Peer review and quality control in government-sponsored programs.
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AIM: In an effort to help alleviate the lack of an adequate pediatric cardiac surgical service that existed in Croatia following 1991 the International Childrens Heart Foundation (ICHF) was asked to provide the necessary surgery. Initially, this project was undertaken as a humanitarian program to provide pediatric cardiac operations. After 5 years, the Republic of Croatia financially sponsored the program. The intended purpose of the Government Sponsored Program was to provide staff education, clinical services, and the development of an organized pediatric cardiac service team in country. The surgical results of the humanitarian program and the educational and surgical results of the Government sponsored program are reported. METHODS: Review of 3 separate databases maintained in country and the database of the ICHF in Memphis, Tennessee, was undertaken. Risk classification of the operations performed was performed using the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery method. RESULTS: A total of 32 trips (11 during the Humanitarian Program, and 21 during the Government Sponsored Program) were made between April 1993 and July 2003. A total of 601 primary operations (151 - Humanitarian Program, 450 - Government Sponsored Program) were preformed. Overall mortality in the cardiac surgical department for the Government Sponsored Program was 11%, non-risk adjusted. There were 4 senior surgeons, 3 surgical residents, 6 cardiac anesthesiologists, 2 pediatric intensivists, and 3 pediatric cardiologists involved in the educational program. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of humanitarian and government sponsored pediatric cardiac surgical missions provided 601 Croatian children with operations. Substantial progress was made in the areas of anesthesia, perfusion, and postoperative care in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit. Despite these improvements a number of issues still exist that prevent the development of an independently functioning full service pediatric cardiac program.
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Abstinence from sexual intercourse is an important behavioral strategy for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy among adolescents. Many adolescents, including most younger adolescents, have not initiated sexual intercourse and many sexually experienced adolescents and young adults are abstinent for varying periods of time. There is broad support for abstinence as a necessary and appropriate part of sexuality education. Controversy arises when abstinence is provided to adolescents as a sole choice and where health information on other choices is restricted or misrepresented. Although abstinence is theoretically fully effective, in actual practice abstinence often fails to protect against pregnancy and STIs. Few Americans remain abstinent until marriage; many do not or cannot marry, and most initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviors as adolescents. Although abstinence is a healthy behavioral option for teens, abstinence as a sole option for adolescents is scientifically and ethically problematic. A recent emphasis on abstinence-only programs and policies appears to be undermining more comprehensive sexuality education and other government-sponsored programs. We believe that abstinence-only education programs, as defined by federal funding requirements, are morally problematic, by withholding information and promoting questionable and inaccurate opinions. Abstinence-only programs threaten fundamental human rights to health, information, and life.
Recent reports in the United States and Canada provide evidence that healthcare systems routinely fail to deliver safe and high-quality healthcare services. Governments and other healthcare payers have begun to experiment with pay-for-performance programs that offer healthcare providers and organizations financial incentives for quality. The purpose of this paper is (1) to provide an overview of the design of major pay-for-performance programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, with specific focus on government-sponsored programs, and (2) to articulate some considerations for potential implementation of pay-for-performance in Canada.