We recently introduced a new weekly (or semiweekly) blog series called “In Case You Missed It.” This blog series is a roundup of news items and developments from the previous week (or weeks) that I found interesting and would like to share.
This article is a concise summary of many of the ideas we at ACCESS Health International have expressed. It is timely, as the central government is on a fast track to promote a renewed national health policy. India Needs to Reorganize its Healthcare System: World Health Organization
The Milbank Memorial Fund is interested in improving primary care in the United States. Transforming Primary Care: The March Continues
It should be obvious that healthcare in Europe is stressed and likely to become more so. Europe faces twin problems: an aging population and a shrinking economy. Either strains a healthcare system. How can individual countries respond to these challenges? The article by Richard Saltman and Zachary Cahn summarizes some of the issues Europe faces and some possible responses. Richard suggested that some countries may look to Asia for potential solutions, as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore maintain excellent healthcare systems at about half the cost of European healthcare systems. Restructuring Health Systems for an Era of Prolonged Austerity
Without any public funding and with limited resources, Aravind Eye Care Systems has cured blindness in over three million low income patients (Photo: Geoff Oliver Bugbee)
This is a great story about the work of ACCESS Health in Morocco. Replicating Innovation: How a Single Organization’s Approach Could Eliminate Global Blindness
Please view this short video brought to our attention by Adrienne Mendenhall, Country Manager, ACCESS Health Singapore, that clearly outlines what will be the ever increasing demand for eldercare over the next fifty years. Healthcare Challenges for Aging Populations
The Silver Economy as a Pathway for Growth
The Harvard Graduate School of Design hosted an event in October 2014 called AGING + PLACE: Designing Housing and Communities for Aging Populations. Watch video from the symposium.
New MacArthur Research Network to Examine Impact of Aging Society
Artemesinin for Malaria: A China Story! Artemesinin’s Rocky Road to Globalization: Part One
This is in an important study undertaken by The Lancet on Healthy Cities. It was completed in 2011. The conclusion remain valid. Shaping Cities for Health: Complexity and the Planning of Urban Environments in the Twenty First Century
This editorial in The Lancet is an argument for including urban health in the next iteration of the Millennium Development Goals. Urban Health Post 2015
The authors state that “a comprehensive public health approach to population aging that responds to the needs, capacities, and aspirations of older people and the changing contexts in which they function is needed.” They state that “the major causes of death and disability in older age are noncommunicable diseases. Much of this burden can be prevented or delayed.” The authors add, “Improved systems are needed to provide chronic management for, and adequately address the consequences of, these disorders.” They state, “an effective public health response to population aging must take into account the diversity in the health, social, and economic circumstances of older people; the disparities in the resources that are available to them; concurrent social trends; changing aspirations; and knowledge gaps.” They conclude that “a conceptual framework that focuses on functioning rather than disease would probably be most relevant,” a view that many now share but few implement. Toward a Comprehensive Public Health Response to Population Aging
See the CBS Sunday Morning Today piece produced by George Osterkamp, Robots Open Up the World of Art. Such robots can provide a variety of experiences for the chronically ill and elderly who are mostly home bound,or who cannot travel easily.
Technology for health: Braille Printers Invented by Teen for the Blind
Part two of David Blumenthal, Karen Davis, and Stuart Guteman’s overview of Medicare in the New England Journal of Medicine looks forward to what Medicare might become. They summarize several different approaches to Medicare reform, changes that may make it more efficient, more user friendly, and more affordable both for the United States and the individual. It is clear concise summary. Medicare at Fifty – Moving Forward
This article summarizes some of the legal and ethical issues regarding end of life decisions. Forty Years of Work on End of Life Care – From Patients’ Rights to Systemic Reform
Please see the Council on Foreign Relations analysis of the new Indian Budget. Indian Budget: Cautious But Resolute
The dynamic nature of the electorate in the United States affects the range of political choices for healthcare policy. See this interesting discussion of the evolving nature of the electorate. The “Next America” is Now
Geriatric nurses and physicians may improve the quality of emergency services. Specialized Consultations Improve Geriatric Care for Elderly Patients Who Are Hospitalized for Traumatic Injuries