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Aim A discussion on how informatics knowledge and competencies can enable nursing to instantiate transition to integrated models of care. Background Costs of traditional models of care are no longer sustainable consequent to the spiralling incidence and costs of chronic illness. The international community looks towards technology-enabled solutions to support a shift towards integrated patient-centred models of care. Design Discussion paper. Data sources A search of the literature was performed dating from 2000-2015 and a purposeful data sample based on relevance to building the discussion was included. Discussion The holistic perspective of nursing knowledge can support and advance integrated healthcare models. Informatics skills are key for the profession to play a leadership role in design, implementation and operation of next generation health care. However, evidence suggests that nursing engagement with informatics strategic development for healthcare provision is currently variable. Implications for nursing A statistically significant need exists to progress health care towards integrated models of care. Strategic and tactical plans that are robustly pragmatic with nursing insights and expertise are an essential component to achieve effective healthcare provision. To avoid exclusion in the discourse dominated by management and technology experts, nursing leaders must develop and actively promote the advancement of nursing informatics skills. For knowledge in nursing practice to flourish in contemporary health care, nurse leaders will need to incorporate informatics for optimal translation and interpretation. Conclusion Defined nursing leadership roles informed by informatics are essential to generate concrete solutions sustaining nursing practice in integrated care models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is significant interest in comparing countries on many different indicators of social problems and policies. Cross-national comparisons of drug prevalence and policies are often hampered by differences in the approach used to reach respondents and the methods used to obtain information in national surveys. The paper explores how much these differences could affect cross-country comparisons.Methods: This study reports prevalence of drug use according to the most recent national household survey and then adjusts estimates as if all national surveys used the same methodology. The analysis focuses on European countries for which the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reports data, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Adjustment factors are based on US data.Findings: Adjusting for modality differences appears likely to modestly affect the rankings of countries by prevalence, but to an extent that could be important for comparisons. For example, general population surveys suggest that the US had some of the highest cannabis and cocaine prevalence rates circa 2012, but this is partially driven by the use of a modality known to produce higher prevalence estimates. This analysis shows that country rankings are partly an artifact of the mode of interview used in national general population surveys.Conclusions: Our preliminary efforts suggest that cross-national prevalence comparisons, policy analyses and, other projects such as estimating the global burden of disease could be improved by adjusting estimates from drug use surveys for differences in modality. Research is needed to create more authoritative adjustment factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the baby boomer generation ages, the need for laws to enhance quality of life for the elderly and meet the increasing demand for family caregivers will continue to grow. This paper reviews the national family leave laws of nine major OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and provides a state-by-state analysis within the U.S. We find that the U.S. has the least generous family leave laws among the nine OECD countries. With the exception of two states (California and New Jersey), the U.S. federal Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides no right to paid family leave for eldercare. We survey the current evidence from the literature on how paid leave can impact family caregivers' employment and health outcomes, gender equality, and economic arguments for and against such laws. We argue that a generous and flexible family leave law, financed through social insurance, would not only be equitable, but also financially sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive international survey to catalogue health technology assessment (HTA) activities. By 1995, there were formal HTA programs in 24 countries, established mostly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. European countries generally have one or two federal or provincial HTA programs each. Canada has an extensive network of federal and regional organizations coordinated by a central body, and the US has 53 HTA organizations, the vast majority of which are in the private sector. While the commitment of the US government to HTA has been erratic, the private sector has been witness to an expansion of HTA activities by insurance companies, hospitals, medical/device manufacturers, consulting firms, and health professional societies. In contrast to other developed countries, the current state of technology assessment in the US is decentralized, fragmented, and duplicative. We conclude by discussing the importance of a US HTA agency at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]