Scorecards for health system performance assessment: the New Zealand example.

Objective: To develop a national scorecard for assessing health system performance derived from routine data.

Methods: We drew upon national and international data to develop benchmarks for health system performance, then applied basic ratio scores to compare New Zealand performances to the benchmark. 64 indicators were included in four assessment categories: healthy lives, quality, access, and efficiency.

Profile of acute poisoning cases presenting to health centres and hospitals in Oman.

A simple pro forma was used for a retrospective study of poisoning cases at 45 health institutions in Oman during January-December 2000. No deaths were recorded among 2009 cases of acute poisoning. A quarter of all cases (55.

Comparison of three larviciding options for malaria vector control.

A field study was carried out over 27 weeks in the south Batinah region of Oman to assess the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of different strategies for vector control of malaria. Three larviciding strategies for Anopheles spp. were applied to intervention areas and compared with a control area, with over 2000 breeding sites monitored for 6 months.

Demographic, autoimmune, and clinical profiles of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in Oman.

Seventy female and three male Omani systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are described. At disease onset, 45 (62%) were under 20 years of age, and the remainder were between 20 and 44. Of all cases, 48% were familial.

Tribal and geographical variations of lupus in the Sultanate of Oman: a hospital-based study.

Tribal differences are demonstrated in the presentation of lupus in Omani Gulf Arabs (OGA) and Omani Arabs of Persian descent (OAP), both groups resident in and indigenous to the Sultanate of Oman. The OAP have a lower risk of joint complications, skin rash, and dsDNA antibodies than OGA (beta coefficient and 95% confidence interval [CI], -35.6, -16.