Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.

The decision process by which individuals, groups or institutions establish policies pertaining to plans, programs or procedures.

A course or method of action selected, usually by an organization, institution, university, society, etc., from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions and positions on matters of public interest or social concern. It does not include internal policy relating to organization and administration within the corporate body, for which ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION is available.

A course or method of action selected to guide and determine present and future decisions.

A course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a government, party, business, or individual that concerns human interactions with nature and natural resources.

Guidelines and objectives pertaining to food supply and nutrition including recommendations for healthy diet.

Decisions for determining and guiding present and future objectives from among alternatives.

Activities concerned with governmental policies, functions, etc.

Prohibition against tobacco smoking in specific areas to control TOBACCO SMOKE POLLUTION.

A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, to guide and determine present and future decisions on population control by limiting the number of children or controlling fertility, notably through family planning and contraception within the nuclear family.

Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.

Exercise of governmental authority to control conduct.

Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.

Governmental levies on property, inheritance, gifts, etc.

The level of governmental organization and function below that of the national or country-wide government.

Innovation and improvement of the health care system by reappraisal, amendment of services, and removal of faults and abuses in providing and distributing health services to patients. It includes a re-alignment of health services and health insurance to maximum demographic elements (the unemployed, indigent, uninsured, elderly, inner cities, rural areas) with reference to coverage, hospitalization, pricing and cost containment, insurers' and employers' costs, pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed drugs, equipment, and services.

The interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale, between different countries or between populations within the same country. It includes trade (the buying, selling, or exchanging of commodities, whether wholesale or retail) and business (the purchase and sale of goods to make a profit). (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed, p411, p2005 & p283)

The level of governmental organization and function at the national or country-wide level.

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

Federal, state, or local government organized methods of financial assistance.

Countries in the process of change with economic growth, that is, an increase in production, per capita consumption, and income. The process of economic growth involves better utilization of natural and human resources, which results in a change in the social, political, and economic structures.

The interaction of persons or groups of persons representing various nations in the pursuit of a common goal or interest.

The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.

The attitude of a significant portion of a population toward any given proposition, based upon a measurable amount of factual evidence, and involving some degree of reflection, analysis, and reasoning.

The aggregate business enterprise of agriculture, manufacture, and distribution related to tobacco and tobacco-derived products.

The complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out in a specific political unit.

A situation in which an individual might benefit personally from official or professional actions. It includes a conflict between a person's private interests and official responsibilities in a position of trust. The term is not restricted to government officials. The concept refers both to actual conflict of interest and the appearance or perception of conflict.

Educational institutions.

Components of a national health care system which administer specific services, e.g., national health insurance.

The concept pertaining to the health status of inhabitants of the world.

The promotion and support of consumers' rights and interests.

Preferentially rated health-related activities or functions to be used in establishing health planning goals. This may refer specifically to PL93-641.

Systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources, including questionnaires, interviews, observation, existing records, and electronic devices. The process is usually preliminary to statistical analysis of the data.

Individuals responsible for the development of policy and supervision of the execution of plans and functional operations.

Critical and exhaustive investigation or experimentation, having for its aim the discovery of new facts and their correct interpretation, the revision of accepted conclusions, theories, or laws in the light of newly discovered facts, or the practical application of such new or revised conclusions, theories, or laws. (Webster, 3d ed)

Management of public health organizations or agencies.

Inhaling and exhaling the smoke of burning TOBACCO.

An approach of practicing medicine with the goal to improve and evaluate patient care. It requires the judicious integration of best research evidence with the patient's values to make decisions about medical care. This method is to help physicians make proper diagnosis, devise best testing plan, choose best treatment and methods of disease prevention, as well as develop guidelines for large groups of patients with the same disease. (from JAMA 296 (9), 2006)

An interactive process whereby members of a community are concerned for the equality and rights of all.

Those actions designed to carry out recommendations pertaining to health plans or programs.

The rights of the individual to cultural, social, economic, and educational opportunities as provided by society, e.g., right to work, right to education, and right to social security.

Smallest political subdivisions within a country at which general governmental functions are carried-out.

Community or individual involvement in the decision-making process.

Organized institutions which provide services to ameliorate conditions of need or social pathology in the community.

Contamination of the air by tobacco smoke.

Planning for needed health and/or welfare services and facilities.

The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.

