Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, independent advisors to the United States government, has commissioned this proposal for a national health program that would meet important criteria in terms of clinical services, practice guidelines, diagnostic protocols and treatment and prevention services. This volume is the work of dozens of independent researchers, editors and reviewers, and covers such topics as controlling the costs of a national health care program, and the steps that should be taken to implement such an expansive undertaking. This book should be an objective resource for anyone interested in the adoption of national health care in the United States.
Synopsis
There is currently heightened interest in optimizing health care through the generation of new knowledge on the effectiveness of health care services. The United States must substantially strengthen its capacity for assessing evidence on what is known and not known about "what works" in health care. Even the most sophisticated clinicians and consumers struggle to learn which care is appropriate and under what circumstances. Knowing What Works in Health Care looks at the three fundamental health care issues in the United States--setting priorities for evidence assessment, assessing evidence (systematic review), and developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines--and how each of these contributes to the end goal of effective, practical health care systems. This book provides an overall vision and roadmap for improving how the nation uses scientific evidence to identify the most effective clinical services. Knowing What Works in Health Care gives private and public sector firms, consumers, health care professionals, benefit administrators, and others the authoritative, independent information required for making essential informed health care decisions.