Selection of patients for inpatient rehabilitation or direct home discharge following total joint replacement surgery: a comparison of health status and out-of-pocket expenditure of patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis.

Objectives: To analyse the differences in patient health outcomes and out-of-pocket costs following hip and knee joint replacement for osteoarthritis between patients who went home immediately after the acute care hospital stay and those who were admitted to inpatient rehabilitation care before going home.

Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement in Sydney, Australia completed cost diaries, SF-36 and WOMAC Index, pre-operatively and for one year post-operatively.

Results: The health status of all groups improved significantly from before surgery to 12 months post-surgery.

Medical workforce issues in Australia: "tomorrow's doctors--too few, too far".

The Australian medical workforce, like those of most developed countries, is increasingly "feminised" and exposed to the global market for doctors. Demand for healthcare services is increasing in the Australian community. Concern in relation to doctor shortages is increasing, particularly in rural areas.

Using epidemiological data to model efficiency in reducing the burden of depression*.

BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Disease study has suggested that mental disorders are the leading cause of disability burden in the world. This study takes the leading cause of mental disorder burden, depression, and trials an approach for defining the present and optimal efficiency of treatment in an Australian setting. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To examine epidemiological and service use data for depression to trial an approach for modelling (i) the burden that is currently averted from current care, (ii) the burden that is potentially avertable from a hypothetical regime of optimal care, (iii) the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of both current and optimal services for depression and (iv) the potential of current knowledge for reducing burden due to depression, by applying the WHO five-step method for priorities for investment in health research and development.