The collective designation of three organizations with common membership: the European Economic Community (Common Market), the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). It was known as the European Community until 1994. It is primarily an economic union with the principal objectives of free movement of goods, capital, and labor. Professional services, social, medical and paramedical, are subsumed under labor. The constituent countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. (The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997, p842)

Descriptions and evaluations of specific health care organizations.

Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.

Studies designed to assess the efficacy of programs. They may include the evaluation of cost-effectiveness, the extent to which objectives are met, or impact.

The quality or state of relating to or affecting two or more nations. (After Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed)

Planning for the equitable allocation, apportionment, or distribution of available health resources.

Administrative units of government responsible for policy making and management of governmental activities.

Health insurance coverage for all persons in a state or country, rather than for some subset of the population. It may extend to the unemployed as well as to the employed; to aliens as well as to citizens; for pre-existing conditions as well as for current illnesses; for mental as well as for physical conditions.

The containment, regulation, or restraint of costs. Costs are said to be contained when the value of resources committed to an activity is not considered excessive. This determination is frequently subjective and dependent upon the specific geographic area of the activity being measured. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)

The amounts spent by individuals, groups, nations, or private or public organizations for total health care and/or its various components. These amounts may or may not be equivalent to the actual costs (HEALTH CARE COSTS) and may or may not be shared among the patient, insurers, and/or employers.

That distinct portion of the institutional, industrial, or economic structure of a country that is controlled or owned by non-governmental, private interests.

The obligations and accountability assumed in carrying out actions or ideas on behalf of others.

Control of drug and narcotic use by international agreement, or by institutional systems for handling prescribed drugs. This includes regulations concerned with the manufacturing, dispensing, approval (DRUG APPROVAL), and marketing of drugs.

Societal or individual decisions about the equitable distribution of available resources.

Use of marketing principles also used to sell products to consumers to promote ideas, attitudes and behaviors. Design and use of programs seeking to increase the acceptance of a social idea or practice by target groups, not for the benefit of the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society.

The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health.

Conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes school admission or job interviews.

Research that involves the application of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to medicine.

Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.

A process whereby representatives of a particular interest group attempt to influence governmental decision makers to accept the policy desires of the lobbying organization.

The area of a nation's economy that is tax-supported and under government control.

Federal program, created by Public Law 89-97, Title XIX, a 1965 amendment to the Social Security Act, administered by the states, that provides health care benefits to indigent and medically indigent persons.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

A systematic statement of policy rules or principles. Guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by convening expert panels. The text may be cursive or in outline form but is generally a comprehensive guide to problems and approaches in any field of activity. For guidelines in the field of health care and clinical medicine, PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC is available.

A specialized agency of the United Nations designed as a coordinating authority on international health work; its aim is to promote the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all peoples.

The circulation or wide dispersal of information.

A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level.

Generally refers to the amount of protection available and the kind of loss which would be paid for under an insurance contract with an insurer. (Slee & Slee, Health Care Terms, 2d ed)

A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. Cost effectiveness compares alternative ways to achieve a specific set of results.

Drinkable liquids containing ETHANOL.

The protection, preservation, restoration, and rational use of all resources in the total environment.

Any type of research that employs nonnumeric information to explore individual or group characteristics, producing findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other quantitative means. (Qualitative Inquiry: A Dictionary of Terms Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997)

The process of formulating, improving, and expanding educational, managerial, or service-oriented work plans (excluding computer program development).

An international organization whose members include most of the sovereign nations of the world with headquarters in New York City. The primary objectives of the organization are to maintain peace and security and to achieve international cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian problems.

Place or physical location of work or employment.

Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of systems, processes, or phenomena. They include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.

Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.

Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.

State plans prepared by the State Health Planning and Development Agencies which are made up from plans submitted by the Health Systems Agencies and subject to review and revision by the Statewide Health Coordinating Council.

Insurance providing coverage of medical, surgical, or hospital care in general or for which there is no specific heading.

The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.

Revealing of information, by oral or written communication.

Payment by a third-party payer in a sum equal to the amount expended by a health care provider or facility for health services rendered to an insured or program beneficiary. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988)

Organized efforts to insure obedience to the laws of a community.

Planning that has the goals of improving health, improving accessibility to health services, and promoting efficiency in the provision of services and resources on a comprehensive basis for a whole community. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988, p299)

The interaction of two or more persons or organizations directed toward a common goal which is mutually beneficial. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit, i.e., joint action. (From Random House Dictionary Unabridged, 2d ed)

Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time.

