Main description:

This double issue of Health Policy Developments offers a comprehensive look at international health policy trends and reforms from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006. The book reports on how various countries are approaching the challenge of improving access to health care services. It describes initiatives for providing better care to groups that have so far been neglected, such as the mentally ill. One chapter analyzes major health policy reforms in the Netherlands, Austria, England, and Finland, from their inception to their implementation. The authors ask: Do actual reforms differ from the original ideas on which they were based? To what extent have different stakeholders influenced and modified plans for reform? Have governments achieved their goals? The book also focuses on the topics of prevention, health among the elderly, patient orientation, personnel development, and drug policy.