Analysis of the implementation of a personalized care model in diabetes mellitus as an example of chronic disease with information and communication technology support.

Diabetes mellitus affects 13.8% of the adult population in Spain, representing some 8.2% of total Spanish health spending, which may be reduced by optimizing treatment and disease monitoring.

[Strategic lines for the guidance of health services with a future perspective].

The Health Map of Catalonia includes a set of strategic lines which constitute a framework for the alignment of objectives in the public healthcare system and which are elements of guidance in the evolution of the healthcare model with regard to the future. The strategic lines are grouped into 10 major themes which deal with the health policy and service policy (priorities and objectives of the system); the role of the citizens as protagonists; interaction between professionals and patients; comprehensive care and continuity in healthcare; collaboration between teams of professionals in multi-centre networks; professional development; information and communication technologies aiding in clinical decisions and relationships between professionals; the triumvirate of accessibility, quality and efficiency; the participation of citizens, institutions, professionals and organisations in the operation of services; and, finally, the assessment, to give an account of the above and take action.

[Distribution of the public healthcare budget of Catalonia (Spain) for 2005 among the 17 ICD-9-CM categories].

Objectives: To describe the distribution of the Catalan public healthcare budget for 2005 among the 17 ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth revision, clinical modification) categories.

Material And Method: The methodology comprised 2 phases: an initial phase in which the global budget was distributed by type of healthcare (hospital, outpatient or pharmacological care), and a second phase in which the expenditure was distributed by the type of care among the ICD-9-CM categories. In the first phase, this distribution was based on information enabling the various budget items to be assigned to the different types of care.

Methods for external evaluation of health care institutions.

Objective: To compare the methods used by external evaluators of health care institutions in Europe.

Methods: A common framework for analysis was designed by the authors and shared among the members of the ExPeRT Project. Each member prepared a description of a model and the results were compared in two workshops.

[Health expenditures in Spain at the dawn of the 3d millennium].

In 1997, per capita health expenditures reached in Spain 805 Euros as compared to 1146 Euros in the entire European Union. In terms of percent GDP, Spanish health expenditures amounted to 7.4 percent, as compared to 7.

A comparative analysis of surveyors from six hospital accreditation programmes and a consideration of the related management issues.

Purpose: To gather data on how accreditors manage surveyors, to compare these data and to offer them to the accreditors for improvement and to the scientific community for knowledge of the accreditation process and reinforcement of the credibility of these processes.

Data Source: The data were gathered with the aid of a questionnaire sent to all accreditors participating in the study.

Results: An important finding in this comparative study is the different contractual relationships that exist between the accreditors and their surveyors.

Accreditation across borders: the introduction of Joint Commission accreditation in Spain.

Background: Introducing accreditation as conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Oakbrook Terrace, III) into Spain has raised many issues regarding the internationalization of accreditation.

Characteristics Of Accreditation: In recent years more and more countries have considered accreditation a useful tool for the improvement of health care quality. In spite of the differences in the health care systems of the countries where accreditation has been introduced, many of the original characteristics of accreditation as seen in the United States largely remain: peer review evaluation, support of professional associations, voluntary participation, and a national approach.

Accreditation programs for hospitals: funding and operation.

Accreditation is a formal process by which an authorized body assesses and recognizes an individual, an organization (like a hospital), a program, or a group as complying with requirements such as standards or criteria. This article analyses and compares the activity and funding of six health care accrediting bodies which operate in five different countries, and which in 1994, accredited over 5000 health centres. The data included in this article could be useful for other institutions who wish to commence accreditation programmes for health care organizations.

Hospital accreditation in Catalunya: an assessment of the performance in quality of hospitals.

Information about a hospital accreditation program generally goes unpublished, and when published, it is seldom used to analyse the quality performance in a group of hospitals. This article uses the information derived from the Accreditation Program of Hospitals in Catalunya to assess the quality of the performance of hospitals in this region. Catalunya's accreditation program is publicly administered, and the advantages and disadvantages of such a model in comparison to others will also be analysed.

An analysis of the factors affecting the average length of stay in the otolaryngology unit.

Specific factors which have an influence on the average length of stay in the otolaryngology unit of a University Hospital are studied; the patients are covered by some type of insurance and have no out-of-pocket expenses. The effect of the following variables on the average length of stay is evaluated: age, sex and type of pathology. The periods of hospitalisation are significantly longer (Mann-Whitney test) in males (p < 0.

The implementation of a quality assurance programme in the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona.

The goal of quality assurance is to guarantee quality in medical care through the detection of problems with their subsequent evaluation and study, and through the implementation of corrective measures, when necessary. This article describes the criteria, methods, and results of a programme of quality assurance introduced in the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain, in 1981. The programme covered the following aspects: evaluation of medical care services; process and outcome of medical care; use of available resources; and patient satisfaction.