The cost effectiveness of selected optometric procedures

As funding of optometric care by third parties and the government increases, more regulation of vision care is anticipated. Utilization of cost effectiveness studies may largely determine methods of optometric care provided by third. parties and government. Consequently, a method of determining cost effectiveness of optometric procedures is developed and applied to three models of optometric care. Data taken from a review of patient records are used to develop quantifiable cost criteria for a specified patient group. These criteria include actual cost, patient acceptance (satisfaction), and professional acceptance of prescribed therapy. These criteria are then applied to each model of patient care to quantify the most cost effective model

Prepared to react? Assessing the functional capacity of the primary health care system in rural Orissa, India to respond to the devastating flood of September 2008

Background: Early detection of an impending flood and the availability of countermeasures to deal with it can significantly reduce its health impacts. In developing countries like India, public primary health care facilities are frontline organizations that deal with disasters particularly in rural settings. For developing robust counter reacting systems evaluating preparedness capacities within existing systems becomes necessary. Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the functional capacity of the primary health care system in Jagatsinghpur district of rural Orissa in India to respond to the devastating flood of September 2008. Methods: An onsite survey was conducted in all 29 primary and secondary facilities in five rural blocks (administrative units) of Jagatsinghpur district in Orissa state. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered face to face in the facilities. The data was entered, processed and analyzed using STATA® 10. Results: Data from our primary survey clearly shows that the healthcare facilities are ill prepared to handle the flood despite being faced by them annually. Basic utilities like electricity backup and essential medical supplies are lacking during floods. Lack of human resources along with missing standard operating procedures; pre-identified communication and incident command systems; effective leadership; and weak financial structures are the main hindering factors in mounting an adequate response to the floods. Conclusion: The 2008 flood challenged the primary curative and preventive health care services in Jagatsinghpur. Simple steps like developing facility specific preparedness plans which detail out standard operating procedures during floods and identify clear lines of command will go a long way in strengthening the response to future floods. Performance critiques provided by the grass roots workers, like this one, should be used for institutional learning and effective preparedness planning. Additionally each facility should maintain contingency funds for emergency response along with local vendor agreements to ensure stock supplies during floods. The facilities should ensure that baseline public health standards for health care delivery identified by the Government are met in non-flood periods in order to improve the response during floods. Building strong public primary health care systems is a development challenge. The recovery phases of disasters should be seen as an opportunity to expand and improve services and facilities

Report of the AACP Task Force on Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations

A task force was convened by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to provide rationale for academic pharmacy engagement with organizations/institutions providing new models of team-based patient care designed to improve patient access, care quality, and affordable care. Descriptions of new care models, such as patient centered medical homes (PCMHs) and accountable care organizations (ACO), were included as well as descriptions of existing partnerships with academic pharmacy

Effects of Exendin-4 on human adipose tissue inflammation and ECM remodelling

Subjects with type-2 diabetes are typically obese with dysfunctional adipose tissue (AT). Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues are routinely used to improve glycaemia. Although, they also aid weight loss that improves AT function, their direct effect on AT function is unclear. To explore GLP-1 analogues’ influence on human AT’s cytokine and extracellular matrix (ECM) regulation, we therefore obtained and treated omental (OMAT) and subcutaneous (SCAT) AT samples with Exendin-4, an agonist of the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R)Final publishe

Optimisation des conditions de transformation du poly(phénylvinylsulfoxyde) en poly(acétylène)

Des chaînes linéaires de poly(acétylène) (PA) de longueur contrôlée ont été obtenues par chauffage de poly(phénylvinylsulfoxyde) (PPVS) préparé anioniquement. L’étude de cette transformation par spectrophotométrie IR et UV/Vis montre qu’en diminuant la température, la longueur des séquences conjuguées obtenues augmente. Les séquences les plus longues sont obtenues vers 50-60°C, la vitesse de conversion devenant trop faible pour les températures inférieures. Ces PA (ex-PPVS) ont été dopés n et p