What are the most promising strategies to treat alcohol and drug abuse? What are their medical implications? Despite the enormous resources spent on treating alcoholism and drug dependence, there is still no satisfactory evaluation of their effectiveness or of the cost of the different alternatives. Programs designed to treat substance abuse should be built on a foundation of evidence-based knowledge. Yet it is almost impossible to cope with the increasing amount of scientific literature. This...
Obesity now represents a serious problem in industrialized nations. An increasingly large number of people, especially children, are overweight – leading to subsequent illness and a reduced life expectancy. At long last, with this first evidence-based review of the current intervention strategies for treating and preventing obesity clinicians and health insurers have a guide that allows them to select the most efficient and cost-effective method of treatment for any given state of the illness....
Discussing international issues of health care financing, this is the first volume in a completely new public health book series, edited by the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) in Edmonton, Canada. Starting with various funding methods, the reference also features sections on different health care payment and purchasing mechanisms, as well as equity issues. Of interest to medical and allied health professionals, and those working in health care industries, insurance, and economics.
