RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Supervision and inspection of medical facilities are among the responsibilities of the Ministry of Health (MOH) anchored in the "Public Health Act 1940". In order to implement the law, the General Medical Division of the MOH began the process of auditing hospitals and private surgical clinics prior to considering the reissue of their license. OBJECTIVES: The audit aimed to implement the law, activate supervision on general hospitals and private surgical clinics, provide feed-back to the audited institution and upgrade quality assurance, regulate medical activities according to the activities elaborated in the license and recommend the license renewal. METHODS: Prior to the audits, 20 areas of activity were chosen for inspection. For each activity a check list was developed as a tool for inspection. Each area was inspected during a 4-5 hour visit by a MOH expert, accompanied by the local service manager in the institution under inspection. A comprehensive report, summarizing the findings was sent to the medical institute, requesting correction in those areas where improvements were needed. Recommendation for license renewal was sent to the Director of Licensing Division Ministry of Health. RESULTS: Between June 2003 and July 2006, 91 structured audits took place. A total of 47 general hospitals and 24 private surgical clinics were visited at least once. Most general hospitals were found abiding, functioning according to the required standards and eligible for license renewal. Licenses of institutions that complied with the standards determined by the audit teams, were renewed. Two private hospitals in central Israel, that were given an overall poor evaluation, were issued with a temporary license and subsequently re-audited 4 times over the next two years. Generally, the standards in private surgical clinics were lower than those found in general public hospitals. In one clinic the license was not renewed, and in another an order was issued to cease surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluations were mainly qualitative, deliberately avoiding numerical rating. In order to improve the process in the future and facilitate common scale rating to establish an equitable comparison system between institutions, it will be necessary to develop more quality measures and compulsory standards, based on the measures used during the first round of audits. Publication of the results of such comparisons, will elevate medical performance, and ultimately improve the quality of services and medical care in Israel.
Asunto(s)
Hospitales Generales/normas , Hospitales Privados/normas , Auditoría Médica , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Operativos/normas , Humanos , IsraelRESUMEN
For years the subject of mental health has been neglected in Israel, and reform of mental health services is now of paramount importance. Psychiatric medicine has altered considerably over the years, and emphasis is shifting from treatment in mental health institutions to treatment at the community level. This transition is the result of the awakening of groups in our society advocating civil rights for the mentally ill and their integration into the community. This process is also bolstered by the advent of new anti-psychotic drugs. However, the social and medical infrastructure set up to deal with these issues has been found lacking. Over the past few years the Minister of Health has appointed a number of committees to address this issue, and they have all recommended extensive reform of mental health services in Israel. The recommendations handed down by the committees are for: (1) Restructure of mental health services, with emphasis on community services and gradual reduction of psychiatric beds; (2) Allocation of additional funding specifically ear-marked for the mentally challenged, enabling transfer of stabilized patients out of the hospital setting and often lengthy and unnecessary hospitalization, into community rehabilitation centers; (3) Transfer of responsibility for health insurance for mentally ill people from the State to the Health Funds, enabling integration of psychiatric treatment into the general treatment framework. The reform has already been initiated. This body of work will review the stages, processes and the difficulties that preceded the reform.
Asunto(s)
Reforma de la Atención de Salud/tendencias , Servicios de Salud Mental/normas , Servicios Comunitarios de Salud Mental , Humanos , Israel , Servicios de Salud Mental/tendencias , Pacientes AmbulatoriosRESUMEN
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has known natriuretic, diuretic, and vasodilatatory effects. It is synthesized and stored in the atrial cells. Stretching of the atrial muscle fibers during an increase in venous return sets a response of ANP release into the blood stream. High levels of ANP were measured in a number of lung diseases. Pneumonia in children is frequently accompanied by the hyponatremia of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion (SIADH). High levels of ANP were found among patients with SIADH. Our objective was to determine if ANP plasma levels are altered in children with pneumonia, and to evaluate a possible correlation between severity of pneumonia and ANP levels. Blood samples from 28 children diagnosed with pneumonia were collected. Plasma ANP levels were determined by radioimmunoassay and compared to levels in 25 children without pneumonia. ANP levels in the pneumonia group (mean +/- SD, 16.02 +/- 11.69 pg/ml) increased significantly (P < 0.01) compared to levels in the control group (mean +/- SD, 7.44 +/- 9.29 pg/ml). Children in the pneumonia group also exhibited low levels of plasma sodium (mean +/- SD, 134.88 +/- 2.5 mmol/l) compared to levels in children without pneumonia (mean +/- SD, 139.77 +/- 4.15 mmol/l) (P < 0.01). There was no correlation between ANP plasma levels and severity of pneumonia. In conclusion, ANP levels in children with pneumonia, as in other lung diseases, are increased. High ANP levels may play a role in maintaining water and electrolyte equilibrium during a state of inappropriate ADH secretion accompanying pneumonia.
Asunto(s)
Factor Natriurético Atrial/sangre , Neumonía/sangre , Niño , Preescolar , Humanos , Síndrome de Secreción Inadecuada de ADH/sangre , RadioinmunoensayoRESUMEN
During past decades many countries have initiated extensive mental health care system reforms, and the main goal of these reforms has been the transfer of treatment of the mentally ill from psychiatric hospitals to the community. For example, assessment of the results of these reforms in Italy and Austria demonstrates considerable reduction in the number of psychiatric beds, higher quality and more available community services, and increased total expenditure for mental health services. However, because sufficient data is not yet available, many questions regarding how these reforms impact improvement in patient clinical parameters remain unanswered. Some of the answers to these questions can be gleaned from the results of research carried out in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. This research evaluated transfer of psychiatric treatment from a hospital setting to a community service setting. The results demonstrated that community treatment models were more effective than a hospital treatment model in reducing the number of hospitalizations and shortening length of stay. Patient monitoring also demonstrated good integration into the community. However, alongside the research supporting these reforms, there is some research that demonstrates a number of possible disadvantages: an increase in the number of homeless and in the mortality rate among psychiatric patients, and an increase in rehospitalization rates of chronically ill patients," referred to as the "Revolving Door Syndrome." To avoid the disadvantages that could possibly accompany the reform, particular attention needs to be given to planning and funding, so that development of community services and reduction in psychiatric hospital system correspond. Care must be taken to ensure that the number and the geographic location of these services meets the need of the population at risk, and that staff is available and well trained. A monitoring system should be set in place to monitor the patients according to the clinical standards agreed upon, and at the same time guidelines should be set up to evaluate the functioning of community services. The structural reform is progressing and should be completed at the end of 2005. However, development of community services is not progressing at the desired rate. In January 2003, the Israeli government made a decision to transfer the responsibility for medical insurance for the mentally ill from the government to the Sick Funds. However, an agreement between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Treasury and the Sick Funds has yet to be signed and the government's decision has yet to be realized. This has caused development of community services to come to a halt, and neither the government nor the Sick Funds are investing in community development. We can only hope that the transfer of responsibility for health insurance for the mentally ill from the State to the Sick Funds will be completed soon and that development of community service for the mentally ill will then move forward quickly.