In August 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) established the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG). The following is a patient-friendly overview of the draft strategy.

(Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2008) The patient-focused paradigm in healthcare began to emerge in the early 1990’s. In 2006 the International Association of Patient Organizations (IAPO) adopted the Declaration on Patient-Centred Healthcare. This study examined the degree to which the five principles embedded in this Declaration are being advocated and utilized in the asthma patient-provider relationship in five countries. The empirical evidence in this study shows that the implementation of patient-centred care both as a policy concept and a practice modality for asthma has not been achieved to the extent needed. The paper makes recommendations to help patient organizations realize the full benefits of patient-centred care.

This report from The Canadian Continence Foundation sheds light on a well kept secret – that as many as 3.3 million Canadians experience some form of incontinence. While the societal impacts are hard to quantify, the financial costs associated with urinary incontinence (UI) total an estimated $2.6 billion per year.

Compensation for chiropractic services in an evolving health care system is a more complicated issue than for other professionals. The lack of clear direction related to
funding represents an opportunity to provide possible solutions.