfaction of the population with their system. The Netherlands, Sweden and Canada ranked in the top third; the Netherlands and Sweden were in the top third for all 12 indicators. In spite of per capita spending well in excess of other countries, the United States ranked at the bottom of the list. This may be a result of the US being in the lowest third in percentage of central government expenditures on housing, social security, welfare and education. When social services and education are inadequate, access to primary care may mean little. In addition, specialty orientation and a poor primary health care system in the US have a harmful impact on health. The argument that the heterogeneity of the US population accounts for low health scores is belied by the fact that Canada and Finland have substantial minority populations, and other European countries have large immigrant communities. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1991
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Is US Health Really the Best in the World?
Article Abstract:
The US does not have the best health care in the world. On 16 health indicators, the US ranks close to the bottom compared to 12 other developed countries. The health indicators include percentage of low-birth-weight babies, infant mortality, life expectancy, and age-adjusted mortality. The poor health of the US population overall is probably caused by several factors. One is the wide income disparity in the US. Another is the high rate of death and injury caused by medical errors. Medical errors may be the third leading cause of death in the US, after heart disease and cancer.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2000
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How healthy are US children?
Article Abstract:
US children in comparison to other industrial and even transitional countries are not keeping good health indicating that an increasing proportion of children will be ill prepared to compete in a highly technology-dependent society and are at longer-term risks as adults. It is suggested that assessment of child health requires a developmental perspective with attendant implications for health in subsequent stages in life.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2005
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