Suchergebnisse

During the last couple of years, sociological approaches in European studies have gained increasing attention from scholars. The 'usages of Europe' approach looks at the opportunities and resources that the EU provides for national actors to advance their interests, from a bottom-up perspective. As European rules on cross-border healthcare have been threatening the principle of the territoriality of healthcare services, the article analyses two cross-border healthcare projects in Austrian border regions to determine if and how actors' strategies have been Europeanised, and whether their actions could destructure national welfare boundaries. In order to explain how these regional actors incorporate European resources into their strategies a combination of the 'usages of Europe' approach with Historical Institutionalism is suggested. Adapted from the source document.

Van 11 tot en met 13 mei 2005 vond in Utrecht de elfde Qualitative Health Research-conferentie plaats. Deze conferentie is een van de initiatieven van professor Janice Morse, verpleegkundige en antropologe, verbonden aan de Universiteit van Alberta (Canada) en hartstochtelijk voorstandster van kwalitatief onderzoek. Zij is onder meer hoofdredacteur van het tijdschrift Qualitative Health Research en hoofd van het IIQM, het International Institute of Qualitative Methodology, een multidisciplinair internationaal instituut, dat zich ten doel stelt de kwalitatieve methoden binnen academische disciplines te bevorderen (zie website IIQM). De divisie Verplegingswetenschap van de Universiteit Utrecht maakt sinds 2001 deel uit van de IIQM en had het als taak op zich genomen om de jaarlijkse conferentie in Europa te organiseren. Dit jaar was het thema 'Qualitative Evidence in Health Care'. Uit 22 landen waren deelnemers afkomstig om een paper of poster te presenteren.

After the sharp conflicts between the government & the medical unions in 1964, concerning health insurance reform involving an `agreement system' for medical fees & repayments by the health insurance funds--a form of bargaining economy has developed in Belgian health care, with sick funds & medical unions as the major parties. This 'Pax Medica' appears to be threatened by a series of financially motivated government measures aimed at reducing the medical associations' professional autonomy & dominance. The historical context, the parties involved, & the development of this conflict are discussed. A striking analogy with the 1964 conflict is pointed out, particularly regarding union strategy. The present state of affairs does not suggest a threat to the 'Pax Medica,' but rather a stabilization of the established power relationship between government, sick funds, & medical unions, which will respect the rules of democratic compromise. Such a conflictual situation helps in making various aspects of the overall situation more perceptible. The scene is dominated by two groups of organizations: medical unions & the sick funds. They function on the background of _a market economy that is accepted by both. Hence, fundamental social changes in the area of medicine are unlikely. Modified HA.

During the last couple of years, sociological approaches in European studies have gained increasing attention from scholars. The 'usages of Europe' approach looks at the opportunities and resources that the EU provides for national actors to advance their interests, from a bottom-up perspective. As European rules on cross-border healthcare have been threatening the principle of the territoriality of healthcare services, the article analyses two cross-border healthcare projects in Austrian border regions to determine if and how actors' strategies have been Europeanised, and whether their actions could destructure national welfare boundaries. In order to explain how these regional actors incorporate European resources into their strategies a combination of the 'usages of Europe' approach with Historical Institutionalism is suggested. Adapted from the source document.

Objectives: In The Netherlands, school health care policy is decentralized to the municipalities and their Municipal Health Services (MHS) in 1990. Since then, an increasing diversity in school health care policy developed, which is is ill-understood, concerning the development of evidence-based public health. Methods: Case-study design in 4 MHS-regions. Documents and half-structured interviews are used as data sources. The analysis of the data is both qualitative and quantitative. Results: Many actors try to influence the policy process: MHS-internal actors like management and professionals as well as external actors like local health care providers, other municipal services, the municipalities and schools. Evidence is found of the use of scientific knowledge: 'body of knowledge' information as well as evidence from new research, of both local and (inter)national origin, mainly medical, but also social science research. Mainly School Health management and -professionals use scientific knowledge as a resource to influence the policy process. Other actors try to influence the policy process by using other resources like formal power, money or 'initiative'. The use of scientific knowledge is related to a combined (medical) scientific en political frame of reference. Conclusions: Policy formation in local public health takes place in a network of actors with mutual power-dependency-relations, using different resoures to influence the process. 'Evidence based public health' can be promoted by regarding evidence from scientific research as a resource in attempts to influence the policy formation process and the implementation of the outcomes of this process.

Ze onderscheiden vijf patronen van samenwerking in vijf soorten netwerken, met grote verschillen in overbelasting en voldoening. Het boek geeft allen die beroepshalve of als vrijwilliger of mantelzorger met langdurige zorg te maken hebben, inzicht in de rol van samenwerking en netwerken in het voorkomen van overbelasting van mantelzorgers en vrijwilligers

The problem of abortion as a political issue is discussed by focusing on two reports of the Belgian National Commission for Ethical Problems (fall 1976). Both the `translation' of the political problem into a question to be handled by an `apolitical' commission on the level of scientific expertise, & the delivery of two dissenting reports are studied as a typical stage of the development of the political decision-making process in this matter, & compared with similar evolution in neighboring countries (West Germany, France, & the Netherlands). From political theory perspectives, the main problem centers on the question: How does a parliamentary democracy solve such a deep-seated conflict concerning the `basic values' of a social ethical order? Answer elements can be gathered from a comparative analysis of the different positions & arguments in the two reports of the Ethical Commission. In opposition to the majority report (13 members in favor) the minority report (12 members opposed) claims that the legalization of abortion would bring about a drop of 10-15% in the birth rate. The minority argues that a truly ethical choice for abortion is difficult to make, since: (1) the choice must be made as soon as possible,.ie, with little time for reflection, & (2) its importance is belittled in order to avoid guilt feelings in the mother. Some of the most important differences between the two groups concern the relationship of ethics to law. The majority argues that a social concensus must be built on the least possible number of ethical presuppositions, while the minority argues that social cohesion is impossible under those conditions. A difference in tone between the two reports is also noted: the minority argument is much more emotional. This shows that the dispute is political, not scientific, & that it has important consequences for the evolution of the social pattern of values. Modified HA.