Seasonality in faecal contamination of drinking water sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of Ghana.

This paper examines seasonal variations in faecal contamination of drinking water sources in the Jirapa and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of Ghana. Data collection involved a survey of 568 households, testing of faecal coliform concentrations in drinking water source samples (141 in the rainy season, 128 in the dry season), in-depth interviews with key water stakeholders, and field observation to identify sources of faecal contamination. From the water quality testing, faecal coliforms were detected in all source types, including 'treated' pipe-borne water.

Defining and Implementing Value-Based Health Care: A Strategic Framework.

Value in health care is the measured improvement in a person's health outcomes for the cost of achieving that improvement. While some descriptions conflate value-based health care and cost reduction, quality improvement, or patient satisfaction, those efforts-while important-are not the same as value, which focuses primarily on improving patient health outcomes. A decade of research into organizations that have achieved better outcomes while often lowering costs suggests a strategic framework for value-based health care implementation that starts with identifying and understanding a segment of patients whose health and related circumstances create a consistent set of needs.

The impact of airborne dust on respiratory health in children living in the Aral Sea region.

Background: Anecdotally, people living in the Aral Sea region report an increase in the prevalence of respiratory illnesses, particularly in children, and there is widespread belief that this is due to dust from the Aral Sea bed.

Methods: We conducted a survey of respiratory symptoms and lung function in children aged 7-10 years living in 18 communities in 6 geographical regions in the Aral Sea area. We monitored dust deposition rates monthly for the duration of the study.

Presentation of eating disorders in the news media: What are the implications for patient diagnosis and treatment?

Objective: Eating disorder (ED) specialists increasingly see anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as complex mental illnesses with both genetic and social roots. The public, however, tends to view EDs more simply as a manifestation of personal or social problems among female, white, young women. This disconnect potentially prevents timely ED diagnosis and reinforces a stigma that limits treatment availability.