Differences in the economic valuation and determining factors of informal care over time: the case of blood cancer.

Objective: To estimate differences in the economic valuation and sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with informal care between phases of the treatment in the case of blood cancer patients.

Methods: 139 haematological cancer patients who underwent a stem cell transplantation completed a longitudinal questionnaire according to 3 phases of the treatment: short-term (pre-transplant), medium-term (1st year post-transplant) and long-term (2nd-6th year post-transplant). Economic value of informal care was estimated using proxy good and opportunity cost methods.

[Shades and shadows in the application of the long-term care law].

The aim of this study was to provide a brief overview of the most controversial aspects of the Spanish Act of Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Long-Term Care 39/2006, which, in the last few years, has led to heated debates between the state and the autonomous regions. Because of the funding problems due to initial poor planning, the decline of contributions from the Spanish Government in the last few years, including the suppression of the agreed level, and low cash collection from the user through copayment, the autonomous regions have had to provide significant economic resources to maintain this social policy in an environment characterised by a lack of transparency of the system. In addition, the regulatory reforms of mid-2012 to ease the burden on state and autonomous budgets have represented a clear setback to the spirit of the act and a loss of welfare to dependent individuals and their families.

Productivity loss due to premature mortality caused by blood cancer: a study based on patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.

Introduction: Stem cell transplantation has been used for many years to treat haematological malignancies that could not be cured by other treatments. Despite this medical breakthrough, mortality rates remain high. Our purpose was to evaluate labour productivity losses associated with premature mortality due to blood cancer in recipients of stem cell transplantations.

[Level of funding in the Long-Term Care Law: the cost of moving toward real dependency variables].

Introduction: The system for the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care of Dependent Persons established by Act 39/2006 is funded through private contributions of dependent individuals and earmarked transfers in three main funds: a minimum level, an agreed level distributed among the various autonomous regions according to their relative needs, and a further voluntary additional contribution by Spain's autonomous regions. The resources distributed by the state to the regions are assigned, among other less important variables, according to the potentially dependent population and, to a lesser extent, according to the population already evaluated as dependent.

Objective: Because the concept of what constitutes disability has changed over the years from the population potentially dependent according to an estimate (estimated dependent individuals) to the actual number of dependent individuals recognized as such (declared dependent), some autonomous regions may have been overfunded or underfunded.

Estimation of an index of regional health needs in Spain using count regression models with filter.

The aim of this study is to obtain a measure of health needs at regional level, on the basis of information provided by the health module of the Survey of Disabilities, Deficiencies and State of Health, 1999 (SDDSH99). The methodology includes a careful selection of the independent variables and both estimations as tests of alternative regression models. The results show that, in the five analysed use dimensions, important differences exist in the clinical practice for a same health necessity (horizontal inequity) in function of the residence area.