Some implications of legalized substitution of prescribed pharmaceuticals.
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In April 1962 the Alberta Government passed legislation permitting a pharmacist to substitute drugs on a written medical prescription unless the doctor indicated otherwise. The intent was stated to be in the interests of cheaper drugs for the people of Alberta. The legality of this legislature has been questioned in Federal courts of law. The legislation has been formally criticized by the official representatives of medicine and pharmacy on the ground that indiscriminate substitution of drugs is not in the public interest until such time as the quality of all available drugs is assured by governmental or other authoritative agency. It is not within the function of the Food and Drug Directorate to guarantee the quality of drugs sold in Canada, this assurance normally being provided in the trade mark adopted by the manufacturer. (+info)
Community Mental Health Services Act. Five years of operation under the California law.
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The Short-Doyle program represents a small part of the needed response to the base problem of mental illness. However, in the five years since the signing of the original bill, programs receiving aid under the Short-Doyle Act for Community Mental Health Services have made impressive steps toward meeting the need for community mental health services. They have done so under local auspices and working closely with general health and medical programs available locally. (+info)
RATES OF DISSOLUTION OF TOLBUTAMIDE TABLETS.
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An investigation was made of the pharmaceutical properties and the in vitro dissolution rates of 18 commercially available brands of tolbutamide tablets, all of which met the limits set by the Food and Drug Regulations for tablets sold in Canada.A marked variation in dissolution rates was found, which bore no relation to the official disintegration time. These wide variations in dissolution rate point to a need for (a) a comprehensive study of the in vivo effects of different tolbutamide tablets, and (b) an official test that sets limits for the rate of dissolution of tolbutamide tablets, in addition to the one that places limits on disintegration time. (+info)
The search for meaning: RU 486 and the law of abortion.
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The advent of RU 486 (mifepristone), a steroid analogue capable of inducing menses within 8 to 10 weeks of a missed menstrual period, has provoked a firestorm of concern and controversy. When used in conjunction with prostaglandin (RU 486/PG), it is at least 95% effective. Used in France principally to terminate confirmed pregnancies very early in the process of gestation, RU 486 raises many interesting legal questions. This article focuses on whether and how RU 486/PG can be accommodated within the framework of the world's current abortion laws. Four avenues are explored and conclusions drawn. First, it is clear that RU 486/PG can be used readily, if approved, within the regimens established by liberal abortion laws, as has been the experience in France, the United Kingdom, and even China. Second, although unlikely, the introduction of this new technology may inspire a reexamination of restrictive abortion statutes themselves. Third, some of the presently restrictive laws may be interpreted to permit RU 486/PG use as a legal procedure, for a very narrow range of reasons. Finally, in some settings the early use of RU 486/PG (before pregnancy can be confirmed) may fall outside the reach of abortion legislation and hence be acceptable from a legal point of view. (+info)
CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY. A STUDY OF THEIR NEEDS IN CALIFORNIA.
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The 1959 California Legislature directed the State Department of Public Health to conduct a study of the needs of California children with epilepsy and to determine the costs and feasibility of including medical services to such children under the Crippled Children Services program. A demonstration program of services was provided in Contra Costa and San Bernardino counties. Under these programs, children suspected of having epilepsy were referred for specialists' examinations, tests and recommendations for treatment. Private physicians provided the largest portion of a total of 236 referrals. Children referred were found to have complex medical, social and educational problems, and to be in need of comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services. About half of the children had mixed epilepsy and over one-third had focal seizures. Two-thirds had at least one other major additional handicap. At the time of referral one-fifth of these children had one or more seizures daily.Through specialized care and medications provided under this project, 58 per cent of those with seizures became seizure free, and an additional 24 per cent showed a considerable reduction of seizure frequency. This project provided a practical method of obtaining information necessary for program planning and has also demonstrated the value of such a program in helping private physicians to meet some of the multiple problems presented by these children. (+info)
Out-of-state flat-rate mail order contract laboratories operating from states which have little or no legal control over them can do business in California without obedience to regulations that govern laboratories located within the state. The flat-rate contract principle under which some out-of-state laboratories operate is illegal in California. The use of such laboratories increases physician liability. Legislation for the control of these laboratories is difficult to construct, and laws which might result would be awkward to administer. The best remedy is for California physicians not to use an out-of-state laboratory offering contracts or conditions that it could not legally offer if it were located in California. (+info)
THE DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF A CHILDREN'S PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL.
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Thistletown Hospital is a children's psychiatric hospital which was established by the Department of Health of the Province of Ontario. Special legislation permitting control of the admissions procedures was enacted. The administrative organization consists of a series of committees made up of the heads of hospital departments. An advisory board of distinguished psychiatrists and psychologists advises the Minister of Health directly on major policy changes or innovations envisaged for the hospital. Clinical organization is related to four functions: (1) service (treatment and assessment), (2) research, (3) training of staff, and (4) community education.The basic units of the hospital are related to the treatment or research design necessary in special diagnostic categories. A children's psychiatric hospital should not be restricted to in-patient facilities but should consist of a totally community-oriented service. (+info)
RADIATION PROTECTION IN CANADA: VII. THE ROLE OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE IN THE FIELD OF RADIATION PROTECTION.
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The main emphasis of a provincial radiation protection program is on ionizing radiation produced by machines, although assistance is given to the Federal Radiation Protection Division in its program relating to radioactive substances. The basis for the Saskatchewan program of radiation protection is the Radiological Health Act 1961. An important provision of the Act is annual registration of radiation equipment. The design of the registration form encourages a "do-it-yourself" radiation and electrical safety inspection.Installations are inspected every two years by a radiation health officer. Two hundred and twenty-one deficiencies were found during inspection of 224 items of radiation equipment, the commonest being failure to use personal film badges. Insufficient filtration of the beam, inadequate limitation of the beam, and unnecessary exposure of operators were other common faults.Physicians have a responsibility to weigh the potential advantages against the hazards when requesting radiographic or fluoroscopic procedures. (+info)