Amounts charged to the patient as payer for health care services.

Discontinuation of the habit of smoking, the inhaling and exhaling of tobacco smoke.

The availability of HEALTH PERSONNEL. It includes the demand and recruitment of both professional and allied health personnel, their present and future supply and distribution, and their assignment and utilization.

Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.

A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.

Programs and activities sponsored or administered by local, state, or national governments.

Preventive health services provided for students. It excludes college or university students.

Social process whereby the values, attitudes, or institutions of society, such as education, family, religion, and industry become modified. It includes both the natural process and action programs initiated by members of the community.

Functions, equipment, and facilities concerned with the preparation and distribution of ready-to-eat food.

The enactment of laws and ordinances and their regulation by official organs of a nation, state, or other legislative organization. It refers also to health-related laws and regulations in general or for which there is no specific heading.

Introduction of changes which are new to the organization and are created by management.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

Groups set up to advise governmental bodies, societies, or other institutions on policy. (Bioethics Thesaurus)

Laws concerned with manufacturing, dispensing, and marketing of drugs.

A system of government in which there is free and equal participation by the people in the political decision-making process.

Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).

Organized efforts by communities or organizations to improve the health and well-being of the child.

Control which is exerted by the more stable organizations of society, such as established institutions and the law. They are ordinarily embodied in definite codes, usually written.

The actual costs of providing services related to the delivery of health care, including the costs of procedures, therapies, and medications. It is differentiated from HEALTH EXPENDITURES, which refers to the amount of money paid for the services, and from fees, which refers to the amount charged, regardless of cost.

The broad dissemination of new ideas, procedures, techniques, materials, and devices and the degree to which these are accepted and used.

Financial support of research activities.

The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra.

The purposes, missions, and goals of an individual organization or its units, established through administrative processes. It includes an organization's long-range plans and administrative philosophy.

A way of providing health care that is guided by a thoughtful integration of the best available scientific knowledge with clinical expertise. This approach allows the practitioner to critically assess research data, clinical guidelines, and other information resources in order to correctly identify the clinical problem, apply the most high-quality intervention, and re-evaluate the outcome for future improvement.

Activity involved in transfer of goods from producer to consumer or in the exchange of services.

Organized groups serving in advisory capacities related to health planning activities.

Theoretical representations and constructs that describe or explain the structure and hierarchy of relationships and interactions within or between formal organizational entities or informal social groups.

Use for articles on the investing of funds for income or profit.

The production and movement of food items from point of origin to use or consumption.

The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.

Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976)

The privacy of information and its protection against unauthorized disclosure.

Directions or principles presenting current or future rules of policy for assisting health care practitioners in patient care decisions regarding diagnosis, therapy, or related clinical circumstances. The guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by the convening of expert panels. The guidelines form a basis for the evaluation of all aspects of health care and delivery.

Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.

Variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between population groups defined by socioeconomic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, economic resources, or gender and populations identified geographically or similar measures.

The interactions between representatives of institutions, agencies, or organizations.

Organizations comprising wage and salary workers in health-related fields for the purpose of improving their status and conditions. The concept includes labor union activities toward providing health services to members.

Differences of opinion or disagreements that may arise, for example, between health professionals and patients or their families, or against a political regime.

The study of natural phenomena by observation, measurement, and experimentation.

That segment of commercial enterprise devoted to the design, development, and manufacture of chemical products for use in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, disability, or other dysfunction, or to improve function.

Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.

Interactional process combining investigation, discussion, and agreement by a number of people in the preparation and carrying out of a program to ameliorate conditions of need or social pathology in the community. It usually involves the action of a formal political, legal, or recognized voluntary body.

Regulations to assure protection of property and equipment.

An infant during the first month after birth.

Societies whose membership is limited to physicians.

Usually organized community efforts to raise money to promote financial programs of institutions. The funds may include individual gifts.

Countries that have reached a level of economic achievement through an increase of production, per capita income and consumption, and utilization of natural and human resources.

Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.

Economic aspects related to the management and operation of a hospital.

The amount that a health care institution or organization pays for its drugs. It is one component of the final price that is charged to the consumer (FEES, PHARMACEUTICAL or PRESCRIPTION FEES).

The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.

The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time.

The application of mathematical formulas and statistical techniques to the testing and quantifying of economic theories and the solution of economic problems.

The philosophy or code pertaining to what is ideal in human character and conduct. Also, the field of study dealing with the principles of morality.

Differences in access to or availability of medical facilities and services.

All organized methods of funding.

The science, art or practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock.

Recommendations for directing health planning functions and policies. These may be mandated by PL93-641 and issued by the Department of Health and Human Services for use by state and local planning agencies.

The provision of monetary resources including money or capital and credit; obtaining or furnishing money or capital for a purchase or enterprise and the funds so obtained. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed.)

The application of discoveries generated by laboratory research and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials and studies in humans. A second area of translational research concerns enhancing the adoption of best practices.

The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families.

The prediction or projection of the nature of future problems or existing conditions based upon the extrapolation or interpretation of existing scientific data or by the application of scientific methodology.

Instruments or technological means of communication that reach large numbers of people with a common message: press, radio, television, etc.

Detailed financial plans for carrying out specific activities for a certain period of time. They include proposed income and expenditures.

Time period from 2001 through 2100 of the common era.

The exertion of a strong influence or control over others in a variety of settings--administrative, social, academic, etc.

Living facilities for humans.

A republic in western Africa, south of BURKINA FASO and west of TOGO. Its capital is Accra.

Individual's rights to obtain and use information collected or generated by others.

Mechanical food dispensing machines.

A method of data collection and a QUALITATIVE RESEARCH tool in which a small group of individuals are brought together and allowed to interact in a discussion of their opinions about topics, issues, or questions.

Criteria to determine eligibility of patients for medical care programs and services.

Those individuals engaged in research.

Organizations which are not operated for a profit and may be supported by endowments or private contributions.

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.

Statistical models of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, as well as of financial considerations. For the application of statistics to the testing and quantifying of economic theories MODELS, ECONOMETRIC is available.

The industry concerned with processing, preparing, preserving, distributing, and serving of foods and beverages.

Provisions of an insurance policy that require the insured to pay some portion of covered expenses. Several forms of sharing are in use, e.g., deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Cost sharing does not refer to or include amounts paid in premiums for the coverage. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)

Institutional funding for facilities and for equipment which becomes a part of the assets of the institution.

Individuals licensed to practice medicine.

Programs in which participation is required.

A republic in southern Africa, the southernmost part of Africa. It has three capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). Officially the Republic of South Africa since 1960, it was called the Union of South Africa 1910-1960.

A large or important municipality of a country, usually a major metropolitan center.

Agents used in the treatment of malaria. They are usually classified on the basis of their action against plasmodia at different stages in their life cycle in the human. (From AMA, Drug Evaluations Annual, 1992, p1585)

The authorized absence from work of either parent prior to and after the birth of their child. It includes also absence because of the illness of a child or at the time of the adoption of a child. It does not include leave for care of siblings, parents, or other family members: for this FAMILY LEAVE is available.

Promotion and protection of the rights of children; frequently through a legal process.

Conformity in fulfilling or following official, recognized, or institutional requirements, guidelines, recommendations, protocols, pathways, or other standards.

Promotion and protection of the rights of patients, frequently through a legal process.

Contamination of the air, bodies of water, or land with substances that are harmful to human health and the environment.

The act or practice of calling public attention to a product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in newspapers, magazines, on radio, or on television. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)

Administration and functional structures for the purpose of collectively systematizing activities for a particular goal.

Formal voluntary or governmental procedures and standards required of hospitals and health or other facilities to improve operating efficiency, and for the protection of the consumer.

Revenues or receipts accruing from business enterprise, labor, or invested capital.

The function of directing or controlling the actions or attitudes of an individual or group with more or less willing acquiescence of the followers.

An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, or inborn or inherited characteristic, which, on the basis of epidemiologic evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.

The legal authority or formal permission from authorities to carry on certain activities which by law or regulation require such permission. It may be applied to licensure of institutions as well as individuals.

Health insurance to provide full or partial coverage for long-term home care services or for long-term nursing care provided in a residential facility such as a nursing home.

The science of utilization, distribution, and consumption of services and materials.

Application of marketing principles and techniques to maximize the use of health care resources.

Payment by individuals or their family for health care services which are not covered by a third-party payer, either insurance or medical assistance.

Organizational development including enhancement of management structures, processes and procedures, within organizations and among different organizations and sectors to meet present and future needs.

Process of shifting publicly controlled services and/or facilities to the private sector.